Undiscovered Frontier Season 2 Whispers of Destiny Multiverse X-over
by sbbigsteve
Summary: After their success in keeping the secrets of the Darglan out of evil hands, the crews of the Aurora and Koenig are back in action. They will encounter new civilizations, brave new friends, and terrible new enemies in their voyages. When some of those foes prove closer to home than they could ever expect, an ancient prophecy will grant whispers of the destiny that awaits them...
1. Episode 2-01-1 A Dark Reflection

**Teaser**

The _Starship Aurora_ continued her slow course through space. She was designed with a sleek appearance formed around two hulls that blended together. From her narrower bow to the widest point of her beam was about a third of the ship's length; at that point the hulls met seamlessly. The forward "primary" hull had at its rear a large shuttle bay and the dock for an attack ship-sized vessel, while below the drive hull dipped below the bottom of the primary hull to reveal the ship's navigational deflector and, above it, torpedo launchers. Beyond the drive hull continued, marked by a green dash along the center that was accompanied by the seal of the Allied Systems. The top deck was the hanger for the ship's fighters, with both a landing deck and launch tubes for rapid deployment. Around the drive hull were four large warp nacelles in a flat X layout.

The azure-sheened vessel, in the service of the interuniversal United Alliance of Systems, was the most unique and arguably most advanced vessel in the Alliance fleet. Constructed with Darglan technology, some of which had yet to be matched by the Alliance itself, the ship was a standard-bearer for the Alliance it served.

But simply because she was such, it did not mean that the more mundane elements of life could not be found within her kilometer-long hull.

The private corner of the gymnasium area had a small group standing and watching. Among them was the ship's Chief Medical Officer Doctor Leonard Gillam. Known as Leo to his friends, he was wearing a standard duty uniform with the blue medical trim bordering the primarily black coloring of the uniform. A white labcoat with his name embroidered over the right chest was worn over the uniform. He stood with his arms crossed and a bemused look on his face. "He can't hold it that much longer."

"Aren't ye underestimatin' th' Cap'n a wee bit, Doctor?", asked the much older Commander Montgomery Scott. The old Starfleet legend known to many as "Scotty" was now Chief Engineer of the _Aurora_. It was a post that he enjoyed, allowing him to work with the Darglan technology that the _Aurora_ crew had introduced him to and to mentor the young people that had literally saved his life. He was in his favored engineer outfit of a black vest over a white jacket with black trousers, his three gold strips of rank insignia fitted on the right of the vest.

"I've got ten credits that says he drops it within a minute." The better was the ship's Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jarod, with the beige color of Operations on his black uniform. The lack of a surname was intentional on the part of the savant, whose ability to function in any occupation on account of his incredible intelligence had previously earned him the sobriquet of "the Pretender".

"Yeah, no offense Jarod, but I don't think anyone is willing to bet against you." That was from the _Aurora_ 's Navigation Officer, Lieutenant Nicholas Locarno. A native of Universe S5T3 like Scotty, he was standing and watching with a bemused look and crossed arms. The red of ship control and command was on his uniform.

"I'll take that bet." The offer was from Lieutenant Lucilla "Lucy" Lucero, Jarod's immediate subordinate. Unlike the others she wasn't in a uniform or engineer's vest, but wearing a brown robe much like the subject of their discussion.

The five gave no reaction at the steady glare they got from the second figure in their sight. Lieutenant Commander Meridina - a Gersallian, one of a number of species in various universes who resembled Humans on the outside - was not in uniform. Nor was she in the brown robe, but rather a blue robe that had been set to the side for the moment with only the dark purple bodysuit remaining as her garb. Robes did not quite go well with standing on one's hand.

Despite the fact that the _Aurora_ 's chief of security was upside down, her slight irritation with Lucy's snarkyness was evident. Lucy returned it with a brief sticking out of her tongue, a customary act of rebellion toward her teacher. She endured the telepathic scolding that came without saying a thing of it, or even thinking much of it. Meridina, as it was, had other things on her mind. The need to focus on the fifty kilogram barbell weight she was holding up with her life force abilities, for instance.

But she was not the center of attention. That was to her newest student. Captain Robert Dale was wearing a sleeveless vest that had been tucked into red sweat pants, a concession to the fact that he too was standing on his hand and upside down. But he was not quite as poised as Meridina. He wobbled slightly, one way and then another, as he struggled to keep himself stable. His other hand was held out as well. But where Meridina was holding up the barbell, he was doing the same with a simple digital notepad. Sweat continued to drip from his brow to the mat. His green eyes were intent upon the notepad.

Everyone else counted down the time. Lucy gave a bemused look to Jarod when the sixty second mark was passed. He smirked and handed her a bill drawn from his uniform pocket.

As she put it with her things, Robert swayed a little too far back. He struggled to keep his position and let go of the notepad. It nearly clattered on the floor before he grabbed it again. This, however, distracted him further from keeping his balance. It had shifted the other way. This time, there was not going to be a last minute correction. Robert toppled over with a "Woh!" and belly-flopped onto the mat with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs for a moment. "Unh!"

"Damn. I was off by seven seconds," Jarod groused.

Meridina set the barbell down gently. Lucy watched her make an elegant jump off her hand to land upright on her feet. Like she had just made a short hop. "I shall have to restrict our training to holodecks only," Meridina sighed to Lucy. She looked over the crowd. "You gentlemen should know better than to disturb Robert in his training," she said to Jarod and the others in a pointed tone. A sharp pointed one, that is. "Especially you." That line was specifically directed at Lucy, who pretended to ignore it for the moment.

Robert rolled over onto his back and sat up to see everyone looking at him. "You guys really find entertainment in my misery?", he asked.

"It's just interesting," Nick insisted. "Misery's pushing it."

"Although there is a certain amusement to it," Jarod admitted with a playful smirk.

Robert matched that smirk. "Meridina," he said, "please remind me later to see if Commander Andreys can find a way to assign our senior staff to punishment duty in waste extraction."

Meridina smiled at that. "An interesting proposition." A mischievous twinkle appeared in her brilliant blue eyes. "I will have to remember that."

"That is not playing fair," Leo complained.

Robert reached up and let Meridina help him up. "Alright everyone, back to work," he said. "The show's over. I'll see you two on the bridge." He eyed Jarod and Locarno.

As everyone started leaving, he looked to Meridina. "I'm at least improving, aren't I?"

"You are," she agreed. "Which is why we will make your object heavier starting tomorrow."

Robert made a face at that. "You are more sadistic than my wide receiver coach back in High School. Do you know that, Meridina?"

"Truly?" That bemused twinkle returned to her eye. "I may have to seek this coach out and consult with him. Perhaps he will know ways to better train you."

The mental image caused Robert to chuckle, even if it also seemed a bit horrifying. Lucy did so as well. "You're starting to get it," Lucy said. She didn't speak on how he seemed to be going slower than she had in the learning. Everyone learned this thing at their own speed, after all.

"Indeed." Meridina picked her robe up. "I understand you have duties to get to. I need to begin Lucy's training for the day." She gave her other student a look. "I suspect she will not enjoy it all herself."

"It's Meridina's excuse to make me suffer," Lucy sighed.

"Yeah, I sort of got that." Still favoring his ribs a little, if just from the sheer surprise of his belly-flop's impact, Robert started walking away. "I'll see you later."

* * *

An hour later Robert was in his ready room with a number of digital pads on the desk. Each had information demanding his attention. The provider of those pads remained standing on the other side of the desk with a look of tried patience in her green eyes.

Commander Julia Andreys, the First Officer of the _Aurora_ and his oldest friend - and by oldest he meant that they had known each other so long that they couldn't remember a time they didn't know each other closely - had put her rich blond hair into a ponytail at the back of her head. Their black uniforms had red trim at the shoulders and cuffs and elsewhere that denoted them as command officers. Each looked to be in the pinnacle of health for adults in their late 20s. "How is the training going?", she asked.

"It is proceeding," he answered, being intentionally vague. "Angel is getting used to it. It's odd that after everything, this stuff is the thing that's causing the most problems in our relationship.

"Angel has never been one for metaphysics," Julia noted.

Robert nodded and continued looking over the pads. "Well, it looks like we owe a debt of thanks for the work of the Command Spacedock repair crews."

"We do. The flight deck is operating just fine."

Seeing a note on a second datapad with personal listings, Robert asked, "We actually have a Gy'toran crewmember now?"

Julia nodded. "Crewman Peglemitar. He's assigned to the machine shop, Bravo Shift."

"Well, I suppose a machine shop's a good place for a hexalimbed crewman to be." Robert continued to look over the listing. "And… seriously, a _Zygonian_? I didn't even think they were signing up."

"This one is." Julia smiled thinly. "Crewman Thalaz is actually asking permission to train with Padre Mann."

Robert blinked.

"I thought you knew that?" Julia's smile grew. "That the Zygonians were Catholic?"

"No. No I did not," Robert admitted.

"And they have their own Pope."

At that, Robert shook his head. "Universe S0T5 is _weird_."

Julia chuckled. "So, C1P2 Earth," she said.

"C1P2 Earth," he answered, nodding. "We're not making a full visit, obviously. Still…"

"...you get to remember the guy responsible for Bleeding Sumner trying to break another cane," Julia said, smiling widely. "On _your_ head."

"Laying that guy out with a punch was one of the most fun things I ever did."

Robert drew in a sigh. "It used to be so simple, didn't it Julia?"

"Yeah."

"We just went around rescuing people, helping them. No government business, no Nazis… just us and a bunch of small ships, and the closest thing we had to a uniform was that we all started to wear something blue half the time."

"Those were the days."

"There are times I wonder," Robert admitted. "That I wonder if things wouldn't be better off if we had never let ourselves get pulled into this stuff. If we had just kept doing our own thing and helping people who needed it."

"I think this life has its own rewards." Julia looked over a datapad. They felt a slight thrum go through the ship. The _Aurora_ had dropped out of warp. "I'd rather not look back."

Robert opened his mouth to reply. As the sound formed in his throat a tone at his desk interrupted him. He reached his hand over from one of the digital pads and pressed an acceptance key. "Dale here."

" _Captain, we've just come out of warp_ ", Jarod replied. " _You… I think there's something you need to see._."

Robert's initial reaction was confusion. Confusion that was clear in his expression and shared in Julia's bewildered look. He could feel disbelief coming from outside the room. They stood up at the same time and made it for the door. Jarod was at Ops. "What is it?"

"We just made orbit of Earth C1P2," Jarod said. He looked ahead at the screen. "Look."

Robert and Julia fixed their gaze on the viewscreen.

The breath left their lungs in a collective gasp of disbelief.

C1P2 Earth was _burning_.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"A Dark Reflection"_**

* * *

The image of the Earth on his screen was one Robert knew would remain with him for the rest of his life. The Earth of C1P2 was literally burning in front of his eyes. Smoke was filling the atmosphere from the bright orange blazes covering the urban centers.

"What the hell?", he gasped. "What happened here?"

Caterina Delgado, the ship's Science Officer and younger sister to Robert's girlfriend Angela, was already hard at work at her sensor station. "I'm scanning now. There is some kind of energy signature coming from some of the cities. I think they were subjected to limited energy weapon bombardment."

"Going by comparisons to our old sensor returns, we're looking at a death toll in the millions," Jarod said. "Tens of millions. It's hard to get adequate readings. Most of the urban areas in Europe have been damaged and a few outright destroyed. So have a number of the big cities in the Indian Subcontinent and East Asia. Cape Town, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro…"

"What could have done this?", Julia asked. Her voice was hoarse with horror. "This world didn't have _anything_ approaching the technology to manage this. Someone else did this."

A very horrible prospect crossed Robert's mind. His stomach clenched in anticipation as he asked, "Jarod, Cat…. could this be the Nazis?" After all they had done to keep Darglan technology out of the hands of the Third Reich of Universe S4W8, could they have failed in the end?

"No," Cat said, to his immediate relief. "The energy signature doesn't match Nazi disruptor technology."

"Then what does it match?", Julia asked. "Can you tell us that?"

Caterina took a few moments before answering. "No. No, I… this can't be right."

"What?", Julia asked. "What's wrong?"

"The readings. The energy type. There's only one ship that could have caused them."

Robert and Julia turned their heads to their left to face the sensor station on the port side of the bridge. "Who?", Robert asked.

Cat had a look of pure confusion on her face when she turned back to face them. It was not a common look for her, and the fact she had it made the situation all the more dire.

But not as dire as her answer.

"Us," Caterina said.

* * *

Everyone had assembled in the ship's main conference room. They heard the news. "What do you mean it was us?", Leo asked Cat.

"Us as in the _Aurora_ ," she answered. "The weapons used to devastate the planet were our main batteries."

"You mean the ship used the same tech…"

"No. Not just the same tech… only the _Aurora_ has pulse plasma cannons big enough to cause this kind of pattern," Caterina insisted. "Only our ship. No others."

"No others that we know of," Jarod clarified.

"What about the monitoring probe we left?", Julia asked. "Why didn't it alert us to what happened?"

"Because whoever was here knew how to hack its programming," Jarod explained. "It was reset to transmit false sensor information to the Alliance. If we hadn't come out to check them out, we would never have known what happened here."

"And what happened here…" Robert looked back to the readings. "...is that the _Aurora_ apparently bombed the planet."

"Going by the energy signatures at least," Jarod said. "Obviously we couldn't have done it."

"Could this be an attack on us? As in literally us?", Angela Delgado asked out loud. She was frowning. "Maybe this is some attempt by Admiral Davies to frame us? Maybe he had a ship built to carry cannons like ours…"

Julia shook her head. "I find it hard to believe he'd be able to do that and not be found out. I mean, we haven't had the opportunity to launch these kinds of attacks. We just got back out into space a few weeks ago and Admiral Maran's been keeping us busy."

"But maybe…"

"Whatever's going on, I want us to be careful with this investigation," Robert interceded. "I've already sent what we have to Admiral Maran and asked for instructions. Jarod, Cat, Scotty, I'd like you to over the sensor records. See if you can find out more about this. We'll hold position until we get orders."

Leo raised a hand. "What about the people down there? Every minute we waste, we could be saving thousands."

"We only have so many resources, Leo," Robert pointed out. "And until I hear otherwise, the planet is still legally protected by the contact limitation regulations."

"So we're just going to leave people to die?", Leo asked. His voice was sharp.

Robert frowned at that. "If we go down, it might be the opening Hawthorne and Davies have been looking for," he pointed out.

"So it's not worth the lives we'll save?"

Robert drew in a breath. He had nothing to say to that. Leo was right.

Julia spoke up. "You know, the contact regulations make it clear that there are exceptions. We can stop a calamity caused by more advanced technology they shouldn't have, for instance. And having a bunch of cities burnt out by plasma weaponry certainly counts as a calamity caused by something not from 19th Century Earth. A limited mission should be feasible."

Robert thought it over in his head. "Alright," he conceded. "We'll never be able to help everyone so… Leo, I'll leave it to you. Pick where we send medical teams and we'll do what we can. In the meantime, Jarod, see if those communication devices we left are still working. Maybe there's still a functioning government down there that can respond to us."

"I'll do what I can," he said.

"You're all dismissed," Robert said.

As everyone filed out of the room, Meridina and Lucy nodded to each other. They rushed to join Leo in the turbolift linking the conference room to the ship's lift tubes and entered right behind him. Before he took notice of them, he said, "Deck 12." Then he turned to them. "Commander, Lucy," he said.

"Doctor, we would be interested in going down with you," Meridina said.

"Well, I will need security. And a pilot for the _St. Johns_. So it'll work."

"Good," Lucy said. "See you in the shuttle bay in half an hour?"

"Try twenty minutes," he pointed out.

"I will prepare a security team."

"Prepare four, I'm sending half of my surgeons down to various locations," Leo said. "I'm not having it said I played favorites."

"Of course. I will make preparations and meet you in the shuttle bay."

* * *

It didn't take long for Admiral Maran to respond. The Gersallian admiral was one of the most respected commanders in the entire Alliance. Years before the Alliance he had defeated the Tresalian Domination in its attempt to conquer the L'wi'ma, overseen the Dorei-Gersallian fleet that broke the power of the Coserian Empire, and more recently had commanded the Alliance and allied fleets that had utterly destroyed an entire Nazi battle fleet at New Austria. Robert noted that whatever stresses he now held as the head of President Morgan's Defense Staff, he hadn't added any new gray to the lines of gray through his otherwise-brown hair and beard. " _We've gone over your data and reports here in Portland. It's causing a lot of concern, obviously._ "

"It's causing it here too, sir," Robert replied. He was alone in his ready room. Outside the window the Earth was still turning beneath them. "I can't help but think someone's trying to frame us. But I don't see how anyone with the ability to could do so and think it'd work. The _Aurora_ has been on the go for weeks and in the dock for weeks before that. We've never had an opportunity to make an attack like this."

Maran could tell what he was thinking of. " _It wasn't Hawthorne or Davies, Captain. I'm quite sure of that._ "

"How could you be sure? They put a spy in my crew, sir…"

" _I know. But I saw their reactions to the news. They're more horrified than anything. We all are. The ramifications of this are major._ "

Robert nodded. "If we didn't do it, and it didn't come from the Alliance…"

" _...then someone else did. Someone else with access to Darglan technology._ "

"I've been worried that the Nazis might have gotten something from the Gamma PIratus base. But could they have put anything into action this soon?"

" _I doubt it. According to our sources, the Reich's been reeling ever since the fight at New Austria. Over a dozen major colony worlds have rebelled and come under the protection of our fleet. They're throwing everything they have into establishing a new defensive position in Dralensa… or whatever they call it in their maps._ " Maran shook his head. " _With just a few months? I doubt they could have fitted an IU drive and Darglan plasma weapons to a ship this quickly._ "

"If it's not them, then it has to be someone else." A thought came to Robert's mind. "When we went over the data from the Darglan databanks we recovered in E5B1, I remember that they included the existence of a third Facility. On another Earth."

" _That is a possibility. And that's what you're going to investigate. Your prior orders are suspended for the time being, Captain. I want all effort put into finding out what attacked C1P2 and where they got their Darglan technology._ "

"I thought you'd want that, sir. I already assigned Jarod and Cat to an investigation." A thought came to him. "Admiral, I was wondering…"

" _Yes?_ "

"You've yet to assign us a support ship," Robert pointed out. "Haven't the Colonies settled now? I thought the _Koenig_ would be re-assigned by now."

" _Ah, yes._ " Maran nodded. " _It is my understanding that the final decision on where they will settle is being decided by their election. As soon as we have confirmation of their choice and the needed steps have been taken, I'll send Commander Carrey his new orders._ " Maran's expression betrayed some concern. " _I hope his time with the Colonials has improved upon his issues being under your command._ "

"I think things will be better this time," Robert answered. He grinned slightly. "Zack just needed a chance to spread his wings and fly."

* * *

Laughter filled the military comm channels used by the Colonial fleet. Commander Zachary Carrey, of the _Starship Koenig_ , continued his enthusiastic laughter as he banked the Mark VII Viper from the Battlestar _Pegasus_ around his ship. The squat, tough little _Koenig_ was in her place beyond the Colonial Fleet and provided him plenty of room for maneuver. Her azure-sheened hull moved along quickly above him. He banked again and sent his ship within the forward wing-like sweep of its port warp nacelle, just beside the emitters for the vessel's powerful pulse phaser cannons.

Behind him another Viper soared in pursuit. Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, commanding the _Pegasus_ ' fighters, was his wingman/competition for this flight. She was pushing her Viper as hard as Zack was pushing his. The only reason she'd fallen a half second behind was his tight maneuver around the _Koenig_ 's aft section twenty seconds earlier.

But now her Viper accelerated further. Zack went for the nose of the _Koenig_ and the purported finish line. Just as he reached it Kara's Viper zoomed past. " _Dammit!_ ," he shouted, laughing. "I almost had it!"

" _Almost doesn't cut it, Loverboy._ "

Zack blinked as he powered his engines down to a standard acceleration. The _Koenig_ was now behind them. "Excuse me? 'Loverboy'?"

" _That's your new handle_ ," Kara announced. " _Our pilots all agreed on it._ "

"Seriously? _'Loverboy'_? That's..."

" _Everyone in the Fleet has to know by now how that cute nurse has you wrapped around her finger, Carrey_ ," was the reply. " _So that's your official handle. End of story._ "

He had to chuckle at that. "Well, I suppose there are worse. I would have picked 'Fastball' myself."

" _Hopefully not too fast, or your nurse might move on._ "

"Oh. Oh, that smarts…" Zack chuckled again. "I've got to say, I love how these things handle. They're lighter than our Mongoose fighters."

" _Yeah, but your fighters carry heavier ordnance and have all of the extra tech on them. I wouldn't mind your people building us a Mark VIII with all of your toys._ "

"Maybe they are." He eyed his fuel reserves and the time. "Well, I suppose I'd better get back. Coming to the game? The eight-to-ten year old bracket teams are holding their championship, first round play. I think the kids from the _Faru Sadin_ are going to give a real good game, I haven't seen batting that good in ages."

" _Samuel will be there, so I'll be there. Let's get back, Loverboy._ "

Zack shook his head and couldn't get the smirk off his face. "I'm on your wing, Starbuck."

" _Good._ " There was a pause. "Pegasus _Actual, this is Starbuck. Coming back now. Let Colonel Fisk know I'll have that readiness report ready for him soon._ "

" _The Colonel isn't here, ma'am. He left for meetings._ ," a voice replied. Zack recognized it as Lieutenant Hoshi from the _Pegasus_. " _But I'll make sure he gets the report as soon as he gets back._ "

Zack noticed that Kara went to their direct taclink before saying, " _Well, frak it all. He rides my ass for it and now this?_ "

"He does seem to go off for plenty of meetings, doesn't he?", Zack noted. "I wonder if it's over the election."

" _If he endorses anyone, the Old Man will have his head._ "

That sounded right. Adama had made it pretty clear in meetings with the various officers under his command that the election was meant to be hand's off. No endorsing, just vote quietly and be done with it. Or not vote at all in Zack's case.

There was nothing more to be said as they flew back to the _Pegasus_. 

* * *

Leo had sent multiple teams to various points of Earth C1P2 to do something, anything, to help the inhabitants. He couldn't ignore his own sentiments having weighed in on his choice of location, however. His family had originally come from Georgia, and it was to Georgia and the flaming wreckage not far from Atlanta that he and his team arrived.

Meridina and Lucy had helped to set everything up. Now a long line of people, black and white, were forming to accept the food coming from the _St. Johns_ ' replicator and the medical treatments Leo and his nurses were offering.

One bedraggled couple, poor white farmers, were waiting at the door when Leo emerged with a four year old boy. "I gave him treatments for the fever," he told them. "He'll be okay."

"Hallelujah," the weeping mother said.

Leo watched them go. Next up were two young ex-slaves with equally tattered clothing to the prior couple. A pair of infants were in their arms and barely moved. "Please, massa," the man said. "Help ou' poor babes."

"Don't call me that," Leo said abruptly. He caught himself and winced. "I'm sorry. I'm Doctor Gillam, not 'Master' or 'Massa'. And let me see…" He ran his medical scanner over them and looked at the results on his multidevice screen. "They were premature. They're too weak. Djamal!" A male Dorei nurse emerged from the medical module in the runabout. Leo indicated them. "Take them in. Put nutrient IVs on the babies, stat."

"Yes Doctor." The blue-skinned, purple-spotted Dorei looked to the awestruck people. "Please, come with me," he said.

Whatever terror or bewilderment the sight of an alien gave the couple, their need to care for their children overrode that sentiment. They quietly followed Djamal in. Behind them, one of Meridina's security officers quietly entered the module as well. The Thai woman's hand was resting on her pistol holster. Leo didn't quite like that, but he imagined it was better to be prepared when around desperate people.

Nearby Meridina and Lucy were handing out food rations. "Such terrible loss," Meridina observed. "You feel it?"

Lucy nodded. She had grown more sensitive to the Flow of Life since Meridina had introduced it to her on the Citadel. She could faintly make it out here. It was cold and quiet, not at all possessing the warmth and vibrance she had first seen. "I do. Is this why you wanted to come down?"

"Somewhat. Did you feel as I did? The pull to this place?"

"Yeah, I did," Lucy said. "It's why I landed here when Leo picked 'Georgia'. I felt like we needed to be here. LIke this is where we could do the most good."

"Yes." Meridina nodded. "As did I."

"Who could have done this?"

"I am not sure. But…" Meridina went silent for a moment. "Wait."

There was a growing commotion in the lines. An older man, white with graying and bedraggled hair and the ruins of what had once been a nice black suit, was howling in their direction. "What are you doing?!", he screamed. "Have you no pride!? You come to these fanatics, these murdering thieves, why? There shouldn't be a white face here! Have you lost your pride?!"

Leo and Meridina stepped up toward the trouble-maker. "His mind is unhinged," Meridina warned.

"Sir, please calm down," Leo said in a quiet voice. "We'll get you food and medical…"

The older man's shrieking cut him off. "I'll have nothing from you, _nigger_!"

Meridina felt the revulsion and anger surge in Leo. "I am unfamiliar with that word," she said. "Is it an insult?"

"Racial slur," was his simple reply. Leo kept his attention on the man. "Then if you're not going to accept our help, sir, I suggest you leave."

"This is _my home!_ ," the man thundered. "Mine! It'll always be mine! They'll always be mine!" He gestured toward the line of people. It wasn't hard to guess which of those in the line he was talking about. "All of this land is mine! You can drive off the O'Haras, the Hamiltons, the Wilkeses… but not me! My land! Won by my family! I…"

Leo made ready to tranquilize the raving man. But before he could, their verbal assailant stopped. Horror started to cross his face.

Meridina felt the horror. She could also feel something else. A presence of some sort. She looked around at the crowds and saw nothing. Nothing with her eyes anyway. But there was someone else here. That she was certain of.

The older man screamed an inarticulate phrase and started running toward the nearby trees. Leo looked at Meridina. "He's mad, isn't he?"

"Mad with grief and loss and terror," she said. "But I believe he has reason to run. Please, remain here and continue the work. I will be back shortly." Meridina looked to Lucy. "Be on your guard. Feel with your _swevyra_."

Lucy nodded.

Meridina turned and pursued the man into the woods.

* * *

The crazed man was Lionel Roger Cobb. He had been born on the family plantation, raised there, educated in the finest university in Georgia, and became one of many of his class to assume political and social authority in their state.

And he'd owned slaves of course. When news started coming in of mysterious attacks on plantations, of entire plantations being stripped of slaves, he'd hired even more overseers and cracked down on his workers even more. For their own protection. There was no telling what crazed abolitionist force was responsible. And he had supported secession as a matter of course when the Northern states failed to ratify the amendment to protect slavery in the Union.

And then the fires had come. The bolts from the sky, unlike any lightning, that ruined his family home and killed his wife and daughters and son. His remaining slaves had run off in the chaos that followed the judgement from the skies and he had been left alone.

But for Cobb, the important thing was that he knew he was being pursued. He knew why. He'd seen the old home at Tara and what the abandoned home was being used for.

His tired, famished body forced Cobb to stop. He couldn't continue on as he was. He was too weak. But he had to escape. Escape the phantom who dwelt there.

"Did you think I'd forgotten you?", a voice called out.

Cobb's blood froze. Through his madness he knew he was about to die.

"Do you remember her name, Lionel Cobb?", the voice asked. "The name of the slave girl your son raped?"

"My boy knew better than to touch them!", Cobb raged. "Liars! All liars! They said so!"

"They said so after you stripped the flesh from their backs," the voice pointed out. Anger had seeped into it. "And now I'm going to kill you for that."

"Abolitionist monsters! Fanatics! You've burned everything!", Cobb screamed. He knew he was about to die.

There was movement. He turned. The man in the dark suit was there. Dark brown hair could be made out at the edge of his helmet. His skin was light in complexion and tanned by exposure to the sun.

And a blade protruded from his wrist.

Cobb screamed in defiance at him as the man advanced, hatred burning in his brown eyes. 

* * *

Meridina heard the screaming of the man that had accosted them. He was in conversation with… who knew? Meridina could sense the life slightly. Cold. Angry. Vengeful. She drew her _lakesh_ and activated it as she stormed into the clearing.

There was a rustle of leaves. But nobody was there.

Nobody but the dying man.

The man who had verbally accosted them at their camp was lying in a crimson pool. A stab wound bubbled blood. He'd been stabbed in the lung. Intentionally.

Meridina rushed to his side and called upon her power. Away from the Flow of Life, though, amid the darkness and suffering of this world, she wouldn't have the power to heal him completely. But maybe if she…

The man grabbed her arm as light formed over his wound. "Tara!," he screamed. "At Tara! He'll kill us all!"

"Sir, you must…"

Meridina felt that she was too late. The man was drowning in his own blood. But while she tried to stop that, his heart gave out. It had endured too much. She felt the blood go still underneath her hands. He was dead.

But even then, she could feel something. Someone was here. Watching. Waiting. She breathed in and focused, trying to see him.

" _Meridina?_ " Lucy's voice crackled over the multidevice. " _Meridina, are you there? The people say that old coot's name was Cobb. Lionel Cobb. Some bigtime slave owner in the area, until the bombardment blew up his family home and killed his family._ "

"He is at peace now," Meridina replied.

" _What? You mean he's dead? How?_ "

"Murdered. Stabbed." Meridina examined the wound. "The blade was powerful and sharp. I can sense that it cut through his ribs when he was stabbed in the lung." She drew in a breath and felt with her senses. She knew there was something out here. Not immediately here anymore, but moving away. "Lucy, Doctor Gillam, do any of the people here know about a place called Tara?"

There was a pause before Leo replied. " _It's a burnt out old plantation in the area. About three miles to the northeast._ "

"I see." She kept her focus on that feeling of life in movement. A dark sensation even in this darkened world. "Lucy, I may have need of you. Please come to meet me."

" _I'll be right there._ "


	2. Episode 2-01-2 A Dark Reflection

Zack was in one of _Cloud 9_ 's restaurants to get a quick lunch before the game. The food selection had vastly improved over the past two months. Now that the Colonial Fleet was in Alliance space, moving through Dorei territory, it had access to all sorts of raw materials and foodstuffs from the Alliance races. The menu selections had changed to show that.

But Zack didn't have menus on his mind. Just the bright blue eyes of Clara Davis, resplendent in her nursing uniform, her hand and his together across the table. She gave him her homey, sweet country girl smile and made his heart flutter. To see her happy, and to know how happy he felt… it had never seemed possible that he would feel like this. It almost made him want to leave the Stellar Navy and just move into the Fleet permanently.

Not that he would. He couldn't. Not with the war on. Not with the people who needed him. But maybe when it was over…

"How long?", Clara was asking. The question jolted him from his thoughts.

"Hrm?", Zack asked.

"How long until you're re-assigned?" A sad smile was on her face. "You said that it would probably be after the Fleet reached Alliance space."

"Oh." He stopped for a moment. "Admiral Maran's last message said it would be after the election. This part of Dorei space is still a little thin on patrols due to the war, so keeping _Koenig_ here to help protect the fleet from the Cylons is necessary. Once they decide whether or not to settle on that planet the Dorei offered them, or if they want to go elsewhere, we'll be on."

"And that won't happen until the election."

"Yeah. Roslin's proposing leaving N2S7 completely. To get a new start back in our home universe. Maybe at the New Liberty Colony, or another world nearby."

"And Baltar wants to accept the Dorei offer?"

"He does. He says leaving our home universe is conceding too much to the Cylons. That we…" Zack caught himself. He noticed the amused look on Clara's face. "...well. I'm going a bit native, aren't I?"

"We all are," Clara noted. "You live and eat and work with people long enough…"

But it wasn't just that. Zack had always felt like he was out of place. Now he didn't. He felt at home here, more than he had anywhere for a long time.

"Maybe when the war's over, I'll stay here permanently," he mused. "Wherever 'here' ends up being for the Colonial Refugees. They'll have a nice big open world, after all."

"You could build a nice house," she said. "Near wherever they set up the baseball fields. Spend your time coaching the teams, school teams…"

"...and you would be nursing at their hospital."

Clara nodded. She clearly saw where he was going with this. And he liked it.

A part of him, admittedly, still wanted to be on the _Koenig_. She was his ship. His tough little gutpuncher that he could fly with his eyes closed. Would he really feel torn, picking between the two?

That thought was uncomfortable.

There was a commotion near the bar. Their heads turned as people began to shout and carry on and argue. Zack stood and went closer to hear what was being said.

The monitor there was on. The Colonial Fleet had started to pick up civilian subspace broadcasts. News, entertainment, and the like (the Fleet had actually set aside bandwidth for baseball feeds due to their growing popularity). But the look of the feed showed it was local. Something about the election, presumably.

Tom Zarek, Quorum Representative for the survivors from Sagittaron, was on the screen, talking. "... _has come to light, I am no longer bound to remain quiet on the matter. In truth, I am relieved,_ " Zarek was saying. " _Relieved that the people of the Fleet should know the truth of what happened. How this wonderful opportunity for us was nearly lost by the President's blind fanaticism and short-sightedness._ "

Zack had a very bad feeling. He felt Clara take his hand and look at him in confusion. He felt his face twisted into an expression of apprehension.

" _The reports you have heard are true_ ," Zarek continued. " _President Roslin did order the abduction of the_ Aurora _crewmembers. She ordered the execution, without trial, of an Alliance officer. An act that would have destroyed our hopes if the Quorum not superseded her orders and straightened the issue out. Her entire handling of the first contact, from her religious bigotry against our new allies for their beliefs to her readiness to kill one of them to cover up the truth, should be a warning to us all about her unreliability and unsuitability…_ "

" _Frakking liar!_ ", one man screamed.

"Like you'd know!" That was from a nearby woman. "Roslin's always been arrogant! She nearly tore the fleet apart!"

Another voice spoke up. "Spoken like a terrorist-loving Sagit..."

As the arguing and shouting continued, Zack stepped away and shook his head. Clara looked at him with confusion. "What are they talking about? What did Roslin do?", she asked.

"She made a mistake. Both sides did," Zack answered. "And now it's going to come back and haunt us all."

* * *

Meridina felt the darkness of the place as she approached it. Once it had been a thriving manor of sorts. The central home of an estate. Now it was a burnt out shell.

But that alone wasn't why she felt darkness here. There were other things here. Feelings of loss and grief. Despair. Anger. People had suffered here, physically or mentally or emotionally. It was a familiar sensation.

The echoes of slavery.

For all that it seemed a dead place, though, there was a life here. _A_ life. She could feel the sensations of anger coming from within. Anticipation. A tinge of uncertainty.

Meridina extended her _lakesh_ as she approached the broken front door. Inside was a grand hall. A staircase led up to upper floors. Another hole was visible that showed a glimpse of an upper floor room. An old bedroom?

Her _swevyra_ bristled. The Flow of Life here was weak. A small trickle. The place felt and smelled like death.

As Meridina stepped beside the stairs she found a body. A young woman, dark-haired. Perhaps she had once been handsome, if not entirely pretty. Her torso was marked by stab wounds like those that had befallen the late Mr. Cobb. Her eyes stared with terror at Meridina. Whomever she had been, she had died a violent and horrific death at the hands of this dark figure.

A few more steps, a turn, and further steps showed other bodies. Men and women. Mostly light-skinned, although one heavy-set woman was dark-skinned. Meridina had been told that slavery here had been based on ethnicity and skin complexion. A victim? Or someone loyal to the family that lived here? Living beings could bond even with their captors and declared owners, after all. That was how Life worked.

Meridina stepped into a wide-open room. It had evidently been a mass gathering room of sorts. A massive human musical instrument - Julia had shown her something similar once called a "piano" - was a charred husk in one corner. The broken remains of seats and couches were scattered about the place.

So were other things. Intact things. Something that looked like a field kitchen. A cot. A metal rack on which multiple firearms and weapons were arrayed.

Meridina's blade leapt up just in time. Her arms moved by instinct, by her _swevyra_ , and intercepted the invisible blade that went for her ribs. A clang sounded in the air. She concentrated and sensed the being stalking her. The life there… it felt weaker than it should. Explaining how he had gotten so close, at least.

But there was little time for that consideration. Blows struck at Meridina again and again, each time parried by her _lakesh_. She was on the defensive against this unseen foe and a speed that she had never seen a being make outside of having _swevyra_ of their own to power it. She was keeping up, but not effortlessly.

It was time to reverse this conflict. To take her foe off-guard. Her power resonated with her thoughts, waiting to point out the perfect moment. The precise moment, when it would be time to _strike_.

She deflected one strike and, immediately, drew her _lakesh_ over and down. There was a quick cry of surprise and a sound of the _lakesh_ 's blade cutting through metal.

A figure rippled into view before her. A Human male, a little taller than she was, wearing a black combat suit. His age seemed to be about that of those of the _Aurora_ command crew. Firearms dangled from each of his hips. He was light-skinned, brown-eyed, with dark hair like Robert's that was less well-kept. His intense eyes were focused on her.

He was holding no blade, though. Above each wrist, a sharp metal blade was protruding from within his suit, glinting in the dying sun within the burnt out plantation home.

"I am Meridina," she said. "A Lieutenant Commander of the United Alliance of Systems and a _swevyra'se_ \- a Knight - of the Order of Swenya. Please explain who you are and why you murdered these people."

The man appraised her. She could tell he was ready to resume their battle. But he was not without reason either. "My name's Hawk," he replied. "And I killed these slaving bastards because they deserved to die."

"Did they?", Meridina asked. "Death should not be so easily imposed."

"Why the hell not?", he demanded. "You do bad things, you meet a bad end. That's justice. So what are you doing here?"

Meridina had a few answers she could give. That she was investigating the destruction of this world, certainly.

But she chose the most honest one.

"I am here," she said, "to stop you from killing anyone else."

Hawk smirked at her. Arrogant confidence oozed from his posture, his very being. "I'd like to see you try, sunshine," he replied.

For a moment he concentrated. The blades on his wrists grew longer, larger, until each was at least half the length of her _lakesh_. He surged forward…

...and Meridina promptly slammed him back with her power, sending him into the opposite wall.

For a moment Hawk didn't move. She had clearly surprised him. He was more cautious when he stood up and slowly walked toward her.

"Surrender and you will not be harmed," she promised. "Perhaps there is something wrong in your mind…"

Again he charged, inhumanly fast, and Meridina reacted by calling on her power again. She hit him with it, a blow even stronger than the last, and sent him flying back.

It was her turn to feel surprise when he flipped in mid-air and let his feet hit the wall. He absorbed the force of the impact this way and jumped away from the wall before gravity started to pull him down. The jump was powerful and quick. She barely had time to call up her power again and throw it at him as he sailed over her.

But Hawk was too quick. The blast missed and hit the roof above, sending rubble down into the room. As the roar of the collapse filled Meridina's ear she followed Hawk and brought the _lakesh_ up to deflect his first attacks. HIs longer blades had only barely slowed his blistering speed of attack. Strike after strike, blow after blow, clanged against her _lakesh_. But yet she felt nothing to indicate he had power like her, no essence of _swevyra_ beyond the natural one for a Human.

It brought to mind the last foe to fight like this. A rogue Coserian stormtrooper she had faced when she was still just starting out as a _swevyra'se_. The Coserians had turned their stormtroopers into "cyborgs", as Lucy had called it, mechanized beings that were more machine than living. But that had dampened their _swevyra_ considerably. This man didn't have that kind of cyberization, he simply moved like he did.

Their duel carried them across the room. One of Hawk's missed blows cut cleanly into a cooker for his field kitchen and destroyed it. He swung the other arm and had it deflected by Meridina's blade. When he struck with the first arm again, it cut against her robe and skidded against her armor. Meridina felt no pain; her armor had held against the glancing strike. But a direct hit might yet cut into her armor, so she refused to let him hit her.

For all his speed, though, he couldn't stop her from getting in a similar blow against him. Her _lakesh_ cut at his face and left a deep wound across his right cheek. He stumbled back for a moment, clearly surprised that she'd managed the hit. "You're not enhanced," he said. "I'd know if you were."

"I have my _swevyra_ , my life force, to aid me."

"Interesting," was all he said.

And Meridina watched as, without effort, the wound she'd inflicted started to heal rapidly. Within ten seconds the flow of blood had mostly ended and pink skin, not even scar tissue, was showing.

 _What is he?_ , she wondered, just before he lunged at her again.

As the battle moved over the room, knocking over Hawk's cot in the process, it was clear they were closely matched physically. His enhanced speed, agility, and strength against her trained abilities as a Life Force Knight of Gersal.

But there was more to battle than the physical. Meridina had trained for much of her life to be what she was. She had dueled with her father, her mentor, and countless others. She knew how to work her blades. Hawk clearly had some experience as well, but he seemed… not even basic, so much as strong.

It occurred to her then. However strong he was… Hawk had never fought someone who could hold their own against what he had. Not someone like her anyway. He was used to brute force winning his battles. He didn't know how to use his weapons, his skills, as anything but a blunt instrument.

Meridina tested that. She feinted and adjusted quickly. His blades moved to intercept and caught her. But his block wasn't carefully done.

It didn't need to be. His boot shot up and hit Meridina in the stomach. The armor she was wearing kept her from feeling the full effect of the blow, but she still staggered back.

Hawk's right blade retracted up his arm. In a split second his firearm was in his hand. Blue bolts erupted from it. Meridina knew what the weapon was immediately.

The first bolt had been expertly aimed at her shoulder and she barely evaded a debilitating hit. Pain flashed through her flesh from the glancing hit. Another blast hit her in the hip, absorbed by the armor, and as for the third and on… that was where her _lakesh_ came into play.

Again Hawk was stunned, as several bolts he was firing suddenly went at him. One smacked into his left arm and made him cry out. This allowed another to hit him in the knee. He toppled over. "What the…?!"

Before he could react, Meridina put an end to the fight. It was not something she enjoyed doing, not this way, but she saw she needed to end this struggle immediately. She reached out with her mind using the telepathic powers that she and other Gersallian _farisa_ had. With that power, she put one powerful command into Hawk's mind.

 _ **SLEEP!**_

Hawk had no mental defenses. No mental training. Indeed his mind seemed particularly vulnerable. He collapsed like a school puppet with its wires cut.

At that moment there was noise coming from a side door. Lucy came running in, having taken another entrance, with her _lakesh_ drawn. "Meridina!"

Meridina was on one knee. Pain shot through her shoulder and she had placed her free hand there, her _lakesh_ lowered before her. "I am only mildly hurt," she insisted.

Lucy was already activating her multidevice. The scanner in it wasn't specialized for medical needs but could, in instances like this, be used to assess basic problems. Lucy's face paled. "How is that possible?", she murmured.

"Even the swiftest _swevyra'se_ cannot deflect everything fired at her," Meridina reminded her student.

"No, not that." Lucy shook her head. "The damage pattern of that shot, I recognize it. His guns are…"

"...yes." Meridina indicated the toppled weapon rack. It too had gone over in their struggle and spilled its deadly contents over the floor. Lucy looked it over and was shocked at what she saw.

"These weapons…"

"...they are Darglan," Meridina finished for her.

* * *

With everything going on, Zack had left the little leaguers to their championship and beamed directly to the _Galactica_. Colonel Saul Tigh, current commander of the _Galactica_ , was waiting for him in the former storage room converted into a transporter room. Zack held himself at attention for a moment. Tigh had long learned to live with the lack of salutes - apparently the Alliance's multi-species elements meant that nobody could agree on a working salute - and returned one anyway to acknowledge Zack's gesture. "I'll ask you what the Admiral will want asked anyway," he said. "Could it have been your people?"

Zack shook his head. "I don't see how. But just in case I have Lieutenant Apley investigating."

"You trust him?"

"Completely. Ap is no-nonsense follow-my-orders. He would never do something like this and if someone in my crew did he'll have him at my desk before the day is out."

"I hope so. This is becoming a regular situation."

Tigh led Zack to the main war room. As they approached they could hear Adama shouting. "... _our place! You had no authority to ignore my orders on that subject!_ "

"A standing member of the Quorum asked me as part of the official investigation into the incident, sir." Zack didn't need to turn the corner when he did to know that Colonel Fisk from _Pegasus_ was the one speaking. "I was obligated by law to cooperate."

"So you're telling me that somehow your private testimony ended up on the Fleet's News?", Admiral William Adama barked in retort. The older man was an inch away from Fisk's face. "Do I like that stupid, Colonel?"

"No sir."

"As far as I am concerned, you have lost all right to your command. As of now I am re-assigning you while we investigate how this 'private testimony' wound up spread across the Fleet."

"I understand, sir," Fisk answered, with all the air of a man facing the expected and not giving a damn. "Permission to be dismissed."

"Get out of my damned sight, Colonel."

Fisk stepped away and back toward the door. He nodded briefly to Tigh before continuing on. Zack stepped in. "You found the leak?", he asked.

Adama didn't look up from his seat. Zack could tell from his expression that he was restraining his anger at the situation. "Fisk says it was simply testimony to the Quorum's committee on the first contact," he answered. "He insists he knows nothing about the leak."

"And you don't believe him?"

"No." Adama shook his head. "Fisk knew that leak would happen."

"So he's siding with Baltar?"

"More likely Zarek. Yes."

Zack took a seat. "What can I do for you then?"

"I'd called to ask you about if your people were involved," Adama admitted. "A lot of people know about the stand-off, but very few the reasons why."

"And among those few are Baltar and Zarek," Zack pointed. "I'm just surprised it took them this long."

"Baltar is desperate. The balloting shows Roslin winning by several points. This is his one shot to beat her."

"Assuming the Fleet doesn't come apart over the truth," Tigh added.

"So what do you need me to do?", Zack asked.

"I want to keep you informed while we deal with this," Adama said. "And a statement on what really happened would help."

"Of course, I'll be happy to," Zack answered.

* * *

Robert and Julia made a beeline for Lab 2 the moment Jarod called. They arrived to find him with Lucy looking over a rack of weapons. Familiar ones, familiar shapes.

"Darglan pulse pistols," Julia observed. "And a new battle rifle?"

"Not just Darglan, but better," Jarod remarked. He had one gun on a work table with a holographic image reaching through it and displaying a layout of its internal mechanics. "The power pack is at least thirty-percent higher capacity and the power and range could be dialed up to match. There also seems to be an internal mechanism that might be for changing the containment field."

"You mean the way the gun turns energy into pulses?", asked Robert.

"Right." Jarod nodded. "From what I can tell, this rifle can be set to alter the way the field works. Its capacity."

"So what, more powerful shots?"

"It's entirely possible it could turn a pulse powerful enough to create a small burst, like an explosion."

"You mean it would fire like a grenade launcher," Robert said. "It would be the equivalent of an assault rifle with an underslung grenade launcher."

"An apt summary," Jarod said.

"Whatever it does, it's better than the guns we found back in the day," Lucy said.

"Well, we know the Darglan wound up in a war before the Shadows wiped them out." Julia was looking over the weapons laid out. "They would have been trying to improve their weapons."

"And it still leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions," Robert pointed out. "Like where this came from. Was it from that third Facility the data we recovered from IPX talked about?"

Lucy shook her head. "There's no way to tell from this. We still don't know how many caches and Facilities the Darglan left."

"Meridina reported that he dueled her with blades of some kind." Robert looked around. "What can you say about them?"

Jarod and Lucy exchanged looks. "You need to go to Leo about those."

That caused them some befuddlement. "Leo?" Julia shook her head. "Why Leo?"

"Because that ties into what this 'Hawk' guy did to himself," Lucy replied.

* * *

The medbay was active with numerous patients from the planet below. Leo's fellow doctors were tending to people from many areas across the globe while nurses ran about checking on the conditions of the seriously wounded or ill. "My God," Julia breathed as she took it all in.

Robert nodded. "This is just a trickle. All of those people down there suffering from what's happening…" He gave Julia a haunted look. "Could this be our fault? Could our coming to this world have caused this?"

"No. No, I don't think so," Julia insisted. "We didn't do this. And we never would have." She noticed the look on his face. He was pained and uncomfortable in a way she'd never seen before. "Are you…"

"I can feel their fear," he said. "I can feel all of the despair and the confusion."

"You're reading their minds?"

"No." He shook his head. "I can't do that. I just… feel what they feel. Their entire world's been ravaged. Everything they knew and expected was taken away. Stripped away. Loved ones were killed. All of the old certainties removed. They're lost and adrift…"

His voice trailed off. Julia gave him a moment to think before she intended to continue their conversation.

Before she could, Nasri stepped up. The Darfurian Sudanese woman looked tense and worn down. The biobed she had just stepped from was covered in a sheet. An East Asian woman was on her knees beside it, wailing. "It was too late for him," she said upon seeing their faces. "Doctor Singh picked him up in China, from the ruins of Beijing. But he was already too far gone."

"How bad is it?", asked Julia.

"Bad." Nasri swallowed. "Untreated burns from exposure to plasma weaponry. Exposure. Starvation. Even a couple of cases of radiation sickness."

"Something on this scale… we could send half of the hospital ships we have and still barely make a dent in it."

"Yes. But it would still mean life for those we saved," Nasri pointed out, cutting off Robert's obvious observation.

Julia was looking over the beds in the next part of the medbay. She spied two figures that made her blink. "No way… is that…?"

Nasri looked that way. And she nodded. "Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, yes. Lucky ones. Particle weapon burns and complications thereof, starvation, and apparently overwork. An onset of renal failure, possibly Crohn's disease, for him. We're already treating it."

"Why are they…"

"If you're going to suspect favoritism, don't," Nasri insisted. "Doctor Lumenaram was leading the group sent down to England. He brought cases up based solely on severity of their condition."

Robert nodded. "And Gersallians have never been the monarchist type. Just so long as I can mark that in the report." He wondered, briefly, how many other people he would consider "historical figures" had survived the bombardments. Abe Lincoln? General Grant? Richard Cobden? Who had survived? Investigative teams had yet to report in on the state of things in terms of surviving government.

 _This entire planet will need rebuilding. From the ground up. And while we're in the middle of a war._

He looked away from all of the injured and dying. "We're not here to talk about that. Jarod and Lucy implied Leo had something to share with us about our… _guest_."

Nasri nodded. Her expression was dark. "This way."

She led them further into medbay. They went past the intensive care ward and on toward the quarantine ward. Behind a solid trans-steel wall they could see a figure laid out on a biobed. Two armed security officers were at the doors. Meridina was inside, looking at him intently.

Leo was just stepping out. He motioned to them to follow him. He led them back toward his office. The transparent aluminum door slid closed behind them. "Jarod said you could explain the blades he used on Meridina?", Robert asked.

Leo nodded. He looked tired and worn down. Both knew that he didn't like the fact that there were people here and below that were beyond his help. But he said nothing to that effect, focusing on his work by bringing up a display of a human figure. "I gave our visitor a full examination while Meridina keeps him under. Caucasian male, roughly twenty-two to thirty-five years of age, and I'm leaning toward the younger estimate myself. From the look of him and his body, I would definitely say post-industrial. He might even be from a late 20th Century or early 21st Century Earth."

"Like us, and Jarod," Julia noted.

"Right."

"And the blades?"

Leo tapped a key. The figure lit up with a great multitude of silvery threads all along the interior of the body, as if they were roots to the silver sheen over the skeleton. "Nanites," he said. "The interior of his body is crawling with them. They're covering his bones, embedded in his musculature and his organs, they flow in his cardiovascular system. He even has them in his nervous system."

"My God…" Julia looked it over. "What did he do to himself? Or was this done to him?"

"You'd have to ask him," Leo replied. "You know that briefing we got on the Borg? Or the reports on the Coserian cyberization of their soldiers?"

"Cyborgs, yeah. Cybernetic enhancement." Robert nodded. "It replaces organic body parts with machines."

"This…" Leo gestured to the image. "This is the ultimate evolution of that. And it's not even like becoming a cyborg. The nanites don't replace the organic material, they supplement it. His nerves operate faster, his organs are more efficient and sturdy, his bones and muscles are stronger… that kind of thing."

"And that explains why Meridina couldn't put him down without breaking a sweat," Robert muttered. "With those kinds of enhancements…"

"How do the nanites get energy, though?", Julia asked. "They must have to use a lot of energy to keep going."

"A higher caloric intake, I'm guessing. This guy probably eats about eight, maybe ten thousand calories a day just to keep his current health. But that isn't all." Leo hit a key and brought up a much-magnified view of the man's bloodstream. Small blood cells floated within. As did several nanite cells. He pressed a second key and called up another nanite. They looked almost identical. "They're Darglan technology."

"I was going to expect that," Robert sighed.

"But we don't have anything like this," Julia pointed out.

"Because the nanites in our Facility weren't this advanced. I only used them for serious medical cases. Like rebuilding Zack's jaw when it got broken that time. I never left them in anyone's body for longer than a few days." Leo shook his head. "But not this guy."

"So… the blades he used to fight Meridina…"

"...were the nanites in solid form," Leo explained. "Projected out of his lower arm or wrist, I'd guess, and with strong enough consistency to not be shattered by whatever Meridina's sword is made out of."

"That _has_ to hurt," Robert pointed out.

Julia shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't care. Or maybe the nanites shut down the nerves around the site so he can do it without feeling pain."

"You will have to ask him," Leo said.

"When was the last time you took a break?", Julia asked. Her expression betrayed her concern.

"No," Leo mumbled. "Not now. I can't do the mothering right now, Julia. I've got sick people dying out there and I need every medical officer we have on duty to keep them alive."

"Don't burn yourself out, Leo," Robert asked politely.

"I know my limits." Leo gestured to the door. "I'll inform you if I find anything else. You can have Meridina take him to the brig if you want."

It was clear he would brook no more conversation on the matter. They departed the office and went to the room for their guest. Meridina nodded at them.

There was something about the man unconscious on the bed. Robert could feel a sense of harshness to him. Dark things, but light things too. "Leo's done with him."

She nodded to Robert and then to her guards. The two helped her secure the man to an anti-grav stretcher.


	3. Episode 2-01-3 A Dark Reflection

The brig was several decks down, toward the drive sections of the ship on Deck 20. Robert and Julia watched patiently as Meridina's people found a cell to use. Once the man calling himself "Hawk" was laid out on the bed inside the main brig cell, they all stepped out of it. A press of a button created a force field over the entrance into the cell. Robert nodded to Meridina. "Let him wake up."

After a few moments the man in the brig began to stir. He sat up and looked at them intently. "Now that you're awake, we have some questions for you," Robert stated.

The man looked at him intently. "Oh?"

"Who are you? What, who, are you working for?"

The smoldering anger in the man's brown eyes was now joined by a glint of mischief. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"His name is Hawk," Meridina stated. "Or so he said, I should specify."

Robert considered the other man closely. "Why did you shoot yourself up with Darglan nanites?"

"I had my reasons." The figure slouched back in his seat. "I was wondering where all of those stories I heard came from. The people talking about how slaves kept getting whisked away. That used to be you?"

"Something like that," Robert admitted.

A bemused sneer came to Hawk's face. "So you're the one who was half-assing it, huh?"

Julia crossed her arms. "Pardon me?"

"Oh, hey, you've got a cheerleader too, I see."

"This is Commander Julia Andreys, my Executive Officer," Robert replied. "I'm Captain Robert Dale. You're aboard the Alliance _Starship Aurora_."

Hawk nodded. "Darglan Emergency Ship, I see. So when did you decide to name your prize after a Disney princess?"

"Someone doesn't know his classic mythology," Julia noted. She didn't need to glance at Robert to know what he was thinking. The more Hawk talked, the more chances they had to get information. _He sounds like he's from Oregon or Washington._

"The Roman goddess of the dawn," Hawk retorted, not knowing or not caring what they were up to. He feigned a yawn. "Boring. But it does say a lot about you people. Half-assing this entire planet, doing little things and patting yourselves on the back for it, and deciding to get all symbolic with your ship."

"I'm wondering just what you think we've done wrong," Robert queried.

Hawk laughed bitterly. "Oh, where do I start, Boy Scout? Do you know how much injustice existed on that world below? Did you do anything about it? Did you do anything for the Native tribes being stripped of their homelands by settlers? Did you do anything about the Indians looking to throw off British rule? No. No, all you did was pick up a few thousand people here and there. Dealing with the symptoms, not the disease itself."

"And you did?"

"Sometimes…" Hawk's smile was sharp and unpleasant. He held up his right arm. "Sometimes you just have to _cut_ to the heart of the problem." A sharp sound shot through the air in the brig. Silverish metal flowed from his wrist and coalesced into a vicious, sharp blade.

"So you bombed the world. That was your idea of 'solving the problems'? _Killing everyone_ , victims along with the guilty?," Julia demanded.

Robert was still learning his way through the mental components of his new abilities. It was Meridina who could to sense what Hawk was feeling. But despite it all, he could sense the tension, the raw frustration, in Hawk's being. "Things got out of hand, I'm guessing?"

"I was trying to demonstrate the hopelessness of their situation," Hawk said. "To make them understand they had no choice. Fitting, since it's the exact same thing they've been doing to the less-advanced societies on their own planet."

"But it wasn't so simple, was it?"

Hawk gave him a look. "Obviously not," he muttered. A distant look came to his eyes. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

"Millions of deaths. All on your hands," Robert said quietly. "You don't seem to be a monster, a psychopath without feeling anything for what you've done. Maybe if you cooperate we can…"

"...can what? Become a good little soldier like you? Wear a nice uniform and let bureaucrats and politicians tell me who I can or can't save?" Hawk chuckled bitterly at that. "To hell with that. I'm not some puppet on a string."

"You can't just keep going on like this forever," Robert pointed out. "Think about what you did on that world. Entire cultures and nations wrecked. Millions dead. Are you telling me that's what you want?"

Hawk's smile didn't go away. But it took a brittle edge to it. Robert could sense conflicting emotion with him. He got the sense the smile was frozen in place now, not in the least bit a genuine smile. "It'd be easier for you if I answered 'yes', wouldn't it?", he asked. "Then I could just be a monster."

"You'll end up in a cell now," Julia pointed out. "You're going to stand trial for what happened here. The people of this world will have justice."

"They wouldn't know 'justice' if it bit them on the rear," Hawk retorted. It was clear that his moment of quiet introspection was over - his combative nature had been rekindled, and he was ready for another fight.

Meridina had remained silent so far. She gave Robert and Julia a look and shook her head. It was clear she thought this discussion was now over, in terms of its practical value.

Robert wasn't quite done yet. He did have one more question to ask. "So, how long ago did you find the Darglan Facility?"

Hawk's face twisted into a pleased smirk. "So that's where you're finally going to go, is it? You want to know about that."

"We had our own." Robert kept his eyes on his captive. "We had to blow it up to keep it out of the hands of a species called the Daleks."

"Boo hoo for you, then," Hawk remarked. He gave some mocking applause. "Want ours?"

Robert and Julia exchanged looks. He had just confirmed he had accomplices, allies. Allies who might come back. "So who are you working with?"

Hawk seemed to think a moment. The smirk on his face grew. "That's going to be my little surprise, I think. Although it doesn't have to be."

"Oh?"

"Let me go." Hawk sat back on the couch. "This world's broken, I can't do anything for it. Not like you can, I'm guessing. So you can have it. We'll leave this world to your care and look for other worlds to help."

"And you really think you'd do better on those other worlds?" Robert shook his head. "I can't do that. Too many people have died. You're too dangerous. We can't let you go to cause more chaos. Especially if you have Darglan technology that can fall into the wrong hands."

"Your choice," Hawk stated. "Don't say I never warned you of what was coming "

"Your ship?", Julia asked.

There was a glint in Hawk's eye. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Zack listened quietly while Apley relayed the results of his quiet investigation. "In summation, sir, I can find no indication that any member of this crew has been working with any party of the Colonial elections. All work has remained strictly personal or through the official channels with Admiral Adama."

 _That's a relief._ The idea that his crew had actually betrayed the neutrality in Colonial politics that he had insisted on… he couldn't stand the idea.

"I'll let Admiral Adama know that's it's on his end for certain," Zack sighed.

"This can't effect our work, can it sir?", Apley asked. It was rhetorical given he continued. "Neither of the candidates want to split with us."

"No. But Roslin wants to do the smart thing and colonize another planet in another universe. Baltar's championing the 'do it now' approach. Just accept the world the Dorei have provided, even if it might not be optimal for Human settlement. And if they stay in this universe…"

"...the Cylons could still attack them." Apley shook his head. "I can't see why they'd be thinking in staying, then."

Zack shook his head and smirked. "Well, people get damn stubborn about even little things. Case in point… Had any economic arguments with Karen lately?"

Apley chuckled at that. He hailed from the Sol System Republic of D3R1, the unified Earth government of his home universe and an Alliance founding state. The SSR had a democratic socialist government and economic system that limited large-scale private enterprise in the name of putting people over the pursuit of profit. Lt. Karen Derbley, Zack's Chief Engineer, hailed from the Colonial Confederation of the same universe. Human colonists, proud of their 'Colonial' past who had formed their own government among the further settled planets after Humanity's diaspora into the wider galaxy of D3R1. They embraced libertarian politics and a laissez-faire economic system with the cultural approach of "if you want to eat, you'll need to work". And they too had joined the Alliance.

Zack was certain it made political debates on Alliance economics _interesting_ , to say the least, as their incompatible economic views and cultural perspectives had a tendency to leave Sol Republic and Colonial Confederation citizens at odds with each other. The fact that they could work together within the framework of the Alliance was held as a symbol of hope for the Alliance as a whole.

"I suppose everyone will be busy with goodbyes now," Zack mused. "Admiral Maran's made it clear we're leaving as soon as the Colonials begin their settlement."

Apley nodded. "I need to say goodbye to a few people, certainly. Captain Adama and I have been working on our boxing."

"So I heard."

"And what about you, sir? You'll be leaving Clara behind."

Zack sighed and nodded. "I know. I always knew that would happen."

"Is she staying?"

"Obviously. She signed a contract and everything, so many months of service. It's not up for another year at least. But I'm hoping to see her again before long. We'll still have leaves after all, and she gets so many weeks of break time. Including free transport. Maybe the next New Liberty Anniversary…"

There was a beep on his desk. Zack hit the key. "Magda?"

Lieutenant Magda Navaez, the Operations Officer, answered. " _Sir, Admiral Adama wanted you to know that Representative Zarek has called a press conference. In two hours._ "

"Running a little late in the evening, isn't he?"

"He is. But the Admiral thought you should know."

"Thank him for me." Zack looked back to Apley. "I suppose we'll all get to see what Baltar's up to now."

"A guy that smart… you never know what he'll pull."

"Yeah." Zack nodded. "You're dismissed, Ap. I've got some paperwork to catch up on."

"Aye, sir."

Apley left Zack to his thoughts. Baltar had no overt issues that made Zack suspicious - he was even more enthusiastic about the Alliance than Roslin in some ways - but he couldn't get over some innate suspicion he had of the man. _Where did it come from? Admiral Adama?_

He shook his head. Colonial politics weren't his place. He had other work to do.

* * *

Two images were showing on the monitors in the _Aurora_ Conference room off of the bridge. One showed an image of the brig cell where Hawk was sitting quietly. Occasionally a sliver of silver would emerge from his wrist and then shift back within his flesh through bruised skin.

On the other screen, Admiral Maran was looking at the feed and the data Leo had sent through. Leo was currently standing and delivering his report. "I wouldn't say he's inhuman now - not biologically speaking anyway - but he's clearly not a normal Human being anymore either."

" _What could drive a man to do something like that to his own body…_ " Maran's question was rhetorical. " _He admitted to the attacks?_ "

"We are sending the recording now," Julia said.

" _I'll have my people go over it. It will come in handy for the legal proceedings._ " Maran considered his next words carefully. " _I'm trying to get some relief arranged for that world. But with the war going on…_ "

"The Federation might consider assisting," Julia pointed out. "With everything that's happened, the Prime Directive doesn't really apply to them anymore."

" _I'll let the President know. He might be able to discuss the matter with President Jaresh-Inyo before he leaves Paris tomorrow._ "

" _In the meantime, is there anything else you can tell me about this individual?_ "

"I'm still studying some of the scans I took from our guest," Leo answered. "It might be a few hours before I have a comprehensive report ready on my findings. Analyzing the effect of the Darglan nanites in his body has taken priority."

" _Agreed. Keep me posted, Captain. Maran out._ "

Maran disappeared from the screen. "So what are we going to do now?', Caterina asked.

"He said he has a ship." Locarno nodded. "That's what we're waiting for."

"It is."

"A ship that might be brimming with Darglan technology," Caterina pointed out. "I'd love it if we could get ahold of her. Without having to blow people up."

"An unlikely outcome," Meridina noted.

"Meridina, please get back down to our 'guest'. The rest of you, back to stations. I want to know when our friend's buddies show up."

Everyone left the room.

* * *

Zack was on the bridge of the _Koenig_ watching as the press conference on _Cloud 9_ started. Zarek was well-dressed as always, in a gray suit and blue jacket with matching trousers. " _My fellow citizens of the Fleet, I come to address you about these reports of President Roslin's handling of the contact with the Alliance. It is with a heavy heart that I must confirm the authenticity of the claims._ "

"What is he up to…?", Zack muttered.

" _Roslin was dying, yes. And instead of doing the responsible thing and turning over authority to her constitutionally-mandated successor, she held onto that power. She intended to until she was dead, regardless of what effect it might cause us. And it nearly cost us everything. Because of Roslin we nearly lost the Alliance as friends. She order the seizure and arrest of four Alliance officers in an overreaction to a disagreement with them. She ordered the execution of an Alliance officer who came as a gesture of goodwill to end the crisis. Only the intervention of Doctor Baltar prevented the situation from creating a permanent rift between us._ "

The crowd now shouted in opposition or support for Zarek. He continued as if nothing was being said. " _It is important that the people of the Fleet know this so that they can make an informed decision on who should lead our people. We can't afford to have Roslin's flaws…_ "

Zarek's words were being drowned out now. The people present were clearly divided on the subject - some supporting Roslin, others opposing her, and both sides bitter by what was occurring.

And then Roslin appeared on the screen. She stepped up onto the platform and faced down Zarek. Billy stepped up beside her accompanied by her Marine bodyguards. " _Representative Zarek,_ " she remarked icily, " _I don't recall the Quorum agreeing to unseal this incident you refer to._ "

" _The People have a right to know…_ "

" _That's not what this is about and you know it!_ " Roslin held a hand out to the crowd. " _All you're doing is what you have always sought to do: turn us against each other. People like you thrive on division and conflict._ "

" _I resent the…_ "

The argument between the two was spreading to the crowd. " _If the voters want me to explain what happened in the first contact, then I'll do so, but I won't have you playing petty politics and…_ "

" _Everyone, please!_ "

Zack watched, with increasing interest, as Baltar stepped up onto the platform. He got between Roslin and Zarek with a hand toward each. " _This conflict is pointless_ ," he insisted. " _The errors that were made were rectified, we should not fight over them. We need to focus on the issues before the Fleet._ "

The quarreling in the crowd started to cease. Baltar immediately resumed his speaking. " _We're better than this_ ," he insisted. " _I know that we are. After everything we have suffered, we have come through intact. Whole. Our people are more unified now than they have been in decades. We are seeing beyond which Colony we hail from, we are seeing beyond any division of political or religious or social position we have previously endured. We cannot allow any argument to break that unity. Not when we need it._ "

A sour look briefly crossed Roslin's face. And as much as he was no politician, Zack was realizing what had just happened.

The entire scandal was a trap. And Roslin had walked right into it.

Baltar continued, looking to Zarek. " _Representative Zarek, I appreciate your passion, and your concern for the judgement of my opponent. But this isn't what I want my administration to be built upon, should the people pick me. I want an administration built upon mutual trust and respect. I want the people of the Colonies to be proud of us and our conduct. We must have unity, not division. We must respect each other. And together, we must rebuild our civilization and show the Alliance that we are worthy of the trust and protection they have granted us._ "

"Clever son of a bitch," Sherlily muttered from the tactical station.

Baltar held his hands up to the crowd. " _All I ask of you, people of the Colonies, is to remember this, regardless of whom you vote for tomorrow. United we are strong. United, we can rebuild what we have lost._ " And then, to finish it off, Baltar declared, " _So say we all!_ "

The crowd echoed him. Again and again and again.

And given the look on Roslin's face, Zack felt certain that she knew just what had happened.

"Turn it off," he said. Magda did so. "It's their election, not our's. Time to get back to work." He pressed down on his comm link. "Derbely, Barnes, I'd like an update on the drive, we'll be leaving soon and I'd like to know what to ask for when we get to…"

* * *

A short time later, Baltar arrived in his personal campaign suite on _Cloud 9_. As planned, Zarek was there. "You were a bit more energetic than I thought you intended to be."

"I had to be. Aren't you the one always talking about firing up the crowd?"

Zarek nodded in acceptance of that. "True. The important thing is that you have now defined yourself. You're our unifier. Roslin looks divisive. And with word of what she pulled at the first contact now out, I think we might pull this out. On another matter, what about a new world?"' Zarek looked out the window at the fields below. "Have any ideas?"

"The Dorei directed us to a lovely and uninhabited world about five light years from here, I think it's a good place to start." Baltar took out two glasses and held up a bottle. "This is a whiskey common to the other Earths. They call it a Jack Daniels whiskey. Would you like to try a drink with me?"

Zarek seemed to consider it before nodding. Baltar poured two glasses and handed one to Zarek. "To victory, Mister Vice President," Baltar said, holding up his glass.

"To victory," Zarek agreed. He clinked his glass against Baltar's. "Mister President."

Baltar considered how nice a ring to it that title had. It really was quite nice.

After they exchanged drinks, Zarek departed for his own suite. They wanted to be up bright and early in the morning for the election. The results would take time to tally and in the meantime they had to put on a good show to keep confidence up.

Baltar went into his bedroom. "Well done, Gaius," a sultry voice said.

"Thank you, my dear." He turned and faced the Cylon… angel… thing that had been in his head for months. "It wouldn't have been possible without you."

"All things are possible, Gaius, when you are on God's side," she cooed. "By this time tomorrow, you will be President of the Colonies. You'll keep your people here, in this universe, as God intends."

Baltar had his own reasons for wanting to stay in "N2S7", as the Alliance called it. But he went along with his head-voice's remark by nodding.

Tomorrow would tell. It would tell for all of them.

* * *

Robert was in his bridge office - "ready room", as it was called - doing paperwork when Julia entered. He looked up from his digital reader. She faced him with quiet patience written over her features. Her look was one of contemplation. "He's making you think, isn't' he?", she asked Robert.

"How easy could it have been for us to become like like Hawk?", Robert asked quietly. "All of that impatience, that frustration… if I had let it out like that..."

"We would have stopped you."

"Nobody stopped him."

"Maybe his friends are just as messed up in the head as he is."

"That's a frightening thought." Robert looked back out over the scarred world they were orbiting. Within him he felt his new… power, self, the well of life energy that the Gersallians called _swevyra_. It was odd to think that for a quarter-century of life, that power had been there. Slumbering, waiting for the day he would awaken it. It would have slept forever had things gone normally for them.

"You've got that look on your face," Julia noted. "Thinking about other things?"

He held out his hand. Very slowly, one of the digital pads on the table shifted and jerked. It began to move toward him slowly and not at all in a straight line.

"You don't think you'll learn this stuff quickly, do you?"

"Lucy's certainly learned a lot," Robert pointed out. "yanking guns away from gunmen even before she was formally trained."

"That makes you feel… what, inadequate?" Julia shook her head. "We all learn things differently."

"I know. I'm not…."

Their discussion was interrupted by a tone . " _Bridge to Captain Dale, Commander Andreys._ "

Julia got to the comm key on her multidevice first. "Yes, Jarod?"

" _We have a ship approaching at high warp. It doesn't match any signature in our records._ "

"Hawk's friends," Robert said. He tensed up. Whoever they were, if they were anything like him, they could be in for a fight.

"We're on our way, Jarod," Julia answered into her device. They went for the door.

Twenty decks down and half the ship's length away, Hawk remained patiently still in his cell. The security guards looking at him through the forcefield were keeping their attention between him and the sensor systems on their controls, sensors showing the status of the forcefield and his life signs.

That fit his intentions perfectly. He smiled thinly and focused his attention on the thin threads of nanites flowing out of the back of his neck and into the adjacent wall.

Robert and Julia got into their seats. ""How fast is the incoming ship?"

"As fast as us," Caterina noted. "Warp 9.94 is their current velocity."

Julia's eyes widened a little. "I'd be reluctant to go anything near that warp speed, short of an emergency."

"They must know we have him. Or that something's happened."

"They'll be entering visual sensor range in a few seconds," Caterina said.

"Jarod, as soon as you can, put them onscreen," Robert said.

"Right." he worked his board for a moment.

The screen flashed away from the broken Earth below to show a ship coming in at warp velocity. Everyone on the bridge stared at it in wonder and disbelief.

It was their ship. Or at least a twisted, dark reflection of it.

There was no brilliant azure sheen to the other ship's hull like on their own. The blue material was darker in coloring, starker in its tones. The Alliance marking stripes were obviously missing. And the ship was covered at several points with obvious weapon emplacements. The weapons it bore gave it none of the visual grace of the _Aurora_.

"Those weapon emplacements… can you guess what they are?", Julia asked.

Jarod and Cat were looking over the readings. They shared a concerned look before Jarod answered the question. "A number of them appear to be… pulse plasma cannons."

"A lot more than we have," Cat added.

"They're not all of uniform size. But they have at least twelve more emplacements the same size as our main battery," Jarod said. "Every arc is covered."

Robert took the news and drew in a breath. This was a nasty new foe to consider fighting. "Another Darglan Emergency Ship. Fully-completed. How many people are in this organization of Hawk's?"

"Open a hail to them," Robert ordered.

The holo-screen shifted to show another bridge, not entirely unlike their own. In the foreground was a woman with a light complexion and an East Asian look to her eyes. Her collar was dark blue and appeared to be from a jacket. Cold gray eyes glared at them. " _Where is he?_ ", the woman demanded. Her accent reminded Robert of the one his cousin had started to adopt after moving to Portland. Another Northwesterner, he guessed. " _Where is James?_ "

"If you're referring to Mister Hawk, he is in custody," Robert answered. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_ , representing the United Alliance of Systems. We've taken Mr. Hawk under arrest for the attack on this Earth."

"May we have your name?", Julia added.

The woman on the screen snarled in anger. " _I'm Helen, and our ship is the_ Avenger _,_ " she replied simply. " _And you have thirty seconds to give James back to us before I blast you to pieces._ "

"I'm afraid I must insist you be the ones to surrender," Robert answered. "It's clear your ship is responsible for the bombardment of Earth C1P2. I can promise you all fair trials…"

Even as he spoke, Robert knew it wouldn't end like this. He could sense the sheer passions in the crew facing them. They were almost disturbing in their familiarity. He remembered feeling the same once himself - liberation from state authority, being able to act entirely on your own guts, your own conscious, what you decided, what you felt, to be right or wrong. Nobody to tell you that it was against the law or a legal treaty to help people.

But there was something else about it. An aggression that he and his friends had never felt. A sense of the universe being a big nail that needed hammering into place with the biggest hammer at hand.

" _We're not scared of you_ ," the woman insisted. " _Give us back James. NOW._ "

"We won't be bullied," Robert replied., "Someone has to answer for the deaths on this Earth."

" _Worlds like this one are lost causes,_ ," the woman retorted. " _And your time is up._ "

"They're arming weapons," Jarod warned.

"Lock weapons Helm, begin evasive maneuvers."

Locarno moved the _Aurora_ as he first sapphire bolts lashed out at the ship. The ship shuddered as some of the shots made impact against their shields. "Shields down to ninety-two percent,." Jarod looked over the data they were getting. "It looks like their weapons are at least five percent more energy-efficient than our own."

"Firing!", Angela announced.

The _Aurora_ 's phaser arrays and cannons lashed out in retort against the enemy ship;. More sapphire bolts of varying size crossed their path and struck the _Aurora_ in the side.

"Shields down to eighty-three percent."

"Their shields look to be around ninety-three percent," Cat added.

Robert frowned. That wasn't good. In a stand-up battle they were clearly at a disadvantage. "Maintain evasive maneuvers. Try to get us some distance, Nick."

"On it."

"Jarod, whatever is happening, get us an uplink with Admiral Maran. We might need the help in taking this ship down, and either way we will need the analysis the fleet can give us on this ship's capabilities."

"They're coming after us." Locarno's hands were moving swiftly over his board. "It looks like they might be a little below our capability curve in acceleration and maneuverability."

"The extra mass from their heavier combat systems," Jarod proposed. "They don't have our performance capability at sublight."

Robert was thankful to hear that. It was an advantage they could use.

The ship shook again as another series of bolts hit home. Angel continued to vent their own phaser fire on the _Avenger_.

Save the _Avenger_ 's weapon emplacements being more visible, and the coloring of the two ships, they were similar enough in appearance that an observer could see it as siblings in a fight. _Aurora_ kept up her rapid maneuvering - for her size anyway - while the _Avenger_ poured sapphire fury against the _Aurora_ in a constant barrage. Occasional similar sapphire bolts, or amber energy, would retort against the _Avenger_ 's shields.

* * *

The alert klaxon told Hawk that his time had come. Helen had brought the _Avenger_ back roughly on schedule. He amused himself with the thought of how surprising it must have been for Captain Dale and his fellows to see the _Avenger_ coming in, pulse cannons at the ready. _Helen will let me have it when I get back over there_ , he decided. _No more random thoughts. Focus._

The nanites had done their job. The cell had never been built to face someone who could use nanites to bore unobserved into the wall and get to the vital systems within. Now Hawk could sense the flow of data that helped control the cell's automated systems.

Sedative gas for unruly occupants, the forcefield controls, and monitoring systems for his lifesigns.

Unfortunately the system was isolated. He had hoped to get into the ship's computers and start messing things up. But that wasn't happening. So he would have to do this the hard way.

His mind formed a mental command. The nanites translated it into the appropriate code and transmitted it through the tendril of nanites now connecting him to the computers.

The forcefield shifted energy states. Visibly it was still on; in truth, it couldn't stop him if he pushed through it. This subterfuge bought him critical seconds before the security officers overseeing the brig realized what had happened. He retracted the nanites into his body again. A slight sting at the base of his spine marked the point they had come out and were going back in. He ignored it, just has he did the more painful stings of where his blades came from his arms.

As soon as the nanites retracted he got to his feet and charged forward. Every muscle in his body reacted with the swiftness demanded from the nanite enhancements. Pain filled him as he slammed into the forcefield. But it was not a difficult pain, nothing compared to the real pains he had known, and with the sabotage having weakened it the cell's field could not hold him.

The security officers were starting to react as Hawk emerged from his cell, a free man again. They reached for their firearms. But with his speed, the gesture was too slow, and far too late.

Hawk's fist struck the nose of one of the guards, breaking it with a crack. Blood sprayed from the nostril. He whirled in place and caught the other guard, a bird-like alien he'd not seen before, in the beak. He - or she, Hawk couldn't tell - keened in pain and went down.

The first guard was recovering from the broken nose. His hand was already on his pulse pistol. Hawk turned back to him and slammed the side of his hand into the man's throat. He began to choke in place and couldn't resist another follow-up blow to his stomach. One final slam of Hawk's knee to the guard's forehead put him down.

The avian alien started to stir. Hawk took the guard's gun and looked it over. It wasn't entirely like Darglan technology, but he had seen similar types of weapons. He found the power setting and configured it for non-lethal shots. One pulse to each of his foes ensured the fight was over. He pulled the multidevice off of the human guard's wrist and projected nanites out of his fingers and into the device. He couldn't access protected files easily, but all he needed was a schematic of the ship. A direction to go.

Within seconds he had it. Hawk rushed out of the brig and into the adjacent corridor. The ship shook under him as if to remind him of his limited remaining time. The _Avenger_ was engaging this ship, and Helen would be mad enough that she'd wreck it completely to get him back. And he would prefer not to be on a wrecked ship, if he could help it.


	4. Episode 2-01-4 A Dark Reflection

The other ship's weapons landed another direct hit, pushing Robert against his safety harness. "Damage?", he asked.

As always, Jarod provided the status of their faltering shields. "Forty-five percent and holding."

"Looks like we've got their shields down to fifty-two percent," Caterina added.

"Still, this battle is too close, we need to do something to end it." Robert turned his attention back to the _Avenger_ and the holotank depicting their positions as they fought. There was something about the way the _Avenger_ was maneuvering that felt off. Was it something he could use for their advantage?

"Look at the way they're maneuvering," Julia said. "And their firing pattern. Their tactics are basic."

"Probably because they're like we were," Robert realized. "They know the basics, but they don't know how to use them. They're not trained or experienced in starship combat."

"Then maybe we should show them how it's done."

Julia was right. They had been reacting this whole time - their training and their experience gave them the better edge if they were the ones taking the initiative.

"Let's see how much they want their friend back," Robert said. "Nick, break orbit, full impulse. Take us on a course toward the asteroid belt."

"Aye sir."

The _Aurora_ turned away from Earth and the _Avenger_ at high acceleration. As the range opened up the fire from the _Avenger_ became more and more inaccurate.

"Bridge to launch deck. Commander Laurent, I want all fighters prepped for launch within five minutes," Julia commanded.

" _Immediately, Commander_ ," Laurent replied.

"It looks like they're biting," Jarod said. "They're now at full impulse and doing everything they can to catch up to us."

"Are they?"

"At the moment, they've managed to keep us from opening more distance."

"Going by their power readings, I think they're trying to overpower their impulsor drives." Caterina turned at her station. "Okay, not trying. Definitely succeeding."

"They're starting to gain on us."

Robert and Julia exchanged confident looks. This was exactly what they had been hoping the _Avenger_ crew would do.

"Just a little more time," he murmured.

* * *

 _Just a little more time…_ Hawk moved over to the next internal access tube, thinking _...just a little more time is what I need_. These crawlways and walkways were, going by the data he picked up, primarily used as systems access in parts of the ship where normal access was not possible. Spaces between decks, between major bulkheads, that sort of thing.

But they also provided a way to move through the ship's decks with a reduced risk of detection.

Ordinarily internal sensors would make this nigh-impossible. But Hawk's nanites had taken care of that. The sensor systems were Darglan like they were, and with his commands they knew how to shield him from detection.

He finished climbing down one ladder and found himself on deck thirty-six. The secondary shuttle bay was nearby - his ticket off of this ship and back to his. It was time to leave the crawlspaces and get back into the proper area of the ship.

He spotted the security detachment just in time. "Hands up!", one of them declared, all holding their rifles up.

Hawk had been training for his next move. It was the hardest thing for him to do with the nanites in his body. Tendrils of silver emerged from each arm. At his mental command they surged forward and gripped the firearms in each guard's arms. In other circumstances Hawk could easily use the nanites to set the weapons to overload, getting rid of the problem easy enough, but he didn't like the thought of killing people who didn't have it coming in some way.

So he'd do it the hard way.

Or as Helen called it, the fun way.

With a yank he pulled the rifles out of the hands of his surprised foes. The alien leader among them - the two stripes apparently meant she was a Lieutenant, from what he'd seen - immediately went for her sidearm. Hawk rushed forward and punched the teal-skinned being in the jaw. He felt the bone break under his blow. His foe flew backward into her team.

Without a pause he turned and kicked out. Blood and teeth flew and a cry came from the Caucasian man who took Hawk's boot to his face.

The other security personnel were recovering. But not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. Hawk's nanite-enhanced strength broke teeth and bones as he put them down with merciless - if non-lethal - swiftness. He smirked. It was the first time he'd taken on enemies without resorting to his blades in a long while. But he didn't want to risk killing anyone.

He heard the approaching runner. Superhumanly-fast as well… it was Meridina. He had to move.

Hawk started sprinting toward the shuttle bay, knowing he was almost out of time.

* * *

Kilometer by kilometer, the _Avenger_ caught up to the _Aurora_. Her weapons started lashing out at her twin with deadly fury. Sapphire bolts played over the faltering blue energies of the _Aurora_ 's deflector shields.

On the _Aurora_ 's bridge, Robert could feel the tension in the others. He could feel the tension in his crew. The worry and rage from the other ship.

He checked the distance. So did Julia.

"Any moment…", she said, intent on the tactical view.

He gave it another few seconds. And then a few more. And then…

"Locarno, cut forward velocity, shift us to starboard! All power to port weapons! Launch all fighters!"

The fighters of the _Aurora_ 's flight wing started to erupt out of the launch tubes along the top-most deck of the ship's drive hull. As the fighters emerged Locarno went to work. The ship jinked to the right, hard, and forward movement was quickly reduced with the drives.

The _Avenger_ crew were slow to react. Too intent upon the kill, not knowing the specifics of the other ship's capabilities, they made a reaction to adjust.

As they raced alongside the _Aurora_ , Angel let them have it. The port weapons on _Aurora_ 's side opened up with amber fury, slamming the other ship's shields with repeated fire.

As this started to degrade _Avenger_ 's shields, Laurent and his fighters opened up with a barrage of solar torpedoes.

At short range.

The torpedoes started slamming into _Avenger_ 's overtaxed shields. Some hit the shields

But after the few dozen or so, the shields on the _Avenger_ gave way to the onslaught. Explosions erupted along the primary and drive hulls of the colossal warship. As it passed by them, it was now bleeding atmosphere and debris from the dozen plus wounds the _Aurora_ had inflicted.

But they were still fighting. They had also opened fire as they passed. More sapphire bolts slammed into the port shields of the _Aurora_ , making the ship shake from the resulting damage and stress.

"Shields are now down to thirty-two percent." Jarod looked over his screens.

At the engineering station, a male Gersallian ensign named Mataran added another report. "Primary Shield Generator 2 is offline. Activating secondary generators to compensate."

"I'm picking up multiple hull breaches in the other ship. Their auto-repair systems are engaged, but I think we hit a few critical points." Caterina was looking over her sensor returns. "Their power signature is declining. And I'm picking up plasma leaking from their starboard nacelles. We may have disabled their warp drive."

Julia added, "Laurent's people are going to continue hitting them."

"Just what we needed." Robert leaned forward.

As he did, he noticed a new feeling for the first time. It was faint. A sense of urgency and fear and anger… and he could sense Meridina, always prominent in his new senses, and her power, readying for action.

"Hawk is free," he muttered.

"What?" Julia looked at him.

"Hawk is out," he said, more loudly this time. "Meridina's chasing him."

"Then he won't be out for long," Julia predicted.

* * *

The ship shuddered again as Hawk entered the secondary shuttle bay. Two security guards, both from the elven-eared species he'd seen, were waiting - a blue-skinned, teal-spotted man and a teal-skinned light-blue spotted woman. Hawk dodged their first shots with the benefit of his nanite-enhanced speed and returned fire with his stolen pulse pistol. The stun blast took out the man. The alien woman kept firing at him as he followed the wall toward a shuttle.

Hawk whipped his arm out. As he did, a stinging sensation filled his wrist. A single blade erupted from the sore spot and flew through the air until it embedded itself in the alien woman's shoulder. Blue blood surged from the wound. A cry of surprise and pain came from her and her gun fell to the ground, released by the spasms of pain going down her now-useless arm.

Before she could do anything else, Hawk shot her with a stun blast. She fell over, the nanite blade still sticking out of her shoulder.

He went up to her. The uniform was more protective than he'd thought; his nanite blade would have gone completely through her shoulder if it had been regular fabric. He reached down and touched the blade with nanite tendrils coming from his sore wrist. The nanites in the blade flowed up, red from the blood seeping down his hand. He grimaced. That throwing blade trick always made the wound worst. He was still unable to keep it from cutting unprepared areas of his flesh the way he could with just a normal blade.

Blue blood oozed from the wound. "Dammit", he muttered. Every moment he delayed, his escape became less likely. And it was already going to be a close shot.

But he didn't see a point in this alien dying. She wasn't a slaver or a criminal or some other scumbag, she was just an officer doing a job. And he didn't kill people who didn't have it coming.

...not usually, anyway.

"Dammit dammit dammit," he continued, reaching to his sleeve and tearing the cuff off. Once he had a large enough piece of fabric he tied it over the shoulder as a tourniquet. The blood flow slowed to a bare oozing of blue.

Good. He was done. Time to get….

He heard a metallic sound behind him. And a voice called out, "Surrender."

"Dammit," Hawk growled. He turned.

Meridina was at the entrance to the shuttle bay. Her blade was in her hand in a ready position.

"No good deed goes unpunished," he muttered.

* * *

Lucy had left Mataran for the bridge watch so she could perform Tom Barnes' usual job of being Scotty's number two man in Engineering. He had sent her to look over Primary Shield Generator 5 on Deck 28, toward the rear of the ship, which was showing increased strain from the firepower of the enemy ship.

That strain was eased by a few technical actions, energy re-alignments and the like, and Lucy was about to return to Main Engineering when she felt a terrible feeling in her… inner self, or life force aka _swevyra_ as Meridina would put it.

She reached for the _lakesh_ hilt on her hip, joined to the tools she kept on her tool belt, and ran off. "Lucero to Scott, Generator 5 is fine. I've got to check up on Meridina!"

" _Lass, this isnae th' time tae be runnin' off on…_ "

"Trust me on this one, Scotty," Lucy pleaded. "She's going to need me." She got to one of the ladders on the deck and jumped on to climb further down. She didn't want to risk the lifts if something happened and power were lost.

For a moment she wondered if the old engineer would force her to choose between what she felt was needed and the orders she'd been given. Finally a reply came. " _Alright, lass. Do what ye need tae do. I'll call ye if ye're needed._ "

"I won't be long," Lucy promised.

And as she climbed, she hoped she would get there in time.

* * *

The _Aurora_ and _Avenger_ continued to hammer away at each other - the latter's superior firepower clashing with the superior maneuverability of the former, augmented by the skill of Nicholas Locarno and under the direction of the best maneuvers that Robert and Julia could devise.

More sapphire bolts sprayed along the shields of the _Aurora_. "Shields are down to twenty-two percent," Jarod warned.

"Primary generators are holding for the moment. Switching to secondaries, tertiaries on standby," Mataran added.

"Shield effectiveness is creeping back up toward thirty…" Another hit. Jarod shook his head. "And we're right back to twenty-two."

On the screen Angel's bow guns tore into their attacker as soon as Locarno maneuvered their bow toward the enemy. The _Aurora_ 's own large pulse cannons thundered their sapphire fury into the shields of the _Avenger_. Solar torpedoes followed the bolts in, accompanied by the flashes of amber energy from the _Aurora_ 's phaser emplacements. Explosions flowered along the _Avenger_ hull from these latter shots.

"They're losing starboard shield cohesion," Caterina said. "I think you hit a power conduit, I'm detecting power loss in parts of their primary hull."

The enemy's fury retorted. "Shields down to sixteen percent, damage on Decks 10, 12, and 14 through 20, multiple sections," Jarod said.

"We'll need to bring this fight to an end soon," Julia remarked. "Unless we get reinforcements."

Robert nodded in agreement. "So let's bring this to an end. Have Laurent's people break off for the moment and get distance."

"And give them a clear shot on the enemy's weakened side?", Julia inquired. She was smiling - it was the same tactic she was about to suggest.

"Exactly."

"Sending orders now."

"Maneuvering us into position," Locarno added.

* * *

Lucy got to Deck 35 and started running. She summoned all of her power to move as quickly as she could. Every part of her being knew she was almost out of time.

* * *

The secondary shuttle bay was quiet. Blood seeped from Hawk's wounded wrist as he generated nanite-forged blades for each hand. They formed with a sharp metallic sound not unlike that from Meridina's _lakesh_ when she activated the memory metal blade.

"You can't win this," Meridina said calmly. "Please, no more violence."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in living out the rest of my life in a cell," Hawk answered.

"I would rather not be forced to do this again…" She looked over at the wounded security personnel. "You are an interesting man. You have not permanently harmed or killed any of my subordinates in your escape. You lost valuable time stopping the bleeding in Ensign Truliri's shoulder. That seems incompatible with the viciousness I saw in your kills on the planet."

"Your people are decent beings. They don't deserve to die. It's that simple."

"But the house slave at Tara did?"

Hawk frowned. "She got in the way. It wasn't… I didn't…" He frowned. "You're delaying me."

"No. I simply wanted to understand you. It…"

He had no more time. Hawk charged at Meridina, blades up.

She didn't raise her _lakesh_. Instead Meridina put all of her will into a single mental act. _SLEEP_ , her voice boomed in Hawk's head.

He fell over and collapsed.

Meridina reached into her robe and pulled out wrist cuffs. She approached Hawk's sleeping form in a series of quick steps.

As she got close to him, she felt apprehension and uncertainty. Fear. What was this from? Where could…

She turned to the entrance of the shuttle bay and saw Lucy enter. Lucy had her _lakesh_ hilt in her hand. She stretched an arm out. "Meridina, _watch out!_ "

Meridina felt the danger a second later.

A second too late.

* * *

Lucy screamed " _Meridina!_ " as Hawk's nanite blade plunged into Meridina's chest.

The strength and sharpness of the blade, not to mention the enhanced strength of Hawk's arm, pushed the blade through even the _swevyra'se_ body armor Meridina was wearing. It rended flesh and rib and erupted from the other side. Thick red blood poured from both ends.

Meridina looked in stunned silence at the blade connecting Hawk's right arm to her impaled torso.

" _Bastard!_ " Lucy activated her _lakesh_ and charged at them.

"Dammit, don't…!" Seeing Lucy was coming, Hawk had no choice. He pulled the blade out of Meridina and brought it up to parry Lucy's first swing. He had to twist to bring the other arm into position to parry the next blow. He stopped several more strikes in rapid succession and then had to pull back. The tip of Lucy's _lakesh_ drew a red line across his neck just below the chin. Had he been just an inch or two closer, his throat would have been opened.

But as fast and powerful as Lucy was, she wasn't as good as Meridina yet. In her fear and anger she failed to sense the blow that came next. Hawk's foot snapped up and caught her in the belly. Lucy doubled over and fell to the floor of the shuttle bay.

"You don't have time!", Hawk shouted at her. "I didn't know her anatomy, dammit… I got her lung!" He pointed to where Meridina was laid out on the shuttle bay floor. A crimson pool was flowing to either side of her. Blood bubbled in her mouth. "You need to get her medical attention."

"So you can get away?!", Lucy shouted.

"What's more important to you, lady?" Hawk nodded his head at Meridina. "Her life, or capturing me?"

Lucy frowned at him. Because that question wasn't a question at all. And her answer was the obvious one.

Lucy put her _lakesh_ away and went to Meridina's side. Her hand was already on her multidevice and activating the comm system. "Lucero to medbay, I've got a medical emergency in the secondary shuttle bay!"

It was Leo who answered, " _What… Lucy? What's going…_ "

"Meridina's been stabbed through the lung! She needs immediate medical attention!"

" _I've got a team on the way._ "

Lucy put her hand on Meridina's wound. Blood pushed through the gaps in her fingers. She could feel the lung filling with blood and worried that Leo's people wouldn't make it in time. She focused on the wound and the blood. Her power sensed it, settled on it, and she pulled. Blood flowed from the wound, staining Lucy's uniform and Meridina's robe as it spread across the deck.

She heard engines power up. She didn't bother to look up and see Hawk take off in a shuttle. However he broke through the security access… that was for another time. She had to concentrate. She had to keep Meridina's lung clear of blood without letting her bleed to death. She sensed the cut blood vessels in Meridina's torso and forced the blood to follow them only. The concentration this took was taxing, more than anything she'd tried before with her power. Desperation and will fueled her focus; she couldn't afford to relent or Meridina would drown in her own blood.

 _Come on, Leo… hurry up…_

* * *

Jarod's board informed him the moment the shuttle _Kane_ began to launch. "Unauthorized shuttle launch in the secondary bay," he told the others.

The news broke Robert's concentration for the moment. The tactical maneuver was almost complete. The fighters were readying to swing around and hit the other side of the _Avenger_ from where they were firing. "What?"

"Shuttle is lifting off… now."

Julia frowned and hit a key. "Bridge to secondary shuttle bay, what's going on down there?"

" _Meridina's hurt, I can't move or she could die!"_ , Lucy shouted through the comm link. " _He's getting away!_ "

 _Damn._ "Change of plans!", Robert shouted. "Angel, target that shuttle! Julia, if you…"

"I'm re-directing the fighters," she said, already ahead of him.

"Slippery son of a bitch," Angel cursed, and for good reason. Their prisoner was a capable pilot, evading all of her shots for the moment. She needed one, just one…

The ship shook violently. "Shields down to six percent, cohesion loss imminent," Jarod said. "Mataran, the tertiary…"

"I've got them online, but they can't maintain cohesion against the hits we're taking from those pulse cannons," Mataran protested.

On the screen Robert watched the _Avenger_ change orientation and accelerate. The other ship threw itself into the flight line of the stolen shuttle. "Angel, everything!"

Angel fired whatever she could. As fast as she could. Repeated amber bolts and beams moved across flickering blue shields as they tried to strike the shuttle. But the _Avenger_ had already extended shields. The two ships had been so close that Hawk had been able to pull into the protective range of his ship before Angel could hit him.

Of course, that left the _Avenger_ herself. If they could cripple her… "Focus on her drives," Robert ordered. "If we can disable their main power…."

"Gravitational spike," Caterina called out.

"Jump point forming," Jarod added.

A green jump point split open space ahead of the _Avenger_. The other ship accelerated at best speed into the maw of the tear in universes. Angel kept her fire up into the shields of the other ship, still trying to disable her.

But the _Avenger_ 's shields held. The torpedoes and pulse plasma fire were thwarted before they could damage her any further, or destabilize her escape.

The _Avenger_ accelerated into the jump point and disappeared into it. The vortex closed behind them.

Robert growled in frustration. "Jarod, Cat, can you get their destination? Anything we can…"

"The jump point wasn't open long enough for me to get any chance of figuring out where it goes," Caterina answered. "I'm sorry."

Robert shook his head and smacked the arm of his chair. "Damn."

"Stand down from Code Red," Julia said. "I'm recalling our fighters."

"Send a message to Admiral Maran. Include all records of the battle." Robert leaned forward in his chair. A sick feeling came to him. He could feel Lucy's power clear across the ship, and Meridina…

"God, no," he murmured. "Meridina!" He jumped from his chair. Julia looked at him with confusion as he went toward the lift. "I'm going down to see what happened to Meridina," he declared. "You have the bridge, Commander."

"Yes, sir," Julia replied. She whispered her own silent hope and prayer that Meridina was okay. "Jarod," she began, "I'd like a damage report from all departments. Locarno, bring us back into Earth orbit, please. We still have some work ahead of us…"

* * *

Robert got to the medbay just ahead of the stretcher carrying Meridina. Dr. Vijay Dasgupta, from New Bengal in L2M1, was the surgeon that had been closest to the secondary shuttle bay, and he was accompanying her in with his medics. Leo was waiting. "Stab wound to torso area, it entered the inner section of her right lung," he informed Leo. "Lieutenant Lucero kept the blood from filling her lung. It collapsed on the way here."

"Alright. Let's get that fixed." Leo took control and pulled the stretcher toward the nearest medbay OR.

Lucy stepped in next. Her worry and concern could be sensed even without Robert's recent training. It was clear in her body language, as was exhaustion. "He ran her through," Lucy said. There was an evident anger in her voice. "He almost killed her… I had to let him go or she would have... !"

"You did the right thing," Robert assured her. He suspected others wouldn't agree. But losing Meridina was a price he was not willing to pay. Not for this.

Lucy nodded and stepped toward him… and he barely acted in time to catch her in his arms. "Woh. Lucy?"

"So tired… I had to concentrate to keep the blood out of her lung…" Lucy looked up at him with a weary expression. "Did we get him?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. He and his ship escaped into an interuniversal jump point."

Lucy grumbled under her breath.

"You should probably get some rest," he advised her.

"No. Have to wait to see how Meridina does…"

"I'll…" He almost finished that sentence before catching himself. He had other duties at the moment. Maran had to be informed about the other ship, the " _Avenger_ ". Robert chose instead to bring her to a seat. "Here. Let me know when she gets out of surgery?"

"O'course," she mumbled. It was clear that from her fatigue, Lucy was drifting off into sleep.

Robert made sure she wouldn't slip off the chair and left her to rest. As weary as he felt, other work had to be achieved before he could rest.

* * *

The _Starship Avenger_ drifted quietly in the vastness of interstellar space. The wounds from her battle with the _Aurora_ were still healing.

In her main shuttle bay, the stolen shuttle from the _Aurora_ sat by itself. Hawk looked at it with an uncustomary quiet.

Behind him, Helen was standing with her arms crossed. She was a tall woman, with a muscled figure that, with her height, made Hawk think of an Amazon from lore. She had crossed her arm and was frowning faintly. "We should have sent a stronger message to them to butt out," Helen growled. "If we'd left their precious little ship in a few more pieces, they'd take the hint."

"It's not a big deal, Helen. It's a big Multiverse." Hawk smirked. "Besides, the goody-two-shoes and their kind could be useful to us. Eventually."

"Get anything juicy from their computers, lover?", Helen asked him.

Hawk smiled and brought up his personal display. Data in his systems appeared on a holo-screen above his right wrist. "How about a bunch of new universes for us to kick bad guy ass in?"

"Oooh. Sexy." Helen chuckled. "Although it's going to be hard to get around with this 'Alliance' getting in our way."

At that, Hawk let out a laugh. "Who says they're everywhere?"

"What I want to know is what technology they have." The new voice was coming from under the stolen shuttle. Janice, who moved out from under it, was on the pudgy side of a solid build and wearing a work suit that didn't hide the curves or pudginess in her figure. She had colored her long hair bright pink and purple, much to Hawk's bemusement, since it went with the light bronze complexion of her skin.

Blue and teal highlighted hair, brushed high, was the sign of her brother Kenneth. Ken had her height and build and complexion, although he had a bit of muscle on his arms compared to her. Ken was the engineer, Janice the technology wizard, and they were both unapologetic geeks of the highest order.

Sometimes Hawk was astounded that he'd ever gotten them, his cousins, involved. He'd never been the "geek" type.

"Their ship was crap compared to ours," Helen boasted. "We were kicking their asses."

"Not quite," Ken pointed out. "We have better firepower, sure, but did you see the starfighters they were using? We still haven't built something that nimble. And their shields are a lot more robust than ours."

"So let's hunt down one or two of their ships and get some samples of their shield tech," Janice proposed.

"Assuming Andy doesn't over-do it like he did that Earth…", Ken began. He stopped when he noticed Hawk's dirty look.

Helen snorted. "The people down there were all the backward superstitious type anyway. I say we make the Alliance think twice before…"

"We're not attacking the Alliance," Hawk declared.

"Oh?" Helen looked at him. "They didn't mind attacking you."

"They're goody-two-shoes. They're naive that way, but they're still good guys." Hawk frowned. "And that's our guiding rule. We don't kill good guys. Don't hurt 'em either, unless they make us. So we're not going out picking fights with the Alliance."

"They might not give us a choice," Helen pointed out. "Or are we going to wuss out over that too?"

Hawk turned and glared at her. "If they screw with us, we hit back. But I don't like killing people who don't have it coming to them. And these people are good ones. So we only defend ourselves and we hold back as much as plausibly can. _Capische_?"

"Yeah, fine." Helen rolled her eyes. "Just so long as you don't expect us to submit to them and their rules. I signed up to make scum pay, not to be an errand boy for rich jerks."

"Wouldn't that be 'errand _girl_ '?", Janice pointed out. She turned away at the harsh glare that Helen shot her.

"Won't happen that way. Don't worry."

Helen nodded. "So, what do about Andy?"

"Can him," Hawk declared. He was frowning. "Again, first rule. No harming good guys. He blew up millions of people in his little temper tantrum."

"On a world like that, there are pretty damn few good guys," Helen insisted.

"Maybe, but there are some, and Andy blew them away too. I want that asshole as far from the tactical station as we can get him." Hawk started walking away. "I'm going to take a rest. When we get back, we need to start loading tactical education into the infusers. It should give us more of an edge if we ever run into the _Aurora_ again."

"I was already going in for another infusion," Helen admitted.

"So was I," Janice added. "We need to know more about subspace to improve our…"

"Just make sure the tactical data is mixed in. We'll take turns as always. See you in the morning."

Hawk left them behind and headed to his quarters on deck 4. He peeled off his combat suit and threw it to the side. Another headache was coming in. So many headaches these days. They only seemed to relent when he was taking out scumbags.

He laid down on his bed and felt the pull of sleep. But he also thought of that woman. Meridina. She had shown no malice, no fear, not anything like he was used to when fighting.

And he thought of his blade in her chest, the blood pumping into her lungs, the stunned surprise on her face.

He hadn't intended to hit her in the lung. He'd never… she didn't deserve to die. He was certain of that. He was just trying to wound her enough to get away. She was too skilled for anything but the most unexpected attack to work. It was why he'd adjusted his nanites to artificially awaken him from any sleep state. Her attempt to compel him to sleep had only lasted a few seconds because of that. He'd wound her and then get away and…

 _You almost killed her. And she didn't need killing._

But the worst thing about it was… that sense of elation he had still felt. He'd bested this dangerous adversary and it made him feel strong, invincible. Even though he didn't want to hurt her, it felt good… _Yeah, that's what happens. You mess with the bull, you get the damn horns._

 _I'm overthinking it._ He turned over in his bed and tried to relax until he could go to sleep. The headache still stung behind his eyes. His mind began to wander.

 _I wonder how the goody two-shoes types are handling this…?_


	5. Episode 2-01-5 A Dark Reflection

The _Aurora_ command crew assembled the next morning for another call from Admiral Maran. " _I have examined the logs of your battle_ ," Maran stated. Outside the window the Earth of Universe C1P2 was again visible - they had assumed an equatorial orbit to resume medical assistance operations to a planet sorely in need of far more. " _Our tactical assessment of the_ Avenger _and her combat capabilities is that she is an advanced battlecruiser. That you lasted so long against them is to be commended._."

"I think our real edge was training," Julia stated. "They didn't have the best grasp of tactics. They're not used to fighting other starships capable of fighting back."

"Unfortunately, that's something they'll fix with time," Robert noted. "We may not have that advantage next time."

" _The fact that they are remaining stateless might work to our advantage. Whatever the case, the fleet will be ready for them if they ever show up again. Now, what about casualties?_ "

"Injuries to the crew, for the most part" Julia replied. "Hawk didn't kill anyone during his escape. Although he almost killed Meridina."

Maran took immediate note of that. " _How is the Commander?_ "

"She suffered a stab through the lung," Leo answered. "It could have killed her. Lieutenant Lucero was able to keep the blood from flooding into her left lung enough to cause any damage from prolonged oxygen loss, thankfully. She should be clear for duty in a couple of weeks. Three, at the most."

" _That is good to hear._ "

Leo remained standing. "I've been going over my scans of Hawk. And I've found something I'd like to share."

Maran wasn't the only one to show interest. Robert leaned forward in his chair. "Go on."

Leo reached for his multidevice and tapped in commands. He interfaced with the display systems for the conference room holo-table. A holographic image of a generic male figure popped up. Beside it was Hawk. "I've already gone over the nanite enhancements," he began. "But this is something I noticed this morning."

Another button tap zoomed in on both figures. Specifically, on their heads, and then even closer, to their skull and the brain within. Multiple angles of the brain were shown around the figure. Colored areas showed.

It was immediately clear that Hawk's were colored differently.

"This is a normal Human brain. And this is Hawk's." He indicated the two. "The differences in electrical flow in the neurons, the activity in specific areas of the brain, it's all there."

" _Doctor, are you saying this Hawk individual is brain-damaged?_ "

"I thought so at first. It would explain his shifts in personality. Why someone so brutal as to slaughter people planetside without a sign of remorse would express regret later, or stabbing Meridina in the lung instead of going for a fatal blow." Leo tapped his multidevice. "And then I had an idea of where I had last seen this brain pattern."

Another brain popped up on the other side of the sample. It had a pattern closer to Hawk's than the normal brain. "Should we know this one?", Cat asked.

"I'd hope so," Leo replied. "It's yours, from years ago. After your last infusion."

"Woh." She frowned. "So… I'm brain-damaged too?"

"No. But you might have suffered some effects from this if someone hadn't stopped you from having too many." He smirked. "Mostly me."

Cat quickly put two and two together. "The brainwave infusers."

" _Doctor?_ "

"The brainwave infusion technology the Darglan made," Leo said. "Control warned us to not use it frequently. I think this is why."

"You think Hawk overused it," Jarod said. "And that it altered the structure of his brain."

"Exactly." Leo nodded. "I think Hawk, and anyone with him, have been abusing the infusers. They don't give their brains time to acclimate to the uploaded data. They upload again too soon. And so they're destroying their brains, one upload at a time."

"Could this…. kill them?"

At that Leo shrugged. "That would be conjecture without data at the moment. All I can tell you is that it's going to have an effect upon their mental condition. They may start to have issues with emotional control, or showing any emotion. Or maybe they'll end up in constant pain. The brain is a complex organ and there's no telling what symptoms overuse of the infusions may cause. I'd need access to them, or their medical records."

"I don't think that'll be possible," Angel pointed out.

" _It is something to consider should we ever get access to the technology again_ ," Maran pointed out. " _Thank you, Doctor Gillam, for your input._ " The admiral's expression shifted. " _The war has caused numerous humanitarian crises to arise in S4W8. The majority of our hospital ships are tied up dealing with those. I can only assign two ships, the Galen and the Clara Barton, to C1P2._ "

"What about Starfleet?"

" _They have other obligations. And some recent difficulties with the Klingons have proven distracting._ "

"That doesn't sound good," Julia observed. "What's going on with the Klingons?"

" _There's a Klingon fleet at DS9 that has everyone on edge. They're not elaborating on why they've got a fleet there when it could be at the front in S4W8. Naval Intelligence is working on it, obviously, but they have bigger concerns in S4W8 with the Reich's counter-offensive in the Argolis Sector._ "

"Understood, Admiral. We can remain and…"

" _No. The_ Aurora _is needed elsewhere. I'll have orders for you this afternoon._ "

"But…" Robert swallowed. "This planet, this Earth… it's going to need help. Rebuilding. And two hospital ships can't do that alone."

" _Even with you, they couldn't. I'm sorry, Captain, but with the war as a priority, we don't have the resources to rebuild a planet out of charity._ " Maran frowned. " _I'm afraid Earth C1P2 will be on its own for a while._ "

The Admiral's argument was a harsh one. But completely true. The war with the Nazi Reich was of paramount importance for the moment, and all considerations would be seconded to it.

"Understood, sir," was all Robert could give by way of reply.

" _I'll transmit new orders to you soon. Maran out._ "

"So that's it," Leo mumbled after Maran disappeared. "There's nothing more we can do."

"He's right." Jarod shook his head. "We can't heal an entire planet by ourselves. Let's worry about the things we can change."

"Just because he's right dinnae mean it feels right, lad." Scott was shaking his head.

"We'll do what we can before we leave." Robert looked to Leo. "Leo, ready our patients from C1P2 for transfer to the _Barton_ when she arrives. And have your people take what they can from your medicine lockers to help planetside medical authorities with medical emergencies. Jarod, Scotty, see what help we can provide from available replicator stocks, and see that it's beamed down before we depart. Angel, I want you to coordinate with Commander Kane. See if there's any way to help planet-side security forces restore order in ruined cities. We can provide that data to the other ships to use as needed. Everyone else, you are dismissed."

The meeting adjourned.

* * *

Election day had come to the Colonial Fleet. On every ship in the fleet, the sixty thousand or so citizens of the colonies were casting their votes for their Quorum representatives and for the Presidency of the Colonies.

Zack and his crew had no place in this vote, of course. With nothing else of interest going on today, they were remaining on the _Koenig_. Only some of the volunteer doctors and nurses from the Alliance were staying on Colonial ships for the election, continuing their jobs as normal.

With the day open, Zack was taking the time to do paperwork and hang out with Tom Barnes. The lanky redhead was letting his Alliance uniform go a bit rumbled, as was usual for him, while he reclined in the chair in Zack's office tinkering with a digital reader. "So it's over, eh?", he remarked.

"Hrm?"

"Our little excursion," he clarified. "Getting away from Rob and the others, spreading our wings, that sort of thing."

"Oh. Yeah, it is," Zack said. "By this time tomorrow we'll be meeting with the _Aurora_. Things will go back to 'normal'... if that's what you call all this."

"Well, it sort of is normal now, isn't it?", Barnes pointed out. "I mean, sure, four years ago normal was your beat up old car and hunting for jobs in the social wastelands of Kansas. Now we fly spaceships for a living." Barnes chuckled. "Dude, I'll take the new normal any day of the week."

Zack smirked at that. "Yeah. It's certainly a better normal."

Barnes leaned backward over the arm of the chair and looked at Zack with his head upside down. "Of course, that was before Clara Davis wrapped you around her finger."

Zack took his stencil and scribbled his signature on a commendation order for one of his crew. "It's good to see Magda and Chief Pacetti agreeing on Crewwoman Darina's Commended Service Medal. She's doing well on managing Deck 2's damage control crew."

"Darina? Oh, that cute Gersallian redhead? A little overeager sometimes if you ask me…" Barnes tapped his table. "And don't change the subject. You and Clara."

"What about me and Clara?", Zack asked. His reader brought up another order. A promotion for Crewman Jagana.

"You are being intolerably coy about that," Barnes grumbled.

"It's private."

"You used to brag about how often you and your girlfriend of the week got to…"

"Tom, if you finish that sentence, I will seriously kick your ass," Zack warned. "That was the past. And it's not about that."

Barnes gave him a skeptical look. "So this isn't about the fact that Clara fills out her uniform? Maybe a bit on the pudgy side of things…"

Zack sighed loudly and put his reader down. Quite loudly. "What is it that you want, Tom? Yes, I'm enjoying my relationship with Clara. Yes, we have sex, and the sex is about the best I've had in my life. No, I'm not sharing details, because it's not any of your business. This isn't high school and bragging about sexual exploits. We're in the adult world now. We do adult things. Like fly starships between stars and risk our lives in fights with Nazis."

Barnes' look became quite annoyed. "The way you say that, it's like you think I'm not a mature adult myself."

"The accusation has occasionally crossed my mind."

"I'm just looking to have some fun, man. For us to have fun, hang out and be buddies like we used to." Barnes tossed his own reader to the desk. "Because lately all it seems you care about is 'duty' this or 'Clara' that. Dude, I came out here to keep you company, and you've spent months acting like I'm just around."

There was silence in the office. "Alright, I'm sorry for getting on your case," Zack apologized. "I know you asked for the transfer to _Koenig_ because you were worried about me after everything that happened. I appreciate it, Tom, really, I do. I just…"

He stopped. How could he describe this to Tom? That things had simply changed? He wasn't the same guy anymore. He still wanted to be friends, to hang out occasionally and provide advice and all the kinds of things they'd always done together. But they weren't going back to that old partying, "bros" behavior. Their world had changed too much.

Barnes was letting the silence linger for his own reasons. "It's cool that you're with Clara, alright?", he said. "She's sweet and cool and you two are crazy for each other, and that's awesome. But I'm tired of feeling like you're slipping away. From all of us, man. You and Rob, then you and Julia, and now it's to you and me…" Barnes put a hand to his chin, resting it with his arm on the chair. "It's like… I dunno, it's just like we're all starting to pull apart. And I don't want that. We're cool together. The eight, well, more than eight of us."

"We'll always have those memories of our times together," Zack said. "Baseball games and parties. That time Angel and Julia beat up those bikers down at the old Hound…"

Barnes chuckled. "Yeah. And we all ended up in the sheriff's drunk tank."

"...and Rob's dad came to bail him out and started laughing when he saw all of us together. Even Cat was there!"

"She _did_ smash a pitcher into the head of that big guy going at Angel's back…"

Their mutual reminiscing stopped. "Those days aren't coming back," Zack sighed wistfully, "but we've found something out here that keeps us together. Just differently. So…"

There was a tone from his desk that interrupted them. Zack pressed the receive key. "Carrey here."

Magda spoke on the other end. " _We just got official word, Commander. The election results are in._ "

* * *

Barely an hour later, Zack was back on _Cloud 9_. Celebrations were still going on. He wasn't here to celebrate, of course, simply to do his duty. A bubbly, happy intern directed him to where his subject was chatting away with supporters. He was recognized approaching and made sure to show full politeness. "Congratulations on your victory," Zack said. He extended his hand.

It was taken immediately. "Thank you, Commander," Dr. Gaius Baltar replied. He gave Zack a moment's handshake.

"It's a pleasure to see you Commander." Tom Zarek stepped up as well. He offered his hand and Zack accepted it immediately. "You and your crew have been welcome additions to the Fleet. Had it been my way, they would have been given the vote as well."

"Thank you for that, Mister Vice President," Zack said. "Although I think Admiral Maran would have ordered us to abstain regardless. It's important that your internal politics remain uninfluenced by the Alliance."

Baltar nodded. "We thank you for that consideration. I hear you'll be leaving us now?"

"My orders were to withdraw from the Fleet once we had your decision on where to settle. Other Alliance ships will work with you on colonization." Zack smiled slightly. "As much as my crew and I have enjoyed working with your people, the _Aurora_ is in need of a support ship again, and the _Koenig_ will be returning to that role."

"Of course. I understand completely. You may inform Admiral Maran that we will be accepting the Dorei offer for the planet Peltago. We intend to name the world New Caprica."

Zack pondered that. Capricans were represented pretty well in the fleet, certainly… but the other eleven Colonies had populations that might be more ambivalent. "I would have imagined you'd pick something more neutral. New Kobol, for instance?"

"Oh, no. That would be blasphemy, my dear Commander," Baltar insisted. "And while my esteemed Vice President is awaiting the day that New Sagittaron is announced, the fact remains that Caprica was the cultural and social heart of the Colonies. Naming our first new colony after that world is something both Roslin and I had in mind."

"And you're going to stay in N2S7?" Zack was very curious about that choice. "There are plenty of other worlds, in other universes where the Cylons can't get to you."

"The Cylons have made it clear they can't face the Alliance," Zarek pointed out. "They'll pose no problems for us no matter where we settle."

"And New Caprica is well within the Dorei frontier," Baltar added. "From what I've seen of them, the Dorei will not suffer a Cylon incursion very kindly."

"No. No they won't." _All the same… this is taking a risk you don't need to. What is your game here, Baltar?_ Zack made a show of checking the time on his multidevice. "Well, I'm afraid I must be going. I have to see Admiral Adama and make final preparations for our departure."

"I understand, Commander." Baltar was still smiling. "Please, whenever you get a chance, I do hope you return to New Caprica. Under my leadership, it will be a beautiful settlement. I have many plans for its layout. And I'll be certain to include your baseball fields in the parks."

Zack's response was a small smile. He nodded again to the winners of the election and departed.

* * *

Later that day, Zack was in Adama's office with a digital reader extended. "My final report to you, Admiral," he said.

Adama took it and gave it a quick glance. "Very well, Commander." He took his stencil and signed his name at the bottom. "I must say, your digital reader pads make the paperwork side of my job very convenient. One of the little benefits of our contact."

"I've found paperwork is paperwork, sir."

That caused a chuckle. "Yes." For a moment he said nothing more.

And then Adama extended his hand. "It's been a pleasure serving with you, Commander Carrey." Zack took his hand at this point for a handshake. "You and your crew are always welcome here with the Fleet."

"Thank you, Admiral Adama. It's been a pleasure on my end as well."

"Please, give my best to Captain Dale and the others." The handshake ended. "I look forward to hearing from you again some time."

Zack replied with a nod. A question on his mind now came to the forefront. "With the colony location selected and Baltar elected, what will happen to the _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ now?"

"We'll have to see," Adama admitted. "I'm going to propose we see about further refits. Just to make sure we have an edge if the Cylons attack or we have other problems. It all depends on what Baltar and Zarek choose to bring before the Quorum."

"Hopefully everything will work out. WIth the war with the Nazis still on, the Alliance is going to be sending a lot of ships into S4W8 for a while." Zack stopped there. The next question, which he would leave unasked, was about the data from the Darglan Facility that had been uploaded to the _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_. It would be a while, presumably, before the Colonies could do anything with it. But it was a useful chip for them to cash in with the Alliance at some point.

"Are you transporting back to the _Koenig_?", Adama asked.

"After I make one more stop," Zack answered.

Adama didn't need to ask just who the stop was for. He smiled and nodded at Zack before he left.

* * *

Zack found Clara in the _Galactica_ galley, having lunch with some of the other nurses and crew. One of the mechanics, Cally, was enthusiastically inquiring about dental schools in the Alliance while the others teased playfully about such a career choice.

Zack was surprised to see Kara walk by. She gave Zack a knowing look and winked at him. "Take care, Loverboy," she said with a grin, offering her hand. He accepted it. "Keep those flying skills sharp."

"It's a shame," he replied. "We never did get to put you in the cockpit of a Mongoose."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get to fly one eventually," was her reply. "I'll leave you to your lady and master now, Carrey. Try not to cry too much."

That brought a chuckle from Zack. He went on to the table, where Clara was standing up upon seeing him. She excused herself from the others and walked up to him. They embraced. "It's time, then?", she asked.

"It is," he replied gently.

He could hear the sadness in her voice. And he felt it within himself. These past several months had been the happiest in his life, it seemed, and Clara had been the reason why. After being alone so long…

"I have a scheduled vacation period coming up," Clara said. "Maybe we can meet?"

"If things hold out, we'll be there for the fourth anniversary of New Liberty. We can enjoy the festival together."

"I'll look forward to that."

For a moment, neither said anything. They just looked into each other's eyes, afraid to end the moment, knowing it wouldn't happen again for many weeks to come. They didn't notice the number of eyes starting to turn their way.

"Are you…?", Clara asked, seeming confused.

"What? Oh. Right."

Zack leaned his head in and pressed his lips to Clara's. They began to share a deep, affectionate goodbye kiss.

Neither seemed to be bothered by the whistles and applause that broke out. The kiss, for both, was far more important.

* * *

Baltar had spent the prior evening and much of the day dealing with the matters of assuming the Presidency of the Colonies. Soon he would give the oath of office and move his things to _Colonial One_ , allowing him to oversee the colonization plans.

Now, for the first time in a day, he was alone. Briefly, but just long enough for…

"Congratulations, Gaius."

He turned away from his desk to face the beautiful blonde. She was in a slinky red dress, trying to provoke him with sexual attraction as she often did. Whether she was some Cylon plant in his brain or a form of extradimensional entity - Alliance records linked to other universes had confirmed the possibility of such beings, at least - Baltar did not know. He just knew she could be dangerous, and yet, that she was trying to help him.

Help him do what and for what… that was something he was still trying to figure out.

"I am now President of the Colonies, yes," he said. "Thank you, my dear. Now the question is… where do we go from here?"

"Where indeed?"

"Why did you insist on colonizing a world in this universe?", Baltar asked. "Is this another one of those 'God's Plan' things?"

"You are correct," she replied. She was so close he could swear he could smell her body. The thought of experiencing sensual ecstasy with her again rushed blood through his body. He knew she was doing this on purpose. To excite and tease. He couldn't help but enjoy it. "The place of your people is in this universe, not another. God's plan for you has yet to be fulfilled."

"And what plan is that? Let the Cylons finish their genocide?"

"Obviously not, or God would have let them destroy you long ago," she chided him. "The Plan is bigger than that. Greater. You'll see that, Gaius dear. It will be a while, but you'll see it."

And then she was gone, and Baltar was left to his thoughts.

* * *

 **Tag**

Lucy pulled up a chair in the medbay beside Meridina's bed. She was still asleep.

"She needs the rest." Leo stepped up beside Lucy. He pulled a hypospray from his lab coat and pressed it to Meridina's neck. "Just giving her another medication. The Gersallians' cardiovascular system can suffer chemical imbalance when the body's trying to produce more blood."

Lucy nodded. "Okay."

Leo put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"If I had just been there a moment sooner, maybe…"

"She's okay, Lucy. She'll be okay. It's not your fault." Leo smiled confidently at her. "So, are you coming?"

"What?"

"Cat just called from the bridge," Leo revealed. "She has the _Koenig_ on long-range sensors. They'll be docking in an hour. Julia's getting everyone together to welcome them back at the airlock."

"Oh. I…" Lucy looked back to Meridina. "Maybe I should stay. So Meridina's not alone."

Leo considered that response. "I think she'll understand if you go to welcome them back, Lucy. She'd want you to."

It wasn't clear that was good enough of a reason for Lucy. She reached over and held Meridina's hand for a moment. It pained her to see her teacher, the one showing her all of the things this power within her could do, stricken like this.

Finally she breathed in a sigh. "Okay." She smiled gently. "Alright, I'll be there."

* * *

Everyone watched with grins and smiles wide as the _Koenig_ slid gently into her docking space for the first time in over half a year. Robert looked to Julia and said, "It's about time, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she replied. "And maybe now Zack will feel better about… things."

He nodded at that. For everything that had happened since, there were still times he thought of how he had messed up back in the 33LA mission the prior May. And how that had so badly affected his friendship with Zack. "I want to regain his trust," Robert admitted to her. "He had good reason to be angry with me."

Julia said nothing in reply. They had discussed this before, after all.

The airlock finally opened. Zack and Tom stepped out and the assembled _Aurora_ officers cheered. "Welcome home!", they called out together.

Scotty was quick to add his own greeting. "Good t' see ye, lads!"

Jarod was next. "You're finally back where you belong!"

"Someone finally beat Jarod at poker," Locarno declared. "I've got the holovid for you!"

At the tremendous response, Zack sighed and laughed. Barnes gave everyone a grin. "So, Scotty, you kept them from blowing the ship up after all," he said. "How'd you do it without me?"

"Wasn't easy, lad. Was nae easy at all."

Robert stepped ahead of the others and offered his hand. "Welcome back, Zack."

"Aren't we supposed to do some formal ceremony?", Zack asked. He accepted Robert's hand. "Like, reading of orders and signing and countersigning or something?"

"The paperwork can wait, Zack. I'm just glad you're home."

For a moment, they had just the handshake. And then, by mutual decision, they turned it into an embrace. Robert patted his best friend on the back. "It's good to have you back, Zack. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Rob," Zack admitted. "And forget about what happened last year. This is 2642. Time for a fresh start."

"Thanks."

Their hug ended and Zack moved on to embrace Julia. As they exchanged greetings, Robert shook hands and exchanged shoulder pats with Barnes to welcome him back. Apley came next, and…

...and just for a moment, Robert thought he heard something else. Something different. Something out of place. A faint howl in the air, one he couldn't recognize.

Magda stepped up to him. "It's good to be back again," she said. "The Colonials were nice, but I missed having holodecks or Hargert's cooking."

"We'd all miss Hargert's cooking," Robert replied. By the time the exchange was over, the howl in his head had vanished.

What had that been anyway? A figment of his imagination?

Whatever it was, it wasn't important. Not as important as this reunion. "Hargert's got a welcome home meal ready and waiting in the Lookout," he declared loudly. "For the entire _Koenig_ crew."

That prompted cheers.

Robert let himself smile. After the past few months and the craziness they'd gone through… it seemed things had finally gotten back on track.

And then there was a chirp on his multidevice. It didn't interrupt the festivities, but it did get his attention. He pressed the key. "Dale here."

" _Jupap, sir._ " Jarod's Alakin backup was currently in command of the bridge. " _We just received a Priority One alert from Defense Command._ "

 _A Priority One? Is this about that Nazi counter-offensive…?_ "What's it about, Lieutenant? Something, in S4W8?"

" _No sir. Not S4W8. S5T3._ "

That made Robert blink. "What? What's going on over there?"

" _It is the Klingons, sir_ ," was the answer.

By this point, everyone was starting to turn and listen in.

"What about the Klingons?"

" _The Klingon Empire has invaded Cardassian space_ ," Jupap reported. " _And they've withdrawn from the Khitomer Accords._ "

Julia's jaw dropped for a moment. "But… that means…"

"It means the Federation and the Klingon Empire are no longer allies," Robert said. "And the war with the Nazis just got a hell of a lot harder."


	6. Episode 2-02-1 Hunter and Prey

**Teaser**

The _Starship Aurora_ basked in the light of a yellow star. Her azure hull gleamed and her long, sleek appearance were a sight to behold.

The sight of his ship looking so grand might have eased the growing headache that Captain Robert Dale faced at his present difficulty. Had he been able to see it.

But right now he was looking at two different beings. One, a Tellarite woman, was Captain Teer of the Federation _Starship Oreen_ , a _New Orleans_ -class Federation frigate. The other was a Klingon man, Captain Glaghk, of the Bird-of-Prey _Yavekh_.

"... _and their conduct has been unacceptable, Captain Dale_ ," Teer was declaring. " _This Klingon vessel has been using Alliance space to launch attacks on Federation ships conducting innocent trade to Cardassia…_ "

" _Worthless_ petaQ _!_ ", Glaghk shouted. " _Do you take us for fools?! Your 'innocent trade' has been in industrial replicators and devices the Cardassians will use against us!_ "

" _None of the equipment being traded to the new government on Cardassia is recognized as contraband by…_ "

" _The machines you provide can make weapons. The Klingon Empire is within its rights..._ "

At that point Jarod helpfully muted the call from his Ops station. The standard bridge crew were all in their places. It was a great relief to Robert to see that this included Barnes, sitting at the Engineering station beside Caterina at Science/Sensors along the port wall of the bridge.

"Thank you, Jarod," Julia said, beating him to it. "They're just talking around each other now."

"But we still have to deal with it." Robert rubbed at his forehead. "Arguing with Teer is like pulling teeth."

"I could always shoot them," Angel suggested flippantly from her Tactical station.

"As tempting as that is," Robert admitted, "I doubt the President or Admiral Maran will be pleased by me opening hostilities with both the Klingons and the Federation." He took in a breath and focused in the manner Meridina had been teaching him. It calmed the energy he felt within. "Okay, I'm ready," he said. "Put them back on."

Both of the captains had apparently realized he'd muted them and gone quiet, stewing silently. Robert knew he had to get the first word in, and quickly, before the argument resumed. "Okay, now that the shouting is over… I'll remind you both that the Allied Systems has remained neutral over your governments' recent hostility. We're not taking sides. We've got treaties with you both, for God's sake, we don't _want_ to take sides. And we want you to keep this tussle out of our space." He looked at the Tellarite first. "Captain Teer, for the time being, the Alliance will inspect all Federation ships entering Cardassian territory from our space to ensure they are carrying only humanitarian supplies."

" _This is outrageous conduct, Captain!_ ," Teer exploded. " _The Federation will protest…_ "

"...and President Morgan will handle it as he deems fit. I'm relaying the orders I've been given in this situation," Robert countered.

" _And you will just allow the Klingons to continue to attack…_ "

"I'm getting to them," Robert barked. He focused on the Klingon commander next. "Captain Glagkh, you have ten hours to withdraw from Alliance space. For the time being, the Alliance is going to forbid Starfleet and the KDF from entering our borders."

" _What?!_ ", Glagkh shouted. " _Insolent little… have we not fought and died alongside you in battle?! We deserve your support…_ "

"...and if you had approached the Alliance Government with your suspicions about the Cardassians, you might have gotten it," Robert pointed out. "You didn't. Instead you left us high and dry when your forces dropped out of the war without warning. Some of our comrades are _dead_ because of all of this."

Glagkh growled and went silent.

"Those are the orders I have direct from my President," Robert continued. "Until the diplomats can sort this out, the Alliance is asserting its neutrality. I expect you both to withdraw from Alliance territory immediately. Dale out." He motioned with his hand. Jarod cut the communication.

For several tense seconds there was no reaction from either side. The Federation vessel turned away first. They watched Teer's ship elongate and disappear in a burst of light. The Klingon ship turned afterward and cloaked.

"Well." Julia crossed her arms. "At least we kept them from shooting at each other. That was the last thing we needed."

"It's hard to believe they became enemies so easily," Caterina mumbled. "They were allies for decades."

"Not friendly, though, until the _Enterprise-C_ was destroyed at Narendra," Locarno pointed out. "There's always been a little friction between the Federation and the Klingons. And now it's all coming out."

"And here we are, stuck in the middle," Julia observed.

"Return us to our prior patrol course, Nick," Robert said. "I'll be in the office writing up my report on the incident. I'll see you all at 1900 for Admiral Maran's briefing."

At exactly 1900, Admiral Maran's image appeared on the main viewer in the conference room. The combined command staffs of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were seated and waiting. " _Good evening_ ," he began. " _I'm going to get straight to the matter at hand. The collapse of the Khitomer Accords has changed every strategic and diplomatic calculus we have made since the formation of the Alliance. The Klingons and Federation are putting tremendous pressure on us to pick a side._ "

"Is it really that difficult a choice?", Leo asked. "The Klingons invaded the Cardassians without provocation. They're in the wrong."

"They say that the Cardassian government was taken over by Changelings," Julia pointed out. "And it's pretty suspicious that the Cardassian government fell so quickly to a democratic uprising, isn't it?"

"I'd hardly call the Detepa Council 'democrats'," Locarno countered. "They're a civilian government, sure, but they weren't elected under anything approaching a democratic system."

"Given time…"

" _I believe this debate demonstrates the issue we are having in Portland quite well_ ," Maran said, ending the discussion. " _There are those who sympathize with either side of the dispute. The President will never get a mandate to side with one or the other at this time._ "

"So what do we do?", Robert asked. "They've already cost us the entire offensive in S4W8 from all of the Federation and Klingon ships returning to S5T3. We need to get them back on track, or at least not shooting at each other."

" _That's why I've called you. You handled the last set of talks that brought them into the war. I'm hoping you might be able to persuade the two sides to find enough common ground to stick with us._ "

"So there's going to be another summit?", Julia asked.

" _Yes. And you'll be present to join Senator Kiang in representing the Alliance. She'll meet you at the site._ "

Robert's next question was the obvious one. "Where are the talks being held?"

" _You're due in the Bajor system, Captain. The talks are going to be held on_ Deep Space Nine."

* * *

A lone transport vessel pulled up to the docking ring of Deep Space Nine. Outside of the airlock it was attached to were a group of waiting security officers with scanners, a mix of Starfleet and Bajoran personnel.

Most of those exiting the ships were the usual type of travelers. Free traders, salesmen, interstellar tourists, and now, journalists and independent operators looking to investigate the rumors of a peace summit between the Federation and Klingons. It seemed bizarre that such a summit would be hosted on DS9, where just the prior month Klingon forces had been trying to board and seize the station.

A Human Starfleet Ensign, Merrill, was the one who received the oddity in the transport. The figure was clad mostly in black and moved with sensual grace. Try as he might, Merrill's relative youth made it hard for him to ignore the attractiveness of the black-clad female figure, although he did not recognize her species immediately. He tried to think of which species were known for blue coloration and no hair in the moment that the woman handed her identification to him. It was a holographic passport marked from the city-moon of Solaria. Personal information displayed the name of Rila t'Gomi. Merrill's eyes went to the entry under species. "Asari?", Merrill said. He looked into her blue eyes. They fixed on him. "I've never seen one of you before. M4P2, right?"

"Yes." Her voice was warm and inviting. "You are… Starfleet, I believe?"

"Yes ma'am. Ensign Merrill, Starfleet Security."

"Quite an interesting line of work, Ensign."

"Oh." He chuckled nervously and rubbed at his neck. "Interesting isn't just it. Barely four weeks ago I was fighting for my life against Klingons boarding the station."

She seemed to take interest in that. "That sounds interesting. Perhaps you would like to tell me about it?"

Merrill's heart almost went into his throat. He'd heard rumors about how beautiful and sensual the Asari could be. They were played up as almost being Deltan in that regard. And it had been quite a while since that Betazoid he'd gone out with between years at the Academy…

There were people forming up behind the Asari. Merrill forced himself to pay attention to his job. "I'm off duty in two hours," he said. "I'll be in Quark's if you're interested."

She smiled at him and accepted her identification holo back. Merrill was smiling after she walked past.

The Asari calling herself Rila t'Gomi was smiling too.

But it was a different kind of smile.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Hunter and Prey"_**

* * *

 _Ship's Log: 15 February 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We have arrived at_ Deep Space Nine _, where the talks will be commencing shortly. Commander Andreys and I will be joining Senator Kiang's delegation. Hopefully we can discover a way to heal this rift before it further complicates matters._

Senator Kiang Yu Ling was waiting for Robert and Julia when they beamed into the DS9 quarters she was using for her staff room. The prim, proper-looking Chinese woman was dressed in a blue suit with cyan highlights. "Captain, Commander." She nodded. "Welcome."

"Thank you, Madame Senator." Robert accepted her offered hand. Julia did so as well. Kiang showed them to chairs around a round table before sitting in one herself. "How are the talks going?"

"The preliminary discussions are difficult," she admitted. The older woman shifted a moment before finding she was comfortable. "I have sought their approval for Minbari or Asari mediators, but neither side is ready to proceed to mediation unless certain prerequisite terms are approved. The Klingons are insisting that the Federation recognize their annexation of several Cardassian star systems. The Federation wants them to withdraw."

"That is not likely to happen," Julia observed wryly.

"Agreed. I am hopeful that, perhaps, the two sides might be convinced to lower these requirements. But I do not have high hopes for these talks."

"We'll see what we can do," Robert promised. "Who is representing who?"

"The Federation sent Sonek Pran. I believe you have met?"

Robert nodded in reply. "He represented the Federation in the earliest talks we hosted among the interuniversal governments. Back when we had the Facility."

"Who did the Klingons send?"

"Councillor K'mbok and General Martok," was the reply.

"I don't remember K'mbok," Robert said. "Which one is he?"

"One of the newest members of the High Council," Kiang answered. "Chancellor Gowron has shown his lack of confidence in the summit with his choices. K'mbok is an advocate for the resumption of Klingon expansionism and General Martok commanded the initial invasion of Cardassia."

"Is he really trying to burn his bridges?" Robert shook his head. "Or does he think he doesn't need to do well at the summit?"

"He might think we're too reliant on Klingon assistance to risk alienating him," Julia pointed out. "The Klingons still have a few of their squadrons on the front. We'll have trouble replacing them if they pull out completely."

"Our orders are to give all reasonable concessions we can to keep the Klingons in the Coalition," Kiang revealed. "However, we must concede nothing that would sever our relations with the Federation."

"So we're going try and stay in the middle."

Julia nodded at that. "And just hope that they consider our future friendship too important to cut off because we want to stay out of their fight."

"That is the current position we have, yes." Kiang gestured to the digital pads on the table, on which various negotiating items were listed. "Provided nothing else happens."

"Who else is here?", Robert asked. "Most of the Coalition was slated to attend."

"The Citadel Council is represented by an Asari negotiator, Representative Irissa. She is not a being I would want to cross. As for the others…"

* * *

The clacking of wooden blades echoed in the holochamber and its recreation of a dueling room on Gersal. Lucy raised her training sword to a defensive position and deflected a swipe by Meridina. She sensed her teacher's next move and brought the sword over, parrying another blow. In a moment of instinct she focused her power, the metaphysical power manifested from her life force, and threw it in a bolt that sent Meridina flying backward and onto the mat.

Any elation at success, and with it the indication of how much her skill was improving, was lost when Lucy saw Meridina try to stand. She winced and her hand went to her chest, right where the vicious interuniversal rogue Hawk had stabbed her through the torso and nearly killed her. With all elation replaced by fear and horror, Lucy rushed to her mentor's side and took her arms. "Meridina! Oh, Meridina, I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"It is alright," Meridina insisted. She brought her free hand out from her robe. "I am not bleeding. All is fine."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and helped Meridina up. "Are you sure about coming back to training so soon? I know Leo said you were clear a few days ago but..."

"I am healed sufficient to spar with you, Lucy," Meridina assured her. "Although I am afraid we must end this session now. I am due to see Constable Odo and Commander Eddington shortly to go over security arrangements."

"I wanted to get some shore leave in anyway," Lucy said, grinning. "Are you going to be working this entire time, then?"

"I expect that the station personnel have security well in hand. I will likely sit in for the sessions if Captain Dale asks, but if not… I will have little to do myself."

"Then maybe you should enjoy some shore leave?", Lucy pointed out. "The shuttle flights to Bajor only take a few hours. I've heard Ashalla is a beautiful city."

"I will certainly consider it, Lucy." Meridina accepted Lucy's training sword from her. "Perhaps tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge, things were even more quiet than usual. With the ship in station-keeping position near DS9 there was little activity to be had. Locarno looked positively bored at the helm, Jupap was quiet at Ops, and the same could be said for Angel at tactical. Jarod, seated in the command chair, was tempted to find a pin and drop it to see if that was the level of silence they had obtained.

"So, who's going on shore leave?", Caterina asked from science. She was busying herself with yet more sensor scans of the Bajoran Wormhole. "Because I'm heading stationside the moment al-Rashad gets here."

"Is there anything on DS9 you can't do here?", Angel asked. "With all of the Klingons around and angry at us, I'm afraid some might try and take it out on you."

"I'll only be on the Promenade," Catarina insisted. "With all of those security people around." A thought crossed her mind. "Although maybe you should join me? We can play Dabo and clean Quark out."

"More like he cleans us out," Angel retorted. "You got really lucky last time."

"So maybe we do something different? _Deep Space Nine_ is such an awesome place, there's a ton of stuff to see!"

Before Angel could say anything, there was a chuckle from the middle of the bridge. "What was that?", she demanded.

"Nothing," was the reply. Jarod suppressed another chuckle. "Go on, talk about your personal things on the bridge. We're all bored anyway."

Locarno joined in with a chuckle of his own.

Angel sighed aloud.

"It's okay if you don't want to come," Cat said. "You don't have to chaperone me if you've got something else planned."

Angel thought she could hear something in her sister's voice. A tone of… another emotion, a sort of resigned acceptance. "As a matter of fact, Robert does want to take me out tonight."

"Oh." Cat nodded. "Okay. So enjoy yourself, Angel. I'll be fine. I mean, what else can be dangerous on DS9 except angry Klingons? And Klingons probably won't bother with me. I'm too wimpy. There's no honor in beating me up."

Jarod shook his head. "Cat, you might want to reign it in a bit…"

* * *

From his office window Captain Benjamin Sisko could see the assembled vessels for the Coalition summit. It was a new sight to see the curved, squat shape of an Asari cruiser now docked to DS9's upper pylon. A _White Star_ eased by the window gracefully, in proximity to a Gy'toran star-sailer that reminded him of the Bajoran exploration sailer he had built not too long ago. If that Bajoran craft had been the size of an _Excelsior_ -class starship, at least.

There was a tone at his office door. Sisko rolled the baseball in his hands and answered, "Come in." He turned in his chair. He allowed himself a smile and stood to his feet. "Good to see you again, Commander."

"Congratulations, Captain," Zack answered. "Rob and Julia asked me to stop in on their behalf. Senator Kiang wanted them to report directly to the talks."

"Of course. Welcome back to _Deep Space Nine_." Sisko put his baseball down. "I see you're no longer assigned to Admiral Adama's fleet."

Zack replied with a nod. "They've settled their election and made their choice on where to found their new colony. Admiral Maran believed it was time for my ship to return to the _Aurora_." At Sisko's prompting he sat at the desk. "So, this summit's taken a turn for the crazy now that the Klingons are going Viking on people."

"Whatever has gotten into them, it's made them lose sight of the real dangers threatening the Alpha Quadrant." Sisko put together his hands on the desk. "Do you know what the Alliance is going to do about this?"

"Well, right now we're just trying to keep the Klingons from pulling out those last few squadrons. They say we would have to abandon one of the liberated sectors to the Nazis if the Klingons leave." Zack shook his head. "All of that damned work and it might be for nothing."

"I know the feeling."

For a moment neither said anything. Then the younger man resolved to change the subject. "You'll be happy to know, Captain, that I've been busy turning the children of the Refugee Fleet into devoted baseball fans," Zack reported.

A wide grin was the immediate reply. "Now _that_ is good news", Sisko declared. "How are they doing?"

Zack chuckled. "Getting better all the time. By the time I left, the teenagers had some pitchers who were doing better than I was at that age. They're going to have some real pros coming out of New Caprica in a few years, Captain, mark my words. Clara and I watched this one Tauron kid…"

"Wait a moment." Sisko held up a hand. "Who's Clara?"

"Clara Davis," Zack answered. "She is… my girlfriend. Lover. Quite possibly more." The smile on his face widened, matching the one on Sisko's. "I knew her in school. She came out with our first supply convoy to the Colonial Fleet as a volunteer nurse."

"It must have been quite the surprise to see her."

"It was. She wanted to come out into space and make a difference. Like I, like we, did." Zack sighed wistfully. "We spent some good time together before I had to leave. I hadn't been that happy in years, to be honest."

"I know the feeling," Sisko replied. Thoughts of Kasidy Yates entered his mind. "I'll have to introduce you to Kasidy some time. Her brother plays for the Pike City Pioneers."

"The Pike City Pioneers? I thought the Federation didn't have baseball teams?"

"Cestus III does." The grin on Sisko's face said it all.

"That's over by the Gorn border, isn't it?" Zack nodded. "Well, I'll have to find an excuse to…"

They were interrupted by a loud warbling tone. The station's internal communications system, to be precise. " _Odo to Sisko._ "

"I'm here, Constable, go ahead," Sisko replied.

" _I'm afraid something's come up, Captain. Commander Eddington's people just found Ensign Merrill in his quarters. He's dead, sir._ "

All of the good mood in the office faded away. " _What?!_ " Sisko stood from his chair. "What happened?"

" _There's no immediate signs of foul play but I am still investigating. Doctor Bashir is having the body brought to the infirmary for a complete autopsy._ "

"Thank you for informing me, Constable, I'll be right down."

Zack sighed and stood. "My condolences, Captain. I'll let you get to work. If there's anything we can do to help…"

"I'll ask you or Captain Dale if it comes to it," Sisko said.

Zack nodded and followed Sisko out of the office. 

* * *

The talks had left Robert with a bad feeling. One that did not go away even when they were over. The Klingons were being beyond stubborn, going all the way into arrogance and bluster that made him pity poor Sonek Pran. The amiable hybrid - he was one quarter-Human, one quarter-Vulcan, one quarter-Betazoid, one quarter-Bajoran - had retained his composure against both the blustering Klingons and the icy aloofness of the Citadel Council's Representative Iressa, an Asari who had none of Councillor Tevos' disarming reason and charm.

His bad feelings dissipated upon meeting Angel on the Promenade afterward. She was in a red sleeveless blouse with a plunging neckline and dark knee-length skirt while he hadn't changed at all - the talks hadn't given him time to do that. "So, where to?", he asked her. "Anywhere but the Klingon restaurant."

"There's a Bajoran restaurant too," she pointed out. "Or Quark's."

"Quark's food is something I am not in the mood for," Robert answered. He rubbed at his forehead. "Bajoran food sounds good."

"Bajoran it is," Angel said. And she cheerfully kissed him on the cheek.

It didn't make the headache or the bad feeling go away. But it helped. He took her hand and they walked to the restaurant together.

* * *

"Dabo!"

Caterina's squeal of triumph filled Quark's Place. She happily accepted her winnings from the Dabo girl overseeing the tables. The curvy Bajoran redhead at the head of the table, Leeta, accepted her betting into the next spin of the wheel. A Starfleet crewmember joined her in betting on the next round, handing a slip of gold-pressed latinum to Leeta.

"Anyone else?", Leeta asked.

After a moment another hand moved in and offered the required latinum. Leeta looked at the newcomer and smiled warmly, as was usual in her line of work.

Caterina looked across to the newcomer. She was an Asari in a dark, figure-hugging suit that looked like it was made of leather. Pale blue eyes almost gray in their coloration looked back at her. A small smile curled over the Asari's face. "Perhaps your luck will work for me as well," she said.

Cat swallowed and smiled back. "Uh. Sure."

* * *

After another few turns of the wheel - and Cat getting another Dabo that made Quark frown at her - she decided to stop. She went to a table near the bar and was soon joined by the Asari. "An Alliance crewwoman, I see. No." She stopped and seemed to consider Caterina more. Inspecting her as if looking over a fine wine. "An officer."

The inspection made Caterina intensely self-conscious of how she looked in her uniform. As she usually did, Cat substituted the trousers of her uniform with a uniform skirt instead, showing her thin bare legs from below the knee. She realized how skinny and puny she must look compared to the elegant Asari and felt even more nervous. "What's your name?", asked the Asari.

"I'm Caterina. Caterina Delgado. I'm the… the Science Officer on the _Aurora_." Caterina giggled nervously. She felt a little light-headed at the moment. This Asari seemed so interesting, and save for the Consort she'd barely gotten a chance to spend time with an Asari before.

"I see." The Asari motioned to Quark. "Bartender, drinks for myself and my young friend, please." She flashed a handful of GPL strips at him. With her attention back on Cat as soon as the strips were taken, the Asari continued speaking. "I've heard some unbelievable things about the _Aurora_ 's crew. I would love to hear how true they are from you."

"Well… if I can. Of they're not classified I mean, then sure, I don't see why not…"

* * *

Sisko and Odo were waiting when Doctor Bashir emerged from his operating room in the red surgical outfit Starfleet doctors employed. "Ah, Captain, Constable, I hope I haven't been keeping you long."

"Do you have anything on what caused Ensign Merrill's death, Doctor?", Sisko asked. "Was it just an accident or natural causes?"

Bashir shook his head. "I highly doubt that." He went over to his console and began tapping controls. The Cardassian monitor screens shifted to show a model of a Human nervous system. "Ensign Merrill died from a severe brain hemorrhage brought on by an extensive overloading of his central nervous system. I've never seen anything like this before. It's like something burnt out every synapse and nerve cluster in his body."

"So we're looking for some form of weapon," Odo said. "Do you have any indications for what we're looking for?"

"There are no signs of any sort of weapon discharge on the body, or on his uniform."

"So what else did you find?", Sisko asked.

"Well, I can tell you that from the state of his body that Ensign Merrill was quite pleased until his nervous system started to overload." Bashir pointed to a second display. "Increased hormone levels in his bloodstream and endorphins in the brain, heightened blood flow to his reproductive organs…"

Sisko realized what Bashir was getting at. It was Odo who remarked, "You mean he was in a state of sexual arousal when he died, don't you Doctor?"

Bashir nodded. "Yes, Constable. Exactly."

"Was he with someone, then?", Sisko asked.

"I'm still running scans on some unknown skin cell samples I found on his hands," Bashir stated. "It is certainly possible."

"So do we have a witness… or a murderer?", Odo asked rhetorically.

"I can't say, Constable. Not with what I have on hand. I have never seen anything like this," Bashir insisted. "The damage to his nervous system is so extensive that it's hard to imagine anything accomplishing that level of degradation without damaging or even affecting other systems in the body. But there's no sign of any other damage. It's like something just went in and burned out his entire nervous system until his brain hemorrhaged."

"Constable." Sisko looked to Odo. "The timing of this is suspicious. I want increased security on the summit and on all negotiation teams. Post extra guards and Starfleet personnel as you need."

"It's already arranged, sir. And with your permission I'll request that Commander Meridina provide me further security personnel from the _Aurora_."

"Permission granted, Constable."

Odo nodded. "I'll make the call. Then I'd like to get back to my investigation," he asked.

Sisko's expression was grim. "Consider this case second only to the security of the summit, Constable. I want to know who or what did this. And why."

Odo's response was immediate. "Yes, Captain." 

* * *

"The New Austria battle." The Asari's eyes remained directly focused on Cat's. She didn't even need to look at Quark when he brought the glasses back. She took one in her hand and handed it to Caterina. "The news reports were quite interesting. You were in the thick of the fighting?"

"We were. I'd never seen that many spaceships together before." Cat took a drink. She almost choked back up the burning alcohol. The burning made her voice a little hoarse when she resumed speaking. "Or that many ships being blown up, for that matter."

"It was quite the battle, clearly," the Asari cooed.

"Those warp jumps were the trickiest part. We had to be just… right… on the warp activations and shut-downs."

"And how did they make you feel, Caterina?" The light blue eyes of the Asari seemed to glisten with interest. "I can imagine the fear. Just one unfortunate strike and death would end it all."

"Well… yeah." Cat took another drink. She was starting to feel a little weird. In a good way. Curiosity about the Asari was becoming something more than the scientific interest she'd felt before. There was something about her that was exotic, interesting. Promising of experiences Caterina had never bothered to dwell on before. Something more than her usual socialization.

A part of her didn't feel the same way. It felt alerted, concerned, even suspicious. It demanded she do the rational thing. Ask questions. _Why would someone like her be interested in me. I'm not even beautiful! I'm too skinny, too thin!_

But that part couldn't focus. Intrigue, desire, curiosity, her new friend was triggering all of that in her mind, and Caterina couldn't bring herself to end the experience.

"How did the fear make you feel?"

"I was terrified. And I wasn't. I mean…" Cat forced her mind to focus on what she was thinking, to find the right words. "It was like I knew I could die… but that I knew we'd live. Because we're getting good at this and.. and our ship is just a work of art. We can't lose with her. We can't."

"Such confidence." Her Asari friend sipped at her drink. "And such vision. The way you describe these things, quasars and wormholes and such things, is like nothing I've heard before."

Caterina blushed. "Oh… I'm just an enthusiast. I mean, I love this stuff. I love science. I love learning. I love space stuff and stuff I've never seen before and seeing the neutrinos swirl around wormholes…"

"Your passion for the unknown is exquisite, my dear." The Asari reached forward and ran a finger along Caterina's temple.

Cat felt a shock of pleasure at the touch. Her heartbeat picked up. "Th-thank you," she said. And she swallowed. She had to, and that did nothing to control the increasing tempo of her heart.

They each took another drink. Cat took more of one. It served to fortify her swirling emotions. She almost couldn't believe her current situation. "So… wh-what do you do? In your life? Normally, I mean."

"Well…" The Asari nursed her drink. "I am quite the traveler, you see…"


	7. Episode 2-02-2 Hunter and Prey

Not a long distance away Robert and Angel were at a table in the Bajoran restaurant on the Promenade. It was near the opening and gave them each a sight of the economic heart of the space station. Two plates with half-eaten _hasperat_ s were before them. "...pain in the neck," Robert was complaining. "The Klingons are insisting that we recognize their conquests from the Cardassians."

"Or they'll what? Drop out of the war?"

"That. Stop economic assistance." Robert sighed. "Command's worried they might try to grab our IU drives still on their ships. Admiral Davies suggested we should just withdraw them from the front, remove the IU drives from their ships, and let them go their own way."

"Wow. Davies is right about something," Angel laughed. She sipped at the wine glass in her hand. "But I didn't bring you here to talk about that. These dates are supposed to get you away from the Captain business."

Robert chuckled at that. "Yeah, I suppose. We do need the alone time. It seems we get so little of it now."

"Yes, well…" Angel took a drink in an effort, not entirely successful, to hide her frown. "Between your Captain duties and this mumbo jumbo training you're doing with Meridina, you don't have much time left in the day."

That drew a frown from Robert. "I'm sorry about that. But it's something I need to do. This stuff requires control."

"I still don't see how they can't get rid of it. Can't Leo try…"

"I don't want to fight about this," Robert said, cutting her off. "Can't we just enjoy a dinner together without fighting over my abilities."

"That depends," Angel muttered.

"On?"

"Can you ever walk away from this stuff and actually spend time with me again?" Angel put her glass down. She was still frowning. "Because as things are going, you spend more time with Meridina and Lucy than with me."

"Ouch."

Angel picked up her hasperat and brought it toward her mouth. "'Ouch' is damn right. That's exactly how _I_ feel." She took a bite and started chewing.

There was little Robert could do but sigh at that. A look of guilt filled his green eyes. There were times he regretted having these abilities, this "life force power", that Meridina and Lucy also possessed.

After Angel finished chewing she rolled her eyes. "Oh no. No, don't do that."

"What?"

"The sad puppy eyes," Angel said. A glint of amusement was present in her own hazel-colored eyes. "You don't play fair with the sad puppy eyes. I'm the frustrated, anger-prone girlfriend, I shouldn't have to be made to feel like I'm kicking a puppy whenever I complain about the lack of time we have together."

That won her a chuckle. "Ah, well, I'll try not to," Robert pledged.

"That's better."

"And I'll see about getting Meridina to lower the schedule for these training excursions. I think I've learned all the control I'll need for now, honestly."

"And that's even better." Angel smiled at him. "So, how about we get the check and…"

Robert's multidevice went off.

Angel's smile evaporated.

Robert's expression was apologetic as he hit the commkey to open the channel. "Dale here."

The voice that came out the other end was Jarod's. " _I'm sorry to interrupt you, Captain, but Senator Kiang is insisting on speaking to you. She wants you and Commander Andreys at her quarters immediately for consultations._ "

He audibly sighed in frustration. "Alright. Alright, fine. I'll be on my way."

"Duty calls," Angel sighed.

"Yeah." He leaned over the table and kissed her on the lips. It was not a deep kiss, but it was warm. "I'll talk to you later." He held out his credit chit. "I'm paying, of course."

"Of course. Go ahead." Angel motioned to the door. "Go see what the high and mighty Senator needs done absolutely right now no questions asked."

The look on Robert's face was pained. Angel immediately regretted being so sarcastic with him. She said nothing more as he left. She tried to finish her own meal but found, after two bites, that her appetite had turned sour from all of the twisted feelings welling up within her.

 _I wanted this relationship_ , she reminded herself. And yet she remained frustrated with it.

With nothing more to do she paid the bill with her own chit and left a generous tip. The Promenade was just starting to thin out when she stepped out of the eatery. It was starting to get late.

What more was there to do? She wondered about just asking for a direct beaming back to the _Aurora_ and ending her day. _Or I could go into Quark_ 's…

She looked at Quark's big establishment and decided to check up on Cat. She went through the front door and looked to the Dabo table, but she wasn't there. "Cat?", she called out over the low din of the late evening crowd. "Are you in here?"

"Over here."

The reply wasn't from Cat. Quark was at the bar leaning against it. He'd been wiping down a glass. Angel frowned and went over to face him. "What is it?", she asked.

"You're the sister, right?", Quark asked. He leaned in. And to some surprise it clearly wasn't to get a better look at Angel in her revealing dinner wear. "She left with someone."

"Someone?" Angel gave him a look. "Someone who? One of the others?"

"Not one of your people. Not one of Starfleet's either," Quark replied. "It was one of those Asari women… although they're all technically women, aren't they?" Quark seemed to fidget behind the bar. "Listen, you didn't hear this from me… but I think that Asari is bad news."

Anyone else might have inquired, skeptically, into what Quark meant. Angel did not. The prospect that Cat might have stumbled into trouble was too worrying to listen to any doubts about Quark's honesty. "What do you mean bad news?", she asked.

"Their species might be new to our galaxy or universe or whatever you want to call it, but I know the bad ones when I see them. You can't work in all the places I've been and miss them."

Angel stared at him a moment. Fury started to build within her. "Why didn't you stop her, then?", she demanded, her voice picking up in volume to go with her anger. "You saw my sister going off with… you know, forget it." She turned away and stormed out of Quark's.

"You're welcome!", Quark called out after her.

As she approached the Promenade exit Angel's hand went to the multidevice on her wrist. "Delgado to _Aurora_. Jarod, are you still there?"

After a moment he replied. " _Jarod here._ "

"I need you to scan for Cat's multidevice," she said. "And then tell me where she's gone."

" _Is something wrong?_ "

"Maybe…" She started to jog down the crossover bridge. She was thankful her skirt wasn't the long one that might have made moving fast difficult. "And I have to make sure, one way or the other."

" _Alright, we're tracking her now. Starting to..._ " Jarod's voice cut off for a moment. " _Well, that's a problem._ "

Angel's heart quickened. "Jarod?! What's a problem?!" She couldn't keep the growing fear, the panic, out of her voice.

" _We've lost contact with Caterina's multidevice. We can't pick up the signal._ " There was more silence, save for the increasing thump of Angel's heart as she began to run. " _We're looking over her last location._ "

"Contact the station officers if you need to!", Angel demanded. "We have to find Cat!" 

* * *

The warbling tone of the Cardassian communications system pulled Odo's concentration away from the reports on Ensign Merrill's murder. He reached for the comm badge he wore over his shape-shifted suit. "Odo here."

Kira spoke from the other side. " _Constable, I'm relaying a hail from the_ Aurora _. One moment…_ "

When the next voice started speaking, Odo recognized it as the _Aurora_ 's Commander Jarod. " _We've lost track of one of our officers. She was somewhere on the Habitat Ring when the signal gave out._ "

Odo checked the internal security sensors. "Someone has disabled security in Section 25 of the Habitat Ring. We're completely blind there."

" _Odo, we're trying to fix the problem from up here_ ," Kira said.

"I'm checking records to see who has rented out rooms in that section," Odo explained. "But it appears to be empty."

" _I'm heading toward Section 25 now_ ," Angel said over the speaker.

"Going by the data Commander Jarod has sent, look on level four." Odo stood from his desk. "Corridor H-19. They have to be somewhere in that area. I'm on my way now."

" _I'm informing Commander Meridina. I'll transport her to the station as soon as possible_ ," Jarod added.

* * *

Caterina's mind was in a haze. Expectation, curiosity, fear, uncertainty, it all mingled together. She couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate, and her fear came from the realization she couldn't find the will to say no to the Asari.

The station quarters she was led into were sparse and barely furnished. The Asari smiled at her and motioned to a couch, where she sat. "Come here," she cooed gently.

Caterina didn't want to at this point. There was something wrong here. But she started to move to the couch anyway. Whatever she wanted, the requests of the Asari mattered more. She couldn't understand why.

Once she was seated beside the dark-clad Asari, Caterina's eyes locked with hers. "You're not the most attractive Human I've seen," she seemed to admit. "But attraction goes beyond the physical. You are intelligent. Passionate."

"I… I…"

"Tell me, Caterina." The Asari grinned. "Have you ever known… affection?"

"Aff-affection?", Caterina stammered.

"The touch of another," the Asari clarified. "The caress of a lover."

"Oh. Uh… n-no…" Caterina shook her head. "I ha-haven't."

A wicked little laugh was the reply from the Asari. "Well, my poor dear. Doesn't that make you special?" Her hand touched Cat's cheek. "Haven't you ever dreamed of it, Caterina? The pleasure? The raw, pounding feeling of sex?"

She was already blushing. "Dreamed… y-yes." She had dreamed, yes. But she'd never acted on anything like that. She had always focused on her scientific passions.

And the fear. The fear of rejection. Rejection of her partner, or of her family, if they didn't approve...

Cat gasped when the Asari responded with a kiss on her neck. She felt the Asari's breath on her, the feeling of her lips on her skin, and even with the haze her body felt electrified by the touch. Her breathing quickened.

"Don't be shy," the Asari urged her.

"Wh-what's y-your na-name?", Cat asked. "I for-forgot."

"Well… I suppose it is fair for you to know." The Asari kissed her on the lips for a moment. Cat thought her heart would explode. The lips moved along her cheek to beside her ear.

Her name was spoken in a whisper.

"Morinth."

* * *

Angel found Corridor H-19 and started to run along it. "I'm here. Do you have anything for me?"

" _Meridina just beamed over on the other end of the corridor in that section. She'll work her way to you. Start moving to the left._ "

Angel brought up her multidevice and kept going. "I'm getting life signs now. How?"

" _Whatever jamming field that's been set up seems to exclude any effect from within,_ " Jarod speculated. " _Maybe whomever it is wants to be able to beam out of the field._ "

"Well, I'm not too far, soon I'll…"

And then Angel could hear it. Faint, obscured by the metal and structure of the station, but a sound she felt hardwired to respond to.

It was Cat.

 _Screaming_.

Every fiber of her body seemed to vibrate with rage. Something, _someone_ , was _hurting her little sister_. Angel looked down at her display again. She was close. Almost there…

To her left Angel found a door. The scream was coming from inside. She hit the keypad to open it. " _Major Kira is about to override…_ "

Jarod's voice didn't register. All Angel could hear was her sister crying out.

She reached into the small of her back where her blouse and skirt met. Her pulse pistol was easily pulled from its hiding place - Constable Odo's regulations be damned, she wasn't about to stroll around a bunch of angry Klingons without a weapon - and brought to bear on the door. She turned it to its full setting and shot the door straight on. The Darglan-designed weapon did its job. The door half-vaporized, half-exploded in shards that flew into the room. Angel rushed in with the gun drawn.

Cat was in the arms of a dark-clad Asari. Her screams had become weak. It looked for a moment like electricity was crackling between them. Angel raised her gun at the Asari and reset the power level to something lower.

Others would have shouted a challenge. They would have demanded that Cat be released, demanded a surrender.

Angel was not other people.

The pulse pistol barked out.

An instant before it would have hit Morinth's head, blue energy surged between them. The shot dissipated before it hit anything.

Nevertheless Cat's cries stopped. The electrical effect faded. Morinth scowled at her and pushed Cat over on her back against the couch. "If you're that eager for me, you just had to wait your turn," she said.

" _Step away from her you bitch!_ ", Angel screamed. She kept the pulse pistol lifted.

"Why don't you put that gun down and we'll talk about it?"

For a moment the suggestion seemed to pierce Angel's anger. It sounded reasonable. No need to do anything else. Just lower the gun.

But it didn't quite make it. Angel was too full of anger to heed it. She fired again.

This pulse struck the field again and dissipated as the last, but with the field clearly weakening. Angel pulled the trigger again and…

Morinth scowled fiercely. Her arm shot forward. A bolt of blue energy zipped across the room and slammed into Angel. She was thrown back into the far wall. A cry of pain came from her throat as she started to stand. Rage was still twisting her features as she struggled to stand despite the pain.

"You've never fought a biotic before, have you?", Morinth said. "You've never had a warp field trying to tear your body's molecules apart. The pain is _exquisite_ , is it not?"

"Won't… let you…"

Morinth threw another warp bolt. Angel flipped over along her side and hit the wall again. She lost her grip on her gun.

"I can see the resemblance," Morinth said. "A sister. I've never taken sisters together before. This will be fun." She took the steps between her and Angel with deliberate, bemused speed. Angel writhed from the effects of the warp field on her body. "Come here, lovely. I'm…"

There was a rustling of feathers on the air. Angel noticed a bird fly through what was left of the door. Morinth began to turn toward it with surprise. _What's a bird doing…_ , Angel was thinking.

And then it wasn't a bird. It turned amber and expanded outward, like a liquid that had been under pressure, until it assumed the shape of a creature that looked like a cross between a gorilla and a lizard. When the creature struck Morinth it knocked her over with a ferocious punch and landed on top of her. Morinth cried out in pain and surprise at the impact that knocked her to the floor so violently. The creature rolled with the same impact and grabbed at one of her arms.

" _Get off of me!_ ", Morinth screamed. A wave of pure biotic power erupted from her body and threw the lizard-gorilla thing into the ceiling. Angel was thrown back into the wall from where she was trying to stand. The furnishings were all flipped or smashed by the wave. Cat was thrown over with the couch she was still laying on.

The effect was the most interesting on the attacking creature. As it hit the ceiling of the quarters its shape seemed to lose cohesion. The same dull brownish-amber fluid started to form along its limbs and torso.

Morinth rolled on the floor and threw a biotic bolt at the creature. It jumped toward the opposite wall, regaining cohesion as it did.

Angel got to her feet and charged. Morinth was too busy tracking her other target to see Angel coming. She cried out in shock when Angel's fist slammed into her jaw, knocking out a tooth in a spray of purple blood. She reached for Morinth's arm just as it came up toward her and grabbed it, twisting it behind Morinth's body in a submission hold.

Morinth gathered biotic energy to throw at Angel. But she never got a chance to use it. The lizard-gorilla thing jumped in and grabbed the other arm. Morinth screamed in frustration as Angel and her ally brought her to her knees.

Another figure appeared at the door. Meridina had her _lakesh_ drawn and ready. Seeing what was inside she held the sword back and raised a hand. " _Sleep_ ", she intoned, backing it with a powerful mental compulsion.

Morinth howled in rage instead. " _Let me go!_ " Her biotics flared up one more time. A pulse of biotic energy erupted from her body and threw back her attackers. Meridina focused with her own power and blocked the pulse from having any effect upon her.

The last pulse of biotic energy had exhausted Morinth's reserves for the moment. Meridina saw her short window of opportunity and seized it. " _Sleep_ ," she repeated.

This time, Morinth pitched forward. She groaned before falling into a slumber.

The lizard-gorilla got up first. Or rather, it turned into the same dull brown-amber fluid and reformed into a proper, and quite familiar, humanoid shape. Odo reached down and picked up his prisoner. He looked to Meridina. "Thank you, Commander, for your assistance."

Meridina nodded.

Angel had scrambled to her feet at this point. "Cat!", she shouted. She went to the toppled couch where Morinth had left Caterina and pulled it off of her. Her sister was laid out on the floor, completely unconscious. "Cat, are you okay?"

There was no answer.

Odo's hand went to his comm badge. "Odo to Bashir. Medical emergency in the Habitat Ring, Section 25 Level 4, Corridor H19."

Bashir's reply was immediate. " _We're on our way, Constable._ "

"She's barely breathing," Angel said. She picked Cat up and held her close. "Cat. Cat, please wake up. I'm here." As she spoke tears began to flow down her cheeks. All of the anger, the rage, had been replaced by terrible fear. A voice inside of her terrified at the thought that she had been too late. Too late to protect her little sister as she had promised to do so long ago.

With no reaction coming from her little sister, Angel began to sob. It was the only outlet she had for the feelings swelling inside of her. 

* * *

Robert and Julia had excused themselves from Senator Kiang's staff room the moment they were informed of what happened. Sisko met them in the infirmary where Cat was laid out on a bed, wearing one of the DS9 medical gowns. She was still completely unconscious.

Angel was sitting beside her, holding Cat's hand and running the other hand over her face. Her blouse was slightly torn on the right side. Tears were still flowing down her pale cheeks. Robert didn't need his new senses to know just how she was taking it - rage and hate and fear and horror were all mixed up inside of her. He stepped up and embraced her from the side wordlessly. There was nothing that could be said to diminish Angel's worry. "What happened?", he asked, the question directed to everyone.

"She was attacked by this Asari…", Angel began. "She did something to Cat. Got her to follow her to a room in the Habitat Ring. She was making her scream by the time I got there."

"Once I secured her condition I scanned Lieutenant Delgado to determine what happened," Bashir said. "Her nervous system has suffered extensive damage. I won't know the extent of it, and if she will recover, until we run some more tests. Doctor Gillam is already running some advanced tests with his medbay's equipment which should help us determine an appropriate treatment course."

That brought the rapt attention of Odo. "Doctor, are you saying this is what happened to Ensign Merrill?", he asked.

The reply was joined by a nod. "I am fairly certain, yes."

"So this Asari has already killed someone." Robert looked over at them.

"So it seems." Sisko nodded. "Constable, what do we know about the prisoner?"

"She arrived on the station yesterday," Odo answered. "According to her identification her name is Rila t'Gomi. But I suspect that identification has been forged. I've sent inquiries to Citadel Security to see if they have her on file. If not I will move on to the Asari security forces."

"There's more than one, I think," Robert said. He was still keeping a supportive arm around Angel.

Odo looked at him. "Hrm?"

"The Asari Republics are a loose confederation of e-democracies, Constable," Julia explained. "They have a lot of different police and security agencies between them. I'm not sure how networked or linked they are."

"Representative Irissa might be able to help," Robert suggested. "We could ask her in the morning before the next summit meeting."

"I'll make the arrangements myself," Sisko said. "In the meantime, I want a full watch on our prisoner. Tell me if she says anything."

"Of course, Captain." Odo nodded to him and then to Robert and Julia. He departed the infirmary.

"I'll see you in the morning, Captain Sisko," Robert said.

The reply was a wordless nod, after which Sisko also departed.

"As if this summit wasn't tense enough," Julia sighed. She looked over at the bed where Cat was laying. "Poor Cat. What was she doing with that Asari?"

"Knowing Cat, she followed her across the station asking questions," Robert said softly. "Julia, I'll be staying with Angel. Alright?"

Julia very nearly protested that. Robert was part of the delegation too. He needed rest to be at his best form. But the look on his face told her that he would need some time. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

One of Bashir's Bajoran nurses had already acquired another chair for him. Robert sat into it, beside Angel. He put his hand on top of Angel's, which was still holding Cat's hand. "Between Bashir and Leo, she's in good hands, Angel," Robert assured Angel. "And I'll be here with you the entire time."

Angel nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

Odo returned to the security office and pulled out the pail he used for resting into his natural state. There could be no chances taken with the prisoner in the cells, not when she was capable of such displays of power.

A quick check of the comm logs showed that C-Sec had registered his request for information. He had never had an opportunity to work with the agency so he had little idea how long it would take.

Before taking to his pail, Odo stepped back into the cells. The largest cell with the strongest forcefield held the Asari prisoner. She was still unconscious for the moment. Standing a distance away from the cells was Commander Meridina in her duty uniform. Odo noted that her memory-metal blade was in its place on one hip with an Alliance pulse pistol on the other. "Has she woken up?", he asked.

"No," Meridina replied. "I am not keeping her in a sleeping state. I would suggest, from my knowledge of biotics, that her body exhausted much of its immediate energy reserves in her battle with you and Lieutenant Delgado. I expect she will be hungry when she wakes up." She turned her head to face Odo. "If it is permissible to you, Constable, I would like to post guards. Dorei personnel. Asari have some telepathic capability and the Dorei are resistant to mental influence."

"Your offer is accepted, Commander," Odo replied.

She nodded. "Will Angela face any recriminations for the damage she caused?"

Odo allowed himself a thin smile. "I don't think there will be an issue."

"Thank you. She cares so deeply for her sister." Meridina's expression remained calm. But Odo could see there was a great deal of concern behind the calm, hidden in the specific tremors of her voice and the look in her eyes. "What of Caterina?"

"Lieutenant Delgado's condition is stable." Odo looked back to the Asari. "She had more luck than Ensign Merrill." A moment passed. "You have had more contact with the Asari than I, Commander. Have you ever heard of any possessing the ability to fry out a being's nervous system?"

"I have not," Meridina replied. "Although I admit I am hardly an expert." A thought came to her. " _Mastrash_ Satrin has been visiting Thessia to learn more about Asari culture. I will sent an inquiry to her and share the reply with you."

"Your assistance is appreciated, Commander." Odo felt fatigue ripple through his being. Holding his humanoid shape was becoming a real burden and the urge to return to his basic state was strong. "I'll be in the security office resting if you need me."

Meridina nodded. "Of course, Constable. May you rest well."

* * *

Stimulants and coffee were keeping Robert awake when he and Captain Sisko entered the quarters assigned to Representative Irissa. An Asari with a purple complexion met them at the door. "The Representative will be with you shortly, sirs," she said politely. "May I get you any refreshments?"

"No thank you," Robert answered.

"That won't be necessary," Sisko added.

"This way, please."

The main living area of the quarters had been converted into a meeting room for the Asari diplomatic staff. Several of them were here and there, going over digital readouts on their omnitools or writing on the main computers with hard-light keyboards. Sisko took a seat beside the head of the table. "Long night?"

"I was with Angel all night," Robert answered. "Watching over her sister."

Sisko nodded in understanding. "Doctor Bashir will do everything he can to help your officer."

"I know." Robert shook his head. "I just don't like the coincidence. This Asari serial killer shows up just as this summit starts?

"I can see what you mean," Sisko said. "And there is the matter of dealing with the prisoner. The Bajorans don't have the facilities to deal with a being like that."

"The Gersallians do." Robert rubbed at his eyes. His thoughts were sharp now, but once the caffeine and the stimulants started to metabolize fully his thoughts would slow to a crawl. It was something he knew from experience. "The issue becomes, will Bajor and Starfleet agree to an extradit…"

The door to the bedroom opened and Representative Irissa stepped out. She had the cultivated grace of an Asari official about her that hid the cold, unfeeling persona Robert had already experienced in the prior day's talks. She had been utterly ruthless in the prior day's debates, cutting into his and Sonek Pran's arguments while being quick to smack down the Klingons if she wanted to. Robert waited for Sisko, as commander of the station, to begin the conversation. "Representative." He stood and offered his hand. Irissa appraised the offered hand for a moment before giving it a quick and imperceptible handshake. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

"I warn you, Captain, that I will not discuss any of the matters before the summit in this environment," Irissa announced. She looked to Robert. "With either of you."

"That's not why we asked for this meeting." Sisko returned to his seat. Robert exchanged the same quick, professional handshake with Irissa as she sat down at the head of the table. "Have you heard of an Asari calling herself Rila t'Gomi?"

Irissa shook her head. "I have not."

"She arrived on the station a few days ago," Sisko revealed. "We believe her responsible for the murder of a Starfleet officer and the attempted murder of one of Captain Dale's officers."

Irissa's lips thinned. Robert's developing senses detected a hint of displeasure that didn't seem surprising. "Whomever she is, Captain, I will look into the matter." Irissa folded her hands together. "Tell me… what was her method of killing? It will assist in determining potential suspects from our files."

Robert's senses were starting to give off warning signals. Irissa's question sounded innocent enough, yes, but he started to feel that there was more to it.

"According to Doctor Bashir, the victims' nervous systems had been burnt out with some sort of weapon," Sisko answered. "We have a witness to the second attack who can give further testimony."

Irissa seemed to contemplate Sisko's reply. "I see." She went into deep thought. After several moments she activated her omnitool. "Gentlemen, may I suggest that it might be best if you turn custody of your prisoner over to my people?"

Sisko put his hands on the table. "I don't have the authority to agree to such a transfer, Representative. While this station is under Starfleet regulations, the system is Bajoran territory."

"And since it was our officer she nearly killed last night, the Alliance also has a right to trying her," Robert pointed out.

Irissa surveyed them each coldly. "Gentlemen, I assure you that we will deal swiftly and justly with the killer. But under no circumstances can we accept leaving this Asari in your custody. It would be… irresponsible."

"Irresponsible?", Sisko asked.

"She is a biotic, obviously. Your people have no experience in the incarceration of biotics," Irissa pointed out. "I would abhor the thought of this killer getting free to inflict harm on the people of an innocent world, and wherever else she might go upon her escape. And trust me, Captains, she would escape."

"You seem awfully sure for someone you've never heard of," Sisko remarked. "Representative, for the good relations of our people, I hope you're not hiding anything from us."

"I am fulfilling my purpose…"

Irissa continued to state her argument. Robert was more focused on the thoughts coming from her. He was nowhere near the level he needed to sense things like Meridina.

That didn't mean he couldn't do anything, though. He could sense the aggravation and concern radiating from her.

Though those feelings, a specific word was prominent in her thoughts.

Robert brought his hand up. "Pardon me, Representative?""

Irissa looked away from the scowling Sisko to him. "Captain?"

With great care Robert put his hands together on the table and spoke. "This Rila t'Gomi… would she happen to be an Ardat-Yakshi?"

For a moment Irissa's eyes widened with shock. Stifled anger and disbelief radiated from her in a way that Robert could feel even now. When she resumed speaking, it was nearly through clenched teeth. "The Ardat-Yakshi are a myth, Captain. I don't know where you heard about them, but I will _not_ tolerate you spewing those lies about my people!"

Robert nearly leaned back in his chair. Irissa's anger was almost inconceivable in the face of the question. "It was a simple inquiry, Rep…"

Irissa turned her glare to Sisko. "Captain Sisko, I will arrange for an Asari team to remove your prisoner to face judgement on Thessia. Rest assured she _will_ pay for her crime."

Sisko met the glare calmly. "And as I have already stated, this station is Bajoran territory, and the last time I checked, the Asari Republics do not have any standing agreements with Bajor for extradition of Asari criminals." Sisko shook his head. "Until such a time as the Bajorans say otherwise, Miss t'Gomi will stay in _our_ holding cells."

Irissa clearly did not like that. But it was a cold smile that crossed her face. "Of course," she said. "You are doing your duty. Rest assured, Captain Sisko, you will have just such an extradition order from the Bajorans on your desk quite soon." She turned back to Robert. "As for you, Captain Dale, I advise you show more care in talking about such things. As things are now, the Asari people are deeply sympathetic toward your Alliance and supportive of your war effort against the Nazi German Empire. To learn that the Alliance's representatives were speaking of such things might change that." She stood. "If you will excuse me, Captains, I must get ready for the day's sessions."

"Of course, Madame Representative. Thank you for your time." Sisko's response was the formal gratitude expected, regardless of the exchange. He seemed as agitated as Robert felt.

The two departed the quarters together and walked toward the nearest lift. "It's obvious they're hiding something," Sisko stated upon entering a lift. "What have you heard about these 'Ardat-Yakshi'?"

"Nothing." Robert shook his head. "It was just a term I've heard of, related to the Asari and killings."

"Do you have any way of finding out more?"

"Perhaps. Not too likely, I'd guess." Robert thought on it. "One of Meridina's old teachers is on Thessia as part of a cultural study tour, though. She might have heard something. I'll make inquiries and share what I find out."

"Good. In the meantime, you'd better get ready for the summit meeting."

Robert nodded in reply. He was not particularly looking forward to the summit meeting. Having Irissa mad at him would make it even less enjoyable.


	8. Episode 2-02-3 Hunter and Prey

In the infirmary, Leo and Bashir were looking over Caterina while Angel remained quiet beside her. "Her condition continues to be stable," Bashir noted. "Although that is not saying much. The nerve damage has severely impacted her physiology."

Leo nodded in agreement. "It could take her a while to wake up, Angel. And, to be honest, she may not be in the best shape when she does wake up."

Angel looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"There could be permanent damage," Leo answered. "It might impact her motor skills or her ability to walk. It may even have an effect upon her mind."

"We can't rule anything out at this juncture." Bashir looked back to his PADD. "Of course, she could also be capable of making a full recovery. That can't be ruled out either."

Angel frowned. She looked up toward them. "Isn't there anything you can do for her though? With all of that fancy medical technology?"

"Nerve cell regeneration is a slow process and can have its own complications," Bashir replied. "It's best to wait and see if it is truly necessary."

"Right."

Leo walked around the bed and put a hand on Angel's shoulder. "It'll be alright, Angel. We'll take good care of her."

A number of Leo's medical staff entered the infirmary at that moment. They were bringing along an anti-grav stretcher. "We're ready, sir," one of the attending nurses said.

Leo nodded to Bashir and gestured at his people to approach. Bashir stepped out of the way and observed as the medical team carefully moved Caterina onto the stretcher.

"What are you doing?", Angel asked Leo.

"We're transferring her to the _Aurora_ medbay. The _St. Johns_ will be ferrying her back to prevent any complications with the transporter." Leo offered Angel a hand to help her stand. She did so without accepting it. "Do you want to ride with her?"

"Yes." Angel nodded. "Of course." She turned her head to Bashir. "Thank you, Doctor Bashir, for helping her."

"It was no trouble," Bashir assured her. "Doctor Gillam, please keep me informed?"

"Of course. I'll consult with you as necessary, Doctor Bashir."

With Caterina secured to the stretcher, the _Aurora_ personnel departed the infirmary.

* * *

After a good deal of fussing and shouting and general lack of progress, the day's first summit meeting ended with a recess until the evening. Robert excused himself and beamed back to the _Aurora_ with Julia. She was on her way to lunch and a bridge watch shift. Robert, in turn, went back to his quarters, replicated a fruit snack bar that he wolfed down in a couple of minutes, and promptly went to bed.

The good thing was that he was too tired to dream. He fell asleep almost immediately.

His sound sleep was interrupted by a persistent chirping tone from his multidevice. Robert let out a moan of annoyance that became a yawn. His arm flailed out and his hand fumbled over the device until his finger found the comm key on it. "Dale here," he mumbled.

" _Captain._ " It was Meridina. " _You wanted to be informed when_ Mastrash _Satrin returned my message?_ "

"Yeah."

" _I have received a reply. It is… interesting, but quite disturbing as well. I can show it to you in my office._ "

Robert yawned and checked the time. He had about ninety minutes before the summit was due to resume. "I'll be down in about half an hour, Meridina."

* * *

There was nobody else in the security office when Robert arrived. Meridina gestured to her chair and hit a key to activate the office's own security functions, ensuring nobody could just walk in on them or use the standard systems to eavesdrop.

"Normally I don't peg you for the paranoid type," Robert remarked while sitting.

"Normally I do not have information this sensitive," she replied. " _Mastrash_ Satrin has sent back an interesting report."

"About the Ardat-Yakshi?"

Meridina gave him a curious look. "I have not shared this term with anyone. Where did you learn of it?"

"Irissa was mentally broadcasting for anyone to hear."

"Understandable. From what Satrin's research gathers, the issue of the Ardat-Yakshi is of great sensitivity to the Asari."

That wasn't surprising to Robert. Irissa had all but confirmed that with her threats. "I could tell. So what are they?"

"It appears to be a mutation in the Asari genetic structure." Robert was amused to see her cheeks turning a little pink. "It is related to Asari reproduction."

"As in sex."

"Quite." Meridina folded her hands on the table. "Generally speaking, the Asari reproduce through parthenogenesis. Their nervous systems interact with those of their mates and randomizes DNA cell information in new Asari embryos."

"I remember this," Robert said. "It's why the Asari can have children with non-Asari. They actually have a stigma now against Asari born of two Asari. 'Purebloods', I think?"

"Yes." Meridina nodded. "And this may be the reason for that stigma. It appears that Ardat-Yakshi are only ever the result of a union between two Asari."

"Just what are they then? Disposed to murder biotically?"

"No. Satrin has found manuscripts during her studies, old works from before the time the Asari became space-faring and made contact with other species. The Ardat-Yakshi were more plentiful in these earlier eras. They are sterile Asari and cannot reproduce. Instead, during their act of procreation, their nervous system does not simply bond with that of their partner, but rather it overwhelms it and burns it out."

"Like what happened to Cat and Ensign Merrill," Robert said. _Oh no, if Angel finds this out…_ To find out her sister was not just nearly killed but had essentially been raped in the process would drive Angel _ballistic_.

Meridina clearly picked up that concern. "Yes." Her expression now showed an element of distaste. "It also appears that the Ardat-Yakshi become addicted to this process. They grow to enjoy the killing."

"What do the Asari do with them these days? Did Satrin find out?"

"No. It is not something they share with outsiders. The very idea of the Ardat-Yakshi seems to be hidden from non-Asari."

"Which explains the reaction Irissa had when I used the term." Robert felt a surge of anger at Irissa. He focused and suppressed it. Of course the Asari wouldn't be open about the Ardat-Yakshi. It was a deep shame to them. The Ardat-Yakshi were contrary to the very basis of their civilization.

"Yes." Meridina tapped something on her system. " _Mastrash_ Satrin has other duties that require her to avoid difficulties with the Asari. This will regretfully restrain her in attempts to learn more. Nevertheless she will do what she can to give me more information."

"I think we've learned just about enough." Robert stood. "I need to let Sisko and Kira know about this. They may want to take up Irissa's offer."

"It is advisable. The Ardat-Yakshi are reputed to have refined their telepathic abilities to permit domination of others' minds. There are few species that could safely contain them." Meridina got up from her chair and circled her desk. She would join him in heading over to the station. 

* * *

When Robert arrived on the Ops level, Sisko and Kira were looking up at the oval-shaped Cardassian viewscreen. A Bajoran woman of middle-age, with sandy brown hair and drawn eyes, was seated at a desk. " _...complete agreement with the delegation, Major, Captain. And our arrangement is final._ "

"They are hiding something, Minister," Kira protested. "And all this means is that the Asari and all of these other species will think they can bribe us into giving up on our rights."

" _This isn't bribery, Major_ ," the Bajoran woman spat. " _This is practical diplomacy. The Asari are a very wealthy people. We are not. The offer of aid that I have been given more than compensates for any issues you have brought up. The order is final. Prepare the Asari prisoner for transfer to an incoming Asari transport ship._ "

The minister hit a key on her desk and her image was replaced by the Bajoran national insignia.

Sisko and Kira turned toward Robert with irritated looks on both. "I take it you heard?"

Robert nodded. "Yes. And given what Meridina's contact on Thessia found out, this might be for the best, Captain."

Sisko gestured toward his office.

* * *

Several minutes later, the commander of _Deep Space Nine_ was rolling his baseball around in his hand. Beside him, Major Kira had a pensive look on her face. "So that's what this is? The Asari have these lunatics running around murdering people like that?"

"Not many, from what we've gathered," Robert replied. "We don't know what they do with anyone who has the potential. But given the lack of murder sprees in their home universe, they clearly have the problem mostly under control."

"Except for this 't'Gomi' person," Sisko pointed out. "And now I have to turn over the murderer of one of my officers without any idea at all on whether she'll be punished."

"They're more concerned with keeping the Ardat-Yakshi a secret," Robert pointed out. "A criminal trial in a Federation or Bajoran court would have it come out. I suppose a defense attorney could even use the condition to argue for clemency of some sort. A variation of the insanity defense."

"It certainly explains why the Asari are ready to pour so much money into the Bajoran economy," Kira noted. "They're buying our cooperation."

"And our silence." Sisko thumped his hand on the table. "And the damndest thing is… I'm going to go along with it. Bajor could use the aid and we could use the good relations with the Asari."

"You'll get no argument from me on that, Captain," Robert said. "As much as I'd like to see her pay for hurting Cat…" He pushed that thought aside. "Did they say when the ship would be coming?"

"No. But I got the impression this was a high priority for them. So I expect to see them soon."

"Right." Robert nodded. "Well, I suppose that's it for this matter. If anything happens, I'd like to be informed. But for now, I have to get back to the summit and put up with more of K'mbok's bellowing."

* * *

"Ingratitude! That is what we are assailed by! Colossal ingratitude!"

K'mbok's fist slammed on the table repeatedly. He glared down at both Sonek Pran and then, with a turn of his head, to the Alliance table and Senator Kiang. "The Klingon Empire has stood with the Federation against the Romulans. We have sent warriors to die in battle against the Nazi Empire. And now we are betrayed. Betrayed by allies without the stomach to realize the threat posed by the Cardassians!"

"You haven't proven they were a threat requiring an invasion to eliminate, Councillor," Pran pointed out delicately. "Had you proven the Dominion infiltration, the Federation would have stood with you."

K'mbok glared hatred in reply. "And such is the loyalty of the Federation to dismiss the honest words of their allies. We shouldn't _need_ to prove ourselves to you! The alliance would still stand if you had honored your word and supported us.

"That treaty was not made to require the Federation to agg…"

"This argument misses the salient point of the issue," Kiang insisted. "The Klingon Empire invaded Cardassia on the charge that the Cardassian government had been taken over by the Dominion Founders. Those same government officials were tested and found to not be Changelings." Kiang put her hands together on the table. "Therefore the Klingon Empire has no reason to continue to hold Cardassian territory. By refusing to withdraw, you prove that your real motive was territorial aggression, not the safety of the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion."

At that General Martok erupted from his chair and smashed his fist to the table. "Klingon warriors died to seize those worlds!", he shouted. "We will not dishonor their sacrifices by handing them back over! That is not our way!"

"No." Kiang looked at him coldly. "Your way is to abandon the allies you swore to fight beside in order to take gains for yourself. How many of _our_ soldiers and crewmen have died fighting the Nazis in battles caused by the withdrawal of your forces from the front?"

"The safety of the Alpha Quadrant is more important," Martok retorted.

"More important than your word of…"

"Please, gentlebeings." Sonek Pran stood and leaned on the table. "We are rehashing old conflicts. If we are to salvage anything of our relations, we must look to reconciliation, not recrimination."

K'mbok thrust a finger at the Federation diplomat. "If you want 'reconciliation', then you must accept the needs of the Empire. The Klingon Empire regards the Cardassian government as a threat to the stability of the Alpha Quadrant. They are too weak to resist the Dominion. Let us assume control over them."

"That would destabilize the balance of power," Robert pointed out. "The Romulans won't accept that."

"Too bad for them," K'mbok chuckled. "If they wish to fight us, then our powers together can crush them. Your interuniversal drives will guarantee us a swift victory."

"There has to be another solution." Now Julia joined the conversation. "If the Cardassians are really that unstable now, maybe all of our governments should work together to re-stabilize them. Put together a new Cardassian government with enough legitimacy and power to defend against Changeling infiltration."

Sonek Pran shook his head. "All you would do is incite the Cardassians into revolution against us. And you're already in one war. You don't have the resources to hold against them, and the Federation will not approve."

"Even if the alternative is Klingon conquest…?"

"Yes." Sonek Pran nodded. "The Federation does not play these kinds of power politics."

"Which is why you are weak, and you will not survive," Martok growled. "Spineless as always."

There was silence in the room. Representative Irissa stood. "It's clear to me that this summit is becoming a waste of time," she said. "We will adjourn for the day. If no progress is made by tomorrow, I will submit to our governments that the summit is over."

"I am done talking anyway," K'mbok stated. He glared at both the Alliance and Federation tables. "That is all you are good for. Talk." After barking orders to his guard in Klingon, K'mbok stood and went for the door. Martok followed behind.

Sonek Pran and his team exchanged dour, sad looks as they filed out. Kiang left with her staff in no rush. Soon the only two people in the room were Robert and Julia. "This is going badly," Robert lamented.

"I'm not sure it could go anywhere but bad," she answered. "There's no reconciling these differences, I'm afraid."

"The Klingons are going to pull out of the Nazi War." Robert stood up and looked toward the display of the front. "We'll have to pull back. Worlds that we've liberated will fall to the Nazis again, and they'll do God-knows-what to the people who welcomed us." He swallowed. "Maybe we should accede. Let the Klingons have what they want, if they'll support us."

Julia gave him a glare. "You don't mean that."

"No. No I don't. They'd just demand more." He sighed and slumped into a chair. "It's all gone wrong, Julia. We were doing so well, and now it's being ruined."

"Maybe we shouldn't have trusted on the other races getting as involved as we needed," Julia remarked. "The Citadel Council, the InterStellar Alliance, the Federation and Klingons… they all have their own problems to face. And then we eliminated the risk that the Reich would get their hands on that Darglan Facility, so we removed the main reason they were backing the war in the first place."

"So we're victims of our own success." Robert chuckled bitterly. "Isn't that how it usually goes?"

"Yeah." Julia gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Want to grab something to eat? I hear the Bajoran restaurant is really good."

Robert shook his head. "No. I need to go to the medbay and check up on Angel and Cat."

Julia nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll see you later then. Please let them know I'll be by later?"

"Of course." 

* * *

Odo was busy with a petty criminal complaint when Meridina entered his security office. He waved her back to the cells before returning to his work.

In the cell area, Meridina's personnel were at their positions. Lieutenant Damys Sharal was a teal-skinned Lenari, one of the northern nations of Doreia, with light purple spots and deep blue hair. Her partner on the watch was Lieutenant Mayao, a purple-skinned blue-spotted Dorei who was fidgeting for the moment with his wedding bracelet.

In the cell "Rila t'Gomi" was awake. She was looking out at the Dorei with clear interest, the interest a hunting cat might give to prospective prey. The same interest glistened in her eyes when she looked on to Meridina. "A Gersallian," she purred. "I've always found it odd that one species can look so much like another and yet be so different."

"Such is life," Meridina noted. "What is your real name?"

That won her a chuckle. "Why don't you read my mind and find out?"

"And let you have an opening to attack me mentally? No." Meridina shook her head. "You are not Rila t'Gomi. But while I do not know your name, I know what you are."

"Oh?"

"You are an Ardat-Yakshi."

A low, sensual laugh came from the Asari. "Well. How interesting. You've stumbled upon the dirty little secret of the Asari." She leaned forward. "Now you really have my interest, Gersallian."

Meridina did not show any interest in remarking on that. "We are in contact with Asari authorities on the issue. I am told the Bajoran government is handing you over to them."

"Of course they are. It's safer for them." The killer paced her cell "And here I was getting used to this place. It has its… charms."

"I am aware that your condition is genetic," Meridina continued. "Have your people never found a cure?"

"A cure?" She shook her head and laughed. "Why would I want a cure? This is what my people were meant to be. I am the genetic destiny of my species. The ultimate evolution of the Asari."

Meridina left the air silent for a moment. "An odd argument, given that your kind are sterile."

"Or so they want us to believe."

"What is your name?", Meridina asked. "Truly?"

"It is irrelevant," was the reply. The prisoner kept her eyes, of gray-blue cold, intent upon Meridina. "You and I are alike, I sense. You are powerful, capable. More than these Humans you obey. You waste your power with them."

"Power alone is nothing," Meridina answered. "I have purpose. You do not."

"I have all the purpose I need." The Asari's tone was full of confidence. Insistence. "To be free. To do as I please. To be what I am."

"To murder those who gave you no offense."

"Offense has nothing to do with it." The Asari stepped to the edge of the forcefield restraining her. "You have chased a quarry before. Tell me you did not find joy in it. The thrill of the chase. The way your blood burns with the need to prevail. The elation when you've brought your prey down and the look in their eyes when they know they are caught. When they see they have fallen to you and that mercy will not be coming, that there is no more hope for them." She closed her eyes and gasped in pleasure. "That feeling. That sweet sensation. I adore it so."

"And that is what you felt when you attacked Caterina."

"Sweet. So sweet," she purred.

Meridina stopped speaking. The sensations oozing from the Ardat-Yakshi were dark and putrid. A love of murder and cruelty, a desire to dominate with such focus that Meridina had never seen before, even compared to being exposed to the likes of the SS man Fassbinder or the pirates she had infiltrated as a Knight of Swenya.

"Oh, poor thing. I disgust you, don't I?" The Asari's laugh was one of bemusement. "Well, to make it up to you Commander, I'll give you my name after all. I am Morinth."

"Morinth. Why did you come to _Deep Space Nine_?"

"Because I've never been here before," she answered. "A new hunting ground always promises interest. Testing the people here, how effective they are in hunting me, hunting them myself… it's what I've lived for over the centuries of my life." Morinth returned to her cell's bench and lounged on it. "I'm starved. Might I have some food?" She cackled. "Normal food, of course. I'll save you for later."

Meridina narrowed her eyes. She looked to Mayao and nodded. He went to the replicator while Sharal drew her pistol. Meridina took her _lakesh_ in one hand without extending it.

A whir and flash of light appeared in the replicator. Mayao took the food tray over to the cell opening. A press of a button lowered the forcefield. In one movement he put the tray down and promptly re-activated the field.

Morinth hadn't moved. Now she did, picking up the tray. "I'm curious as to who will pick me up," she admitted. "Please tell me you'll be here for that, Commander Meridina?" She smiled thinly. "I do so love an audience."

Meridina didn't give Morinth the satisfaction of a response. She left the cell area and went out to Odo's office. Odo was no longer looking over paperwork. The image on his desk showed the cell area with other data. "Her name is likely a fake," he pointed out.

"It is," she replied. "But a name she prefers, not simply a false name."

"Still, I'll run her through the database. For all the good it will do us. The Asari will be here shortly to pick her up." Odo made his typical "harrumph" sound. "I, for one, can't wait to get her off my station."

"You will get your wish soon enough." Meridina frowned. Morinth had not seemed too concerned by the knowledge her people were coming for her. "What concerns me is that Morinth seems to have that wish too."

"I'll keep an eye on her, Commander," Odo promised. "She's not going anywhere."

* * *

The medbay on the _Aurora_ was quiet. For Leo, this meant time to do inventory checks and equipment testing, not to mention the paperwork that came with the job.

For the moment, though, he was watching over his friends. His eyes kept going to the readouts on Caterina's bed, showing her vital signs. A specialized scan he had set up monitored the neural activity of her body, allowing him to tell if her nervous system was recovering properly or not. So far, he had reason to hope at least.

Cat was still unconscious for the moment, and thankfully so as the pain she would be in if awake would be constant due to the neurological damage. Angel had remained at her side the entire day, holding her hand and occasionally speaking to her. Leo checked the clock. Robert had promised to be back as soon as the summit was over for the day and he had written his report to Admiral Maran. Until then, it was just the two sisters.

"If she doesn't get better…" Angel looked up at Leo. "Don't sugarcoat it, Leo. Tell me what will happen."

"It depends," he sighed. "If it's just general neurological damage… well, she could still have a mostly normal life, I suppose. We have medications that could deaden the nerves and control the pain."

"Pain?"

"Yes." He nodded. "She'd be in pain most of the time, Angel. From the damage to her central nervous system. If the damage is severe enough and can't heal, it might also impact her motor functions. She might have trouble walking, or talking. It might even have an effect on her mind."

Angel sniffled. "So my sister will either be in constant agony or she'll… she won't be able to do what she loves."

"That's a worst case scenario, Angel, you don't have to…"

Angel glared at him through the hot tears on her face. "Don't have to what, Leo?! Think of how my little sister's been hurt?! Think of all the times she's been hurt since we came out here, all the times I failed to be there for her?!"

Leo shook his head. "Angel, don't blame yourself."

"It's my fault," she insisted. "I went to dinner with Rob. I should have canceled. I should have stayed with her. I could have kept that Asari bitch away." Angel gripped Cat's hand even tighter. "But I'll make it up for her. I'll be there for you, Cat. Please, just wake up and I'll always be here…"

Leo walked away and left them alone.

* * *

Up in his bridge office, Robert finished typing the end of his report to Admiral Maran and, through Maran, to President Morgan. He had gone over the stalled summit and the attack on Caterina, as well as the findings about the Ardat-Yakshi and the Asari reaction. He looked at the time and cursed. It was already past 2200 ship time. He'd wanted to get this thing sent off an hour ago.

He made one final check of the wording and hit the transmit button. Just as the screen showed the transmission's encryption being started, the door chime went off. "Come in," he called out.

Julia walked in. Unusually for her, she was not carrying reports for him to sign off on. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't think I'd use that word," he answered. "Cat's still asleep, Leo's not sure if she'll recover, and our job here is frankly utterly impossible."

"Says the guy who found an ancient alien base under his family home," Julia remarked in a teasing tone.

"That wasn't the same kind of impossible," he countered. "This is simply impossible from a realism perspective. The Klingons won't budge, the Federation can't without looking weak and indecisive, and we're caught between our principles and our necessities. We need Klingon ships at the front. But the more I look at this situation, the more the Klingons look like the bad guys."

"The Cardassians aren't exactly nice people either," Julia reminded him.

For a moment he remembered the terror and pain that he, through Meridina, had briefly felt the prior year when she had let him experience the sensations she was picking up from two Maquis the Cardassians had taken prisoner. "No. But that doesn't mean they haven't been attacked simply because the Klingons want to expand."

"I won't argue that." Julia sat across from him. "Unfortunately there's not much we can do about it. We're here to support Senator Kiang's negotiation."

"All she seems to do is repeat the same thing and hope it'll wear the others down," Robert remarked bitterly. He shook his head. "And the damned thing is, having to be there means I can't be here, helping Angel."

"I don't think there's much you can do to help her." Julia shook her head. A sad, resigned smile came to her face. "Not unless you volunteer to stand in for that Asari so she can punch somebody."

"I'm her lover. I should be there for her."

"You both know that can't be true. Not with our responsibilities." Julia shook her head. "I think that's why they call it 'fraternization', and why they forbid it. As much as I like seeing you two be happy together, I'm worried that in the end it'll just cause you more pain if the job gets in the way."

"The job. And, heh, this." Robert, by way of example, lifted his hand. His digital pad lifted into the air. He held it in place for a moment before letting it fall, upon which it clattered upon the desk.

"That." Julia nodded. "That's got to be the one thing I never imagined possible. Superpowers. And us having them."

"It's not as fun as it sounds." Robert stood. "Anyway, I've got to get down to the medbay and see how Angel…"

Before he could finish there was a tone over the comm system. " _Bridge to Captain Dale._ " The voice was Lieutenant John Pacetti, the bridge watch officer for Gamma Shift. " _IU Jump Point is opening._ "

Robert responded by going to the door as quickly as he reasonably could. Julia was right behind him. They stepped out onto the bridge and looked to the viewscreen. The image was that of a small Asari craft, already clear of the now-closing green vortex. "That's their idea of a prisoner transport?", Julia asked.

"It's not our part to judge," Robert replied. He nodded to Pacetti and moved toward the lift. "I'm going down to the medbay for now. If anything happens, let me know." 

* * *

Sisko and Kira were at the airlock where the Asari ship was docking. The wheel rolled open and a single figure stepped out. The Asari woman had a lighter complexion than other Asari they'd met, with eyes so light blue that they verged on gray. Her suit was a red bodysuit zipped up to the cleavage, with similarly-red attachments on her forehead. Her appearance caused Sisko and Kira to exchange brief looks; she was a dead ringer for the prisoner.

The Asari looked at them and nodded politely. "I am Samara," she said in a gentle, reserved voice.

"Captain Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of Planets," Sisko replied. "And commander of _Deep Space Nine_."

"Major Kira Nerys, Bajoran Militia, and representative of the Bajoran Provisional Government," Kira added. "On behalf of my government I welcome you to _Deep Space Nine_. The Justice Ministry has issued the formal order to turn custody of the killer over to you."

"I am grateful for your hospitality. Perhaps I shall return at a later time, after the business today has concluded. I would very much like to see your station more fully." Samara looked away. "Sadly, we have business to attend to."

"This way, please," Sisko asked. 

* * *

Odo and Meridina were waiting when Samara and her escorts arrived at Station Security. "Constable, she's here to take custody of our prisoner."

Odo looked over Samara carefully. "I doubt that's a uniform," he said. "Just what are you? What agency do you belong to?"

"None," Samara answered. "I am a Justicar. I follow the Code, and answer to none but my own and my conscious."

Meridina was starting to get a feel for sensing Odo's feelings. His nature made them more alien, different, than any other form of life she'd seen before. But she thought she could feel distrust and disapproval at Samara's answer. "I don't condone vigilantism," Odo stated.

"I am not a mere vigilante. I uphold the Code, the embodiment of all Asari beliefs." Samara looked to Meridina. "You are a _swevyra'se_ of Gersal, are you not?" To Meridina's interest and even surprise, Samara had spoken the Gersallian term perfectly.

"Meridina of Gersal, sworn to the Code of Swenya," Meridina replied, bowing her head in recognition and respect.

"My sister Justicars and I have heard of your Order. Your Code is not unlike our own."

Meridina could feel some impatience coming from the others. "In other circumstances I would welcome a discussion of the Codes to which we are sworn. But other business sadly presses upon us."

Samara nodded.

Odo took the lead in heading to the prison area. The two Dorei guards from earlier in the day were back on duty and waiting with weapons. Morinth was seated in the cell, smirking.

As soon as she saw Samara, the smirk faded. Meridina could sense real fear coming from Morinth, for the first time. And also… sadness. Defiance.

Samara looked on the prisoner with resignation and sadness of her own. "Morinth."

Meridina was therefore not surprised when Morinth's next word was "Mother".

The others all showed interest in that.

Morinth frowned. "So they sent you. Was it cruelty? Or did you ask to be the one?" She laughed bitterly. "Oh, you asked didn't you? After all of these centuries you still can't let go."

"You are my child. I bear responsibility for what you have become."

"What will you tell my sisters, then? Will you tell them about this? About what you've done to me?" Morinth saw the puzzled reactions on the others' faces and laughed. "Oh! Oh, you didn't tell them."

"Tell us what?", Odo asked.

"You thought you were giving me away to be tried?" Morinth's laughter continued. "Oh no, shapeshifter. My mother's not here to be my escort or my jailer. She's here to be my executioner. She's here to _kill me_." Morinth threw her arms wide in defiance. "Well Mother, are you ready? Are you ready to kill your own daughter?!"

"Nobody will be killing anybody on _my_ station!", Odo announced. He glared at Samara. "I don't _care_ what any 'Code' says."

"I will not harm her aboard this station," Samara pledged.

"So what, you'll kill her on your ship?", Kira asked. "You're still in Bajoran territory. Bajoran law applies, and we don't allow summary executions!"

"My vessel has been designated a diplomatic ship by the Asari government," Samara explained. "It is officially Asari territory."

"Captain, I'm protesting this transfer," Odo said. "I was under the impression that Morinth was to be tried in a criminal court."

"So was the Bajoran government," Kira added. "If we had known…"

Samara accepted this continuing tirade without complaint. When she finally spoke to interrupt Kira, it was without anger or passion. "An Ardat-Yakshi is given two choices under Asari law."

"We either get imprisoned in a monastery, or we get executed," Morinth said. "I decided I would rather be free."

Samara responded with some force in her voice. "Free to kill untold innocents across our galaxy. And now another."

"I didn't _ask_ to be born this way, Mother!"

Meridina sensed the emotions coming off both. She was intrigued by how the earlier predatory nature of Morinth was no longer evident. Had she constructed that nature to deal with her condition? A sort of insulation for her conscious, secretly yearning to be free of it? Or was she still that predator underneath this anger and pain that Meridina was feeling from her? Perhaps it was both.

Meridina felt her own distaste for the idea of simply killing, but it was a duty she herself had to face the prospect of. She had warned Lucy and Robert both that if they fell to darkness she would end their lives. It was part of the Code of Swenya. A harsh necessity to deal with those who corrupted themselves with their dark feelings and thoughts. Could she judge Samara for preparing to do what she might one day have to do with another person like her?

"I believe some of us are fatigued," Meridina stated. "If you lower the forcefield, my guards and I will escort the prisoner and the Justicar to her ship."

Sisko nodded. "I understand."

"Captain!" Odo's voice was full of protest. "You can't just turn her over now. The extradition…"

"...the extradition agreement did not specify that Morinth was to be given a trial, merely that she would be punished for the crimes she committed under Asari law," Sisko answered. "While I don't like how that's going to happen, there's nothing in the agreement that would permit me to refuse to turn her over. Constable Odo…"

He never got the chance to finish that statement.

The lights in the room cut out completely.

"Sisko to Ops, we've lost power, what…"

Blue light illuminated the holding cells room. Morinth screamed, fury and ecstasy rumbling through her, and a bolt of biotic power made its way into the room. Meridina got her hand up and focused just in time, absorbing the wave with her life power. A second burst of blue light came from Samara, who absorbed the attack on her as well. Everyone else was knocked back onto the ground or against the wall by the force of the biotic wave. Odo dissolved into his natural liquid state out of shock from the blow.

Morinth was already in motion. She charged away from her mother and toward where Sisko and Kira were sprawled by the wall and the corner of the holding cell opposite of hers. She was out the door a moment later.

"Morinth!" Samara ran after her.

Meridina started to move to join her. She stopped as she sensed the life ebbing in Kira's body. She went to her side as Odo reformed beside her. His legs were still taking shape as his hand moved under her to hold her up. "She's unconscious."

For a moment Meridina focused. She could sense the injury at the back of Kira's head. "She has a severe head injury. She needs medical attention." She looked to where her guards were strewn on the floor - they had taken the brunt of the wave and were barely conscious at the moment.

"Odo to infirmary, medical emergency in…" Odo stopped. His comm badge hadn't let off the usual electronic chirp. He tapped it again. There was nothing. "Something's wrong. Communications are down."

Meridina reached to her wrist-held multidevice. "Meridina to _Aurora_ , this is a security alert. I have a medical emergency and require an immediate transport to the medbay, I am relaying coordinates now." She tapped a key on the hardlight keyboard that popped up over her device. "And can anyone give me the status of the station?"

After several moments white light filled the dark room and Kira disappeared. " _This is Lieutenant Pacetti. We are reading multiple systems failures on the station. It looks like something took out main power and other systems. What's happening over there?_ "

"The Asari prisoner, Morinth, has escaped," Meridina answered. "Alert Captain Dale and Commander Andreys immediately. I must pursue." The light from her multidevice allowed her to see Odo's face. He seemed… distracted. "Constable, do I have your leave to issue commands to your security forces?"

He didn't answer immediately. "Constable?", Meridina repeated.

"Constable!", Sisko barked.

Their voices seemed to jolt Odo back to attention. "Yes. Yes, my people will follow your commands."

"As mine will do with yours," Meridina pledged. "I am going to pursue the Asari."

"I'll join you as soon as I can," Odo said. "I need to get my people organized."

Sisko got back to his feet as they stood. "I'll be in Ops trying to find out what happened. Report to me the moment you find out anything."

"Of course, Captain," Odo promised.

Meridina nodded. "Yes."

Sisko replied to Meridina with a brief nod, barely visible in the darkness of the room. "Good hunting, Commander."

* * *

Morinth ran onto the crossover bridge heading to the habitat ring. She could hear her mother's footsteps pounding behind her. _So close. She's so close._

Terror pushed her forward, and a strange exhilaration filled Morinth. She was the prey. In this game with her mother, she was _always_ the prey. It was an interesting turn whenever it happened. Sometimes she even enjoyed it.

But maybe it was time to turn things the other way. If she could get to the cargo bay in time…


	9. Episode 2-02-4 Hunter and Prey

In the _Aurora_ medbay Caterina was still asleep on the biobed. A pair of chairs nearby allowed Robert and Angela to sit quietly beside her, Angel laying against him and in his arms. Angel was half-asleep and Robert was nearly so.

His multidevice went off. The tone brought them both to full wakefulness. Robert reached around Angel to press the comm key. "Dale here."

" _Pacetti here, sir. Commander Meridina called, there's something wrong on the station. Their systems have gone down and the prisoner is loose._ "

"What the…" Robert and Angel sat up. They heard a transporter effect further down the medbay and increased activity as Leo's Gamma Shift personnel went into action. "Do they have comms?"

" _They're not answering hails, so I don't think so._ "

 _Dammit. Dammit!_ They'd have to find out what was going on, but just as importantly, Robert had to secure Senator Kiang. "Get Commander Kane, I want a full Marine detail on the Senator immediately. Have Commander Scott notified of the situation to arrange engineering and operations teams to transport immediately to the station to help with repairs."

" _Yes sir._ "

Robert stood up. "She got loose?", Angel asked.

"That's what Meridina's said."

Angel's lips pursed. Robert put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Meridina's going after her. She won't get away." He stood up. "I need to get over there and see what help Sisko and his crew will need. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

The response was a nod from Angel. She watched him go and turned toward her sister.

She took Caterina's hand and clasped tightly. It took time for it to build, but it did; a fury that she had rarely felt before. After all this, the killer who had hurt Cat, nearly taken her sister's life, was _free_. Free to possibly come back and hurt Cat again.

 _No. No, she won't._ Angel pursed her lips. _I'll kill her first._

A part of her was ready to go over herself. To help hunt down the Asari and to put her down permanently. Her fury demanded it. But even it could not overcome her need to be here for the most important person in the world to her.

Whatever happened… she needed to be here for her sister. That was more important.

* * *

Samara remained close to Morinth as the chase continued on down the crossover bridges. The corridors had been dark before. Now, with only emergency lighting, they were more shadow than substance.

It had been decades since Samara was this close to Morinth. Her daughter's skills had only increased in this time, matched by the viciousness of her killing. Every one of those deaths weighed on Samara. They reminded her of the failures to catch her daughter before, of blood that had been shed because she hadn't done well enough.

It had to stop. It had to end.

They had made it to the docking ring of the Cardassian-built station. They weren't far from Samara's own ship, in fact. But Morinth clearly had another destination in mind. She was moving toward a group of cargo bays adjacent to one of the docks.

Morinth ran around a corner. Samara followed with a biotic shield up, allowing her to absorb the biotic charge that Morinth threw behind her as Samara came around the corner. She ducked into a door in the moment Samara took to recover her balance from the deflection of Morinth's attack. Through the door were stacks and stacks of shipping containers, cargo crates that were not unlike the ones from Samara's home galaxy.

"You could have chosen to join your sisters," Samara said.

"You could have chosen to leave me alone," Morinth retorted from the darkness. "You could have let me live my life."

"A live committed to hunting and murder," Samara charged. "How many victims have you claimed over the centuries, daughter?"

"I can't stop what I am!"

"Instead, you embraced it."

"And so now you're going to kill me. Your own daughter." Morinth laughed bitterly. Samara turned a corner around some crates. She could make out Morinth's silhouette in the deep shadows of the dark cargo bay. The gathering biotic energy started to cast a low blue light over them. "I'm not going to just let you kill me, Mother."

Samara nodded. "I know. You have always been the most daring."

"You're going to make me kill you." Morinth scowled. "Is that what you think I want?!"

"You have killed enough, my daughter. I…"

There was a sudden burst of energy. Every nerve, every cell, of Samara's body seized up. She gasped and fell over.

A low chuckle came from Morinth. Her footsteps echoed against Samara's head through the metal of the cargo bay floor. "This galaxy, this universe, has some very amazing technologies. Their energy weapons can be set to stun. They can even set explosives to stun." Morinth's arm whipped out and her biotics struck Samara with a warp field, breaking up her concentration before she could stand. "The hunter is now the hunted. I know what it feels like, Mother. You've made sure of that." Morinth scowled down at her. She placed her foot squarely on Samara's throat and began to apply weight.

Samara's head was still spinning. The sudden pressure cutting off her air was making that worse.

"The hunt is over, Mother." Morinth frowned down at her. "It's your turn to be the prey. And this is what always comes to my prey…"

* * *

Robert beamed into Ops and was met by now-Lieutenant Commander Dax and another familiar face. "Commander Worf." He nodded to the Klingon.

"Captain." Worf nodded back. "We are experiencing major system wide faults. Chief O'Brien is currently heading to Reactor Control to determine the cause."

"Lieutenant Barnes beamed straight there with an engineering team to help with whatever went wrong." Robert looked around at Ops. Emergency lights were keeping it lit up for the moment. "I'm sending Marines to secure the summit delegates. Your people can concentrate on getting the station running. Do you know where Captain Sis…-"

The door to Sisko's office opened slowly. Sisko finished forcing it open and slipped through. "Report, Mister Worf."

Worf busied himself in repeating what he had told Robert. "Sir, I think we must consider the likelihood that this was intentional sabotage to disrupt the summit."

"Possibly. But the timing is damn suspicious. We were just turning over Morinth to the Asari agent when the power failed in security."

"Could Morinth have arranged this?", Robert asked. "Some sort of computer virus or the like?"

Sisko looked to Dax, who shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's possible. The Asari have a lot of advanced technology and some sophisticated computer systems. But that doesn't mean she's an expert skilled enough to get around the computer security we've installed."

"How long until communications is restored?", Sisko asked.

"Give me an hour or two, I think I can get the system working again." Dax resumed working at her station again.

"Captain." Sisko looked to Robert. "The summit."

"Already taking care of that, Captain Sisko," Robert answered. "Commander Kane and his Marines are deploying."

"Good." Sisko went to his place at the central table. Robert stood to his right. "In the meantime, I'd like to borrow your ship's communications system. Dax and Commander Jarod should be able to tie our comm badges in with your systems."

"I'll make the call." Robert brought up his multi-device. As he did so, he felt a sense of unease. _Just what is going on here?_ , he thought. 

* * *

Morinth applied more pressure with her foot against Samara's neck. Samara's head was still spinning and her body felt paralyzed from the stun weapon that Morinth had employed against her. She tried to force her body to move just to find it could not. Her muscles wouldn't respond. Her body ached as pain continued to press down on her throat. Morinth would soon be applying enough power to break the vertebrae in Samara's neck.

The pressure stopped. Morinth was moving. Something had come to her attention.

That was when Meridina struck.

Her own power, born from her life force, smashed into Morinth as she changed her balance, anticipating an incoming attack. Regardless of her preparations she went flying back into the nearby crates and cried out from the impact.

Morinth called upon every reserve of strength she had to force herself back to her feet. She threw out a biotic bolt at Meridina that the Gersallian was forced to absorb with her power, delaying her and giving Morinth time to run for the far cargo bay exit.

Meridina did not pursue immediately. She stopped at Samara's side and sensed for injuries.

Samara looked intently at her. "Do not stop for me," she insisted. "You must prevent Morinth from escaping."

Seeing that Samara was not in any medical danger, Meridina nodded and left in pursuit of Morinth. She focused with her power, her _swevyra_ , and felt it channel into her body, letting her move swiftly into the corridors of the ship. Morinth was heading to one of the crossover bridges. She was backtracking.

Meridina found that interesting. What was she up to? 

* * *

Commander Kane walked down the darkened corridor finding it not so darkened with the aid of his helmet's display systems. Everything had a greenish hue to it from the light amplification that the display was using. He checked his location against the station schematics and found the door he was looking for. Beside him, Corporal Mendelssohn came to a stop, holding his weapon at a ready-rest position. Kane hit the door chime and started knocking an armored fist on the metal Cardassian door. "Senator Kiang?", he called out, aided by a boosted external speaker. "Senator Kiang, I need to check on you."

Several moments passed. He hit the door again. "Madame Senator, I…"

The door slid open on the other end, courtesy of the emergency release. Senator Kiang stood before him in a pleasant nightrobe. "What is happening?", she asked.

"There's been a station-wide power loss, ma'am. Captain Dale ordered me to arrange guards for all the summit delegates. I'm attending to you personally," he replied.

"Ah." Kiang nodded. "Well, Commander, please step in. I'm awake now, so I might as well brew some coffee and get to work."

"With the station's power down, ma'am, how do you plan on doing that?", Kane asked.

Kiang smiled at him with amusement. "I keep a portable battery for my coffeemaker, Commander. It's always best to be prepared for such things."

"'Always prepared' is our motto, ma'am." Kane nodded in approval. "We'll stay out of your way."

Kiang moved aside and let him and Mendelssohn in.

* * *

In Reactor Control, O'Brien finished looking through a part of the systems and sighed with irritation. "How does that happen?", he asked nobody in particular. "How do all five plasma flow constrictors fail at once?"

Nearby Barnes looked up from one such system. "From the look of things, they didn't fail so much as go into a locked state. Then the plasma backs up and.." He snapped his fingers. "...the safeties kick in and the reactors shut down."

"But there was no excess plasma flow to cause them to lock down," O'Brien insisted. "The reactors were running at the standard operating rate of twelve detonations per second."

"And what's your highest active rate? Eighty or so?"

"Eighty-three is the safe rating." The older engineer stood from the open panel he was working at and went over to where Barnes was examining the flow constrictors. "And I'm not showing any surge in plasma that would trigger a shutdown."

"And then we have the mystery of why the auxiliary reactors didn't kick in automatically." Barnes shook his head. He looked at O'Brien. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Chief?"

O'Brien frowned. "Sabotage."

"Computer-based, probably. Trick the plasma flow sensors, make the system think too much plasma's coming in and shut down the reactors. Then block the command to bring the auxiliary reactors to full." Barnes tapped a few keys and brought up the station's power grid at the moment of failure. "Or rather, why auxiliary power didn't work to power these critical systems."

"Communications and the security office." O'Brien tapped his comm badge. "O'Brien to Ops."

There was only a quarter-second of extra delay time as the comm badge, cut off from its usual lines of communication, routed through the _Aurora_ 's short-range transceivers. " _Sisko here. Go ahead Chief._ "

"Sir, it looks like there was a fault in the plasma flow lines. All of the constrictors locked up and the reactors shut down to prevent a plasma overload. Lieutenant Barnes and I have teams preparing the reactors for restart now."

" _Have you determined how this happened? And why auxiliary power didn't come online?_ "

O'Brien swallowed. "Well, sir, I hate to say it… but I think we're looking at sabotage. Most likely in the computer controls for the power system."

There was quiet on the other end for several minutes. " _Thank you, Chief. Do what you can to get Main Power back online immediately. Sisko out._ "

Once the call was cut O'Brien took in a breath. "I would not want to be in Ops right now."

"Yeah." Barnes shook his head. "If this happened on the _Aurora_ I wouldn't want to be on the Bridge… or in Main Engineering. Scotty would have someone's head for a computer security failure like that."

"Yeah." After a moment, O'Brien's expression turned curious. "So, what's it like? Serving with Commander Scott?"

"Hrm? Oh, it's cool," Barnes answered. "Really cool. Frankly I've learned more about being an engineer from him than any course or brainwave infusion has ever taught me."

"Yeah." O'Brien had a wistful look on his face. "The man's the best engineer that Starfleet's ever had. What I wouldn't give to have a chance to serve with him."

"Well, lad, that's nice an' kind of ye t' say," a new voice stated. "But I have t' warn ye, I'd not put up wi' yer layin' about when there's work t' be done."

O'Brien's expression froze. A little of the color went out of Barnes' face. They turned and faced the subject of their conversation standing in the doorway of Reactor Control. Montgomery Scott was in his favored engineering outfit, black vest over white long-sleeved jersey and Alliance regulation uniform trousers, and had his arms crossed. A hint of bemusement was on his face.

"Oh, uh, Scot… Commander. _Sir_." Barnes chuckled nervously. "We're just…"

"...talkin' instead o' workin', Tom, and dinnae think ye can get out o' that." He motioned to the controls. "Now, lads, Commander Andreys had t' go tae th' trouble o' wakin' me up, an' I promised th' lass we'd have this station runnin' again within th' hour. So how about ye get started on those plasma flow constrictors, I'll get th' reactors ready for a restart."

O'Brien and Barnes exchanged looks. "Uh, yes." The older engineer nodded. "Thank you, Commander. We'll get right on that."

* * *

Morinth laid a trap for Meridina at the Habitat Ring side of Crossover Bridge 1.

Meridina saw it coming as well. A stun bomb of some sort, likely the same thing she'd used on Samara. She focused and jumped over the tripping position, twirling horizontally in mid-air to fit through the pathway without setting the weapon off. With a sweep of her hand a wave of energy smashed the weapon and deactivated it.

She looked up and saw Morinth through the darkness, glowing with biotic power. Morinth cried in anger. Meridina could feel the forces of the universe warp and twist from Morinth's power and the dark matter it was generating. She sensed the the powerful biotic pulse Morinth was hurling toward her before the Asari even threw it. Meridina focused and reached out with her power as the blast came for her. The dark matter snapped like a beast as it flowed around her, as if angry at being denied its power. "Stop!", Meridina called out. "You have done enough damage. You have caused enough harm!"

The dark-clad Asari answered her with a bemused smirk. "You are truly a precious one, aren't you Gersallian? If I had known you were like that, I might have hunted you instead."

Meridina advanced with her _lakesh_ drawn. Its faint blue light, from the EM field circulating around it, was a small break in the shadows of the darkened station.

Morinth met her attack with a whip of pure biotic power that slammed against the _lakesh_. She brought her other arm around and a biotic pulse erupted from it, skimming a centimeter above Meridina's head as she dodged it with efficient grace. She swiped with her _lakesh_ and found her target. The blade slashed through the dark leather of Morinth's suit and left a string of purple blood against the blue flesh beneath. Morinth hissed in irritation and grabbed out with her biotics again. Meridina saw the blow coming easily and parried it.

But there was a grin on Morinth's face when she did so. Meridina barely had a moment to register her irritation at her misjudgement before Morinth's biotic power shifted, the whip of dark matter solidifying and pulling the _lakesh_ right out of her hand. Morinth's foot came up in a kick that she could only partially block, keeping it from doubling over but costing her some balance.

Which was what Morinth wanted. Her biotics flared yet again, this time in a wave of power that moved out from her in a wide arc. Meridina could not avoid it and was thrown back. She rolled with it and tumbled backward until she was firmly on her feet. She reached her hand out and her _lakesh_ flew from its place on the floor to her hand.

But by that point, Morinth was running again. Meridina took a step toward her… and then forced herself to jump back just as another stun bomb went off. It didn't catch her just as the last one did not, but it cost her precious seconds in which Morinth ran ahead successfully.

But Meridina was not done. Morinth was as bad as any _swevyra'se_ who had fallen to darkness. She had to be stopped. Killed, even, if it proved necessary.

The chase continued.

* * *

In the _Aurora_ medbay, Angel remained seated beside Caterina. She hated feeling like this. She felt like she was tearing herself apart, between the protective instinct and fury that demanded she join the hunt for Morinth to make sure the Asari serial killer didn't threaten her sister any more and the sororal impulse to remain with Cat so that her sister would see her when she woke up.

There was movement at the door. She looked up and saw Leo was standing there. "Shouldn't you be in bed?", she asked.

He smirked and nodded. "Julia's rousing us all. Just in case the problems on the station get out of hand. I'm preparing to go over and join Doctor Bashir if he calls for assistance."

"Who'll be here for Cat if she needs help?"

"Lumenaram is on duty. He's checking up on Major Kira now. She took a nasty blow to the head from whatever happened over there."

"Morinth," Angel growled. "The Asari who nearly killed Cat. She escaped."

Leo nodded and made an "Ah" sound. "So _that_ is why you look like you're ready to punch someone."

"I want to punch her," Angel said. "No, I want to _kill_ her, Leo. I want to keep her from ever hurting Cat again." Angel reached over and put a hand on Cat's forehead. "But as much as I want to help hunt her down, I don't want Cat to wake up alone. I… I want her to have someone here. To have me here."

"Still blaming yourself for her getting hurt?", Leo asked pointedly.

Angel shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just… want to be here." She looked over her sleeping sister. "For her." She frowned. "And right now that's more important to me than beating that Asari bitch's face in."

Leo nodded. "I can understand that. Frankly, it's good that you feel that way. I think Cat would prefer her big sister be here for her, not running off to maybe get killed just to get revenge."

Angel smiled thinly at that. "Just to ask… how is she doing?"

At that Leo went over to the display above the bed. The hues of blue and white and yellow and red meant nothing to Angel, but he seemed to be deciphering them as easily as if he were reading a book. "Unconscious nervous system activity is heading back to baseline normal. Looks like the neurotransmitters are functioning properly again." Leo nodded and let his smile grow. "Things are looking good. I…"

"Uhhhhm…"

On the bed, Caterina shifted position slightly. Angel jumped to her feet and held onto Cat's hand. "Is she…"

He double-checked the scan. "Neural activity is starting to pick up. Looks like she's coming to."

For a few moments there was no more movement. And then, slowly, Cat's eyes started to open. She looked dazed. She squinted at them as her eyes adjusted to the light in the medbay.

And then they widened. Cat reached for Angel and put her arms around her. "Angel!", she cried out. She started to sniffle. "Oh God, Angel, it was… she… it was hurting me…"

"I know." Angel put her arms around her sister and held her close. "I know she was. But I stopped her."

"What was she? I… I've never seen something like that," Cat cried. She was starting to sob. "It was like I didn't have any will anymore. She said to follow her and I did and I just couldn't control myself and then she started to… and it… it hurt so much… I…"

"She won't hurt you ever again, Cat, I promise."

Leo was running a medical scanner over her. "Cat, I'd like…"

"Is she gone?!", Cat asked. "Please tell me she's gone. I'm… I'm sc-scared."

"She's on the station. She can't get to you, not here. Not on our ship." Angel motioned to Leo to wait, which he did with some patience, while she gently stroked the back of Cat's head. "It's okay now, Cat. I promise. You are _safe_ and she'll never get near you again."

Cat continued to sob. "I'm so so-sorry. I t-tried to st-stop.. t-to st-step away… t-to g-get away… I tri-tried to s-say n-n-no but… but I cou-couldn't! S-She did so-something t-to me."

"Cat." Leo stepped around the bed to stand beside Angel. "I need to examine you now. You took a lot of damage to your body and I need to make sure you're healing."

For several more moments Cat just kept crying and holding on to Angel. When she pulled back Angel looked into her face, twisted into terror and pain with tears streaming from her eyes and her sobbing not stopping. She put her left hand on Caterina's right cheek and wiped the tears away. "D-did you g-get h-her?", Cat asked.

Angel swallowed. "Yeah. There was something… she's escaped and they're chasing…"

Even as she tried to continue speaking she could see that her sister's terror was increasing. Cat buried her face into Angel's shoulder. "Sh-she'll come af-after me!", Cat protested. "Sh-she'll c-come for me!"

"No, Cat. No she won't," Angel promised. "I swear to you she won't." With Cat continuing to sob Angel was coming to realize just how hurt her sister was. She looked at Leo with an expression of her own sadness and despair. Caterina… how would this change her? How would her little sister be changed by this? She was always so bright and cheery and so _curious_ , and how would she be now that she had suffered this… this _violation_?

Leo saw the look on her face and swallowed. "Give her time," he urged. "She'll feel better."

 _Will Cat ever sleep again? Will she be terrified of Morinth coming after her all the time?_ Angel could imagine this ruining her sister's life. The possibility of Morinth coming after her at any port of call, on any leave. Angel gently stroked Cat's head for a moment, running a finger along her ear as Cat's tears flowed onto her shoulder. Tears of fear and rage started to gather in her own eyes.

The fury she had been holding back surged again. Cat was okay. She was awake. Angel was free to go. To go and do what she needed to do.

It was time to go deal with that Asari. For good. So that Caterina could be Caterina. So she could sleep at night.

Angel stepped off the bed and held Cat's face in her hands. "You'll never see that Asari again, Cat. I'm going to go make sure of it, okay? I _promise_." She kissed her sister on the forehead.

Leo put a hand on her arm. "Angel, maybe you…"

"It needs to be done," she insisted. She looked at him and, seeing he was about to resist, turned that look into a glare. "You're not talking me out of this, Leo. I have to do it. For Cat."

Leo knew nothing he said would stop her. He sighed and nodded. "Be careful," he urged. "Cat can't afford to lose you."

"Don't worry," Angel said, walking around him. She moved toward the door. "She won't."

* * *

The running battle between Meridina and Morinth finally made its way to Cargo Bay 4. Morinth entered first and looked about the bay. She went over to one crate and opened it, finding a device inside right where it was supposed to be. She hit a key on it.

At that moment, the lights came on. A snarl covered her face. The power to the station had been restored before she was ready for it to be.

Even worse, Meridina was appearing at the door. "You cannot flee any further," she warned Morinth.

Morinth replied by unleashing another biotic blast. Meridina's hand seemed to catch it. The power crackled around her and held her in place, but it did not throw her back. The power that the Gersallian woman wielded made her just as dangerous to Morinth as her own mother.

There was one last thing Morinth could try. "Stop!", she shouted, and as she did she summoned every erg of mental power she could find within her.

Meridina remained in place. Her face shifted into a rictus of effort. _I am not so helpless against attempts to mentally dominate me, Morinth_ , she thought, and thought openly.

Morinth could hear that thought. Her snarl increased. "Then you die," she said simply, and threw another biotic bolt. As she threw it her hand reached back into the crate. Her biotic attack was caught by Meridina just as before.

That was why it was so important that when Morinth's hand came back out of the crate, it was holding a submachine gun. It was a mass effect weapon as well, an M-9 Tempest model, and when Morinth pulled the trigger it erupted in fire. Deadly strips of mass effect-propelled material ripped through the air at such a volume that Meridina couldn't stop every shot with her _lakesh_. She was forced to take cover. Morinth was gratified by a thin stream of red that appeared beside the door. One of her rounds had landed a hit on the Gersallian.

The battle was in her favor again, or rather, her escape. She began to back her way through the cargo bay toward one end.

Because she kept her eyes on Meridina's position, Morinth didn't see the reflective material on the nearby console change color. Nor did she see as it slid off the panel, revealing the real console beneath it.

And she definitely didn't see Odo until he had already extended tendrils of his being to grab her by the arms and legs and pull her back.

Morinth let out a cry of surprise when that happened. Odo ripped the Tempest from her grasp. He coalesced into his humanoid form and stood over her. "You're under arrest," he said.

Her reply was to hit him in the face with a biotic bolt. Odo lost his form for a moment, turning amber again.

Morinth began to stand. As she did, Meridina came out from behind cover and threw her arm forward. A wave of powerful energy, summoned by her life force, slammed into Morinth and sent her flying against the panel. She slumped down beside it. Her face betrayed her fear and rage. "Surrender," Meridina urged. "Surrender and…"

"...and what, be killed by my mother?" Morinth got back to her feet again. "I will not! I am an Ardat-Yakshi! I am what the Asari people are meant to be!"

"No."

Morinth hissed at her mother as she entered. Samara stepped up beside Meridina. Biotic energy flowed around her. "It is over, Morinth," she said calmly. "Please. I cannot save your life or give you back the one you had before your condition manifested. But I can give you peace. You can stop running."

"No!", Morinth shouted.

"So you'd rather be a murderer, Morinth?", Meridina asked. "Why?"

"I am a hunter! That is why I am and what I will always be, and I will not be caged!" Morinth glared back and forth at her three attackers. Her mother was a powerful enough opponent. The Gersallian and the Changeling made this an impossible battle if it kept going.

The only play she had left was to throw everything she had at them. One burst of her biotic power. Dark matter began to swirl around her. Her biotic aura flared.

Meridina sensed it coming and braced herself. Samara summoned her own biotics in her defense. Odo was already shifting his arm into an extension to grab Morinth and stop her.

With a roar of angry defiance Morinth let loose a wave of dark matter stronger than anything she had ever done before. Stronger than even Samara and Meridina had expected. Both were thrown to the ground. The dark matter went through Odo's attempted attack and cut through his form like a hot knife through butter. He dissolved into a puddle of brown-amber fluid.

Morinth dropped to her hands and knees. And she laughed. The laugh was full of weariness, and she felt completely exhausted. But she had still won. Given time she could possibly execute her mother and the Gersallian, but that was time she needed to escape. She started to turn toward the far exit of the cargo bay. If she could just get to the docking port she could…

A bolt of blue energy ripped into Morinth's shoulder. She cried out and fell to her knees. There was fury on her face when she looked to the exit she had intended to take and saw Angel Delgado standing there, a pulse pistol in her hands. "Get down," Angel commanded. Her voice brimmed with cold, silent rage.

Morinth sneered. "You're not going to shoot me," she said, and with every ounce of will she could. "And you're a fool for coming here. My mother and the others are immune to my will, but you are not. I'll control you like any other Human."

"Get down and put your hands on your head."

"No." Morinth took a step toward her. "Hand me your weapon and your device. Show me the way to…"

The pistol fired again. A bolt of blue energy slammed into Morinth's right knee. She screamed and dropped to her left knee. The wound wasn't bleeding but blackened, with not a hint of blue flesh showing under the new hole in her suit.

" _SHUT. UP_ ," Angel ordered, each word pronounced with furious intensity.

"Pick me up," Morinth demanded. Again, every ounce of will she could muster went into her voice, her mind, all to dominate this Human woman.

The order echoed in Angel's brain. Her body moved to obey. It had to obey. It was meant to.

But the compulsion stopped when it met Angel's will, driven by her rage and powered by one directive: protect Caterina. Protect her little sister from the monster that tried to kill her.

She fired the pistol again. The next shot tore through Morinth's thigh on the right leg. The Ardat-Yakshi toppled over.

Odo's form was starting to coalesce. Meridina moaned aloud and began to move. Samara was already starting to sit up.

Angel barely noticed. She kept the gun trained on Morinth. Her hazel eyes were locked onto Morinth's, and Morinth found it was her will that couldn't move. She was too tired, too exhausted from the long-running battle with the others.

Terror began to build inside Morinth. She realized she had seen Angel's eyes before, the intent look behind them. It was something she had seen before, so many times.

Every time it had been reflected in the eyes of her victims as their bodies burnt out from the inside.

"Angel." Meridina was to her knees. "She is beaten."

"That's not good enough," Angel said.

"It has to be," Meridina insisted. "This isn't your place."

"I can't let her go. I can't let her live. For Cat. She needs to be dead so Cat can rest."

For a moment Meridina was seized by the thought that Caterina had died from her wounds. It was only on second reflection, aided by the thoughts pouring from Angel, that she realized Cat was alive. "Your sister will feel better in time. You do not have to become a murderer to protect her."

"Cat won't be safe so long as this… this _thing_ is alive," Angel insisted. She was within a foot of Morinth now. Morinth didn't dare move. Her legs refused any commands to stand from the injuries to her knee and thigh.

Odo finished taking form. "Lieutenant, put down the weapon," he ordered.

"I can't let her get away!", Angel shouted. She leveled the gun at Morinth's forehead.

"She will not." Samara walked toward them. "I will perform my duty as intended."

"Lieutenant, if you pull that trigger, it will be murder," Odo warned.

"Think of what your sister really needs, Angela," Meridina said. Her lilting voice was soft and infused with the soothing tone she knew it needed. "Caterina doesn't need Morinth dead. She needs you. She needs her… 'big sister'."

Angel's fury disregarded that. _Put the Asari bitch down!_ , it demanded. _PULL THE TRIGGER_.

But Meridina's words had their effect. The urge to protect her sister split from the rage. Caterina needed her. And she needed Cat.

Morinth narrowed her eyes. "You can't do it, can you?", she cooed. "You can't pull the trigger. You can't kill me while I'm helpless." She chuckled. "I would not hesitate. I am a hunter. I kill my prey. But you clearly are not."

Angel glowered down at her.

And she lowered the pistol.

Morinth made a sultry laugh. "You're just like your sister. Prey." Her eyes blazed with amusement. "And when I get lose, I will enjoy finishing what I…"

There was a rush of air. Morinth's face exploded in pain, starting on the side of her nose where Angel's fist slammed into it at full speed. A loud crack filled the cargo bay.

"Uuunnnrgh!' Morinth brought a hand up to her broken nose. Purple gushed from her nostrils.

"I told you to shut up." Angel knelt next to her.

Morinth turned her face back toward Angel. Her fist clenched and a bit of dark matter gathered. Her powers were starting to return, and she would…

Angel punched her in the face again.

Morinth didn't get back up.

The other three watched in silence as Angel got back to her feet. She put her pistol back in her holster and nursed the bruised knuckles of her right hand with her left. She looked to the others. "There," she said. "She's all your's."

Meridina smiled thinly and nodded. "Well done, Angela."


	10. Episode 2-02-5 Hunter and Prey

_Ship's Log: 17 February 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording._ Deep Space Nine _is back to full working status and everything on the station is now secure. The summit will go on as planned and the Asari Justicar Samara will soon leave with her prisoner. We are still left with some unsettling questions; who sabotaged the station? And was Morinth's arrival and attempted killing spree a part of a wider plot?_

A number of officers from both the station and the _Aurora_ were gathered. Circling around the central table on Ops were Robert and Julia at the end, Jarod and Dax to their right, Barnes and O'Brien to their left, and Sisko and Kira at the other end. Odo and Meridina were standing away from the table and Worf was off to another side. "We've gone over every centimeter of the reactor control systems," O'Brien said. "Whatever happened, it wasn't physical sabotage."

"That leaves the computers," Sisko turned to Dax and Jarod. "Old Man?"

Dax nodded. "I found traces of a virus that was uploaded into our command systems. While I can't determine everything it did before it deleted itself, I can confirm it loaded commands into our reactor safety systems and into communications. It even penetrated into security."

"We may have to consider stronger computer security measures," Worf suggested.

"That's where Commander Jarod comes in." Dax looked to him. "He's already written new protocols to prevent another attack like this."

"That's fast, even for you Jarod," Julia remarked.

"That's because they're already written," Jarod replied. "I looked over the surviving code. And I've seen it before."

"You have?", Sisko asked.

Jarod nodded. He looked at Robert and Julia. "The code is consistent with the various spy software and computer sabotage that the _Aurora_ was loaded with by that Changeling that impersonated Draynal."

"So you're saying that the Dominion did this?", Julia asked.

"That's what it appears to be." Jarod turned back to Sisko. "I provided Commander Dax the program I wrote to neutralize this type of Dominion infiltration software."

Sisko frowned. "What I want to know is why the Dominion did this. Were they trying to free Morinth?"

"Maybe," Worf said. "Or perhaps they had another agenda. The Dominion would support the idea of disrupting the summit."

"If it wasn't for Morinth, then what were they up to during her escape attempt?" Odo looked away and glowered.

"I'll leave it to you and Commander Eddington to find that out," Sisko said. "In the meantime, I'd like to thank you all for the efforts made to get this situation under control. My thanks to your crew, Captain Dale, for the assistance you provided."

"We're happy to help, Captain Sisko," Robert answered.

A light appeared on the table. Characters appeared on the display. "The Justicar's craft is ready to leave."

"I still protest this extradition," Odo said. "The Asari are just going to kill her."

"Protest noted, Constable, but it's still out of my hands." Sisko hit a key on the table. "You're clear for departure, Asari shuttle."

The viewscreen shifted to show the Asari ship departing the dock and moving out in space. "Representative Irissa's ship is preparing to generate an IU jump point," the officer currently minding Dax's station stated. "They will open it in ten secon…" Something appeared on her screen. "Wait. I'm picking up something on the shuttle."

Dax went up and sat at the post. "It looks like a power surge. The shuttle's systems are shutting down… I'm detecting a containment failure in the vessel's engine core."

"Chief!", Sisko barked. O'Brien was already moving onto his station.

"I'm trying to lock on… locking…"

The Ops transporter activated. Swirls of orange light coalesced into the half-running figure of Samara.

On the viewscreen, the shuttle exploded in a burst of blue energy..

Samara was briefly stunned by the sudden transport. She stopped her forward movement just as she got to the edge of the transporter pad.

"What just happened?", Robert asked.

Dax was looking over her screens. "I'm not sure. Sensors showed a power surge in the ship's element-zero engine core. It looks like something overloaded the core."

Samara looked around. "Did you get Morinth?", she asked.

Nearly everyone looked at O'Brien. He moved his hand away from the panel. "I'm sorry." He shook his head. "Yours was the only signal I could lock onto."

Samara looked back to the screen and drew in a breath. Robert thought he could feel real grief coming from her. Finally she nodded and lowered her head. "Be with the Goddess, my daughter."

"Chief, I want an immediate investigation."

"The Asari ship is hailing," Kira said.

"Open the channel." Sisko turned back to the viewscreen. "Let's give them the best explanation we can."

* * *

Angel was at the bar in Quark's nursing a tequila while Morn rambled on about some trip he'd recently taken to the Citadel. Quark was at the bar in front of them, cleaning out a glass. "Trust me, Morn, I've been looking for Asari dabo girls since the contact with their home galaxy. But they haven't exactly been lining up."

Morn gave him a dejected look.

"Although given recent events, it's probably for the best." Quark looked over to Angela. "That tequila didn't come cheap you know. It's from… what universe was it again? H1E5? That cost real money to ship out here."

Angel replied by downing the rest of the shot in one gulp. As it burned its way into her gut she pushed her glass forward.

"So." Quark began to pour more. "How's your sister? I hear she survived."

"She's awake."

"Well, that's good to hear. Truth be told, even with her winning streaks at the Dabo table, she gets so many people playing along with her that I usually make good on my losses."

"I appreciate the concern." Angel took another small drink.

Quark moved on. Angel was alone for another minute before a shadow moved over her. "Prune juice, extra large," Worf barked, and a smirking Quark went to get it for him. Worf sat beside her. "I am pleased to hear your sister is well."

"Thank you," she said.

There was silence while Quark got Worf's order. The Klingon quaffed a few drinks. "You are upset that you spared the killer's life?", Worf asked.

"I think. Maybe." Angel picked up her glass and took another shot. "I heard she got blown up anyway."

"Yes. We are investigating now."

"Then it doesn't matter, I guess." Angel sighed. "I just… I don't get why Cat would go near someone like that. I mean, I heard she had these funky mental domination powers, but Cat isn't stupid. She should know when someone looks too dangerous to strike up in conversation."

"Perhaps you should ask her," Worf suggested.

"When she feels better." Angel finished the second glass. "So you're posted here now, huh? With everything's that happened it must be awkward."

A reply did not immediately come. "It has been difficult," Worf finally admitted. "And I am still getting used to this station."

"Well… if you ask me, you probably made the right decision." Angel smiled thinly at him and nodded. "When I first heard about this I thought the Federation had been wrong. The Cardassians had it coming, I thought. But seeing things as they are now, with everything the Klingons are doing… I can understand standing against that. And I am too." Angel checked the time. "I should be getting back now. Cat is still in the medbay and I want to be there for her."

"Of course." Worf nodded. His expression was, Angel thought, about as empathetic as a Klingon's would ever get. "I hope her recovery goes well."

"Thank you." Angel stood and left. 

* * *

In the station wardroom the delegates for the summit were quieted by the arrival of Sisko. "Thank you for seeing me," he said to Representative Irissa in her place as the Chairwoman of the talks.

Irissa went straight to business. "Captain Sisko, I was hoping you would explain the sudden systems failures that caused us so much worry last evening."

"We have determined it to be sabotage," Sisko answered. "Specifically, the Dominion."

"The Dominion," Martok growled. "They would attack us even now. It is clear that the threat they pose must be met more forcefully. The Cardassians may yet be harboring their agents."

"Any of our states could be, unintentionally," Robert pointed out. "The real point is that I think the Founders are afraid we'll make progress here. The Dominion can only prevail if the Alpha Quadrant is divided. Whatever differences we have between us, we have to settle them peacefully and continue working together."

K'mbok threw a hand up in disgust. "The point is moot. Until the Cardassians cease fighting us for worlds we have conquered, we will not back down. Will any of your states recognize our new conquests?"

Pran answered first. "The Federation cannot do so."

"Nor will the Alliance," Kiang announced.

"Then we have nothing more to say." K'mbok stood and looked to Martok. He barked something in Klingonese to Martok and stormed toward the door.

"The Klingon Empire is officially withdrawing from the summit," Martok announced. "And we are removing all forces from the continuing conflict against the Nazi German Empire."

Senator Kiang looked at him levelly. "Then the Alliance withdraws its permission to use our IU drives."

"Take them," Martok barked. "We still have many worlds in this galaxy to conquer first."'

And with that, he stood and left.

Robert and Julia exchanged looks. The entire summit looked like a waste of time now. The war would go on without a major ally, and the fighting would only get worse.

"We can't win them all," Julia murmured to him.

He didn't answer. Robert couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something, and that failing to find it was going to cause even more damage in the future.

* * *

When Angel got back to the _Aurora_ , she went immediately to the medbay to check up on Cat. She was stunned to find that her sister was gone. "Then where is she?", Angel demanded from Leo.

"She wanted to go to her room for a while," Leo replied. "Since she's doing better, I agreed. At this point, I only need her in for visits to check up on her improvement, I don't need her laying here. And I don't think she wants to be either."

Angel left the medbay and took the lift up to Deck 4. Caterina's quarters were just a small ways down from her quarters. She hit the chime on the door upon arriving. "Cat?", she called out. "Cat, I want to make sure you're okay."

The temptation to override the door lock was strong. But it proved unnecessary. The door slid open.

Angel stepped in and looked over the inside of Cat's quarters. All of the lights were turned on. Caterina was sitting on the side of her bed, wearing one of her geek pride shirts - light purple highlighted with red - and matching shorts. She had huddled into a tight position with her knees touching her chin. She looked back to Angel with reddened eyes and sniffled. "Angel. I'm… s-sorry."

"It's okay, Cat." Angel knew her sister's moods enough to know what she needed. Angel went over to her bad and sat beside her. She put her arms around Cat. "She's gone Cat," Angel said. "Blown up."

Cat nodded. She sniffled again. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I didn't blow her up." Angel held her weeping sister close. She thought back to that moment and how close she'd come to pulling the trigger. _Would Odo have arrested me? Would I have been taken from Cat? Maybe._

But she hadn't. In the end, Cat was more important than anything like revenge.

"She's not going to hurt you again, Cat. You're safe."

For what seemed like several minutes, they simply kept hugging. "You saved me… I remember hearing you."

"I got there just in time," Angel confirmed. "I couldn't let someone walk off with my dear little sister, could I?"

"She just… she took over… I couldn't say no to her." Caterina sniffled. "I… I couldn't say no."

"Don't blame yourself for that, Cat. She must have done something to make you come close. To trap you."

Cat stopped saying anything. To Angel's confusion, another sob came from her sister. Cat was starting to cry again. "No," she said. "No, th-that wasn't it. I… I stayed at th-the table of my own fr-free will."

"What?" Angel pulled back and looked directly into her sister's eyes. "Why… why would you do that?"

"I… wanted to talk to her," Cat admitted. "She was beautiful and graceful and interesting. And I just had to talk to her."

Angel blinked in confusion. "You've seen Asari before. You… you had to know she was bad news, Cat."

"I didn't realize," Cat pleaded. "I'm so sorry, Angel… S-so so-sorry…" She started crying again. "I know I messed up. I ju-just couldn't help it. She… she was noticing me and it felt nice and I…"

Caterina stopped the sentence. Not to sob, but simply to stop it. As if she didn't want to follow the sentence to its end.

And Angel noticed it. "Cat?", she asked. "What's wrong?"

Caterina shook her head. "It's… it's nothing," she insisted.

"You're lying to me," Angel said. "I know it. Cat, what is it? Why did you want to hang out with that Asari? What interest could you have possibly had in that? I mean, the way she 'noticed' you? What does that even mean?"

Much to Angel's surprise, Cat's face was turning white. She was _afraid_. She swallowed hard and buried her face in her hands. "I don't want to… I mean, it's noth… I can't…" There was an expression of warring impulses on Cat's face now. She couldn't decide what she was going to do.

"Cat… sister…" Angel put her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Whatever it is… just tell me. I won't be angry at you. I mean, we all make mistakes, it's not going to be a big deal…"

" _Yes it is_ ," Caterina insisted. "It _is_ a big deal. I've just not thought about it because I didn't _want_ to because if I did I might slip up and then you and Mama would… might…"

"Mama? What does Mama have to do with this?", Angel asked. "What are you talking about?"

Cat looked away. In the light of the room Angel could see the tears flowing freely down Cat's face again. She felt a few of her own. Why was Cat acting this way? Why wasn't she trusting her? She followed Cat's eyes to the photo on the dresser of the two of them with their Mama. Anita Delgado had been holding the hands of both of her girls, laughing with them for the benefit of the photograph.

A pain shot through Angel's heart. It was the last proper photograph of the family together before their mother had died.

There was a sharp intake of air. Cat was breathing in. "Please don't hate me," she whispered, as if to speak to both Angel and their late mother. "I'm so sorry… I just couldn't…"

It was breaking Angel's heart to see Cat like this. It hurt to think her sister didn't trust her with something, but it hurt even more to see how much this secret was tearing up Cat.

Angel watched as Cat took several breaths. She was forcing composure on herself. "Angel…"

"Yes?"

Cat turned and faced her. They each had their mother's hazel eyes, which met. Cat's eyes were red from all of her crying. She swallowed and finished gathering her courage.

And then she spoke.

"I'm… Angel…" For a moment she faltered. Cat's courage was failing her. Feeling Angel's hand take her's, a gesture of support they had shared since Cat could remember, helped her get through that moment. Nevertheless her voice was hoarse when she resumed speaking, making it almost a whisper with how low it was. "I… I like girls, Angel."

Angel blinked at her.

Cat drew in another breath and sniffled. "Angel, I've never told… I'm sorry." She shook her head and wiped at the tears on her face. "I'm a lesbian, Angel."

The words registered. Angel didn't speak.

"I'm a lesbian," Caterina repeated, more strongly this time.

There. She had said it.

Cat continued. "And that Asari lady, Morinth… they look so beautiful, Angel. I know the whole monogendered thing and they're aliens and stuff, but to me they're _girls_. They're beautiful girls. And I had a beautiful girl asking me things, showing _interest_ in me. I've _never_ had that. I never allowed myself to have it!" Cat made a bitter laugh next. "Of course, I didn't know she wanted to burn all of my nerves out until my brain drowned in my own blood."

Angel remained quiet to let her finish.

With that quiet, Cat finally asked something. "You… you don't hate me now? Please, I know it's against what we were taught. But… it's what I am. I feel this way. I'm attracted to other girls."

Angel shook her head. "And… and you thought I'd _hate_ you for that?"

"I… I was afraid you would," Cat admitted.

"No. You… you silly little…" Angel brushed tears from her right cheek. "Silly, crazy sister. You… you think we didn't know?"

It was Cat's turn to blink through her tears. "What?"

"I'm your _sister_ , Cat. You think I didn't notice?" Angel laughed and shook her head. "Cat, I've known for _years_."

At that, Caterina stared at her in disbelief. And she swallowed. "You… you have?"

Angel nodded, a happy smile on her face.

"You knew and... don't care?"

Angel shook her head. "You're my crazy little sister. I don't care who you love or if it's a girl instead of a boy. I love you. And Mama would say the same thing if she were here. She didn't let something like that get in the way of loving her little baby girl."

Cat's tear-reddened eyes widened. " _Mama_ knew?!"

"It took her a little while," Angel admitted. "But she figured it out. And we talked and decided not to say anything. We didn't want to push you. You'd tell us when you were ready."

Cat sniffled. Her tears were still flowing, but were joined by the happy, bewildered expression now on her face. "But… I… I thought you'd hate me. I was terrified you'd hate me, I had _nightmares_..."

Angel responded by pulling her sister close, into the tightest hug. "No, you silly, crazy little nerd."

Cat thought about that. "So… I spent years hiding it for nothing. I was so scared and it was for nothing."

"Yep," Angel confirmed, a wide grin defying the tears on her face.

There were no more words after that. All of Caterina's greatest nightmares were swept away, leaving only relief. A little shame at taking so long to admit things to her understanding sister, but mostly relief.

The two remained locked in the sisterly hug, both caught up in tears and laughter.

* * *

The Klingon delegation was soon to leave. General Martok stood alone in the station-side quarters he had been assigned, finishing the packing of his bag. There was a chime at the door that prompted him to turn. " _ghoS_ ," he barked.

The door opened. His bodyguards were flanking the door, as ordered, and admitting Senator Kiang into the room. The Alliance Senator was wearing a dark long-sleeved suit and similarly-colored trousers. "General," she said. "I had hoped we could discuss the summit's outcome."

"There is nothing to discuss," he answered. "The Councillor has made his decision, and Chancellor Gowron will sustain it. We have withdrawn from the war."

Behind Kiang the door closed. She stepped toward him. "I had hoped that we might yet find some… flexibility in the Klingon position. The Alliance is not your enemy."

"Not for the moment." Martok approached her. "I do not fault you, Senator. You fought well at the table, and I look forward to any… arrangement that will yet see the Klingon Empire and the United Systems as allies. You are far more worthy of us than the Federation."

Kiang nodded slightly. "Yes. Mister Pran and his people can be quite… irritating at times. The Federation is too worried about peace and principle to recognize what must be done. Given time, I believe my government may recognize that about them."

"We look forward to the day," Martok said, non-committally.

Kiang extended a hand. "In hopes for the future, General?"

Martok eyed her hand. And then her. A thin smile came to his face that she matched. "Yes," he agreed. "To the future."

Their hands clasped.

Slowly, the skin and even the fabric up the wrist began to shift in color and texture. Both hands turned to an amber-brown color and began to meld together. 

* * *

**Tag**

The Klingon withdrawal had certainly not been good, but the summit went on. The withdrawal of the Klingons from the war meant the Alliance would its remaining allies and friends more than ever. And, much to Robert's distaste, Irissa had been using that to great advantage.

Now he was sitting in Sisko's office discussing the events of the prior few days. "Do we have any indications of what the Dominion was doing when they sabotaged the station?", he asked Sisko.

"None." Sisko rolled his baseball in his hands. "With internal sensors down there's no way to know."

A terrible thought came to Robert. "What if they were looking to replace someone?", he asked. "What if this was their real plan?"

"Doctor Bashir has been running blood-screenings on the delegates by mutual agreement, nobody has been discovered to be replaced." Sisko put the ball down. "Still. It is a disturbing possibility."

"I'll file a report with Admiral Maran to advise we watch the delegates for a while. Just to make sure." Robert blanched. "God, what am I saying? Are we really going this far, breaking into the privacy of others and assigning watchdogs to them just because they _might_ be bad?"

"That's the threat the Changelings pose," Sisko remarked. "When anyone could be an enemy spy, it's hard to give any trust."

Robert found he couldn't debate that. It made him feel irritated. _We either give in to paranoia and tear apart our own societies, or we risk having Founders going around blowing things up and causing mayhem. Dammit, what kind of choice is that?_

The door to the office slid open. Dax entered with O'Brien following. "Benjamin, you're going to want to hear this."

Sisko sat up. "What is it?'

"Sir, I've gone over the debris from Samara's ship with everything I can think of," O'Brien said. "Judging by the debris field… there's no way we could even hope to have enough organic matter intact to verify who was on the ship when it blew up."

"So you can't prove Morinth was killed on the shuttle?"

"No sir," O'Brien said. "I've looked over the figures. If an E-zero overload did occur, there really would be nothing left. The shockwave would disassociate the organic matter too thoroughly to leave any trace."

"So… we can't prove either way that Morinth died?", Robert asked. He was filled with a sudden worry, a worry that the monster would come back for Cat and the others.

"That's what I thought," O'Brien answered.

"And then I looked over the sensor logs from DS9 and the _Aurora_. A brief moment before the core overload, there was a faint energy signature." Dax shook her head. "It's so faint that it took the best sensors on the _Aurora_ to pick it up. I can't tell you who or what it was or where it came from… but something definitely transported off the ship just as the core overload began."

"So she was rescued," Sisko mumbled.

"Presumably by whatever Dominion agent was up to the power outage." Robert swallowed. His expanded senses were giving him warning signals. A feeling that things had gotten worse. He found that a good guess given the facts. "They… they used us."

"Morinth was their weapon. Their distraction. A killing spree to take up our attention and leave them free to do as they pleased during the summit." Sisko smacked a fist against his desk.

Dax nodded. "And when Odo, Commander Meridina, and Lieutenant Delgado captured her early…"

"...they decided to sabotage the station," O'Brien finished for her.

"Two birds, one stone," Robert grumbled. "A chance for their agent to get away and the distraction so they could complete their mission after all." He shook his head. "And we never saw it coming."

"Thank you, Old Man. That will be all."

Dax nodded. She and O'Brien left the office.

"They beat us," Robert sighed. His thoughts went back to 33LA. "They beat us again. They helped provoke the war and now they're making it harder to fight."

"I know."

Robert looked to the older captain. His expression was reserved. Controlled.

But there was no mistaking the fire burning behind his eyes.

"But it doesn't matter that they beat us this time." Sisko picked up his baseball and held it up. "Because we're still in this one."

Robert could feel the determination coming from Sisko and felt it lift his own spirits. "Right. We'll win in the end."

"Exactly," Sisko agreed.

* * *

It was a new day on the _Aurora_. Everyone was gathering in the Lookout for breakfast, all by Caterina's invitation arranged with Hargert. She and Angel were now walking along the deck toward the Lookout entrance. Both were in uniform, Angel in trousers as always and Cat in the uniform skirt that went down to her knees. "You don't have to do this, Cat," Angel said. "It's just between the two of us… it's your life."

"I know," she said. "But I… I think it's time to be honest. To make things clear, you know?" A small smile crossed her face. "Besides, if you knew, how many other people know?"

"I don't know, some of our friends are a _little_ dense." Angel smiled and followed that up by putting a hand on Cat's shoulder. "Whatever your choice is, I'm here for you."

"I know," Caterina answered, smiling back at her big sister.

They entered the Lookout and found everyone present, the command staffs of both the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_. Several of the civilian science specialists, and some of Cat's subordinate science officers, were all present.

"Although maybe I should have started smaller," Cat conceded. She swallowed and felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach, the jitters that claimed every effort she ever made to speak publicly.

"Nonsense," Angel said. "You've got this."

Taking a look at her sister's confident expression, Caterina smiled and nodded. Her body still stung and twinged from the damage to her nerves. Leo had promised it would clear up in a few weeks. She was hoping he was right.

Hargert walked up to her and smiled, wearing his usual white and blue-striped cooking clothes with white kitchen apron. " _Fraulein_ ," he said amiably, handing her a small receiver.

She accepted it and smiled at him. " _Danke_ ," she replied, revealing the bits and pieces of German she'd been picking up. Hargert replied to that with a proud smile while Cat fixed it to her collar. "Hello!", she called out. Her voice echoed over the Lookout's speakers.

All of the small morning conversations ended.

"Um… hi everyone," she said. Cat took one last look at Angel, who gave her a thumbs up, before she turned her attention back to the others. "I… I just wanted to say thank you, and sorry. I'm sorry you all worried about me so much. And thank you for… for wanting to help. Doing whatever you could to."

Nods and applause answered her.

"But that's… that's not why I-I'm here today." Cat stopped and drew in a breath. "I've been… I haven't told people something… something important. I was afraid. I was scared. I didn't know how you'd react, even after knowing so many of you for so long. And… I was wrong. Wrong to doubt you. Just as I doubted Angel despite how much we love each other. She's been there for me since I could talk and I really should have trusted her…"

"It's okay, Cat," Angel insisted.

"...and I don't want to make you all think I don't trust you too, so I'm just going to come out and say it." There was a final pause. A final drawing of breath. "I'm gay. I'm a lesbian."

Cat stopped talking. She looked to the others, awaiting a response.

Julia was the first to begin clapping. She smiled at Cat as she did so, a smile that was all the support Cat could have hoped for.

And like that it spread. Robert was next, an equal smile on his face. Leo and Tom Barnes, Zack only a half-second behind them, and Jarod and Meridina and Lucy and Scotty and Nick and soon enough everyone in the room was applauding and smiling at her.

Hargert stepped up, still applauding. "We are only a month from your birthday, I know," he began, "but I have baked you a cake anyway."

Angel gave Hargert a suspicious little look. "You… knew?"

"I suspected," the old German cook said. "But really… given what she has survived, I would have baked a cake anyway."

"Thank you." Cat embraced him and got a pat on the back in return. Tears were flowing down her face and blurring her vision as Zack was next in line for an embrace.

One by one, each hugged and embraced her. Even Meridina, who was equal parts bemused and warm in what seemed an unusual act for the stoic Gersallian. She looked back to Angel, smiling and teary-eyed as well, and exchanged a nod with her sister.

If Caterina had any regrets at that moment, it was simply that it had taken her so long to trust her friends and crewmates...

...her _family_.

Angel put a hand on Cat's shoulder. The two sisters smiled at each other. "So, you do know that I'm going to have to act all protective and angry toward any girlfriend you bring around, right?"

Cat giggled at that. "No punching girlfriends!"

"Not unless they break your heart," Angel pledged. Her smile was full of mischief. "Then I get to break their bones."

Cat was giggling too hard to protest. Angel let out a laugh and put an arm on her sister's shoulder, pulling Cat close. "You're terrible!", Cat finally stated. "No breaking bones."

"Oh, you take all of the fun out of being the violent big sister…"

Cat and Angel began laughing again.


	11. Episode 2-03-1 The Measure of a Life

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 11 March 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. The_ Aurora _has been dispatched to support diplomatic contact missions in Universe F1S1. President Morgan and the Cabinet are hopeful that we can gain new allies since the Klingons have withdrawn from the war._

A warm breakfast in the Lookout was always a welcome start to Robert's day. Hargert had set out breakfast sausages, eggs, and toast, and they all tasted delicious. He happily chowed down on them between glances at his digital reader.

Across from him, Angel was eating just as well. They exchanged knowing grins while Angel's foot rubbed up against his shins under the table.

"Is that supposed to mean something?", he asked her after swallowing. "This whole playing footsies thing?"

She maneuvered some sausage and egg on her plate with her fork. "I'm just enjoying toying with you."

"As if last night wasn't enough…" He ventured.

The smile was the most seductive Angel would ever put on for him. "Well, to be accurate, last night you were toying with me." The smile turned into a slight smirk. "There are advantages to that stuff Meridina is teaching you after all."

Warmth moved into Robert's cheeks. Angel's response was a pleased laugh. "It's fun. Making you blush."

"Well, so long as we're having fun." Robert took in another bite and glanced back to his reader.

"So. I haven't heard much about this universe. I mean, there's that colony we set up for some of the refugees and survivors from S4W8…" She finished working with her food and lifted a fork-full of egg and sausage toward her mouth. "What's the briefing say about this place?"

Robert swallowed. "Space-faring Humanity, no known alien species yet. Or at least no known sentient alien species. Apparently we're in the next millennium with these people. The mid-31st Century."

Angel kept chewing and nodded.

"Still, their advancement technologically is uneven. We have some advantages according to preliminary reports from our first contact missions. Better medical technology, faster computers, more robust power transfer systems. Some other things that aren't immediately relevant to our mission. Representative Willoughby will be doing most of the talking, we're here to back him up and give him something to show."

"So that's why we haven't even had a staff briefing about this?", Angel asked. "Because usually there is one."

"Well, it was a last minute sort of thing, we weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow so that today's meeting would give everyone plenty of time to digest the information. Instead we'll be arriving there in an hour or so, and with everyone's schedules set for the day…" Robert shrugged. "I figured we might as well get our briefing directly from Emissary Willoughby."

Angel swallowed her food. "Well, it's not getting shot at by Nazis, so it works."

Robert smirked at that and nodded. "So…" He slid his fork around what was left of the eggs. "How's Cat?"

"Leo gave her a clean bill of health yesterday." Angel's mood was distinctly pleased over that. "The nerve damage wasn't permanent and is clearing up quickly."

"Great news."

"It is." Angel nodded. "So… after you get done with this first meeting…?"

"Meridina's practice sessions," he answered.

Angel's face fell. "Right."

"So to save time…" Robert took a quick bite, chewed it for a moment, and swallowed. "...let's just say we had our usual discussion about my… abilities, and the training?"

"Sure." Angel shook her head. "I'm trying, Robert. Honest to God, I am trying. It's just…"

"We've gone over that." Robert sighed and put his fork down. He reached across the table and took her hand. "I'm committed to making this all work, Angela. You and me. This training. This job. All of it."

"I know." She forced a smile to her face. "And that's why I'm able to put up with it."

"It's all I can ask you to."

Angel nodded. "So… anything else about these people?"

"Well…" He checked the time. "...you'll find out in about an hour." He pushed the mostly-finished plate away and scooped up the reader. "I'll be on the bridge."

"See you there," Angel pledged.

* * *

The medbay was the usual low hubbub of activity. A couple of Dorei were being treated across the room, an engineer had a nasty bump on the head, and Leo was fidgeting with a very uncooperative engineer.

"Dude, this really isn't necessary," Barnes protested. "Opani did a physical on me last year."

"So I read," Leo said, checking a scan result. "But the physicals are twice a year. And the medical regs are clear, first physical of the year has to be done by the end of March."

"That sounds dumb."

"With everything that can happen… it's not as dumb as you think." Leo shook his head. "Is there something in the water? I get this same attitude from almost all of you when it comes to your medical checkups and physicals."

"Maybe we just don't want to spent the time when we've got so much else to do?", Barnes proposed.

"So you don't want to spend time with me?" Leo put a hand on his heart. "Oh, stone cold, Tom. That's a dagger in the heart right there."

"Oh, come on, you know what I mean." Barnes crossed his arms. "It's one thing to hang out with you, it's another to be in here and it being all business and…"

Leo quietly sighed as Barnes kept going on. He was in better shape than Leo had expected. Leo noted the various little things - a change in his diet might be necessary to get his weight up - and put them all into the final physical report.

"...I get it man," Barnes continued. "I mean, you're a doctor, a great one, and you like doing the job. But you get so damn bossy about it sometimes. You and Julia. She's always nosing in too, acting like my mother sometimes…"

"Julia is a mother hen by nature," Leo stated.

"She likes to boss people around, that's what it is," Barnes insisted.

"I won't argue with that." Leo reached for a nearby dispenser and put on some rubbed gloves. "So now we're on to the awkward part."

"What do you…. oh. _Oh._ " Barnes frowned. "Seriously man?"

"It's part of the physical."

"But scans…"

"...can't beat physical inspections." Leo snapped the gloves on. "Okay, ready?"

"I have to turn my head and cough, right?"

"Yep." Leo flashed him a grin. "Do you want me to call Doctor Opani? Then it's a lady handling those bits."

"No. Just get it over with."

"Sure, here we go…"

* * *

  
The crew were in place on the bridge when Locarno began counting down to arrival. "Another new group of Human societies," Julia leaned back in her chair. "So we're not the lead on the diplomatic angle?"

"No. We're here to show the flag. Give the locals something to show them what we're made of, I guess." Robert tapped a key on his chair. "Mister Scott, I hate to impose, but we might have guests. How does Engineering look?"

" _Like she should, sir. Like she should. Ah'll get th' lads and lasses on t' polishin' an' cleanin' t' make sure._ "

"Thank you. Bridge out."

"We are dropping out of warp in five… four…"

The _Aurora_ glided out of warp right on course. The orbital space ahead of them had a few ships milling in orbit and at least one space station of sorts. The planet was a garden world, completely Earth-like, with four continents and three major metropolises.

"Put me on, Jarod." When Jarod's console let out the warbling tone of an open communication channel being established, Robert spoke. "This is Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_ to orbital traffic control. We're requesting a geosynchronous orbit over the capital, if it can be provided."

A few moments later, a voice replied in a prim English-sounding accent. "Starship Aurora, _this is traffic control. We have you cleared. Proceed to orbital point of 30 kilometers over our signal._ "

"Roger that." Robert nodded to Nick.

" _We have you moving into position, Captain. Thank you._ The voice stopped momentarily until it gave a final remark. " _On behalf of House Davion and the Federated Commonwealth, welcome to New Avalon._ "

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"The Measure of a Life"_**

* * *

Emissary Algernon Willoughby fit the stereotype of the fussy, stiff-upper-lip British professional. His balding crown of graying brown hair, perpetually-squinted dark eyes, and a gaunt build and expression gave him a severe look.

He stepped off of the transporter platform and accepted Robert's hand. "Captain Dale." He accepted Julia's next. "Commander Andreys. Thank you for your prompt response."

"We accelerated as soon as we got the message," Robert replied. "Of course, I'll have to brief my officers now instead of this evening as I planned."

"I shall handle the briefing, Captain. While I trust you have studied my reports, it might be best if I present the facts."

"I'll be glad to have your experience leading the briefing, sir." Robert gestured toward the door. "My staff is waiting for us to begin the briefing."

* * *

The conference room off the bridge was selected for the presentation. The command officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were in mutual attendance, some conversing quietly as everyone found their places. "Everyone, this is Algernon Willoughsby. He's out first contact liaison with the government of the Federated Commonwealth and our diplomatic representative here until we formally exchange ambassadors." He nodded to Willoughsby and sat down.

Willoughsby activated the conference room holotank. It generated a starmap with the central point listed as "Earth". "Ah, yes. The Captain informs me you have not been briefed. So let me give you the pertinent information you need to have immediately. F1S1's Human civilizations are primarily settled within a 200 light year radius of Earth in this disc-shaped region they call 'the Inner Sphere'."

"Someone needs to teach the locals geometry," Barnes muttered.

That won him a stern look from Julia, who cleared her throat. Willoughsby was obviously annoyed, and just as obviously determined to hide the fact he was annoyed. "Politically they are divided into a handful of states organized upon what we are calling 'neo-feudalist' lines."

"Feudalist." Zack crossed his arms. "As in medieval Europe stuff with land grants in exchange for military service?" He looked to Jarod, who seemed bemused. "Yes, I paid attention in World History class," he added.

Willoughsby nodded. "Exactly. The Inner Sphere's societies each have a sort of feudalistic system with grants of land or wealth and titles for service. Local government can vary, and in some cases is little different from the town and city-level governments seen in the Allied Systems. But on the larger level, planets and regions are ruled by the nobility who swear fealty to higher lords. At the top of this pyramid are the Lords of the five Great Houses, each of which ruling a great power state by local reckoning. There used to be a sixth House, whom ruled Earth and its associated Terran Hegemony, but that House was exterminated nearly three hundred years ago. The Hegemony collapsed and was divided among the five surviving Houses." Willoughby's operation of the tank showed political divisions of the Inner Sphere. "This era also saw the collapse of what was called the Star League, a unified government of all of the Inner Sphere and Near Periphery star nations under the control of the Hegemony's ruling House, the Camerons."

The map clearly showed that one of the groupings held the most territory, occupying both the "southeast" and "northwest" sections of the disc. Seeing this, Jarod said, "Two of these Houses are merged now."

There was a show of annoyance on WIlloughby's face. "Yes, Commander. I was just getting to that." He cleared his throat and indicated the "southeast" portion of the map. "Five Houses, five powers. House Davion of the Federated Suns, House Liao of the Capellan Confederation, House Marik of the Free Worlds League, House Steiner of the Lyran Commonwealth, and House Kurita of the Draconis Combine." One by one he went clockwise around the map. "As you may note, Davion and Steiner have undergone a dynastic merger and formed the Federated Commonwealth."

"And those small nations…?", Caterina asked. "Like that little one between Davion and Liao, or the one up there between…"

"There are indeed two minor nations in existence besides the Houses. The St. Ives Compact is ruled by a member of House Liao who broke from her family and sided with the Davions. The Free Rasalhague Republic broke away from the Draconis Combine in the last generation after centuries of occupation and repression." Willoughby tapped the map. "Earth itself is under the control of an organization devoted to maintaining interstellar communications. They are called ComStar. If you wish to learn more about them, I have loaded information on the Inner Sphere into the ship's computers. As it stands, I wish to end this briefing soon so as to get to the point of your hastened arrival."

"Of course," Robert answered.

"I have spent the last several days setting the stage for your visit to New Avalon," Willoughby explained. "And I have done so at the explicit request of the ruler of the Federated Commonwealth, Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion."

"That's a mouthful," Barnes muttered.

Julia shot him a look.

Willoughby again ignored him contemptuously. "It was His Highness that requested your arrival be expedited."

Robert's interest was piqued. "Do you know why?"

"I am afraid not." The admission clearly rankled. "This is a matter His Highness has been keeping to himself and his advisors. I did discuss the issue with Admiral Maran and he has stated confidence in your ability to provide whatever assistance is required."

"We'll do what we can," Julia promised.

"It will most likely involve a demonstration of our technology. The better the demonstration, the more likely we are to win Commonwealth support in the war effort." Willoughby turned off the holotank. "While their naval capabilities leave a lot to be desired, the Houses all field large armies that would be of use in holding Reich forces in check during planetary campaigns. They make use of these large armored walkers… ah, you shall see, but I'm afraid I must keep going. It is hoped we might persuade some of the Houses to side with us in exchange for technological assistance."

"We'll do what we can," Robert assured him. "But it might help to know what he expects."

"It may be medical," Willoughby admitted. He looked to Leo. "I've been asked to bring a medical officer back down with me."

"I'll be happy to help," Leo answered.

"Ah. Splendid." Willoughby checked his time piece. "Captain, if you and Doctor Gillam would accompany me?"

"We're expected?", Robert inquired. " _Now_?"

"Yes, we are."

That made him scramble to think of the team layout. "Alright. I'll be down shortly with Doctor Gilliam and Commander Meridina." He looked to the others. "This briefing is adjourned."

As soon as they stood up, Julia looked to Barnes with a frown. He noticed it and a sullen look came over his face. He knew he was in for another lecture.

Rounding the head of the table, Scotty stepped up beside Julia. "Allow me, lass. I'll straighten him out for ye."

Julia nodded. "He's your subordinate, Mister Scott. And thank you."

"Isnae easy, is it?", the old engineer asked. "Bein' in charge of friends like this."

"I'm okay with being in charge," Julia answered. She turned her head and faced him with a sad expression. "But I know it puts a strain on our old friendships whenever I have to put my foot down."

"Like I said. I'll get Tom's head on straight. Lad's still got some growin' up t' do." Scotty continued on.

"Don't we all," Julia sighed.

* * *

Robert quickly stopped by his quarters to change into his formal dress uniform. It was not something he enjoyed, and it seemed a time-honored complaint of everyone in any service to have to put up with the uniforms.

He could at least be proud in how quickly he put the thing on, golden tassel epaulets and all.

Willoughby was waiting for him outside of his quarters, at his request. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes." Robert began walking toward the nearest transporter station. He brought up his arm and activated his multi-device, calling up the holographic map of the Inner Sphere. "So you said five houses, two of them having merged, and two minor states in the Inner Sphere."

"I did."

Robert pointed to the "north" part of the map. "Then what is this?"

The northern part of the Inner Sphere included four wedge-shaped regions between the Lyrans and Draconians… Draconese? _Whatever you call people from the Combine_ , Robert thought. "Who are they?", Robert asked. "Because four buffer states is a bit much."

Willoughby frowned. "That's a delicate matter, Captain. It involves the Inner Sphere's security and the complicated situation between the Houses."

"I'm listening." Robert lowered his arm, disengaging the holographic projection in the process.'

"The Inner Sphere knows them as the Clans," Willoughby explained. "They invaded at the beginning of this decade from somewhere toward the Galactic Core."

"Humans too?"

"Yes." Willoughby nodded. "It has been discovered that they are the descendants of the old Star League Defense Force, the main armed forces of the Star League before its collapse. A charismatic commander in charge of this army, one Aleksandr Kerensky, persuaded most of those still in it, as well as their families, to depart the Inner Sphere with him when it became clear that the Great Houses were going to wage war over the leadership of the broken League. Apparently his successors underwent a radical social transformation and have become committed to the conquest of their ancestors' homeworlds." Willoughby's tone and feelings on the matter made Robert ponder that he was understating what the Clans were, in the true fashion of a British understatement.

"Your information includes a write-up on them, right?"

"What I could find out, yes. His Highness has been forthcoming about the Clan threat. He fought their invasion from the frontlines and is concerned about the threat they might pose."

"But it's not what he wants to see us about?"

"I am quite certain it is not."

Willoughby finished his sentence as they stepped into the transporter station. Leo and Meridina were already waiting and uniformed. As always, Meridina carried her _lakesh_. "We are ready to transport, sir," a young man at the controls stated.

"Good. Let's get down there and find out what this is about."

* * *

The four materialized in a large hanger. Robert's immediate thought was that it housed large shuttles or aircraft. But as he took in the honor guard of men in formal uniform with rifles at parade rest, it was the sight behind them that was the most interesting.

The hanger was not for aircraft after all. On each side of the hanger were bays fitted with electric hoist ladders and lifting platforms, and in each bay were large humanoid-shaped machines. Each had several visible weapons on their hands, arms, and torsos, ranging from large-caliber muzzles to batteries of missile launchers. They were painted in blue and white coloring with a ghost insignia painted on many. Others had earthier colors of brown and gold marking them. Robert recognized from briefing materials the sunburst-and-armored-fist insignia of the Federated Commonwealth, while some retained a sunbust-and-sword insignia instead. _That would mean that the fist comes from the Lyran insignia?_ , Robert pondered.

"Walking tanks," Leo murmured. "Damn." The latter word was a whisper only Robert could hear.

The honor guard remained at attention to each side. Along with the rifles they held at parade rest, the officers were wearing ceremonial swords and, to Robert's momentary disbelief, spurs on their boots.

On the other end of the lines of male and female soldiers was a group of individuals. One was clad in a simple suit, mostly dark in coloring, and Robert could sense the slight unease rolling off him joined by a tinge of suspicion. He eyed them over thoroughly and fixed his gaze, for an extra second or so, on Meridina's _lakesh_ hilt on her belt.

The second man was more curious than uneased by their arrival. He was looking at them intently all the same and Robert had the feeling he, Leo, and Meridina were being sized up to some degree. The man in question had a full beard and mustache and light brown hair, while his uniform marked him as a Colonel in the FedCom military.

That left the third and final one, standing between these two men. He had the sharpest and most-decorated uniform, with a groomed head of blond hair that almost emulated Robert's own preferred haircut. Blue eyes met his and Robert's gift sensed a mix of curiosity, unease, uncertainty… but leavened heavily with a dose of confidence. He got the feeling a decision had been made. It had not been made easily, but now that it had been, it was going to be followed through.

The most astonishing thing about the third figure, arguably, was his height. Robert towered over him by at least 9 inches. He looked to be about Cat's height, all things said, even if he was clearly more built out.

Robert figured he was due to speak first. Recalling Willoughby's use of address, Robert said, "Your Highness, thank you for welcoming us to your world."

As Robert considered how to do the introduction, the short man replied with an accent that was more German than English. "I may have you to thank, Captain…"

At that, Robert decided not to worry about the decorum of offering a hand compared to bowing or what have you. He extended his hand toward the shorter man. "Captain Robert Dale, Alliance _Starship Aurora_." He could feel the disapproval of Willoughby to that gesture.

The reply was initially a nod. And, much to Robert's surprise, the hand was accepted. "I am Prince Victor Steiner-Davion. Welcome to New Avalon, Captain."

"Thank you, Highness." He gestured to Leo and Meridina next. "These are two of my officers. Emissary Willoughby indicated you wished to meet one of my medical officers, so this is Doctor Leonard Gillam, my Chief Medical Officer. And Commander Meridina is my Chief of Security."

"Doctor. Commander." A handshake was offered again. Willoughby seemed to be stunned at the apparent informality. "A pleasure."

"Highness." Leo accepted the handshake.

"Highness, greetings." Meridina bowed her head slightly in respect during the handshake.

With that introduction complete, Victor introduced those with him, gesturing to either side. "My personal aide, Kommandant Gerald Cranston, and Mr. Curaitis, my security advisor."

Robert was the first to take their hands. Cranston was the bearded officer, Curaitis the dark-clad man.

After the rounds of handshakes finished, Victor indicated a nearby VTOL craft large enough to carry all seven of them, plus a bodyguard for Victor. "I know you are curious why I asked for your arrival to be moved up. If you will please follow me, I will show you. My personal craft is waiting to airlift us to the NAIS Hospital."

"NAIS?", Robert asked.

"The New Avalon Institute of Science, Captain," Willoughby answered. "One of the top centers of scientific study and learning in the Inner Sphere."

"Ah." _And so we get closer to why we're down here._ "After you then, Highness."

* * *

Barnes had made it to Engineering before Scotty came to him. "Over here, lad," he said urgently, just as Barnes was about to look over the sensors on the impulse manifolds.

Barnes nodded and followed his mentor into the main engineering office, across from the banks of naqia reactors that powered the ship's main systems.

Scotty waited until the door closed behind Barnes. "Well, lad. Ah think ye ken what Ah brought ye in here for."

Barnes let out a sigh. "My big mouth at the meeting."

"Aye." Scotty nodded. He didn't seem disappointed or angry, but Barnes could tell he was still unsettled. "Lad, ye're one of th' most natural engineers I've ever trained. Ye've got th' stuff t' be th' finest of yer generation. But ye need t' think about things sometimes, lad. Ye cannae just go mouthin' off with diplomats an' others like that."

A frustrated look came to Barnes. He ran a head through his red hair. "Yeah, I know, Scotty, I know. It's just… that guy was so pompous. This whole thing is dumb, the 'Highness' this and 'Majesty' that. Princes and stuff. So I have to laugh."

"Lad, ye've yet t' see th' things I've dealt with in my career," Scotty replied. "And ye have t' know, Tom, that sometimes ye just have t' keep yer mouth _shut_. Ye widnae like it if someone made fun o' _yer_ things, wud ye?"

"Are you kidding? _I_ make fun of my things. Anything can be ridiculous and stupid." Barnes noticed Scotty wasn't pleased with that and sighed. "Okay, I get it. I make fun of the wrong thing and we end up in a holy war, so I have to watch my mouth."

"That's exactly my point, Tom." Scotty smiled thinly. "An' ye should remember, lad, that I'm a Scotsman myself, an' we had our own kings an' quins. Some of 'em were our finest heroes."

"Eh, it's the American in me," Barnes said flippantly. "Royalty is something to laugh at."

"Just so long as ye're daein' yer laughin' in private, then. So ye dinnae cause trouble. Alright?" Scotty gave him an expectant look. His point had been made.

It was also completely clear. Barnes knew he couldn't just wave it off. "Yes sir," he replied. "I understand."

"Good. Now, lad, I need someone t' take a good look at…"

* * *

The VTOL departed the palace and flew over the airspace of Avalon City. The Davion capitol had skyscrapers and structures that looked futuristic, at least to Robert's 21st Century aesthetics, with curves along the buildings and their tendency to taper inward along the top. Below a large patch of greenery marked a central park.

"That is the Davion Peace Park," Prince VIctor noted. "A tour may be possible at a later time."

"I'd enjoy that," Robert replied. Not in English, but his best German. "You are a German speaker first, yes?"

Victor replied with a nod. " _Ja_."

"My grandmother was German," Robert answered. "I learned the language from the time I was four."

"It explains your accent, your English is unlike your subordinates."

Robert looked to Leo and smiled. "Doctor Gilliam is from Georgia, in the Southeast US of our world. I am from Kansas. My English is very much a Midwestern accent. You will hear more of that accent if you meet my command staff." He looked over to Meridina. "As for Commander Meridina, she is Gersallian. Not Human."

Leo gave him a look of bemusement and a bit of annoyance. Meridina followed the conversation with interest, aided by her auto-translator.

Victor and his staff - Cranston and Curaitis presumably knew enough German to realize what Robert had said - looked over Meridina with curiosity. "My people resemble Humans externally, yes," she said, her formal tone in that lilting accent that made Robert think of Irish mixed with the Oklahoma-born Cherokee he had occasionally met when he was young. "It is a wonder of the cosmos that our species are so alike."

"There are other alien species that closely resemble Humans," Robert said, switching back to English. "It's a mystery biologists are still seeking to solve."

Victor nodded. A diplomatic smile crossed his face. "I look forward to learning more about your Multiverse, Captain. It seems to be an incredible place."

"It's far beyond anything I expected to see growing up on the family farm," Robert replied. "But I wouldn't miss it for anything."

* * *

Their arrival at the NAIS was met by a phalanx of more security personnel and medical figures. For a few minutes Robert and his officers remained by the VTOL while Victor fielded what seemed to be complaints and protests and pleadings. But he remained determined. After he had won over or talked down his people, he walked back to them. "I apologize for the secrecy," he said. "This is a matter of Commonwealth security. Arguably, security for the entire Inner Sphere."

"We understand, Highness."

"You may address me as Prince, if you desire," Victor said. "I can hardly stand on protocol given the favor I am about to ask."

"Very well, Prince."

"This way."

Victor and his staff led them to a conference room in the Institute. Inside Curaitis ran an electronics device around the room. "It's clean, Highness," he said.

Meridina looked up from her multidevice. "Indeed. There are no emissions save our own, and encryption is in place. We are secure to speak privately."

Victor took a seat at the table, prompting Robert and his officers to do the same. "To begin, Emissary Willoughby was kind enough to tell me some time ago about your medical breakthroughs," Victor said. "Among them was a cure for all forms of cancer."

Robert nodded to Leo, who nodded back and answered, "Yes."

"How well can you cure it?"

"Completely, permanently," Leo replied. "Everything from brain cancer to leukemia. We use targeted genetic rewriting and adaptable retroviral agents to prevent the condition and heal short-term damage."

"Genetic rewriting?" The question was from Cranston.

"To keep cells from making new cancerous growths," Leo explained. "It can also target existing ones, restrict them, and eventually eliminate them without the damage and suffering caused by chemotherapy."

Victor nodded. "How long does it take? To have an effect?"

Leo replied immediately. "Several weeks, usually at least twelve. It depends on the severity of the case."

That answer made Victor's expression change to disappointment. Whatever he was interested in, it clearly had a shorter time limit.

Leo noticed it too. "There are options for more advanced cases," he confirmed. "Surgical options, mostly. But they're more dangerous, especially if the patient is in such an advanced state that their bodies are at risk during invasive procedures." Leo put his hands together. "What kind of cancer is it?"

Robert couldn't help but note that Curaitis was clearly unhappy with this discussion. Cranston seemed on edge, but not opposed.

"Leukemia," Victor replied.

"How advanced?", Leo asked.

Victor did not answer immediately. He picked up a digital reader of his own, or some similar device, and operated it.

A flatscreen at the end of the room turned on. It was displaying a hospital room. Robert's heart ached at the colorful designs. It was in the childrens' ward of the NAIS hospital, he guessed.

The bed was occupied by a bald-headed boy, likely no older than eight, maybe as old as eleven, Robert guessed. He was comatose and sickly. IVs were running medications and fluids into his body and sensors were wired through his hospital gown.

Leo took in a breath. "I see." He swallowed and looked away for a moment. His emotions were evident to Meridina, very clearly, and Robert thought he could feel his friend's uncertainty and determination clashing.

"His name is Joshua Marik," Victor said.

"As in House Marik?", Meridina inquired.

"Yes." Victor nodded at her. "And he is Thomas Marik's only legitimate heir."

Robert glanced toward Curaitis. He could feel the security man's disapproval now.

"Years ago, during the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere, my father forged an agreement with Thomas Marik," Victor continued. "The Free Worlds League would provide upgrade modification kits for our army to fight the Clans more effectively, and in exchange, House Davion would have Joshua treated at NAIS. Our hospital has the Inner Sphere's most advanced oncology unit. It was his best chance."

"Leukemia isn't easily beaten," Leo murmured.

"My doctors have done all they can for Joshua," Victor said. "But it's not enough. They are doubtful he will survive the month."

"A terrible thing," Meridina remarked quietly. "But I sense that there is a higher stake for you beyond the child's life."

"Very astute of you, Commander," Cranston remarked. "There is." With Victor's nod of approval, Cranston continued to speak with the tones of a military man. "If Joshua dies, the leadership of the Free Worlds League will go to his older half-sister, Isis Marik. Who is currently betrothed to Sun-Tzu Liao."

"Liao." Robert recognized the name. "As in the Capellan Chancellor?"

"Yes," Cranston replied. "This would give Sun-Tzu, as the consort of the heiress, enormous influence over Marik's industrial and economic power. Power we need to fight the Clans, but which he would just as likely use to promote Capellan efforts to reconquer the Sarna and Tikonov Marches and the St. Ives Compact."

"So this is also politics," Robert ruminated. And as he did so, he realized what it meant for them. Whatever the Clans were - he'd have to look over more of the data later - they were already a big enough distraction for the forces of the Inner Sphere, impeding their ability to assist the Alliance if an agreement could be reached. If the Liao leader had his way, the Inner Sphere would be divided into two or three camps by his efforts at reconquest.

 _Who's to say he's wrong?_ , Robert considered to himself. _If those worlds are worlds that are a part of his nation, why wouldn't he want to recover them and undo their conquest by a foreign occupier? Just because Victor seems to be a good ruler doesn't mean his Commonwealth hasn't done bad things._

Meridina met his eyes. She could sense his thought, and he could see she was thinking something similarly.

But orders were orders. The Foreign Ministry considered the Federated Commonwealth to be the best potential partner for the Allied Systems, going by his briefing, and the Free Worlds League ranked second on that list. The Liao leader could undermine that. And the likely diplomatic cost of getting him to work with them would only serve to embroil the Alliance in Inner Sphere territorial disputes.

Of course, in the end… none of that really mattered. Not to Robert, not to Meridina, and as both could easily tell, not to Leo. Leo's eyes fixed on the screen for several more seconds. "I don't care about that," he said. "What I do care about is him." He looked to Victor. "I want to help. I have facilities in the _Aurora_ 's medlab to begin short-term treatment and stabilize Joshua's condition."

The smile Victor gave in reply was a thankful one. "Doctor, nothing will be denied to you. All I ask is that you save Joshua's life."

"I give you my word," Leo vowed. "I'll save him."


	12. Episode 2-03-2 The Measure of a Life

Leo went with Cranston to meet with Joshua's doctors and get his latest test results, vital signs, and other medical data he needed to begin a treatment plan. This left the others in the room to go into other topics.

With Willoughby directing the questions, material on the threat of the Clans was discussed. They had a technological edge over the Inner Sphere in many categories and a larger starship fleet, or "WarShip" as the materials they were shown referred to these vessels.

Robert looked over the uploaded documents on his multidevice. _WarShip, JumpShip, DropShip… not to mention 'BattleMech'. This universe has a bit of a hang-up on these compound words being separately capitalized._ "This Truce of Tukkayid," Robert began. "How precisely does it work?"

"No Clan can advance across a line parallel to Tukkayid," Victor replied. "Not for another ten years."

"And they'll honor this? Even with this… division they have, Wardens and Crusaders?"

"That is what our analysts insist," Curaitis said. "Unless they abrogate the truce. Our intelligence considers this a possibility due to the strength of the Crusader movement."

"A distressing possibility, certainly," Meridina noted. "What is it they desire? Simple conquest?"

"They want to restore the Star League," Victor replied. "With the Clans as the leaders."

"Peculiar."

Robert nodded. "Well, that's something to deal with when we come to it. As things are we might be able to give you a technological edge."

"That would be appreciated." Victor folded his hands on the table. "But I know this won't be charity. What is it your Alliance wants in return?"

Robert considered his reply. It seemed best to go with the truth. "Well, first off… one thing to understand of the Multiverse is that histories do not have to follow the same flow," he began. "Histories can be different. They're clearly different in various universes. The Gersallians' home universe of N2S7, for instance, has an Earth that was destroyed by atomic warfare millennia ago. The political and cultural developments of Earth have several points where they might diverge. The Earth Confederacy of H1E1, the Federated Stars of L2M1, the Sol Republic in D3R1, they all have similarities and differences in how they developed, and that's just three of the Earths in our Alliance. A prominent example of an outlier is your Inner Sphere, Prince Victor, and your interstellar feudalism."

"Your point is made, I think," Curaitis remarked.

Robert nodded to him. "It is, yes." He looked back to Victor. Willoughby was remaining silent. Presumably he considered his job to be smoothing over any ruffled feathers in this exchange. "With that point made…. Highness, in your studies of history, have you ever become familiar with the 20th Century and the existence of Nazi Germany?"

Victor nodded. "Even after eleven centuries, we remember them. The first great hate movement of Human history, responsible for the first application of industrial mass murder. Hitler's name is still known and reviled…" Victor stopped and blinked. "No."

Robert could tell he'd put two and two together. "Yes."

"You've found a world where they…" Victor's brow furrowed. The news had clearly perturbed him. "And they're…"

"The Third Reich, the Nazi Empire, is the hegemon of Universe S4W8," Robert replied. "We've been at war with them for eight months."

Curaitis looked at Victor and shifted in his chair uncomfortably. Victor remained passive for a moment. He blinked as he processed his thoughts. Robert sensed the mix of disgust, of outrage, at the very idea of such a regime controlling an interstellar empire. A moment of instinctive horror at the thought of such a state gaining entry into the Inner Sphere.

Finally the ruler of the Federated Commonwealth looked at them again. "Tell me more," Victor asked. 

* * *

Cranston had brought Leo into the presence of the lead oncologist on Joshua's case. Dr. Joseph Harper was listing out the results of the last tests of Joshua's blood. The picture was not good.

"How can you help, Doctor Gillam?", he asked pointedly. Several of his colleagues were just as interested in the answer to come.

Leo was deep in thought for a moment. "He's not stable enough for a transporter," he said. "And even a shuttle flight might be too much. I want to stabilize him enough to get him up to the _Aurora_ and my medbay facilities. We need to get him some strength back." Leo reached to his wrist and keyed the multidevice's comms. "Gillam to medbay."

" _Opani here, Doctor Gillam_ ," was the reply. The _Koenig_ CMO was, with her ship docked to the _Aurora_ , serving shifts in the _Aurora_ medbay. " _What can I do for you?_ "

"Doctor, I need some stock synthblood material and a blood replication kit." Leo thought for a moment. "And prep the medbay for a civilian patient, eight to eleven years of age, with advanced leukemia that has moved into the CNS."

" _Yes Doctor. I'm arranging both right now. Standby._ "

"What are you doing?", Doctor Harper asked. It was clear that the request might soon become a demand.

"We need to get healthy blood into him," Leo explained. "I can use a small blood sample to attune the synthblood to his body. His body will strengthen and his condition will stabilize." Leo put his eyes back to his scans of Joshua. "We may even be able to get his CNS operating normally by clearing out the blast cells. With any lasting damage, nerve regeneration treatments are a long-term possibility once he's stable."

"And once he's stable enough?", Doctor Harper asked.

Leo looked back to him. "Then I get Joshua to my medbay and expand the process with replicated blood. Genetic samples can be used to replicate new bone marrow that hasn't been impacted by his condition. In a week or so, once he's strong enough, I do a bone marrow transplant with the replicated material."

Doctor Harper stared at Leo. "If you can do that, and it works, you've effectively reset his condition to early-stage leukemia."

"Exactly." Leo nodded. "Then it's just a matter of beginning the gene-treatments. I can begin the process of finding the necessary resequencing during the first two phases of his treatment. Once the third phase is implemented, give it three to four months more and he should be leukemia free for the rest of his life."

"You're talking about changing his base DNA to eliminate cancer?" It was clear Harper was incredulous at the idea.

"I'm talking about changing his base DNA so that his cells will prevent cancerous growths from ever forming," Leo elaborated. "Just as I've done for myself and thousands of others."

Leo couldn't help it. He smiled at seeing the hope light up on Doctor Harper's face. Cancer had always been one of the most terrible illnesses to strike at people.

" _Nasri here, Doctor_ ," a voice said from his multidevice. " _We're ready to beam down with your requested equipment._ "

"Lock onto my coordinates and transport," Leo ordered them. "We have a child to save." 

* * *

After Captain Dale and his people excused themselves to return to their ship, Victor returned to the Palace. He went to his office and, after a quick glance of the state papers demanding his attention, turned instead to the window. It was midday on New Avalon and apparently "night time" for the _Aurora_ crew, going by Robert Dale's closing remarks.

Victor found the _Aurora_ officers an interesting group. They were younger than he had expected, and certainly committed to their cause. Dale had spoken with some passion about the war with the Reich.

It all seemed like a far-out science fiction holovid. Multiple universes, different histories, Nazi Germany as a space-faring empire.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Victor answered.

Curaitis and Cranston entered. "Jerry," Victor said, smiling thinly. He was used to that now, instead of the prior "Galen".

The man once known as Galen Cox nodded. "Victor."

"How are things going?"

"Doctor Gillam has begun to transfuse synthetic blood into Joshua Marik to stabilize him," Jerry replied. "Dr. Harper is observing. I think he's a little skeptical and is waiting to see if we get any results."

Victor nodded. "That's good." Victor noted the look on Curaitis' face. "You still disapprove?"

"You are gambling a lot on the ability of the Alliance to save Joshua's life," Curaitis pointed out. "As I already said. And by giving them access to Joshua Marik, our ability to implement Gemini has been completely compromised."

Victor nodded. "I know."

"All of the effort we put into…"

"...is appreciated, Curaitis. It is." Victor looked back out the window and up toward the sky. Somewhere up there was the _Aurora_ , a ship unlike anything the Inner Sphere had seen. "But things may be changing now. Gemini is morally dubious…"

"As you know, Highness, morality and rulership do not always go together."

"My father said the same thing."

"And your father would have kept these people at arm's length from Joshua Marik."

Victor nodded slowly. "Probably. And maybe you're right. But…" He let out a sigh and looked back to them. "Joshua Marik… we haven't had a chance like this in years. He's spent so long on New Avalon that he's got people here he cares for. He's watched our holovids, seen our world. Made friends. Gemini is about delaying the effects of his death. What if we could do something with his _life_? As the heir to the League, and as Captain-General, he could be the most friendly neighbor we've ever had." Victor looked Curaitis squarely in the eye, which required craning his neck a little even from the distance. "And I think that's worth pursuing. If it costs us Gemini… I'm willing to take that chance."

Curaitis nodded stiffly. "If that's what you think is best, sire. May I go see to Doctor Gillam's security? We don't need the Thuggees or Maskirovka to make him a target."

Victor frowned. "No. We don't."

Curaitis nodded and left.

Victor went to his desk and sat down. Jerry remained with him. "Any news about my sister?"

There was something of a bitter tone in his advisor's voice when the reply came. "She is performing well enough as Regent on Tharkad."

"That is good to hear," Victor sighed. That was a long-term problem he'd have to deal with eventually.

 _But how will it go now? The Allied Systems, this Multiverse… it will change everything._

"Can I do anything else for you, Victor?", Jerry asked.

"That depends," Victor said, reaching for his pin. "Do you think the ministries will notice if I throw this pile into the fireplace?"

"Unfortunately, Victor, they will. And they'll be very agitated."

At that Victor sighed. "Paperwork," he murmured. "The burden of every ruler." 

* * *

"Paperwork." Robert thumped his digital reader to his desk and ignored the smirk on Julia's face. "The burden of every starship captain."

"So you say." Julia looked over her reader. "Well, it looks like your burden is lifted for the day."

"Oh, there will be a fresh stack tomorrow," Robert sighed.

"It could always be worse," Julia pointed out. Her smile faded away into a somber look. "We just got the latest updates from Harris. Relini had to abandon the New Pommerania attack."

Robert frowned. "Damn." He shook his head. "Because of the Klingons. All because of the damn Klingons."

"Some of the other allies are picking up their efforts," Julia continued to say. "President Sheridan just got an aid bill approved in the InterStellar Alliance Council."

"Well, that's some good news at least." He looked back at the window to the planet spinning below. "You should probably know that Leo's in another mood."

She frowned. "Oh no."

"Cancer patient. Leukemia, to be exact."

"Advanced?", Julia asked.

"Very. Apparently the kid might not last the month."

"And Leo is convinced he can save the kid, I'm betting," Julia said. "Is this why we got called early?"

"It is." Robert nodded. "The kid is named Joshua Marik. Apparently he's the heir to one of the other powers. Some deal that Prince Victor's father made with the boy's father for war material to fight the Clans."

"So there's Inner Sphere politics mixed up with this," Julia asked.

"Apparently so. I put it in the report." A distant look came over Robert's green eyes. "I'm worried about Leo."

"I know." Julia nodded. "When he gets like this, there's no talking to him."

"He's sure he can save this kid. Completely convinced."

"I'm sure he can. It's what will happen if he can't that worries me." Julia put her hands on her knee. "I can have a talk with him. Remind him how close things came last year with that Goa'uld surgery."

"If you think it will help." A flashing light drew Robert's attention over to the screen of his bridge office computer terminal. "Well, it's getting late," he said. "And Meridina wants to get in a training session before the night's over."

Julia frowned at him. "You know I'm trying to be supportive of this, Robert, but you're spending a lot of your off-time in this training, it seems. All you were supposed to learn was how to control this stuff. It feels like this is going beyond that."

"Apparently control is more complicated than it seemed before," he answered. But that didn't seem quite as satisfying a reply to the issue. "And I don't seem to have the same grasp on this that Lucy does so it's taking longer."

"Hopefully not much longer." Julia knew how much this was upsetting Angel as well. She was happy to see Robert and Angel together as they were, making each other happy as well. Having that jeopardized… Julia could remember how it had hurt them both the last time they broke up. With the stress of their current jobs, the pain of another breakup might be too much.

"I know that look." Robert's voice had mock reproachfulness in it. "It's the 'Julia must be a mother hen to her flock' look."

A bemused glint came to Julia's aquamarine-toned green eyes. "I consider it one of my duties." The glint became mischievous. "After all, if I didn't keep you and everyone else from driving yourselves crazy, Rob, _you_ would be stuck with that job. And I think you have enough on your plate."

"That's why I'd delegate it to Jarod," Robert laughed. "He's done that kind of thing before."

"We're talking about Jarod, the 'Pretender'. He's done _everything_ before," Julia pointed out. She was a half-second quicker in standing. "So, go on to mind energy practice or whatever you call it. I'll wrap up this watch shift and get ready for tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." 

* * *

It was 2255 on Leo's device clock when he noticed his newest patient stir. With the change in medication from sedatives to his inventory of advanced painkillers, Joshua would no longer be relegated to a coma.

Two eyes opened slowly and turned toward him. "Who are you?", the weak voice of Joshua Marik asked.

"I'm Doctor Gillam," he answered. "You can call me Dr. Leo."

The young prince's eyes closed. "You're another new doctor?"

Leo nodded. "I am. And we're going to make you better."

Joshua's eyes opened again. He looked over. A dark-skinned woman - dark-skinned like Leo, or even moreso - and looking at a machine. His eyes followed the machine and the tubes filled with dark red fluid. He'd seen his blood pumped in and out before, but this machine looked strange. It had blue tones to its surface instead of gray.

Behind her, Dr. Harper - whom he did recognize - was watching intently.

"What are they doing to me, Doctor Harper?", asked Joshua.

"They're giving you new blood," he replied.

Leo nodded. "It's called synthblood," he said to Joshua. "Synthetic blood. We used a blood sample to type it to you. It's clear of the imperfections that your leukemia causes and can carry more nutrients that your body needs to be healthy." Leo smiled warmly at Joshua. "Within a couple of days you'll be feeling a lot better."

"Okay." Joshua squinted. "Will it make me better?"

"Yes." The nurse across from Leo gave the answer. "It is the first step to making you all better, child."

Joshua looked at her with curiosity. "Your voice is weird. Where are you from?"

A small smile came to her face. "I am from Darfur. My name is Nasri."

Joshua seemed to think on that. "I've never heard of that world," he finally said. "Is it in the Periphery?"

Nasri seemed confused for a brief moment. "Um… no, it is not."

That left him puzzled. There were so many planets in the Inner Sphere, but he was certain he'd never heard of one called 'Darfur'.

But he was still very tired. He began to drift off into sleep. 

* * *

_Medbay Log: 13 March 2642; ASV Aurora. Doctor Leonard Gillam reporting. This log is made in reference to special patient Joshua Marik, presented to me approximately thirty-six hours ago with an advanced state of leukemia._

 _Doctor Harper has just reported to me Joshua's vitals as of 0600 shipboard time. The synthblood has had the desired effect. Patient vitals have improved sufficiently that he is now considered to be in stable condition. As soon as the doctors in the NAIS sign off on the transfer, the_ St. Johns _will be employed to bring Joshua Marik up to the_ Aurora _for the next phase of his treatment. I have already prepared a private bed space for the patient and we have the first two days of replicated blood ready for transfusion._

Leo finished his medical log update and looked back to the data that the NAIS had sent. Joshua's vitals had shown great improvement over the last thirty-two hours. The synthblood was doing its job in restoring vitality to his body and getting his organs functioning in proper condition. Now that he was stable enough to move, the next step would bring him away from the brink long enough for the long-term healing solution to start working.

He was so fixated on the medical data that he didn't realize he had a visitor until he heard the knock at the door. He looked up in time to see Julia standing in the doorway, leaning slightly against it. She was in duty uniform, black with the red command branch color and the three gold slanted strips below her shoulder marking her as a Commander. Long blond hair, still lightly damp, was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head. A bemused grin was on her face and a twinkle in her green eyes. "Maybe I should feel hurt," she said. "Usually _I'm_ the distraction."

Leo smirked at that. "I imagine you are," he said in an amused tone. He typed in a note. "What can I do for you, Julia?"

"I'm down here to check up on things." Her expression got more serious as she walked in and took a seat. She leaned forward and set her arms on his desk. "Or rather, to check up on you, Leo."

Leo looked up from his terminal. He felt bemused by the attention. "Another intervention by you as our common surrogate mother?"

Julia laughed at that. "I'm just making sure everything's okay."

"A kid's dying of leukemia, Julia," Leo replied. He shook his head. "That's _never_ okay."

"I know." She nodded and leaned back in the chair. "Just as I know you're about to fight heaven and hell to keep him alive."

"Damned right."

"And I'm proud of that." Julia allowed him to type for a moment. "I'm just worried about… the alternative outcome, I guess."

"Not gonna happen," Leo insisted. Noticing the look on her face, Leo smirked. "I know, alright? As a physician I have to deal with death. I have to accept that I will have patients that will die. But… I mean, Joshua's case is severe, yes, but it's only hopeless by their science. I can stabilize him easily enough, then it's just a matter of gradually getting his body back to normal."

"You're that sure, Leo?"

"Completely," Leo insisted. "The Alliance… our medical technology, the stuff we got from the Darglan and the FedStars, the Federation, it lets us save people like Joshua. Kids like him." He tapped a final key. "And that's what I'm going to do."

"Alright. I'm not here to try and be the pessimist, you know that," Julia insisted. "I just want to make sure your head is on straight."

"It is." He nodded at her before looking back to the information on his screen. Something he was seeing took him by surprise a little. "That's weird," he murmured.

Julia caught that. "Leo?"

"The medical notes on Joshua," he replied. "The names are different over the last few months. Different doctors have been signing under Doctor Harper."

"Well, it's a large facility," she pointed out.

"Yeah." Leo nodded. He shrugged. "And with a celebrity case, I can see most of the doctors wanting a chance to get their names involved." He checked the time and stood up. "Sorry, but I have to meet the _St. Johns_. We're due to leave in fifteen minutes."

"I know." Julia smiled at him and stood. She turned toward the door just as Leo got to it. "Alright, Leo. Good luck. Get that kid up here so you can heal him."

Leo smiled back at her before heading out of the office. 

* * *

The NAIS hospital had a helipad for receiving emergency patients. After careful examination, Lucy determined that it would be just big enough for the _St. Johns_ to land on for the transfer. The sky was only slightly overcast and the view of Avalon City was magnificent. "You know what this place reminds me of?", she said to Meridina, sitting beside her in the cockpit. They were both in duty uniforms for the trip, Lucy in Operations beige and Meridina in olive-brown. "Minnepaulis."

Meridina looked to her. "I don't recognize that city name."

"Well, on most Earths its Minneapolis and St. Paul," Lucy explained. "But in C502, they were hit by a nuclear strike in the late 21st Century. During the rebuilding people simply referred to the place as 'Minnepaulis' and it stuck. Which is _really_ weird to me… but all these different universes can be, well, different, you know?"

"Yes." Meridina smiled lightly and nodded. "Agreed."

"I mean, look at _this_ universe," Lucy continued. "They've got this whole neo-medieval feudalist thing going on. Lots of Princes and Dukes and Lords and Counts and whatever else you call them. It's just so _weird_."

"Life is diversity in many things," Meridina remarked. "Experience being one of them." She sensed something and stood. "They're coming. I will need to meet them outside."

"Of course," Lucy said. "Just let me know when we're lifting off."

Meridina emerged from the airlock just as the lift from the hospital structure opened. Dr. Harper and Mr. Cranston emerged with nurses that were pushing along a hospital bed, joined by four men carrying assault firearms and wearing body armor.

Leo, Nasri, and Nurse Li moved forward to take custody. Some final paperwork was signed. Cranston put in his own. "Prince Victor couldn't be here for the transfer, he had a prior obligation," Cranston explained. "But he asked me to accompany Joshua."

"You're welcome to join us, Mister Cranston," Leo said. He ran his scanner over Joshua. "Feeling any better?"

"I was," the boy replied. His voice was still weak. He squinted when looking toward Leo. "But the sun's too bright."

"We'll get you out of it in a moment." Leo nodded to Nurse Li, who took over the bed and pushed it toward the medical runabout. "It's been awhile since you've been in space?"

"Yes." Joshua lifted his head enough to see the _St. Johns_. "That's too small to be a DropShip. Is it a shuttle?"

"It's called a runabout, and its name is the _St. Johns._ " They got to the door. Meridina remained standing there and smiled at Joshua as the bed was brought up. "This is Commander Meridina, Joshua," Leo said. "She's in charge of security."

"So she's my bodyguard?", Joshua asked.

"I am charged with your protection, yes," Meridina replied.

The boy smiled. "I like you. You're pretty."

Meridina's smile grew slightly. "Thank you for the compliment."

"One moment, Doctor," Nasri said. She was kneeling beside the bed. "The wheel is catching."

"I suppose we're too used to anti-grav transfer beds." Leo knelt down. "Here, let me see…"

"Allow me," said Meridina. She lifted a hand. The bed wheels lifted off of the ferro-crete pad and the entire bed was now without a single point of contact with the ground. Joshua's eyes widened as he felt the sensation of the bed being in mid-air. He watched her intently as her hand moved gently toward the _St. Johns._ The wheels soon had contact with the floor of the runabout airlock. Nurse Li rolled the bed in.

Leo smiled weakly and noticed that Cranston, Harper, and the MIIO protection team were staring with incredulity written on their faces. "You probably shouldn't have done that," he murmured to Meridina.

"I suppose they are quite stunned," she noted. "But they would learn of _swevyra_ \- of power from life force - eventually, Doctor. I believe no harm has been done."

"No harm," Cranston agreed. "Just… a hell of a lot of questions, ma'am."

"I can answer easily, but I believe we should be going." Meridina stepped up into the airlock. "This way, Mister Cranston."

Leo followed Cranston in and the bodyguards took up the rear. Commonwealth MIIO had insisted on them, Leo hadn't cared so long as they stayed out of the way, and Meridina and Robert had both agreed.

Leo went into the medical module, where Joshua was again staring in complete surprise. This time it was surprise at the third nurse he'd brought, Corpsman 1st Class Yamata Djamal. The blue-skinned Dorei man was looking back at the emaciated boy with dark teal eyes brimming with compassion.

"An alien," Joshua said in wonderment.

"As you are," Djamal answered in accented English. "We are all aliens to one another."

The bodyguards, now gathered at the entrance, looked like they were fighting the impulse to stare by keeping even more intent looks on their charge. Cranston had no such requirement and outright gawked in shock. "I… I remember Emissary Willoughby mentioning… but aliens?"

"Nurse Djamal is a Dorei," explained Leo. "He's from a Dorei nation called Janrala." He smiled thinly. "And he's not even the first alien you've seen. But first things first." He looked to Li and Nasri, who were removing the medical sensors on Joshua. Djamal was bringing up the module's main medical scanners to begin watching Joshua's condition. "Are we ready?"

Nasri and Li shook their heads. A few more sensors had to come off first. Working together they lifted Joshua up and carefully set him onto the main bed. With the transfer complete Nasri wheeled the bed back out of the module. "All systems are green, Doctor," Djamal said. "Full monitoring is on." A display above him showed a holographic recreation of Joshua's figure, with varying models displaying cardiovascular activity, brainwave pattern, and other vitals.

Nasri returned to the door. "We are secure," she said.

Leo nodded and reached over for the intercom button on the wall beside him, right beside the folded up surgical unit. "This is Doctor Gillam. Lieutenant, we're ready back here."

" _I'm clearing a flight path with Avalon City Air Traffic Control now,_ " Lucy answered. After another few moments she resumed speaking. " _Engines online. Preparing for launch… now._ "

There was only a very subtle shift underneath them. It was clear, from their looks, that the FedCom personnel and Cranston had been expecting something more vigorous. "Are we airborne?", Cranston finally asked.

Leo smirked slightly and nodded to Nurse Li. The Chinese woman smiled back and hit a key at the wall beside her. Shutters opened and an external view opened up the module to the sight of the sky beside them. Clouds whizzed downward.

"I don't feel a thing," Cranston remarked.

"Inertial dampeners, Mister Cranston," Leo said. "If we didn't have them I would never have approved bringing Joshua up."

The atmosphere outside dimmed. Blue faded into black. A couple of DropShips were visibly burning in on the horizon and Joshua was happily watching the whole thing.

And then it appeared. Lucy brought them up several kilometers to port of the _Aurora_. The kilometer-long starship shined in the light of New Avalon's G-sequence star. Leo had always liked the aesthetic of the design, the sleek hull lines moving back from the bow and the way the drive hull "started" about one quarter of the way down the primary hull with the ship's navigational deflector (not as visible as the blue-and-gold deflector dish were the torpedo launchers Leo knew to be there) at the front of that hull section. The lit torch insignia of the Allied Systems was present on the upper warp nacelle facing them. Green and white stripes were distantly visible on the azure hull of the advanced ship.

"' _ASV-1701_ '?", Cranston observed.

"The registry number for our ship," Leo answered. He could still recall over a year and a half ago, when he and the others had first seen the _Aurora_ complete at the Earth L2M1 Fleet Base. That sense of wonder was still with him. The realization that he _lived_ on that ship, that it had become part of his life. A life that, just a half decade ago, had been directed to the ambition of being an everyday doctor.

 _An everyday doctor without medical technology that laughs at the common cold and sneers at cancer_.

"That's your ship?", Joshua asked. There was no hiding the amazement in his voice.

"That's the _Aurora_ ," Leo confirmed.

"It's so big… where are its sails?" Joshua looked at him from the bed. "Where do you put them?"

"We don't use solar sails." Leo stepped up and put a hand on his new patient. "It's exciting, I know. And you'll see even more."

The ship moved away from their sight. Another appeared in the window, an ovoid DropShip that Lucy had evidently flown around before making her approach. Joshua seemed disappointed.

The _Aurora_ was still in Cranston's mind, though. He had never seen anything like it either. It looked… not even like lostech. It was like out of a science fiction holovid in its appearance.

 _Victor will want to see this for himself_ , Cranston realized. _He'll insist on it no matter what Curaitis says_. 

* * *

Once Joshua was in place in the medlab, Robert and Julia came by together to check up on everything. Leo was getting the first infusion of replicated healthy blood ready while his nurses finished settling their patient in. They were using an isolation unit in the critical care section at the insistence of the Commonwealth MIIO, a concession Robert made just as easily as allowing the bodyguard detachment onto the _Aurora_.

Robert had handled introducing Julia to Cranston. Now the Prince's security advisor was standing with them while Leo worked.

"Have you told my father?", Joshua asked them. "Does he know where I am?"

"Well, since you've asked." Julia pressed the commkey on her multidevice. "Andreys to bridge. Do we have Emissary Janliran on yet?"

Jarod answered with, " _We just established the subspace signal, Commander. Putting them on down in the iso-unit._ "

The screen at the end of the room, facing Joshua, activated. An office appeared on the other end and a tan-skinned male with dark eyes and hair was standing there. His robed suit was recognizably Gersallian in its tones and aesthetics. " _Captain Dale?_ ," he asked.

"We're here," Robert answered.

Janliran nodded off-screen. The man who stepped onto the screen was older, well into his forties if not fifties Robert thought. His face was marred by horrible scarring, but even then Robert could see some of Joshua in the man's face. He wore a plain uniform with the emblem of House Marik on the heart.

When the scarred man's eyes fell on Joshua, his expression changed. A smile started to show, one of happiness and pain. " _Joshua_ ," he said.

"Hello Father," Joshua said formally. "Is Mama okay?"

" _She is off on a tour and sends her best_ ," the reply came. He looked over to Robert and Julia. " _Captain Dale. I am Thomas Marik. Words cannot express my gratitude to you for agreeing to help my son._ "

"It's my pleasure, sir," Robert answered. "Some credit should go to Prince Victor. He asked for our arrival to be moved up so he could get our help."

" _Indeed, Captain. I will send him my thanks._ " Thomas looked to Leo now, where he was standing at a control panel for the blood transfer device. " _Doctor Gillam_?"

"Yes sir," Leo answered.

" _My thanks are to you as well._ "

"Thank you, Captain-General." Leo nodded and patted Joshua on the shoulder. "Your son's a great kid. I'll do everything I can to get him healthy."

Thomas nodded. His reaction was muted, stoic, and Robert got the feeling he was not letting himself react as fully as he wanted. For decorum, or out of habit for his position, Robert could not guess. " _You have my gratitude and that of my entire nation, Doctor Gillam. Please keep me informed of my son's condition._ "

"Of course," Leo said. "I can explain the treatments to you right now, if you'd like, and answer any questions you have."

" _Emissary Janliran has told me some of what is being done. You are producing artificial blood of some sort to ease his condition?_ "

"Yes. Replicated blood, with functional white and red blood cells, will restore proper organ function and give him some of his strength back. Enough that I can move on to Phase 2..."

Leo explained the processes planned and Thomas Marik listened, placing questions. As they spoke Robert looked to their guest and felt a surge of happy pride. This was what they had come out here to do: help people. Save lives. Make things better.

And now they'd get to do so directly. A living Joshua would keep the Inner Sphere stable and buy time for Alliance diplomats to smooth out any lingering issues with the Capellans. A stable Inner Sphere was one that could contribute materially to the war with the Reich, should they be suitably convinced of the threat it might still pose. And afterward… there was no telling the limit of what they could do with the better technologies that the Multiverse would introduce them to.

As soon as he was satisfied, the leader of the Free Worlds League spoke to his son again. " _It's good to see you again, Joshua,_ " he said. " _I hope you may be home sooner than we ever expected._ "

"I can't wait," Joshua replied. With his developing life force abilities Robert could feel the boy's warm happiness at the thought. "I've missed everything!"

Thomas smiled at his son. " _And we have missed you. I promise you, you will see it all again shortly. I'll call again later and see how you are doing._ "

The channel cut.

Joshua had some tears in his eyes. He was still weak, heart-wrenchingly so, and it took effort for him to turn to face Leo. "When do I get to go home?", he asked.

"Give it a few weeks," Leo answered. "Maybe shorter. I need to get you stabilized first and then the main treatments can begin."

"Okay." He accepted that. After years of living in the NAIS complex, Joshua was just happy to have the chance to go home soon.

There was no mistaking the curiosity on his face with Joshua's next request. "Can I see the rest of the ship?"

Julia smiled at him. "When Doctor Gillam says you can, I'll have you shown around."

"Tomorrow morning," Leo said. "No sooner than that. I need you in here the rest of the day while I circulate the new blood completely."

"Okay." Joshua laid his head back. "Do you have any holovids? I'd like to see the next _Immortal Warrior_."

Leo smirked. "We've got plenty. Once we're done right here, I'll bring in a computer terminal that you can use to access or computers and find things to watch. Alright?"

"Okay."

"If you need anything, Joshua, let me know," Julia said. "I know it can be lonely if you're stuck in bed all the time."

"Thank you ma'am," he answered.

"Good luck," Robert added. He and Julia stepped out of the iso-lab a moment later. "So far so good, right?", he asked Julia.

"So far," she agreed.


	13. Episode 2-03-3 The Measure of a Life

The Lookout was in a mixed meal state. The Gamma Shift were coming in for their pre-shift breakfast and the Alpha Shift were picking up relatively late dinners.

After another day of the relaxed routine of a starship in standard orbit, and not at warp flight, Barnes was happy enough to join Zack at a table. "It's something to be back, isn't it?", he remarked.

Zack, nursing a drink, nodded and smiled slightly. "It is. I think I'm just getting used to the idea of being able to leave the _Koenig_ without having to beam over or wait for a shuttle flight."

"Hell yeah, man." Barnes devoured a bite of dinner steak. "Mmm. They've got some good stuff planetside. Think of asking for a leave?"

"Maybe."

Seeing the distant look on his friend's face, Barnes sighed. "Counting the days until you can see your sweet nurse girlfriend,aren't you?"

"How well you know me, buddy," Zack answered. "And I'm counting the hours, not days."

"How are things going back there?", Barnes asked. "I mean, you keep in touch, right?"

"Oh, it's the usual colony set-up. I think they're having more problems than we had setting up New Liberty." Zack shook his head. "She's working extra shifts to help out with the little injuries that keep coming in. People smashing their hands with hammers, that sort of thing."

"Ha." Barnes shook his head. "Damn, man. It's only been what, three years since we founded New Liberty?"

"Going on four," Zack pointed out.

"Four damn years man. Doing this." Barnes sipped at his soda before continuing. "And I mean… back then, when the Facility was a new thing… I never thought it'd come to this. That we'd get so big."

"That we'd start something like this," Zack added.

"Yeah. I mean, it's all nice now, but do you remember how much of a pain it was getting New Liberty set up? Dealing with the new people who didn't want to share, or work together? Convincing everyone to help out?"

"I remember getting my jaw broken," Zack grumbled playfully.

"Heh. Yeah." Barnes smirked. "Angel acted like it was the funniest thing. 'Maybe now we'll get some peace and quiet'." He did a fair approximation of Angel's tone.

"Then Leo had it fixed within a couple days."

"And so she wanted to break it again!" Barnes broke out laughing.

Their reminiscing stopped as a figure stepped up. "Mind if I take a seat?", Jarod asked.

"Go right ahead, smart guy." Barnes gestured at the chair and then moved his drink over to let Jarod have more room for his plate of steak, potato, and shredded cabbage. "Zack and I are just thinking about old times."

"Or not so old," Zack added. "I mean, we're coming up on four years now. Since Rob found the Facility."

Jarod nodded. "It always feels longer than that." He held up his digital pad. "Don't mind me, I'm just doing some research for our fearless leaders."

"Oh?", Barnes asked.

"Nothing major. I'm watching over old social media, holovid entertainment, news reports. Things to help me, and us, understand the Federated Commonwealth." Jarod looked back at the reader and shook his head. "I'll tell you this, these people have way too many tabloids. By my estimate the tabloid market is at least twice as large, proportionally speaking, than our 21st Century one was. And people believe them far more often."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Barnes groaned.

"Hey, maybe there's a good reason?", Zack speculated. "Anything else interesting?"

"Nothing major at the moment." Jarod kept viewing a muted video. "Just watching some footage. It looks like our new guest had a following of his own. Lots of Joshua Marik watchers…"

"People love celebrities. Little prince with leukemia, hell, even our media would've ate that stuff up," Barnes pointed out.

"Good point," Jarod said before returning to work.

* * *

Robert was due to transport down for another discussion with Willoughby and Prince Victor. Before going, though, he wanted to complete a report to Admiral Maran for the progress of their discussions and the issue of Joshua Marik.

He was nearly done with the report when the office door chimed. He looked up and said, "Come in."

He'd expected it to be Julia. But Jarod was the one who entered. He held out a digital reader. "I thought you might want to read this," he said.

Robert accepted the reader and started reading the text. "What is this? The Federated Commonwealth equivalent of the _National Enquirer_?"

"They tend to call them scandalvids in the Inner Sphere," Jarod noted. "I've been compiling them since yesterday. It's almost frightening how popular the tabloids are in this society."

Robert did his best to speed read through the material. "Is there anything Victor _hasn't_ been accused of? And, frankly, is there anything here of importance?"

"Not directly," Jarod conceded. "I'd point out, though, that psychologically speaking, how Victor deals with this will tell you a lot about his character. The emotions he feels, the thoughts he has."

Robert came across one item and frowned. "My God… his mother…?"

"Assassinated about nineteen months ago. A bombing."

"And then a relative, this Ryan Steiner. Looks like their media thinks he did both. Or that he killed one or the other… and all of this stuff about him and this… Omi Kurita? As in the other ruling house, the Draconic one?"

"Draconis Combine," Jarod corrected.

Robert kept reading and rested his face halfway in his palm. "Oh for… they actually think he'd…" For a moment Robert considered it. "...then again, I suppose that's how nobles usually do things. Dowries and territorial exchanges and everything else. And I thought marriage planning was tough when the only thing you had to worry about giving was the rent for a tuxedo and a gift for the couple."

"Different society," Jarod noted. "Land is always central to feudal cultures."

"Or something equivalent, yes." Robert finally shut the pad down. "It makes me wonder what they'll say about _us_."

"It's possible this is deliberate propaganda," Jarod noted. "That whoever owns these media outlets determines the targets of their story. Then they just need to get enough circulation on worlds where news isn't as common to be taken seriously."

"Well, go ahead and write up a report on how this reflects the pressures and structure of FedCom society and what it can mean for any further diplomatic representation." Robert checked the time and stood up. "I have to get to the transporter now. If you find anything else interesting, let me know."

"I'm on it."

* * *

The day's discussions had gone well. Technology, at least in abstract, was the main discussion, and Robert let Willoughby take the lead on it. Victor had brought his own science advisors and a slender young redheaded woman that was introduced as his teenage sister Yvonne. Her earnestness and demeanor was that of a student more than a princess, or so Robert thought.

Then again… how many princesses had he actually met to judge her by?

Although that wasn't what was…

 _I sense your concern_ , he felt Meridina say, through her natural telepathy.

 _I just want to know who I'm dealing with_ ," was the thought in reply.

 _Then ask._

 _Somehow I doubt Emissary WIlloughby will be so understanding._

"...ten weeks, give or take," Willoughby was saying. He was looking over a chart of materials. "Engineering firms might be contracted to hasten the arrangements."

"But your people won't be in a position to provide us with the WarShips yourselves?", Victor asked. He was wearing the same kind of uniform as before. A military man more than a politician, or even the kind of image someone might have of being a "prince".

"I am sorry, but no," Willoughby maintained. "Purchase of civilian vessels will be quite easy, even for you, but for the time being the Alliance shipyards are busy replacing our own losses."

"That will make it harder to justify an intervention, however, if we lack the means to protect our troops."

"What if we assigned the escorts?", Robert asked. "I understand wanting your own ships, but it takes time to train crews in ship operations. A lot of time." Robert set a finger on the table in thought. "What if you sent officers and crew to train on those escorts as well, in fact?"

"A workable proposition, I believe. As for my existing fleet…"

* * *

When the talks suspended for a late lunch, Willoughby excused himself, and Yvonne afterward. Meridina remained by the door, standing with Curaitis.

Victor was looking at something on his reader device - a 'noteputer', they'd called it - when Robert decided to begin speaking. "I'm sorry about your parents."

Victor looked up at him.

"I know what it's like," Robert continued. "It's…" He swallowed. "It's been four years since I lost my parents and sister to a crash. A truck driver had a heart attack and slammed his vehicle into my family's car."

Try as he might, Robert knew he couldn't keep that old pain off his face. Victor could see it. Meridina would feel it, and did.

"Do you have any other siblings, Captain?", Victor asked.

"No."

"No cousins?"

"One. Beth. She runs the New Liberty Colony." Robert smiled thinly. "We keep in contact as best we can. She's got a growing colony of refugees and exiles to deal with and I have my missions, though. We only see each other once a year for the Colony Anniversary celebrations."

Victor nodded. "It's always good to stay in touch with family."

"Given everything you've gone through…" Robert let that statement hang for the moment. "My operations officer has been conducting social analysis for reports back home. He's been watching your media, reading news reports and editorials, and the like."

A sad, wry grin crossed the Prince's face. "I hope he judges us kindly for our entertainment media."

"Oh, we're imperfect in that regard too," Robert assured him with a knowing grin. "Your scandalvids are what we call tabloids. But from what I've seen, we don't take them so seriously."

A harsh laugh came from the Prince. The look that briefly crossed his face showed that he hadn't quite meant to slip control like that. "You have probably noticed I am a favorite target for them."

"Commander Jarod shared that, yes," Robert said carefully. "But the arguments being made… they're no different than the people from my world who ranted about the United Nations and black helicopters. They're taking advantage of your mother's death, your cousin's, and everything else to hit you with."

He sensed emotion. Frustration, fear, and grief… and, much to his surprise, a little guilt.

 _His cousin_ , Meridina said telepathically.

"Thank you for your understanding," Victor finally said. "But I'd rather not discuss it."

"Of course," Robert answered.

"How is Joshua, by the way?"

"Oh." Robert grinned a little. "He's doing well. I think he's getting the show of his life right now."

* * *

Julia had personally taken charge of Joshua's tour of the ship, with Leo and Cranston joining them with Nasri and Djamal to help. They had journeyed to the back of the _Aurora_ , giving Joshua a view of the fighter hanger, the main shuttlebay, and the _Koenig_ 's berth. They swung by engineering and the biolabs, where Joshua was delighted to meet the Gl'mulli scientist Doctor Ke'mani'pala. "She was made of jello!", he proclaimed after they left Science Lab 3. "Jello!"

"'She' is a relative term," Julia remarked. "Gl'mulli don't have genders."

Cranston looked at her with some surprise. "You mean they… how do they have kids then?"

"Spawning," Leo said. "Gl'mulli can merge their forms together, and in this state genetic information is passed into surface membranes to mingle with their own. They form embryos and shift them internally until gestation is advanced, them the developed spawnlings move to the surface of their forms and drop off."

Cranston shook his head at that. This was all so much to deal with.

"So where are we going next?", Joshua asked.

Julia looked toward Leo, who smiled and nodded. "Well, I think your doctor has a surprise for you," she said. "Let's head off to Deck 15."

They traveled up and down the ship until they were back in the primary hull. Several meters away from one lift exit were slide doors and a control panel beside them. "Computer, access code Andreys Alpha Bravo Charlie. Access Joshua program."

The doors slid open and they stepped in.

Jerry looked on in stunned surprise to what was inside. They stepped through the door and into a lush park, with flora from dozens of worlds in the Inner Sphere gathered around. In the distance was a towering palace. The Marik family insignia, doubling as the insignia of the Free Worlds League, was prominent on the face of the structure.

"The Interstellar Botanical Gardens!" Joshua said with gleeful surprise. "How did we get here?"

"We didn't," Julia answered. "This is one of our main holodecks. We can use hard-light, forcefields, and replicators to mimic any environment."

Joshua continued to stare past them to the simulated environment. At his prompting his anti-grav chair was moved closer in. "It's just like I remember," the boy remarked. Tears started to flow down his face.

"This is simply amazing," Jerry insisted. "This technology is beyond anything the NAIS is dreaming up."

"I'm sure we'll help you reach for that dream," Julia said. "Did your parents ever take you for picnics here, Joshua?"

Joshua, silenced by his continuing surprise at the holodeck's capabilities, nodded.

"Well, time to get everything together then." Julia looked to Leo with a grin. "Doctor, you're the health expert. Would you like to do the honors and make sure we're eating right?"

Leo smiled back at her. "Well, Commander, if you insist. I was going to have Hargert make his lunch."

"Hargert?", Jerry asked.

"He's a civilian working in our ship lounge," Julia clarified. "With replicators we don't have the galleys that other space-faring ships might use, but we do have the lounge for people who want to eat non-replicated food or personal recipes. I hope you are fans of sausage stew."

"I'll let him know where we are now," Leo said.

* * *

The day's discussions were generally over. With some freedom to explore the Davion palace, Robert had made his way to a balcony overlooking Avalon City. The view was a decent one, showing the skyline of the Commonwealth capital (or co-capital, given the data showing Tharkad City on Tharkad also had capital status). The city below bustled with activity.

"Are you enjoying the view?"

Robert turned. Victor had stepped out onto the balcony as well. "I'd say so," Robert admitted. "This is quite a city you've got."

"It is." Victor had a bemused expression on his face. "It is an irony of my life that my subjects associate me with my father's family so much. I was raised on my mother's homeworld."

"Which explains the German," Robert mused.

" _Ja_." Victor drew in a breath. "But these are still my people. I have to protect them. Defend them."

Robert nodded. "Every time I meet President Morgan, I think about how stressful his life is compared to mine. I'm responsible for over a thousand lives. He has that toward trillions."

"Emissary Willoughby has spoken of your President to some length," Victor revealed. "I look forward to meeting him one day. He sounds like a fine man."

"One of the best I've ever met," Robert admitted. "Sometimes he reminds me of my grandfather."

Victor nodded. "I never knew my grandfathers."

"My condolences." Robert turned and faced Victor. "I suppose you have it even worse than President Morgan."

"By all accounts, your Alliance has a larger population and all of the difficulties of republican government, so how do you think that?"

Robert grinned slightly at that. "For that reason, actually. Or rather, because of something we have called 'term limits'."

Victor chuckled. "Ah. I believe I understand. Your leader will one day be ineligible for re-election. And so he will move on and be free of the burdens of statesmanship. I, on the other hand, don't have that luxury. Short of abdication, anyway."

There was something in the way he said that which made it sound like a completely unthinkable act. "Well, with no kids, one of your siblings would take over, right?"

"My sister Katherine. Or 'Katrina', as she likes to be called now."

There was a hint of something in Victor's voice. Robert could feel it too. As if that outcome was something he could never allow to happen. Feelings about his sister that were steeped in distrust and uncertainty. "Your grandmother's name?"

"She wants to emulate her. And my mother. And my Lyran subjects love her, so I left her as my regent on Tharkad while I rule here for a time."

Victor was clearly trying not to think of other things. And Robert was hardly sensitive enough to get the full range of his emotions, just that continued distrust… and bitter anger.

When he spoke again, Victor asked, "What do you think of us, Captain?"

A change of subject. One Robert was happy to indulge in. He thought on his answer. "Well, we seem close in temperament, at least by what I'm used to," he stated. "I can't help but notice the love of Arthurian imagery here."

"It's part of our culture," Victor explained. "The ideals of chivalry and justice. We are supposed to protect our people and rule with wisdom, justice, and mercy. All in a framework that is supposed to be the most democratic in the Inner Sphere."

"But I can't help but notice that it leans toward the militant," Robert continued. "Was it like this before your Succession Wars?"

That drew a bemused snort from Prince Victor. "That would depend, Captain, on which historian or sociologist you ask."

"Ah." Robert nodded. "Well, I can sympathize with those ideals."

"And what of your own, Captain?", Victor asked. "What ideals govern you?"

"I believe in helping people," Robert answered. "I'm out here to help people who are facing things they can't face alone and to protect the weak from those who would abuse them with their strength. I know it sounds naive, but that's how I feel. Because might cannot make right. It never has and never will. Instead I believe in using might for right." He gauged Victor's interested reaction for a moment before finishing with, "And I believe in keeping other people from suffering whenever I can. Because I know what it's like to hurt. To be hurt. I don't want other people to feel the same pain I have. That's why I do this job. I've dedicated myself to this, ever since I got the Darglan technology to make it possible."

Victor went silent for several moments. He looked back out at the city. Robert did as well. "Well put," the ruler of the Federated Commonwealth said, breaking the silence between them.

"And what about you?", Robert asked him.

Victor seemed to consider the question. Robert could feel a subtle tension within him. "I've learned the ideals don't always fit with the demands of my position," he finally said. "As for what I believe in… My father had ambitions to leading the Inner Sphere directly, and he acted to fulfill those ambitions. Sometimes he did the right thing. Sometimes he didn't. Either way, I loved and respected him, and I still look to his example as a ruler."

Robert turned and looked at the distant expression on Victor's face as the other man seemed to go back into deep thought. "Sometimes it feels like I should be just like him. That is the way to be successful. But if I were to be honest, I don't feel the same way he does. I am the son of Hanse Davion, but I didn't get his ambition. My ambition doesn't go so far. I want to be an honest ruler and to protect my subjects, to protect the whole Inner Sphere, from the forces that want to harm them. Father wanted to be First Lord of a reborn Star League. I want an Inner Sphere free from the Clan threat so that we can rebuild from the Succession Wars. I would be content to lead the Federated Commonwealth and Inner Sphere into an age of peace and quiet. No wars of honor, no glorious expansion by our BattleMech regiments, just peace between all the Houses." His expression grew distant. "But I've found rulers don't have the luxury of ruling by their ideals. We have to deal with the reality of our situation. Justice and compassion have to be put aside. We must do things… we would rather not do, or not do things we would rather do. And that's when I have to look to my father's example."

Robert nodded at that. "It's not always so cut-and-dried out there," he admitted. "Sometimes there's nothing we can do, not without making the problem worse." An old voice came back into Robert's memory, full of dignity and time-earned experience. "Captain Picard - a Starfleet captain I know, the Starfleet of the United Federation of Planets that is - once told me that everything we do has consequences. Even the most heroic or noble act might cause something horrible to happen," he said. "So I understand what you mean by not being able to act on what you believe, even if I'm sure the scale is different."

"Yes." Victor looked to his wrist. "I have a Privy Council meeting in twenty minutes I must prepare for. Thank you for your time, Captain."

Robert nodded and smiled. "Thank you for the time, Prince."

Victor turned away to leave the balcony. As he got to the door Robert turned. "Prince Victor…", he began. This prompted Victor to look back. "I'm not sure how your security people will react to this, but I'd like to offer you and your sister a tour of the _Aurora_."

Victor's thoughtful grin turned into a bit of a smirk. "I can already imagine their reaction," he confessed. The grin grew. "I'll find the time in my schedule and let you know."

"Sounds good to me."

The two exchanged nods. Victor entered the door and left Robert outside.

He turned back to the cityscape of Avalon City and drew in a breath. Some time later he reached for his multidevice. "Dale to _Aurora_. One to beam up."

The _Aurora_ 's transporter brought him home.

* * *

With the day almost over, Robert decided it was time to check in on their guest.

He found the medbay to be quiet. It was late in Beta shift and the medical staff were finishing the day's inventory and reports for their shift. Leo was in his office when Robert got there. "So, how is our little leukemia patient?", he asked.

Leo looked up from his monitor. "His body is accepting the replicated blood well enough. A few days will tell on how soon we can move to the marrow replacement. I already have the new marrow growing in the lab."

"And non-medically?"

Leo smirked. "Go see for yourself."

"Well, if that isn't cryptic," Robert muttered to himself while stepping out of the office. He went down the medbay interior hall until he came to the isolab. The MIIO bodyguards were watching the entrance with one of Meridina's officers, a Human woman with a Mediterranean skin tone. They waved him in.

Once through the interior airlock Robert was greeted by peals of laughter. Joshua was clearly in the throes of a laughing fit, with Nasri grinning knowingly and Jerry Cranston looking like he was desperately trying to not join in.

Barnes was pacing near the other wall, beyond the foot of the bed. "...and of course, we couldn't go back! Because that'd be silly! So I spent the entire trip holding _it_ so bad that you could see the pee filling my eyelids! I was going to start dancing in the car! And Julia said…"

"...'this is why you shouldn't drink the whole two-liter in a single sitting'," Robert finished for him, smirking. "You're _still_ milking that story, Tom?"

Barnes turned and mockingly glared at him. "Hey, not cool Rob. You're _ruining_ my routine."

Robert looked to the others. "He's being hyper-active again isn't he? I'm going to have to talk to Hargert about reducing his sugar intake."

Joshua giggled at that. "How many more stories do you have, Mister Barnes?"

"A lot, but most are things I can't tell you yet, Josh. You're not old enough. Your dad would probably want me flogged or whatever it is Inner Sphere nobles do to commoners who tick them off."

"This isn't exactly the Middle Ages, Tom," Robert reminded him. "Odds are he'd just sue you."

"Yeah, and I ain't made of money."

"Why do people say I'm too young to know things?", Joshua asked.

"Because that's what good parents tell their kids," Barnes answered. "Otherwise their kids end up as foul-mouthed buttholes who decide to become engineers and can't stop making fun of everything."

Robert chuckled at that. "Well, there are tradeoffs."

Barnes gave him an appreciative look before turning his attention back to Joshua. "Anyway, kid, it's been fun, but I've got to vamoose. I've got a lot of work to do so that the lights stay on and we don't all float out of our beds." He walked up to the bed and extended his hand. "Put 'er there." After the smiling young man accepted the handshake, Barnes extended his finger. "Now give it a pull."

Robert did a half-facepalm at that. _Tom, your sense of humor needs_ work, he thought.

Joshua was a prince of the highest Inner Sphere royalty… but he was also of that adolescent age when flatulence was still a tremendous source of humor. He gladly grabbed Barnes' finger and yanked at it.

Instead of the expected, however, Barnes let out a loud, long, soda-fueled belch. Joshua erupted in a giggling fit at the subversion of the normal "pull my finger" route. "Oh man, I've been holding that one," Barnes declared. "Thanks for helping me get it out."

"You're welcome, Mister Barnes," Joshua replied.

"See you later, kid." Barnes stepped away. He winked at Robert before exiting the room.

"I hope he hasn't offended anyone," Robert sighed. "Tom's sense of humor is pretty immature."

"No offense was taken," Jerry assured him. He was allowing himself a wider grin now. "I'm not one for crude humor, but there's something in the delivery that makes it pretty funny."

"Tom has his ways with being humorous," Robert responded. "Do you need quarters, Mister Cranston?"

"I'll be fine." Jerry waved off his remark. He indicated a bedding roll nearby. "I'll be fine in here."

"If that's your wish." Robert looked to Joshua. "How'd you like our ship, Joshua?"

"It's amazing!", Joshua insisted. "It's so big and there's so much stuff in it! And you've got aliens! Aliens made of jello!"

"Ah." Robert looked to Jerry Cranston. "I see you met Doctor Ke'mani'pala."

"We did. I'm not sure Victor will believe me when I tell him about her… it is 'her', right?"

"Well, the Gl'mulli are genderless gelatinous beings," Robert pointed out. "But I think it was agreed that 'she' can work since they can all have children." He looked back to Joshua. "So you had a pretty active day then?"

"And you can make places out of thin air," Joshua continued. "Miss Andreys remade the Interstellar Botanical Gardens for me!"

"So you've seen the holodeck as well." Robert grinned at that. "I'm glad to see you're enjoying your time aboard so much, Joshua. The important thing is to get you better, of course."

"I'm already feeling better," Joshua insisted. And then he yawned. "Although I'm still tired."

The door out of the isolab opened. Leo stepped in and looked at everyone. "Alright, it's time for Joshua to get some rest," he said. "Everyone out."

Robert nodded and walked through the door first, joined by Nasri. Jerry started to set up his cot.

On the outside, Robert waited until Leo emerged, carrying a tube of blood with him. "I have to make sure that the blood cell count is staying up," he explained pre-emptively.

"Hey, this is your field," Robert answered. He looked back to the door. "So he's really doing better?"

"For the moment, he's got more energy at least." There was something in Leo's look that made Robert think there was more to it. "But time will still tell, Rob. Joshua's leukemia was terminal when I got to him. The blast cells, that is, the malformed white blood cells caused by his condition, had already made it into his central nervous system and were damaging it. And that's not going into the damage in his cardiovascular system and the potential for internal hemorrhaging. Recovering from that damage will take more than replicated blood, but at the same time, I have to make sure his body is strong enough for the surgery."

"You're not cutting him open though, right?", Robert asked.

"Not unless absolutely necessary," Leo confirmed. "But the body is still traumatized when you go in with matter-transporters to scoop out diseased tissue. That's why I need the replicated blood transfusions to go on for a few more days, at least. I need to get his organs and CNS back to functional levels and build up some resilience in his body before I put it through that strain."

"I understand." Robert clapped Leo on the shoulder. "I know you can get this done, alright?"

Leo's expression was sardonic. "Oh? Because I figured you and Julia were both preparing an intervention so I don't lose sight of how it might go wrong."

"Right now that doesn't seem necessary. You know it can. But I know you're dedicated to it working."

Leo looked back into the iso-unit. Through the window he could see Joshua settling into sleep. "Damn right I am," he answered. "Damn right."

* * *

Victor had never seen his little sister so excited.

Yvonne had pulled her red hair into a simplified ponytail and donned a brilliant orange and ice-blue blouse and dress. Victor was in uniform, befitting the official visit he was about to make. A representative from the New Avalon News Service would be joining them to report on the visit to the press, hopefully giving the populace some satisfaction in their hunger for more details about the United Alliance of Systems.

"Yvonne, if you continue to vibrate, I'm worried you'll drill through the ferrocrete," Victor teased.

Yvonne gave him a look. "Victor, why aren't you excited about this?! Have you seen the holo-images of that ship? There's been nothing like it before! Not even during the Star League! And we're going to get a tour of her!"

Victor nodded and said nothing more. The truth was he didn't want his sister's enthusiasm to become that dampened anyway. After everything they'd lost - their parents' deaths and Peter secluding himself in a monastery - the chance to see her happy like this was heartwarming.

Less heartwarming was the brooding presence to Victor's left. Curaitis rarely showed his emotions. But right now he had a definite scowl. As anticipated, he had _not_ been happy with Victor's acceptance of Captain Dale's generous offer.

"This is an unacceptable security risk," Curaitis said. "You and Yvonne together, sir? You should leave her behind, or send her only."

"Now what kind of message would that send, Curaitis?", Victor replied. "We've been invited and accepted. Something like that would be a smack across the face."

"We still don't know everything about the Alliance, sir." Curaitis wasn't giving up. "You're putting yourself and your sister in harm's way by doing this. If they held you hostage they could paralyze the entire Commonwealth." It was clear from Curaitis' expression that the unspoken addition to that sentence was " _And give Katherine a clear opening to seize power for herself_ ".

"A good point," Victor conceded. He looked to Curaitis. They were keeping their voices low so that the journalist, busy as he was conversing with his bosses, didn't hear them. "By the way, have our scientists at NAIS found any way to block their matter-transporters?"

Curaitis' scowl becoming a frown was the answer he saw coming.

"So this really doesn't matter, does it?", Victor said. "If they wanted to abduct me and Yvonne and cripple the Commonwealth, there's not a damn thing we can do to stop them."

"No, sir, there is not."

"Good to know we're on the same page." Victor nodded to him. "I appreciate your efforts, Curaitis. You're a good and loyal man and I rely upon your advice, even when I don't follow it. But there are times when you have to let the paranoia go and try a higher road."

"So Your Highness has said."

The pilot for Victor's personal shuttle stepped out of it and gave them a thumbs up. It was time to go.

* * *

In the _Aurora_ 's fighter landing deck, Robert's command crew had turned out in dress uniform for the arrival of Victor and Yvonne. A Marine honor guard bore the Federated Commonwealth flag at ready position and held it in place as the shuttle came in for the landing. The Commonwealth pilot added to the occasion with as perfect a landing as could be had. Tractor beam emitters helped bring it to a stop right on target. Curaitis stepped out first with two of Victor's bodyguards, after which Victor and his sister disembarked. The ship's speakers played the Commonwealth anthem and the honor guard stood to attention.

Robert was two steps forward of most of the others, with Julia at his side. "Your Highness," he said formally. "Welcome aboard the _Aurora_. It's our privilege and honor to have you."

"The privilege is mine, Captain."

"This ship is beyond anything I might have dreamed," Yvonne added. "I am eager to see more of it."

"That will be my pleasure, Your Highness."

Aside from Leo and Meridina the Commonwealth visitors had not met the others. Robert turned to Julia. "This is Commander Julia Andreys, my First Officer. Commander Jarod, Second Officer and Ship's Operations Officer. Commander Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer, and his lead Assistant Chief Engineer Lieutenant Thomas Barnes. Lieutenant Commander Patrice Laurent, Wing Command Officer. I believe you already know Commander Meridina." Meridina tilted her head slightly and nodded at Victor as they passed. "Marine Commander Carter Kane. Lieutenant Angela Delgado, Tactical Officer and Lieutenant Caterina Delgado, Science Officer. Lieutenant Nicholas Locarno, Navigation Officer."

One by one Victor and Yvonne greeted each of them. Caterina stood out from the others as she, as usual, had opted for the dress uniform skirt and not the trousers like her sister and Julia had.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Victor stated. He looked to Robert. "They're not all coming, are they?"

"They're just here for your arrival," Robert replied. "Although we'll be seeing them as we continue the tour, running their departments."

"Of course." Victor now clearly noted the one absent officer. "Where is Doctor Gillam?"

It was Julia who answered. Her demeanor struck Victor as being the closest to his view of an officer in dress uniform - clearly uncomfortable in the uniform and even better at hiding it, compared to the visible dislike most of the other officers showed for their own. "He is currently in the medbay tending to Joshua Marik," she explained. "He has to go over lab results and see if the replicated blood in Joshua's body is working right."

"Of course," Victor said. "I understand. I hope to visit Joshua myself, actually. At the end of the tour."

"I'm sure we can arrange that," Robert promised. "As for the tour, after some discussion we decided to move from stern to bow given our location. If you'll follow me, Highnesses, we'll start with an inspection of Commander Laurent's craft."

* * *

In the medbay's lab space, Leo looked over the latest test results from Joshua. "Medical log update on patient Joshua Marik. Tests drawn at 1200 15 March 2642. Blast cell count has dropped to manageable levels. Red blood cell count is at sufficient levels. White blood cells are still on the low side. Raise cell ratio in next replication batch by…" He considered the figure and thought about the necessary adjustment in his head. He swirled about the small container of Joshua's blood as he thought. "...ten percent. Organ damage from low oxygen count still present but is not growing. Damage to central nervous system is still present and is primary concern. Propose that when patient finishes bone marrow replacement procedure, nerve regrowth therapy and procedures be scheduled."

He turned and put the blood sample back up. Around him displays showed various other results from the various tests that the _Aurora_ crew underwent for whatever reason. On some occasions there could be two or even three doctors or nurse-specialists in the room running their own tests on the multitude of equipment. The soft confirmation beeping from the hard-light control displays was incessant when this was true. But right now he was alone with his test results and nothing else.

There was a knocking sound at the lab entrance. He turned and faced Nasri. She looked at him with concern. "Is everything alright?", she asked.

"We're doing about as good as we can," Leo answered. "We'll need to adjust the white blood cell count in his next batch of replicated blood. Ten percent higher."

"I'll order that adjustment." Nasri stepped up to him. "But I am more concerned about you."

"Oh." Leo returned her look and finally sighed. "I know, everyone's worried about me. All I can say is that I know what I'm doing."

"That I do not doubt. I simply worry about what might happen if things do not go according to your desires."

"I'm prepared for that," Leo answered. "A couple of months, Nasri. That's the difference here. If I'd gotten to Joshua two months ago nothing would be in doubt."

"Unfortunately, we're not always in time." Nasri set a hand on his shoulder, a gesture of familiarity he was okay with. "I have known you, Leonard, since the day you treated my injuries after your friends lifted me from the hell of my homeland. I have always valued and admired your deep compassion and devotion to saving life. I do not wish to see you hurt."

"Don't worry about me," he insisted. "I know this could still go wrong." He checked the time and grumbled. "Dammit. Prince Victor and his sister are aboard, they'll be by soon on their tour. How do I look?"

Nasri smiled thinly. "Like a committed physician tending to a dangerously-ill patient."

Leo winced. "That bad?"

That caused an amused giggle to come from Nasri. "I have set aside a change of uniform and shaving equipment in the medbay shower facilities, Doctor." She made a show of checking the time on her multidevice. "I think you might have time to change."

Leo replied to her with a smile. "Thank you, Nasri. I owe you one."

"You owe me several, Doctor," Nasri reminded him. "But I don't count them."

"That's why you're my favorite nurse," he declared before heading off.

* * *

Robert didn't let himself laugh.

It was harder than he thought it'd be.

The look on the faces of Victor and Yvonne defined stunned surprise. Whatever mental training they had in controlling their reactions to be proper nobles, it had been overcome by the sight before them.

The cyan gumdrop-shaped form walked slightly toward them. "Walked", at least, since it was more like twin stubby bits on the bottom of Ke'mani'pala to make traction easier for the Gl'mulli scientist. Her audio translator moved about, directed toward them like a pale blue electronic eye.

"This allows Gl'mulli to communicate with us and see us," Caterina was explaining. Her usual shyness was restrained by her enthusiasm for the science she was explaining. "They don't see light or speak like we do. They sense electromagnetic fields and heat sources and can feel minute compounds. They're the most natural microbiologists in known space."

"So it, she, can talk to us?", Yvonne asked.

A blush appeared on Cat's face. "Oh, yes! I'm so sorry, I should…" She looked to Ke'mani'pala. "I'm sorry, Ke. I should have let you explain."

"Oh, it is of no concern! You are always so excited to speak of us, Caterina," the Gl'mulli remarked. Her voice was a warbling, mechanical tone through the translator. "It is quite endearing." The translator directed itself back to Robert. "Thank you Captain. I do so appreciate meeting new Humans. I'm still getting used to the way you signal others."

"You're welcome, Doctor." Robert nodded to her.

"'Signal' others?" Again, the question was from Yvonne.

"She means body language and verbal communication," Caterina explained. "Gl'mulli communicate with electromagnetic signals between each other, or by melding themselves together to share thoughts and experiences or to, um…"

Electronic trilling came from the translator. Robert recognized it as the Gl'mulli equivalent of giggling or chuckling. "It is how we exchange genetic information to spawn," Ke'mani'pala announced. "Not every time we meld, mind you."

"So that's how you have… babies."

"Yes, Princess Yvonne. That is how we produce spawnlings. It is so amusing to us that other species get so… awkward about it." There was more trilling. "I think it has to do with how you experience sensation? It creates some sort of social… 'baggage' is a term I believe you use? Social expectation, perhaps. Our people spawn when we believe it is time to bring new life into the world. We attach no physical pleasure to the act."

"Unlike Humans and Dorei and a number of other species," Caterina noted. Her cheeks were pink. " _Moving on…_ " She ignored the renewed trilling from Ke'mani'pala. "...I did want to show you something interesting concerning your method of interstellar travel."

"I have embarrassed the poor Lieutenant," the Gl'mulli remarked. "But I agree, it is time to move on. I have a delicate experiment back in my own lab that must be attended!" The Gl'mulli departed for the far door.

Robert was fighting to keep a smile off his face while Cat led them over to a main display. This was Science Lab 2, so physics experiments and simulations were among the things practiced by its staff.

"I'm afraid I'm not an expert on Kearny-Fuchida Drives," Victor confessed.

Caterina shrugged. "I was sure of that. This is some pretty advanced quantum mechanics, actually, involving hyperspatial subspace…. A lot of big words, it involves a lot of big words." Caterina pointed to a series of oscillating waves. "These are the Groenitz-Hallen bands of subspace. This display," she pointed to one of the waves, "shows the ripples caused when your drives make a jump. These…" She pointed to another. "...come from using jump drives built by a Human civilization called the Colonies of Kobol, and the machine race they built called the Cylons." She looked back to the two Commonwealth royals. "Now, do you see this?"

Yvonne nodded. "They look similar."

"Exactly!" Caterina was grinning widely as she turned back. "The ripple effect in subspace is proportionally the same. The only difference seems to be a reflection of the hyperspatial bands that are accessed." She pointed to a third, showing a much more active wave. "These ripples are from Goa'uld hyperdrives when they open a hyperspace window. Now, these ships access very deep bands of hyperspace, and it looks like one cost of this access is that they don't make jumps but travel through hyperspace. Much like ships from E5B1 do. Hyperspatial jump drives, like those used by you and by the Kobolians and Cylons, access more shallow bands… higher bands, I guess, though that's not very accurate… anyway, this correlation does mean that your drives could potentially be modified to access the deeper hyperspace bands. It remains to be seen if…"

Robert's multidevice let off a tone. A message popped up on the holographic screen.

 _Jarod here. I need to see you ASAP._

With everyone looking at him, Robert smiled sadly. "Being a starship captain can be a pain," he said. "But if Jarod needs to see me then it's fairly urgent. Cat, mind taking over the tour?"

"Well… sure, I mean, what's left for them to see?"

"The Science Labs, and the Lookout if they're hungry," Robert replied. "And if they want to go to the bridge, I'm fine with it. My apologies, Prince Victor, Princess Yvonne, I'll meet back up with you as soon as I can."

"Of course, Captain," Victor said. "We all have our duties."

"Okay." Cat nodded and looked back to Victor and Yvonne while Robert went for the door. "Anyway, the key issue is the method of accessing the right hyperspace band without generating excessive…"

* * *

Leo and Jarod had been waiting for Robert in the main conference room off the bridge. Jarod had his findings. And Leo had confirmed them.

Robert looked at Jarod with a cold expression. "Are you sure?", was what he finally said.

Jarod nodded. "The records check out. And the holo is authentic."

The holo in question was displayed over the main table, as if to be used for a briefing. It showed an emaciated child in a wheelchair at what looked to be a public fundraiser event, with the date on the video showing that it had only been a couple months before. And to Robert's eye, the child looked very much like Joshua Marik.

And Leo had just told him it couldn't be Joshua.

"So you're telling me that Victor has had a double of Joshua running around for months?", Robert asked.

"The evidence fits the theory," Jarod answered. "Leo and I are in agreement that there's no way Joshua could have been there."

"His condition was too severe," Leo added. He seemed more perturbed than Robert. "He was in a coma before my initial treatment at NAIS woke him up."

"Additionally, it would explain why NAIS' oncology division was so completely reshuffled," Jarod continued. "As Leo noted in the paperwork. Virtually every doctor or nurse who dealt with Joshua over the years was transferred out over the course of several months last year. Doctor Harper is the only physician whose name appears repeatedly in the paperwork over the last fourteen months."

Robert leaned against the table. He kept looking at the holo and wondering about it. He tried to focus, to see if his life force connection to the universe, that sense of the future that gave him dreams so often, would give him insight into the situation.

But it wasn't that which convinced him. It was Jarod's insistence. It made too much sense. The evidence was all in place. "Wasn't that sloppy of them?", he finally said. "Did they really think we wouldn't find this out?"

"Maybe they imagined we'd never feel the need to look." Jarod hit a key and turned the holo off. "Given that there was no more public news about Joshua as of a few weeks ago, maybe someone changed their mind. I don't have enough information to tell me either way."

"Right." Robert clenched his fists while using them to still lean on the table. His knuckles briefly protested the extra strain. "Mister Jarod, I don't want a report on this filed yet."

"It's still incomplete, I have a few finishing touches to put on it."

Leo stepped up and stared Robert in the face. "What are you going to do, Robert? Something like this… how can we trust these people if they'll stoop to something like this?"

"Let me worry about that in my report, Leo," Robert replied softly. "For now, focus on caring for Joshua. Nothing's changed about that."

"Of course." Leo nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

Robert nodded wordlessly. His thoughts were still trying to deal with what had just been revealed. He looked to Jarod again and nodded his head toward the bridge. "Go ahead. Assume your command watch."

"Alright. If you need anything else…" Jarod waited for him to answer. After five seconds of no answer, he departed the conference room.

For about a minute Robert simply stood there. Was his judgement about these people wrong? Was Victor something nastier than he'd felt him to be?

He could report this to Maran and Morgan and let it go. Allow his superiors to make those judgements. Perhaps analysts would figure out what was going on. It would certainly color Morgan's approach to the Federated Commonwealth. And if there was a leak in his administration, if word got out and a press investigation corroborated this…

 _It could cause a war. It would definitely break any of Prince Victor's hopes of unifying the Inner Sphere against the Clan invaders. Do I really want that to happen? Does the Alliance want something like to happen? When there's so much we and the Inner Sphere can do for each other if they remain at peace?_

But was it his place to simply cover up something like this? To not report it to his superiors? He had obligations to them as well, and if the Commonwealth couldn't be trusted to deal fairly…

Robert realized what time it was. He knew what he had to do.

His hand went to his multidevice.

"Dale to Caterina Delgado," he said.

After a few moments, a response came. " _Delgado here._ "

"Inform Prince Victor that once the tour's over, I would like a word with him in my ready office."

" _I'll let him know. We were getting ready to come up to the bridge for the tour now._ "

"Good. Tell him I'll be waiting for him when he's done on the bridge. Dale out."

* * *

The wait before Victor arrived in Robert's office had given Robert time to think over things. Jarod's report was thorough, and the evidence convincing. With a touch of a button, he could send the entire report off to Portland and to the eyes of Maran and Morgan.

It felt incomplete, though. This was something… it had to be _explained_. Victor's people had put a double into place, and then allowed him and his crew access to the original, making the entire thing a waste. Why? Jarod had theories, he had theories… but he wanted to know.

The long-awaited chime at the door went off. "Come in," Robert called out. The door promptly opened to permit Victor entry. "Captain?", he asked. "I appreciate the chance to see your marvelous vessel. It's a work of art."

"I've often felt so," Robert admitted. He looked to Victor and knew his neutral expression wasn't hiding his discomfort. "I… have something to discuss with you, Prince Victor. If you'll step fully in and allow the door to close? This requires privacy. You can select a chair if you'd like."

Victor nodded and fully entered the office. He moved without undue rush, finding a comfortable seat in one of the chairs opposite Robert's desk chair. "What is wrong, Captain?"

Robert reached over and hit a key on his controls. A small holo-projector on his desk displayed, for Victor's benefit, the video of Joshua Marik at the fundraiser. Victor recognized it as the Marik Refugee Relief Fund public event from before the New Year, put on by the Marik diplomatic representatives on New Avalon to raise funds for House Marik's humanitarian support of refugees displaced by the Clans. The timestamp, and its AST counterpart, were prominent in the corner. Victor watched the video for the ten seconds Robert played it. He was confused initially. But Robert thought he could sense a gradual realization come over him.

"That was taken just nine weeks ago," Robert said. "Commander Jarod double-checked the scheduling for the MRRF. And according to Jarod and Doctor Gillam, it is impossible for Joshua to have been there."

Victor paled slightly.

"Someone gutted NAIS' oncology department over the course of the prior calendar year," Robert continued. "Many of its leading physicians and researchers were re-assigned to other facilities and other worlds. Going by the medical records for Joshua, the transfers of everyone who had been involved in his treatment started around the point the leukemia cells started affecting his central nervous system. In short… once his condition was, by your science, irrevocably terminal."

Robert put his hands together on the desk. As much as he tried to keep his expression neutral, he couldn't keep his disappointment off his face. He thought he'd met something of a kindred spirit in Victor, a man who shared his ideals. It hurt to think that his sense had been wrong. That he'd nearly placed such trust and respect into a man capable of something so terrible.

"You were planting a double."

Victor nodded. "Yes."

"You were going to let Joshua Marik die of his illness while a double pretended to be him, still living. You were going to trick Thomas Marik into thinking his son was still alive."

"Yes."

There was silence between the two of them. The admissions had been frank and painful. Robert could feel the guilt and shame all wrapped up with a defiant sense of necessity. It wasn't often that he wished his "gifts", his life force connection to the universe, was stronger, but this was one such time. He needed to know more.

Before he could ask anything else, Victor continued on his own. "There's no point in hiding it. Once I decided to seek your help in saving Joshua, I knew Gemini, this plan, was hopelessly compromised and might be revealed. I was simply hoping it might not come up. That the plan would simply be allowed to fade away on its own."

Robert could sense the truth in that statement. Or, at least, that for the moment Victor was believing it was true.

"You know the political background, Captain. But perhaps you don't know Sun-Tzu as well as we do," Victor continued. "He is ruthless and determined. The moment Joshua was dead he would have pressed his suit with Isis Marik. And he would have used that influence to begin a plan to attack us."

"So you were going to keep Joshua 'alive'... forever?"

"No. That wouldn't work. Only long enough for the Commonwealth to finish its own retooling of industry. Once we were ready for the threat, Joshua's death would have been announced. His remains would have been taken out of cryogenic preservation and delivered to his father." Victor drew in a pained breath. "I'm not proud. I never wanted to implement Gemini. I did what I thought I had to."

"And then your people contacted us."

Victor made eye contact with Robert. His bright blue eyes locked onto Robert's without wavering. "When I realized what your people could do… when Emissary Willoughby talked about how easily you could cure Joshua's condition, I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let Joshua Marik die. Not if his life could actually be saved."

"Because his survival benefits the Commonwealth?", Robert asked.

"I would be lying, Captain, if I claimed that thought didn't enter my mind. Jerry has often told me that Joshua surviving would be of great benefit to us. That his childhood spent here would help make him a sympathetic Captain-General when he succeeded his father." Victor shook his head. "But even if it didn't benefit us… I still want him to live. Maybe some rulers, maybe even my father, could have condemned a ten year old boy to die, but I _can't_."

Again Robert could sense the emotional sincerity of those words. Not with the clarity Meridina or Lucy would have, he was still working on that, but Victor would have to be one hell of an actor to fool him. And nothing he'd seen of the Commonwealth Archon-Prince seemed to indicate he was capable of that kind of acting.

 _But I didn't think he could trick a worried father and family either, did I?_

"What do you intend to do, Captain?", Victor asked.

That was the bitter question Robert faced. As much as he wanted to be guided by his ideals, he faced his own practical problems. Revealing the double plot had deep ramifications for the Inner Sphere, which in turn meant ramifications for the Alliance.

But he was just a starship captain. The one on the scene, perhaps, but it would be President Morgan who made the ultimate decisions on Alliance policies.

 _Decisions that, in some way, are influenced by my findings_. As that thought came to Robert, he realized that his responsibility for the Alliance was greater than he had contemplated before. What he reported would in turn influence President Morgan. That was a powerful and dangerous thing.

 _So what do I do?_ he asked himself. _What do I tell them?_

"I'm still deciding, Prince," Robert answered him. "Thank you for being honest. Whatever happens, I'll remember that."

There was only a slight lifting of the somber expression on the Archon-Prince's face. Robert could not blame him. This arrival of the Alliance into the Inner Sphere would change everything. And he had just given the leadership of the Alliance a strong reason not to trust him, which could have terrible ramifications for his entire Commonwealth.

Victor checked the military watch. "I have to return home now. I'm due for a meeting tonight."

"Of course," Robert answered.

"Please, if you need anything, or if Joshua's condition changes…"

"I'll let you know," Robert assured him.

There were no more words. Robert watched quietly as the dejected man walked out of his office. He suspected he looked little better than Victor did now.

He turned in his chair and looked out at the stars. He was deep in thought. So deep that he lost track of time.

He was jolted back to attention by the door chime. He looked back and called out, "Come in".

He'd expected it to be Julia, wanting to know why he hadn't escorted Victor and Yvonne back to their shuttle. But instead it was Meridina. "I sense you are troubled," the Gersallian woman said. She was in standard duty uniform, the olive brown trim color of ship security joined by the primary black color of the uniform.

"I am," he admitted. "The Commonwealth did something that could jeopardize our future relationship. And now I have to decide what to do with my information."

"Oh?" Meridina slipped into a seat. "What is your dilemma, Robert?"

Robert hesitated. Leo and Jarod already knew. Telling more people would theoretically make it harder to keep the secret.

But at the same time, he trusted Meridina. And her insights would be valuable.

So he told her.

* * *

At Victor's request, Jerry Cranston had rejoined him for the flight back down to New Avalon. The MIIO bodyguards had remained behind to continue watching Joshua.

Once they were back in the palace and safely in Victor's office with Curaitis, Victor turned to him and said, "Dale knows."

Jerry's face fell. "Gemini?"

"Yes. His operations officer found the Marik Refugee Relief fundraiser holo while looking through the planetary database for social videos."

"Or he was hunting for something in the first place." Curaitis shook his head.

Victor held his tongue. Curaitis' advice was valuable, even if it was his paranoia and distrust that had led to this in the first place. Insulting him wouldn't fix any of this.

"Did Captain Dale say what the Alliance response would be?"

"He isn't sure himself. I don't think he is. I think he was testing my response to their knowledge." Victor collapsed into his office chair and pulled open the collar of his uniform.

"I have a backup plan in place, sir, for this eventuality," Curaitis said. "Evidence and indications of Capellan _Maskirovka_ plans to murder Joshua. It would be simple to claim Gemini was implemented to protect Joshua from these assassins."

"So on top of misleading Thomas Marik about his son's condition, I'll also look like a heartless man who put an innocent child up as bait," Victor pointed out.

"You created uncertainty to make it harder for assassins to strike either," Curaitis proposed.

"Somehow I doubt the scandalvids will see the distinction."

Jerry's comment made Victor's mood darker. As if he hadn't taken enough of a beating from them. Now Gemini, if it got out, would make all of their other charges look authentic.

 _I knew this might happen_ , he thought to himself. _I knew and I made my choice anyway. Joshua Marik deserves the extra chance to live._

Now all he could do was wait and see what consequences his choice had.


	14. Episode 2-03-4 The Measure of a Life

Meridina did not speak when Robert finished explaining everything. She kept her eyes on him. He got the feeling she was waiting for him to say something else. "I'm not sure what else I should say, or need to say," he admitted.

"You seem greatly troubled by this," Meridina observed. "More than one might expect. You have a decision to make, then?"

"I do, yes. I have to decide whether or not telling specific details to my superiors is something I should do. Even if it means ruining our chances at getting the Commonwealth onto our side."

"And you are concerned over this choice."

"I want to trust Victor. I want to. But I'm not sure I can. Not now, not after this."

Meridina nodded in understanding. "I understand your confidence in him has been undermined. What worries me, however, is your confidence in yourself. In your judgement."

"Well, there's a lot riding on what we do. I have to make a decision and make it soon."

"Have you contemplated on it?', Meridina asked. "That is the only advice I can give. Contemplate upon the question. Calm yourself and listen to what your _swevyra_ senses. I can give no other advice."

Robert considered that suggestion for a moment. "So… I just let my instincts or life force or what have you decide?"

"No. Let your _swevyra guide you_ , Robert. That is what it is there for."

Given the insistence in her voice, Robert came to the conclusion to give it a try. He focused on his mind and tried to push the stress away. After a minute of frustration, noting Meridina's look, he thought to some of their earlier training sessions and changed the approach he was taking. Instead of focusing he simply let go. He didn't think about it. About Joshua Marik, the double plot, his disappointment with Prince Victor and his concern about the Alliance's future and the stresses of possibly shaping the President's response to this….

The concerns melted away. Robert felt his mind in a state of calm and, with it, came the warmth he had learned to appreciate, the golden warmth of his life force pulsing with power. He could feel Meridina, her own life force blazing as brightly as his own, and on the bridge he could feel Jarod and Locarno and some of the others. With just a gentle thought he felt the ember of life that was Joshua Marik, still so weak from his condition, and the determination beside him that was Leo.

For a moment he continued that. Beyond the _Aurora_ to the teeming life below them. He felt pulled toward the brightness emanating from the planet New Avalon. It wasn't the lights of Avalon City but the life of its denizens, all of their emotions good and ill. It was bright. So bright...

 _Robert._

Meridina's voice came to him. It pulled him back. He was doing this for a reason, he remembered. He had to know. The double. What to do about this?

The answer came to him slowly, but with certainty. A feeling deep in the warmth. He hadn't been wrong about Victor. He had felt it within him. Victor had made a mistake, a decision made under pressure and with fear. It didn't define who he was. It simply spoke to the situation he had been in.

Just as Robert had once done. He too had known pressure, had known fear. The nightmares that plagued him, the pressure of a secret mission with great consequences for them all. A mistake made, a secret kept thoughtlessly, trust betrayed. A friendship nearly lost, a war, all from that mistake.

33LA had been his error. This had been Victor's. The scope, the facts, had been different, but the underlying causes hadn't.

Robert fixed on that connection. The shared motivations. His own impressions of the man who, at the same age, had the same relative inexperience compared to others. The true feelings about the plot that he had sensed when confronting him.

For a moment of crystal clarity, he could feel what needed to be done. Deep in his bones, in his heart, in his soul, his very essence of being.

Robert knew what to do now.

And then, at the periphery of his thoughts, he heard something. A howl sounded in the distance. He turned and briefly saw a four-legged shadow…

...and then he opened his eyes. Meridina looked at him expectantly.

"Is that what it's like all the time?", Robert asked. "That flow of life, it was like it was pulling me in. And it just felt natural to me to…"

"For some of us, it is indeed strong" she answered. "Your ability to find connections with others and to understand them, your… 'empathy' I believe is your language's word, makes your _swevyra_ draw upon those connections and bonds. Another _swevyra'se_ might not be so capable."

He nodded in reply. "I know what I need to do now, Meridina. Thank you. I'm sorry, but I have some work to do… I'll make up my training later."

She smiled gently at him. "As far as I'm concerned, Robert, this was your training for the day."

"It's certainly more enjoyable than standing on my hands for twenty minutes," Robert answered with a thin smile.

"We all have our own strengths and weaknesses." Meridina stood. "I shall let you apply your insights, Robert. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Of course, Meridina. And…" His smile became warm. "...thank you."

"You are most welcome, Robert."

* * *

Victor had been about to retire when the call came in.

Seconds later, as soon as he confirmed he was ready, a pillar of white light appeared in his office and took the form of Captain Dale.

The two men, so close in age to each other, exchanged looks. Victor had a civilian-style evening robe on, showing he had been getting comfortable for the night. Robert was in the same duty uniform, but it was a basic duty uniform and not at all like the formal ones he had worn down to New Avalon before. Their relatively-casual garb gave this meeting a casual, personal air that they hadn't quite had before.

"Captain," Victor said.

"Prince." Robert nodded. "I wanted to let you know that I've had a chance to think about our… predicament." After a moment he switched to German. "I have made a mistake like that before. A mistake from pressure and fear."

"I see." Victor got back into his seat. "And?"

"I believe you are in the same place I was. Trying to do the right thing while doing the wrong thing." Robert took the seat opposite from him. "I'm prepared to tell President Morgan that the double was a Commonwealth security measure meant to protect Joshua from potentially hostile parties."

Victor smirked slightly at that. "That's Curaitis' backup story if Gemini becomes public. I'm sure the scandalvids will enjoy making me out to be the monster who dangles cancer-ridden children as assassin bait."

Robert chuckled softly at that. "I was actually intending to state in my report that I believed your security people had implemented Gemini without your approval. You don't seem the type to put children in harm's way."

"I'm not," Victor insisted. "There are some lines I will not cross."

"That's what I thought."

Robert looked around at Victor's office. It was stately and elaborate, much like President Morgan's. Photos and paintings of great Davions from the past were on walls and shelves. Hundreds of years of history had presumably been made by the decisions made here. And now he would be contributing to that, in at least some way.

"I didn't come just to share my decision with you, Prince Victor," Robert said, now speaking in English again. "I came because of the consequences of it."

"Consequences?"

"If Joshua's life is actually threatened on New Avalon by assassins enough that you would implement something like Gemini, then we have to look like we're doing what we must to secure his safety. And when you consider that NAIS is no longer directly responsible for his care…" Robert stopped speaking for a moment to let Victor process what he was saying. And what he was leading to.

The look in Victor's blue eyes shifted, and in doing so told him that Victor understood completely. "I see," he said. "It does make sense, yes. It would also be a decent gesture to Thomas Marik…" Victor put his hands together on the desk. "Very well. I formally request, Captain Dale, that you take Joshua home, where his father can oversee the continuing treatment with your doctors. The _Aurora_ can get him there more quickly than we could, short of a command circuit that we currently do not have available."

Robert nodded and grinned in reply. "I'd be honored, Prince Victor, to take charge of Joshua until he gets home."

"Then I'll recall our MIIO personnel and inform Thomas. I doubt he'll have any objections."

"He seems to appreciate what Leo is doing for Joshua," Robert agreed. He stood up. "Our diplomatic mission has already reached its natural conclusion as it is. I will have to alter our itinerary slightly, mind you."

"Oh?"

"Well, First Prince, Sian is closer to us than Atreus."

Victor chuckled. "Ah. Well, I'm quite sure that Chancellor Sun-Tzu will be more than willing to let your change of plans pass. You are safeguarding his future brother-in-law, after all."

"Hopefully he will. The Foreign Office will make our apologies clear enough, I'm sure."

Robert stood from the chair and went to leave. But only just. A thought came to his mind, a gesture he could make to extend a trust he was certain would be held. He stopped and turned back to Victor. "You've shown quite a lot of trust in me, Prince Victor, regardless of your situation."

"I have," Victor admitted. "But years at court have taught me how to judge men. I'm confident enough in that to believe I've judged you properly."

"Thank you. But I want to reciprocate." Robert put his hands on the back of the chair. "How much have you read about the Multiverse, Prince Victor? About certain… abilities that various species, even other incarnations of Humanity, possess?"

The look told Robert Victor had likely not read much on that issue. "Jerry said something about Commander Meridina lifting an NAIS stretcher without touching it. That goes with the rumors I've been hearing," Victor said. "Stories about the Gersallians having knights with special powers, or mind-readers called Betazoids from one of the other universes. An old species called the Asari is apparently made up entirely of women that can alter gravity with their minds."

"It's biotics," Robert revealed. "From long-term persistent exposure to element zero, which allows them to generate and manipulate dark matter. Their entire species evolved with that exposure to have natural biotics. Other species of M4P2, including Humans, can be biotic, although they generally need specialized implants in their brains to properly conduct the dark matter. But I'm off-subject." Robert cleared his throat. "The Gersallian stories are true, and Jerry saw just a little of what they can do. They have an organization called the Order of Swenya. It's lasted for three thousand years and exists to train Gersallians with using a specific kind of… there's no good word in English or German to convey this meaning, so I'll go with 'life force' as a simplification. They call this special kind of life force _swevyra_ and believe some beings have a special form of it, a special form that binds them to the universe and lets them do… some special things."

Victor gave him a look that seemed partly intrigued and partly bewildered.

"To go on," Robert continued, "Commander Meridina is a part of the Order. She's a Knight of Swenya. The object you saw on her belt was a _lakesh_ , a memory-metal blade she carries to defend herself with."

"Even from firearms?", Victor asked pointedly.

"It's more effective than you think. Although…" Robert put his hands together on top of the chair for a moment before extending a hand. "I suppose seeing is believing."

For a moment Victor didn't react. Not until his eyes registered the truth that, yes, the penholder on his desk was starting to float in mid-air. His eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly open in mute shock. He forced a hand to pass over and under the penholder and, against his expectations, there was nothing there. No invisible wire. No tingling energy field or anything immediately indicating exotic technology.

Robert closed his eyes and focused. Victor took a sudden step back as his _entire desk_ now started to levitate. The top of the desk rose up to eye level for several seconds.

And then it floated downward, gently reaching the ground again.

" _Mein Gott_ ," Victor whispered. " _Mein Gott, was…_ "

Robert opened his eyes again and settled his hands by his sides. It had taken quite a lot of effort to lift the desk in such a controlled fashion. But it had been the most convincing thing he could do without scaring Victor. "I discovered I had this… _swevyra_ about six months ago," Robert admitted. "Although I suspected it even earlier. My point is… it exists. I have it. Meridina is training me to control it." Robert put his hands together in front of him. "Aside from Admiral Maran and my command crew, you are the only person who I've shown this power to. Well… among those who didn't witness me fighting SS _Panzergrenadiers_ and stormtroopers with it. It's the greatest secret in my life."

Victor nodded. "I… I see." A small smile came to his face, replacing his earlier confused, stunned look. "Mutual trust and respect, then, Captain?"

"Yes, Prince," Robert replied.

"I admit I feel a little honored that you deem me worthy to have this secret." Victor started to step around his desk and approach Robert. "I will keep it, of course. I won't tell another soul. Not even my closest advisors. Not unless you permit it."

"Thank you," Robert answered. "For now I'd like to keep anyone else from knowing. If word got out, well, I don't think some of my superiors are quite ready to accept that I can do these things. There are… politics involved."

"I can imagine."

"Well." Robert put his hands together in front of him. "I'd better beam back up. We'll depart first thing in the morning."

"Of course. I will have the formal request sent to your ship immediately. For appearance's sake."

"And I'll send the reply right back."

"Then…" Victor looked at him intently for a moment.

And then he brought his hand up.

"Good voyage to you, Captain."

Robert looked at the hand for a moment and then accepted it. "Good luck and health to you, Prince. _Danke Schon_."

" _Danke Schon_."

* * *

Joshua awoke early that morning to find that his bodyguards had been replaced entirely by Commander Meridina's people. He was particularly delighted that one of them was one of the "birdmen".

Leo looked over the blue-feathered Alakin, Ensign Murkap, and asked, "He's not being too eager with the questions, is he Ensign?"

"No, Doctor," Murkap chirped. "He is being flattering."

"Ah. Well, that's good." Leo turned back to Joshua. "I have something special to share with you." He walked up and applied a hypospray to Joshua to draw blood for more testing.

Joshua looked up at him. "What's going on?"

"Prince Victor and your father have asked us to bring you home," Leo explained. "We're leaving New Avalon in a couple of hours to head to Atreus."

"Can I say goodbye to Doctor Harper?", Joshua asked.

"Of course. I'll arrange the call immediately." Leo pulled the hypospray away and looked at the dark red fluid in it. He pulled the tubule loose and pocketed it in his white lab coat. "How are you feeling today, Joshua?"

"It hurts a little," Joshua admitted. "I have a headache."

"Hrm." Leo used his multidevice to call up the charts. "I see Doctor Singh gave you a mild painkiller about five hours ago." He looked at the biobed active scan results as they were then and now. Singh had undoubtedly noticed the heightened pain response in Joshua's battered CNS. The mild painkiller was the most reasonable thing she could have done. "You let us know if that headache gets worse, okay? Or if it changes in any way."

"Yes, Doctor," Joshua promised. "Can I have some breakfast?"

"Of course. We need to get you fed so your body heals." Leo smiled at him. "What would you like?"

"Whatever Mister Hargert is making," Joshua asked. "I really liked what he gave me last night."

"Well, I'll give the Lookout a call and see about getting some breakfast sent over to you," he promised.

"Okay. And can I ask for something else?"

"Well, sure. Ask away."

"When we leave, can I be on the bridge?" Joshua put his hands together in his lap. "I didn't get to see New Avalon when I came here. I'd like to see it. And see us leave it."

Leo considered the request. Joshua had done well in his tour of the ship, a trip to the bridge and back wouldn't hurt. "I'll talk to Captain Dale and Commander Andreys, okay? That's their decision."

"Okay." Joshua reached over to the control beside his bed and used it to turn the main monitor on. The ship's computer picked up a broadcast coming from Avalon City. Cartoon characters appeared on the holo-screen. "I'll miss these shows," he confided to Leo. "I don't think they get them on Atreus."

"Maybe not yet," Leo said. "But I think you'll find that things are going to change in the Inner Sphere, Joshua. And soon you'll be able to watch anything from anywhere in the Multiverse."

The brightened expression on the boy's face should have illuminated the entire room for how sunny it was.

* * *

Robert was at the desk in his personal quarters, eating a quiet breakfast, when Admiral Maran's call came in. The Gersallian admiral's expression was as reserved as ever, but yet didn't hide his quiet aura of confidence and command. " _Captain Dale, I received your report on the Joshua Marik situation. I'll be showing it to the President later._ "

"Of course, sir. Are there any issues?"

" _None for the moment._ " Maran nodded slightly. " _I am curious about this 'Gemini' operation you mentioned. They really replaced the boy with a double to fool assassins?_ "

"I believe the intent was to sow confusion. You make things uncertain as to where the boy is, potential assassins can't be sure where to strike, so they never will. A more complicated version of the method used to secure President Morgan when traveling."

" _Yes, I can see the logic. Well, it's irrelevant now. The President has approved your altered itinerary, you're due on Atreus in three days._ "

"We'll be there," Robert pledged. "And Sian…?"

" _The Foreign Office has already drafted the explanation. Emissary Ruiz will present it to Chancellor Liao within a day._ "

"Understood. We'll make our way there after Atreus, then. Dale out."

The call ended. A check of the time told Robert he was due out on the bridge.

The officers on the bridge were at their stations, but all eyes were on Joshua. Nasri had guided his anti-grav chair up to a position beside Julia and behind Locarno. New Avalon, or at least the nearest curve of it, was displayed below. With a button press Jarod switched the main screen to showing what was directly below. The great sprawl of Avalon City was a splotch of gray on the planet's side.

"You'll have a view of the whole planet as we pull away," Jarod explained to Joshua.

"Speaking of pulling away," Robert began, "I think we're scheduled to depart now?" Julia had left his chair unoccupied while he reported to Maran, so he resumed it easily. Leo was to his other side in his usual observation chair.

Locarno looked to his side. "You want to do the honors?", he asked Joshua.

The boy's eyes lit up like tiny stars.

Nasri helped Joshua get into Locarno's lap. Robert watched without saying anything, curious to see what the helmsman was up to. Locarno took Joshua's hands with his own and guided them to the necessary controls. "Okay, here we have impulse control. We're going to leave orbit by turning the ship away from the planet and increasing impulse power. Got it?"

"Okay." There was excitement in the boy's voice while he let Locarno guide him to the necessary keys. On the screen the planet began to shift away from them. "What do I do next?"

"You tell Captain Dale and Commander Andreys that we broke orbit," Locarno instructed. He looked to Jarod with a wide grin on his face and found Jarod had his own grin of amusement.

"Captain Dale, Commander Andreys, we're breaking orbit," Joshua repeated obediently.

Robert and Julia exchanged smiles. He motioned to her and Julia put a little formality into her voice when she said, "Well then, Ensign Marik, lay in a course for Atreus."

"Ensign?" Joshua looked over at Locarno. "That's a rank, right?"

"It is. She's just made you an acting officer," Locarno told him. "So…" Again Locarno guided Joshua's hands over the necessary controls, this time further over on the warp navigation portion of his board. Locarno and the navigation systems did all of the necessary calculations and Joshua got to press the keys. "Say 'Course laid in, ma'am'."

"Course laid in, ma'am," Joshua repeated. He looked over at Jarod. "Are we far enough away from the planet to see it?"

Jarod nodded. He glanced back enough to get a nod of approval from Robert before changing the viewer again. New Avalon was now completely visible on the viewscreen. "There you go," said Jarod.

Joshua stared for several moments. "I made friends there," he finally said. "I'm going to miss them."

"You can call, I'm sure."

"Would it be appropriate? Do you think my father will think so?"

Robert smiled at that. "I'm quite sure he will, Joshua."

"I hope so," Joshua said. "And I hope we'll continue to be friends with them. I like the people in the Commonwealth. They're nice."

"They certainly seemed that way to me," Julia remarked. "But right now, it's time to get you home. Engage warp drive, Mister Marik, Warp 9.2."

Again Locarno guided the boy's hands over his board. As he brought Joshua's hand over the final activation key, he said to him, "Engaging now."

"Engaging now, ma'am," Joshua dutifully repeated, still smiling. His hand pressed against the control surface.

With a flash of light, the _Starship Aurora_ departed the New Avalon system. Joshua watched as energy flickered on the viewscreen until it was completely replaced by streaks of light.

"Congratulations on your first jump to warp speed, Joshua," Locarno said. With Nasri's help he set Joshua back in his chair.

"How long until we get home?", Joshua asked.

"It'll be a few days," Julia noted. "So, I believe Hargert has your lunch ready, Ensign. Let's get you down to the Lookout."

"Okay. But…"

"But?", Julia asked, inviting him to continue.

"If I'm an Ensign now… doesn't that mean I get a uniform?" Joshua smiled widely.

Julia crossed her arms. "Why, you clever little… Ensign."

Caterina giggled over at Science.

"Alright. Let's take you by and get you measured," Julia said. "Come on."

* * *

A short time later the entire command crew were in the Lookout, relieved from the bridge by Lieutenant Jupap and their immediate backup officers. Sandwiches, stew, and lunch meats were laid out for everyone to partake in. Joshua remained the center of attention and, at the moment, he was barraging Barnes and Scotty with questions about the warp systems. As was promised, he was now in an Alliance uniform, with an ensign stripe on his collar and the burgundy red command track color serving as trim to the black main body of the uniform.

Robert was content to let the others focus on the guest. He sat at a side table, watching the festivities and quietly enjoying his own lunch.

Across from him, Angel took a seat. "So, looks like the kid's stealing the show."

"Let him have it." Robert looked over and grinned, watching Cat get Joshua's attention with a simulation of an interuniversal jump point coming from her multidevice. "The poor kid more than earned it."

"So what happened? We're suddenly ferrying the kid home?" Angel started scooping stew with her spoon. "I mean, it seems sort of sudden."

"It's something that came up," Robert said.

Angel gave him a "you can't fool me" look. "If you can't talk about it, that's fine. I'm just… making conversation."

Robert brought a hand up. "No, it's fine. It's… Prince Victor and I discussed the matter. It makes sense for Joshua to go home now."

"If you say so," Angel remarked. "But I know there's more to it than that."

Robert chuckled. "Well, I've always had a hard time hiding things from you. Let's just say… I've come to realize that Prince Victor and I are kindred spirits. And we had a candid conversation about the situation."

"Ah." Angel nodded. She gave him the face she usually did when she knew he was being coy, that sort of restrained indulgence that expected repayment for her courtesy in not punching him for being annoying.

"It's a shame, actually," Robert said. "I had been considering taking you for dinner in Avalon City."

"Ah, well. There's still four more Inner Sphere capital worlds to visit, right?"

"Four more Great House capitals," Robert corrected. "Depending on what's going on, Maran might have us go to St. Ives and Orestes."

"You know…" Angel gave him a thoughtful look. "Has anyone mentioned Earth yet? Who rules Earth in this universe?"

"Some organization called ComStar, going by Willoughby's reports." Robert picked up a slice of cold lunch turkey. "They decided to send the _Atlantis_ to Earth to open contact. We can't do everything, after all."

"Sometimes it feels like they want us to," Angel mumbled. " _Atlantis_... that's another of the _Discovery_ ships, right?"

"It is."

"I wonder when we'll get more ships like that in the fleet," she pondered. "I mean, we're at war, we need ships with even some of the Darglan technology built in. And the _Discovery_ is more like a Starfleet ship than an Alliance ship. I mean, I know we have that whole Starfleet 'multi-mission' stuff too, but we're at least a good combat ship."

"They'll get around to it," Robert assured her. "The whole point of the _Discovery_ -class ships was to get our builders some know-how on building the Darglan-tech ships." The thought that occurred to him was that they were wasting time talking about this stuff. "You know, this isn't our usual conversation material."

"Well, I can only make so many references to other things." Angel smiled thinly at him. "And we know that any discussion about our lives will inevitably result in bringing up your swervy-whatever stuff."

"My _swev… sweev_..." Robert sighed. "Don't, I'll get it," he added, noticing Angel's look. " _Swevyra_ , there." He shook his head. "How did Zack get such a handle on it? I'm the one training for this stuff."

"It beats me."

* * *

The first day out from New Avalon was over. Leo was due to get some sleep soon but wanted to check up on his patient. Joshua was in the iso-unit and sitting up in his bed, clad in his blue medbay gown. A nearby hanger rack now held his newly-issued honorary Alliance Stellar Navy uniform.

Joshua was smiling and speaking to a figure on the room's monitor. Leo turned and saw that it was Thomas, his father. The scar-faced man had a gentle expression, undoubtedly having listened to his son's joyful descriptions of the day's events.

"Hello Doctor Leo," Joshua said, looking to Leo. "Do you need more blood?"

"No," Leo answered. "I've got enough for today." Leo looked to the monitor. "Sir."

" _Doctor_." Thomas nodded. " _Do you have any updates on Joshua's condition?_ "

"Nothing of particular note for the moment," Leo explained. "Joshua's headaches are consistent with the neurological damage from the blast cells, that is, the leukemia cells, that filtered into his central nervous system. My staff and I are keeping a constant watch on his vitals to make sure nothing severe happens. The big issue, as always, is that Joshua's body needs to recover enough so we can begin the bone marrow transplant."

" _Do you know when that will be ready?_ "

"Within a day or two of our arrival over your world, sir," Leo answered. "Give or take a day in either direction."

" _I see. Thank you, Doctor, for your efforts on the behalf of my son._ " Thomas looked to Joshua. " _I will see you soon, Joshua. Your mother is awaiting this as eagerly as I am._ "

"I love you, Father," Joshua said. He sounded happier than he had in a long time.

" _I love you too, son. Good night and sleep well._ " Thomas reached for something off-screen and disappeared from the screen.

Joshua laid back into his bed. He looked at Leo and frowned a little. "My headache's really bad, Doctor Leo."

Leo looked at the biobed readings and, to make sure of things, ran his scanner over Joshua's temple and around his head. "Hrm. You're showing no change from earlier."

"Then why does it hurt so bad?", Joshua protested.

"Your nerves are still damaged from your sickness. It's going to take time to heal them, Joshua." Leo gave him a pat on the shoulder. "There are some medications I simply can't give you for the pain. Not in your condition. And the ones I can give you're already dosed up on. I'm sorry." Leo put his hands on his head. "Nothing abnormal."

Joshua nodded. "I understand."

"Do the headaches go away or stay?"

"They stop. Then they start again."

"Alright." Leo began consulting his multidevice and a list of possible treatments. Painkillers were out of the question. So were other medications that might further alter his chemical state. Still… "I can give you a slight sleep aid," he said. "Hopefully that will let you sleep. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Joshua seemed to force a grin to his face. "Thank you, Doctor Leo. I still feel a lot better because of you."

"You're welcome, Joshua. I'll be right back."

By the time he returned, Joshua had fallen asleep. Leo smiled thinly at the boy, checked his vitals again, and left him to his much-needed rest.

* * *

Robert was about to retire for the evening when there was a chime at his door. He went to it and opened it manually, knowing it couldn't be Angel (he'd programmed his door to let her in automatically).

Jarod was standing in the doorway. "Robert, can we talk?"

"Sure." He let Jarod into his room and closed it behind him. "What's on your mind?"

Jarod turned and faced him directly. "I've read the report you gave on the Commonwealth's use of a double for Joshua. And I think you've gotten it wrong."

Robert remained quiet for a moment. "Oh?"

"This was more than just a security measure," Jarod insisted. "The personnel transfers of oncologists, the effort it would have taken to make such a convincing double of Joshua, this all screams of a long-term intelligence operation. The costs of doing it just to confuse potential assassins doesn't fit. There had to be something more going on."

"I see." Robert got into his seat. "I understand your concern. I'm just not sure why…"

"...because you didn't even consult me before filing this," Jarod pointed out. There was some heat in his voice. "You didn't consult any of us. You didn't ask questions."

For a moment he remained silent. This was slightly out of the ordinary for Jarod. But then again… what was ordinary for a man who could slip in and out of identities almost at will? For someone who could seamlessly fit into any occupation he observed? "And you're upset with me for this?"

"I wasn't at first. Not until I saw the transporter logs." Jarod looked at him intently. "After you had your talk with Victor up here, you beamed down to New Avalon later that night. And you came back and filed this report without giving me or Julia one indication of it. I want to know why."

For a moment Robert considered how to react. But after that moment, he knew there was only one appropriate way to do so if he wanted to keep Jarod's respect and trust. And he did. Robert valued the man, older in age but in many ways younger in mindset, and he had the example of 33LA to remind him of what could happen if he didn't give his people, his friends, the trust they deserved.

"Victor admitted to me the real reason," Robert said. "And after consideration using my… gifts… I realized that we'll all be better off if I trusted him."

"Just like that?"

"He made a mistake. Out of fear. Pressure." Robert set his hand on his forehead and rested his head on the desk. "I know what that's like. And I believe he's learned his lesson from it. I think we'll all be better off if we don't get alienated from the Commonwealth."

"So you're just willing to trust Prince Victor?"

"I am."

"And what if you're wrong? What if you're trusting a terrible person?

"Then…" Robert gazed back into his eyes. "You and the others get to say 'I told you so' a lot and remind me I'm an idiot."

Jarod considered his answer for several moments. Robert was relieved to see a grin slowly cross his face. "I'll remember that," he said.

"Of course you will." Robert leaned over the table and looked Jarod in the eye. "I trust you and your judgement, Jarod. I always have. I want you to know that."

Jarod nodded in reply. "Thank you. And, present appearances to the contrary, I do trust your decisions in the end. You've proven that more often than not, you make good ones."

"Thank you." Robert stood. "Is there anything else?"

"No. See you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

Jarod left Robert's quarters and, presumably, headed off toward his own. Robert let out a sigh at the situation, and how much he regretted having ignored Jarod's input as he had.

A glimmer of doubt came to him. What if he was actually wrong? What if he was being so empathetic toward Victor that he was ignoring signs that Victor was just another feudalist warlord, the kind produced by the social systems the Inner Sphere had chosen to put into place?

No. No, he wasn't wrong. Robert was sure of it, as sure as he could be of anything. He had to remember what Meridina had told him. Doubt, in terms of these abilities, was the enemy more often that not. He couldn't let his doubt cloud his judgement. Not like he had before.

With no sign of Angel yet, indicating she had likely decided to stay in her own quarters for the evening, Robert changed into bedclothes and slipped into his bed.

* * *

Everyone had their own preferred level of light for sleep. Some wanted no light at all. They rested best in pitch blackness. Others wanted a bit of light, yet others were perfectly capable of normal light conditions being present when they slept.

Leo himself preferred a dimmed light, and his quarters were suitably dimmed so that, from his bed, he could only just make out the far shelving where he kept pictures of his family and friends. In his living area were more pictures, as well as his framed doctorate - issued by the University of New Columbia in L2M1 in the year before the Alliance's founding - and other little mementos. The furnishings were standard replicated furnishings, nothing fancy, and his work desk for checking medical logs in the morning while still waking up.

It was this dimmed light environment that Leo woke up to when he heard the persistent tone from his multidevice. His stomach started to twist. This was not a normal call. He reached over and pressed it.

" _Singh here_." Through his groggy, sleep-filled mind, Leo remembered that Doctor Singh was taking the overnight. Her voice sounded strained. " _Doctor, we need you in the medbay, stat._ "

With increasing horror threatening to choke him, Leo asked the obvious question. "Is it Joshua?"

" _Yes_."

"I'm on my way."


	15. Episode 2-03-5 The Measure of a Life

Leo had only thrown on his lab coat while rushing out the door of his quarters. He arrived in the medbay at a run and went straight by the immediate treatment biobeds, on his way to the iso-unit. Meridina's security people waved him in without a word.

Doctor Singh and several nurses were already present. Singh was busy applying a dose of something. "30ccs of oxylin," she explained in her accented English. Her complexion was a dark bronze, the kind expected for someone from the Punjab, or from the colony world New Punjab in her case.

Leo immediately went to the bed scanners. "Brain hemorrhage," he said. "Looks like the parietal lobe."

"Indications of one in the anterior as well," Singh added.

"Dammit." A burst blood vessel and internal bleeding was always a danger with more advanced leukemia patients. Treating the blood vessels had been part of his regimen, but it took time for those treatments to repair damaged blood vessels without invasive procedures.

"Doctor, I have ordered the OR prepped. Lumenaram is already scrubbing down to go in and plant shunts."

Leo frowned. Brain surgery, any surgery, was risky with Joshua. Unfortunately, so was letting his blood vessels continue to pour blood into his brain. "I'll go scrub down immediately and join him."

Robert was roused from his sleep by the call. After getting ready he rushed to the medbay with Julia meeting him at the lift. As they stepped off of it she ceased speaking to the Gamma Shift crew on the bridge. "We're tied into Atreus," she said once the call was over.

Robert nodded stiffly. "So Captain-General Marik and his doctors can watch and second-guess Leo?"

"Maybe, maybe not, Rob. But let's be honest, this looks bad if we're not transparent about it."

"Yeah." Robert shook his head. "I just can't believe it. Things seemed to be going so well."

"Leo's doing his best. But when you think about how sick Joshua actually is…" Julia shook her head. "I'm not sure any doctor could bring him back. Even our medical technology has its limits."

They made it to the medbay and, upon a quick search, found Leo finishing his surgery preparation. He gave them a look and shook his head. "It's bad," he said. "Joshua's got two blood vessels that are hemorrhaging into his brain, and we've found a third ready to start bleeding into his chest."

"What can you do about it?", Robert asked.

"We're going to use the surgical transporters to implant shunts and to take out the blood already present. But if more vessels give way…" Leo shook his head. Robert and Julia could see the dark look in his eyes. "I can't lie to myself. I don't know if I can save him. I was so sure I could, that I could bring him back from the brink, but if this continues…"

"Is there any way to strengthen his blood vessels?", Julia asked.

"Not in the short term. We've already been giving him treatments to do just that, but they take time. Weeks. If his cardiovascular system is that close to failure, we may not have that much time." Leo gave them one last intent look before stepping away. "Singh and Lumenaram should be ready. I've got to get in there."

"Of course." A frown creased Julia's lips. Her expression was full of concern. "Good luck, Leo."

He nodded back to them. There was no mistaking the grimness of his expression. "Thank you." He went through the opposite door to the airlock of the OR.

With nothing left to do, Robert and Julia found their way to the viewing gallery, to sit, watch… and hope.

Lumenaram, as the most experienced physician in terms of operations inside the brain, was taking the lead on that part of the operation. He was operating the transporter-based systems that allowed surgery without cutting open the body, the only thing that made this surgery feasible without killing Joshua. Singh was operating the secondary systems, meant for dealing with issues of bloodflow through both transporters and forcefields projected into the body, allowing the shunt to be placed safely.

Leo was taking up the third role of the surgery, doing what he could to shore up Joshua's system and ensuring his blood levels stayed within safe limits. If another vessel ruptured anywhere in Joshua's body, Leo would take over another system to begin dealing with that problem.

He tried not to think of the situation. He had to focus solely on the patient, on the immediate needs of his patience's survival.

Joshua's vitals remained solid, for the moment. His blood count was still on the low side. That couldn't be fixed until Joshua had a bone marrow transplant. And the bone marrow wasn't ready for implant yet. It needed more time to function.

"First shunt in place," Lumenaram stated. "I am moving to insert the second. Doctor…"

Singh was already manipulating her own controls. "The blood in the area has been cleared. I have sealed the damaged vessel."

"I will not be long," Lumenaram promised.

Leo watched his own monitors carefully. Lumenaram was certainly doing as well as could be expected. "Vitals are remaining stable," Leo said.

"Second shunt prepared. Inserting."

Tense seconds passed. Lumenaram had his head dabbed by a sponge in the hands of one of the nurses, an Alakin male. Singh was focused on her secondary work.

Leo felt sweat trickling into his eyes. Frustration and tension made his muscles stiffen, as if to begin fight-or-flight reactions. They were close now. If things held… well, they'd be beyond this crisis. And then he would consult with the other physicians about ways to hasten the recovery of the blood vessel network in Joshua's body to prevent another recurrence of this problem.

A sponge ran over his forehead. He looked over. Nasri was in operating garb. Her dark eyes met his and she nodded.

He felt incredibly thankful for that. Nasri was his best, and one of his first medical trainees back in the Facility days. It always seemed right to have her at his side, doing this work.

The second shunt was almost complete. They were about done. Relief was starting to seep in past Leo's mental defenses. The crisis was over, it had to be over, it…

Red light flooded his monitor. _Oh no._ "Hemorrhage in left lung," he declared. "I'm getting it."

"Adjusting over." Singh shifted her equipment to be across from Leo, on the other side of the OR table. "I'm…"

Another red light appeared. "Another vessel, left lung. Dammit." Leo was still working on the first break.

"His entire cardiovascular system is starting to fail," Lumenaram stated.

Singh's hands were moving over her controls. "I'm working on it..."

The viewing gallery built into the medbay OR was now at capacity. Robert and Julia had said nothing as the other command staff officers came and joined them. Now they noticed Hargert walking in from the side. He looked down into the gallery with his eyes lowered. "Poor boy," he muttered in his native German.

Robert nodded in immediate agreement. _Was it all for nothing?_ , he wondered. All of the issues with the Commonwealth's double plan, or the security for Joshua, was it all just to lead up to this?

"C'mon lad," he heard Scotty urge. "Ye can dae it."

Looking over the others, he saw Jarod's expression was the most grim. "Jarod?", he asked.

"I was afraid of this," he said. "We were too late. His condition was too far advanced."

"It is not over yet," Meridina murmured in reply. "Have hope."

"Can't you do something about this?', Robert asked. "Given what you've shown me…''

"My healing powers are limited, Robert," Meridina answered. "I can mend bones. With effort I can try and restrain some of the bleeding. But I did not train enough to mend a body like this. Even the best healers in my Order wouldn't be as capable as your technology."

"I was hoping there was a way you could help him strengthen him."

"I wish there was," Meridina admitted. "But it is not within my power. I can do no more than the rest of you."

Robert nodded. He looked back out into the OR and thought _You can do this. You can save him._

You can save him

, Leo was thinking. And he wanted to.

The lungs were no longer flooding with blood. Joshua's breathing had returned to normal.

Unfortunately, it looked like the stress on his system had finally become too much. "Nerve signals are down across the board," Singh said. "The degradation of the CNS is limiting his body's ability to maintain itself."

"Just make sure his brain is still functioning." Leo looked toward the backup nurse assistant, a Gamma Shift nurse who was a Dorei, a blue-skinned teal-spotted woman named Genira. "Prep the cryostasis unit."

Singh looked at Leo with a disbelieving expression. "Doctor, cryostasis?"

"As our last option," Leo said. "In case we can't save him now."

"But he can't go into cryostasis in his current condition!", Singh protested. "Not with his body so weak! He would never survive restoration!"

"Then we need to make sure he survives now, but I am giving him every chance I can…" Leo's attention to the display saw the next item to draw him back. The aorta in Joshua's heart was now seeping blood. "Aortic valve failure, he's hemorrhaging again!"

They continued to work. To fight. Leo and his doctors knew that the gallery was full of people who were giving their hopes and prayers for them to succeed. And they wanted to. Leo was intent on it.

Each stopped hemorrhage led to a new one, however. One after the other. Transfusions were called in to replenish the lost blood in Joshua's body, but that only served to cause more. His body was simply too weak and damaged from the leukemia and the methods used to try and destroy it. As the minutes turned into hours, as the next day's shift began to come on duty, it was increasingly clear that every method they tried, every treatment Leo came up with, was not working.

Finally the warning tones came. Leo looked up from where he was trying to heal the latest breach in Joshua's cardiovascular system to see that his body was simply shutting down. His brain activity was starting to cease. The oxylin alone couldn't keep it going, not without the necessary blood flow that all of the internal breaks were siphoning away. "Ready cortical stimulators!", Leo called out.

Lumenaram was already on the job. The Gersallian physician busied himself with attaching the necessary pieces to Joshua's forehead. "Setting voltages… ready," he said in the lilting accent most Gersallians had when speaking English.

"Now."

There was a jolt of energy into Joshua's dying brain.

The EEGs showed a brief surge of activity. Hope swelled into Leo. For all of two seconds, as the surge quickly gave way to a flat line. He snarled and barked, "Again!"

Another jolt.

Nothing this time.

"The heart is stopping," Singh reported cooly. Her reserve was not being shaken by their clear failure.

"Again!"

Nothing.

"It's not working," Lumenaram said. "I'm sorry, Doctor."

"His body's too weak and too damaged. Call it."

"No. _Again_."

Lumenaram went to protest, but for the moment did not. At the press of his finger another jolt of energy went into Joshua's brain, trying to kickstart it back into operation.

Again, there was no response.

"The neurological damage he suffered from the blast cells is interfering with the cortical stimulator," Lumenaram reported. "It's not going to work."

"Again!", Leo insisted.

"Doctor, it's not going to work," the Gersallian repeated. "I'm sorry, but he's…"

Leo went around to the head of the table and smashed his finger into the stimulator control. Again it activated, and again it sent a jolt of specially-tuned electricity into Joshua's brain, trying to kickstart the neurotransmitters that had stopped functioning.

And again, there was no response.

"No," Leo insisted. "No. _No, I am not…_ "

It was Singh who declared, "He is gone, Doctor Gillam!"

Leo looked at her with a face twisted in anguish and anger. "Where's the cryostasis chamber?! We still…"

"It's too late for stasis!", she retorted. "He is too weak to survive the revival process, and his brain has been shut down for too long. The oxylin won't work anymore, and you know this!" Singh leaned over the table and glared at him. Her dark eyes were locked onto his. "You know this, Doctor. _Call it._ "

Leo's mouth quivered. He wiped at his face with his left hand. It looked for a moment like he would simply explode in a frenzy of movement.

"Computer, this is Doctor Gillam, senior attending physician," Leo began. His voice was heavy with frustration and disappointment. "Log time of death for patient Joshua Marik."

" _Time logged: 0954 hours, 18th of March_ ," the _Aurora_ 's computer replied.

Leo looked at Joshua. He looked peaceful and content. The initial strokes had taken him in his sleep so he had never felt his brain begin to go haywire from the pressure of the blood it was drowning in. He hadn't suffered.

Warm tears were pouring down Leo's cheeks, leaving streaks mingled with the sweat drawn from his failed efforts.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say. "I'm so sorry, Joshua."

The state visit protocols had been repeated. But there was little of the zing and breathless anticipation that had been anticipated. Captain-General Marik stepped down from his shuttle to the strains of the League anthem and a Marine honor guard and approached Robert and his officers. "Your Highness, welcome aboard the _Aurora_ ," Robert said, standing at attention. "It's an honor to have you."

The much older statesman nodded. His scarred face made Robert think of how much this poor man had already suffered in his life. "Thank you for your kind greetings, Captain."

Robert opted to skip introductions for the moment. "You're welcome, sir." He indicated a casket laid upon a table wheeled in. "Your son is ready to go home. Although I had hoped he would do so under happier circumstances."

"Yes." Thomas Marik looked to the others. "These are your command officers?"

"Yes." Robert went through the introductions quickly. Thomas was most interested in Leo, whom he shook hands with.

Leo returned the handshake with a pained look in his eyes.

With Robert's introductions done, Thomas introduced his wife Sophina and the rest of his entourage.

After they were done with the formalities, Thomas went over to the casket and opened it. Joshua lay in restful repose, hands on his chest. Thomas reached down and touched the cold skin of his child. There were tears in his eyes.

"On behalf of myself, my officers and crew, and the Allied Systems, we offer you our deepest condolences, sir," Robert continued. "Joshua was well liked by our crew."

"And he liked you," Thomas answered. His voice was calm. Aside from the tears his expression was quiet and neutral, unlike the clear grief on his wife's face. "My son's final messages to me overflowed with his enthusiasm for your people. He spoke of the kindnesses you had shown him and his wonder at your Alliance. As Captain-General of the Free Worlds League, I thank you for your efforts on behalf of the League's heir. As a father, I cannot thank you enough for making him happy in his final days."

"We're thankful for the chance to have known your son," was all Robert could say.

With Joshua's remains officially turned over to the League, Thomas and Sophina were given a tour of the _Aurora_ much like Victor's and Yvonne's, or more to the point, their son's. Their grief made the occasion more somber and subdued the enthusiasm of all. Wherever they went, the department officers extended their own condolences to them for Joshua.

Hargert was not to be outdone on that. He offered them holo-images of Joshua during his time on the ship and his meals in the Lookout, laughing and grinning in the Alliance uniform he'd been given. Julia showed them the memorial wall where the _Aurora_ crew listed their lost comrades. It was already a long list, fifteen names in a column and several columns and taking up half of the wall space beside the port-side Lookout entrance.

There was a new listing in the seventh and newest column: _Marik, Joshua. Ens. (Hon. Act.)_

Thomas looked to Julia and nodded with appreciation.

With their tour mostly over, it was only then that he asked something of the crew.

"Where is Doctor Gillam?"

Leo didn't answer the door chime right away. He remained seated in his chair, looking into nothing with the darkness of his quarters untouched by the sunlight reflecting off Atreus and touching the other side of the _Aurora_. Alone in his thoughts and his pain.

He'd known that saving Joshua was not going to be a certain thing. Not with his condition so painfully advanced. He'd _known_. It shouldn't be this painful.

But it was. It was more painful than he imagined it would be.

He looked down at the item in his hand. He'd absent-mindedly scooped it up while going through his room. There was no light for the medallion to glint in, but he knew its inscription already. He could still remember Daniel Jackson explaining what the hieroglyphics meant.

He tossed the medallion toward the door. It clunked against it and hit the ground.

The worst thing was Thomas Marik's reaction. His quiet, resolved acceptance of his son's death. It only made Leo more aware of how much it hurt him, and it shamed him by how well a grieving father was taking it over him.

There was a knock at the door. When Leo didn't answer it came again, followed by the door chime.

He wanted to scream at his caller to go away. _Julia or Nasri_ , he thought. _Coming to be mother hens. They can't just leave me alone…_ He stood up and called out, "Alright, come in! Computer, raise light level to standard."

The lights in the room reached standard illumination as the door slid open. "I know what…"

Leo stopped in mid-sentence as Captain-General Marik entered.

Thomas Marik looked about quietly. His eyes spied the medallion on the floor. He bent over and picked it up. "I wished to speak with you," he said. "Privately."

Leo swallowed and met the older man's eyes. "Computer, secure door," he said. The door slid close behind Thomas.

Thomas was busy looking over his medallion. "Egyptian hieroglyphics. Interesting. Where did you get this?"

"The villagers of Abydos," he answered. "I saved their chief's daughter from an alien parasite. He gave that to me as a reward."

"Do you know what it says?"

"According to someone who knows, one side refers to me as a great healer, and the other declares I can drive out demons." Leo put his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry about your son. I… I'm sorry."

"I know." Thomas set the medallion down upon the nearby table. "I was watching your attempt to save him. My physicians may not be familiar with your technology, but they could recognize what you were trying to do."

"And any mistakes I made that I can't think of, I imagine."

Thomas shook his head gently. "On the contrary. They were all deeply impressed with your efforts to save my son. They would have given up on him before you did."

Leo didn't answer that.

"We will all mourn Joshua in our own way," Thomas continued. "I am grateful for what you've done for him, and for us. My son died happy because of your efforts."

There was silence. They continued to face each other.

"I've never lost a child before," Leo finally said, breaking the silence. "My mind knew it was still weighted against him living, but my heart refused to accept it. I couldn't lose a child. Not to anything."

"I understand." Thomas set his hand on the stand beside him. "Failure, a new and raw failure like that, can burn like few others."

"A month. Two, maybe. If we had just come sooner, I could have saved him."

Thomas said nothing, not immediately. He walked further into the room. When he directed his eyes at Leo again, it was with compassionate understanding. "My physicians did express one concern to me," he revealed.

"Yes?"

"That a promising young doctor like you might be broken by losing Joshua." Thomas shook his head. "I've lost my son. Please, don't let more loss affect us all."

Warm tears were pouring down Leo's face. "I think I would find it easier if you were angry with me," he confessed.

"I imagine so." A small smile stretched over the man's scarred face. "I can see that, yes. But I cannot. You brought my son a chance to experience joy and wonder in his final days, and when the time came you fought for his life with everything you had. I could not expect more."

"I can't imagine what he would have accomplished…"

"He would have done much, that I'm sure. He would have built bridges between our people and the Federated Commonwealth, and between the League and the Alliance," said Thomas. "His promise is gone. Please don't let his loss destroy the promise in your future as well. Remember that lives aren't measured solely by successes, but by failures as well, and how we let each change us."

Leo nodded. "Yeah."

There was more silence. Thomas, seeing Leo had nothing to say, found he had nothing to say either. He went back to the door.

"Captain-General… sir."

Thomas turned back as Leo looked over to him.

"Thank you," Leo said. "I just need time to process this, but I'll bounce back from it. My friends will help, just as you have. I'm honored you came to visit me."

The reply was a nod, for words were not needed.

After the Marik leader left, Leo went over to the medallion that Kasuf and the Abydonians had given him. He gently picked it up and put it back in its place on his shelf.

Time. He needed time to come to accept this. But he expected he would, in the end.

It would always hurt, though.

 **Tag**

 _Ship's Log: 21 March 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. Our negotiations with the Free Worlds League are already showing promise. Emissary Janliran and I have already laid the framework for providing new technology to the League in exchange for support._

Captain-General Marik, impressed by the threat of the Nazi Empire and clearly disgusted by its existence, has already pledged the service of one of his elite units, the Knights of the Inner Sphere, to the Alliance cause. Emissary Willoughby has signaled from New Avalon that Prince Victor has already persuaded some of his commanders that they can safely adopt a similar course of action. I can safely say our mission to the Inner Sphere is, for the moment, successful.

I must also log that the crew is still mourning Joshua Marik's death. During his time with us, his courage in the face of his affliction and his curious and friendly demeanor impressed everyone. His memory will be fondly remembered.

After a day with Emissary Janliran discussing matters with Thomas Marik and his Cabinet, Robert was happy to return home to his quarters. Angel was waiting for him, wearing a green sleeveless blouse that showed off her muscled arms and a lime green pair of sweatpants. She was laid out on the couch of his living area and smiling at him. "How was the diplomacy?"

"Terrific," Robert answered. "But tiring."

"This is why I prefer my job," Angel replied. She waved her feet in the air and wiggled her bare toes. "I get to kick asses and blow stuff up. No diplomacy."

"You always have been the violent one," Robert teased her.

"I can negotiate, if I have to," Angel continued. She smirked. "Aggressively."

He smirked back. "Well, now that…"

A tone sounded from his multidevice. Jupap chirped, " _Bridge to Captain Dale._ "

He sighed and pressed the comm key on it. "Dale here."

" _We have an incoming subspace communication from New Avalon. They wish to speak with you._ "

"Alright. Put it through here." Robert went to his desk and keyed the system to accept the call. His screen activated and displayed an image of Prince Victor. " _Guten Abend, Prinz Victor_ ," he stated. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

A wan smile crossed the other man's face. " _I heard about Joshua. Doctor Harper and a number of his old caretakers are already sending letters of condolence._ "

"Leo came close," Robert sighed.

" _So I heard. I've already extended my own condolences to Thomas Marik. He's thanked me for everything NAIS did for Joshua over the years._ " Victor shook his head. " _Maybe if I had acted more quickly, if I had been more forward with Emissary Willoughby on the situation, Joshua might still be alive._ "

"Maybe or maybe not. You did the right thing by bringing us in, at least. Joshua got to live a little before he passed on."

" _Right._ " Victor put his hands together on the desk and allowed himself a brief smile. " _The Captain-General hasn't wasted any time in announcing his reaction to your S4W8 universe._ "

"No he hasn't."

" _The Knights of the Inner Sphere. They're good people._ " Victor nodded. " _Of course, I can't allow Thomas to get too far ahead of me in helping the Allied Systems, not when they stand to change the Inner Sphere forever. Thomas' announcement has quieted some of the resistance I've had. I've already let Admiral Maran know that your people can expect the 3rd Davion Guards and the Davion Assault Guards to be ready for service with your forces by the end of the month. Any further contributions will, of course, depend on any developments with the Clans._ "

"That's good news." Robert considered the contribution. The Inner Sphere didn't have ships to provide - not yet anyway - but ground troops could be useful. Especially ground troops backed by massive war machines. With theater shields and other Alliance support forces, any Inner Sphere troops could help hold worlds that their depleted fleets had to temporarily withdraw from. "And it's just the beginning."

" _That it is. Good luck out there, Captain._ "

"Thank you, Victor."

The call ended. Robert leaned back in his chair for a moment. He could sense Angel had left the couch and gone toward the bedroom. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking. He stood up and turned that way. At the door to the bedroom Angel intercepted him and put her arms around him. "Sorry for the wait."

"Hrm." She kissed his neck. "No apologies. Come in."

Robert looked into her hazel eyes, burning with affection and passion, and felt the same coming from him. He put a hand on her head and brought her close, until their lips locked together into a strong kiss.

Julia finished her late meal in the Lookout and let out a small, contented sigh. The ship was running as smoothly as ever. The best performing members of the crew were getting to partake of some of the sights down on Atreus and morale had never been higher. _Diplomatic missions are stressful for us, but the crew usually benefits from them_.

Her eyes went to the memorial list on the wall. Barnes was looking at it intently. Curious, she stepped up to him. "Everything okay?", she asked.

"Huh?" He turned and faced her. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I guess." He shook his head. "I mean… as okay as they can be?" He tilted his head toward the list. "Everyone's okay with the kid being on the list, then?"

"I haven't gotten any complaints," Julia confirmed.

"Good." Barnes looked back to it. "Poor kid."

"Yeah."

They remained quiet for several moments. "I'm not the best officer, am I Julie?", Barnes asked, ending their silence.

Julia looked at him intently. She didn't often see such doubt in his light brown eyes, but it was there now. "There are times, yeah," she admitted. "When you get in your manic moods or you get bored and feel like you need to mouth off."

"Yep." He shook his head. "I'm trying, actually. I… I mean, I know what we're trying to do out here, and it's cool, I wanna do it… I just wonder sometimes if I can fit what you and Rob and Zack and the others have put together. I'm not serious enough for these things and..."

"Tom." Julia put a hand on his arm and smiled gently, drawing his attention. "Just because you're not the best officer material doesn't mean you don't fit in with us. You're talented in your field. You know this ship as good as Scotty does. We need you and we always will."

"Even when I'm being a smartass?"

Julia nodded. And then allowed her gentle smile to become an amused grin. "Sometimes _especially_ when you're being a smartass. God knows I sometimes need someone to get me to lighten up. It just has to be in the right time and place, and official briefings aren't either of those things..."

Barnes cracked a grin at that. "You're always the serious one. And I'm never the serious one."

"I think Rob is the serious one," Julia corrected.

"No. Rob is the _brooding_ one. He broods. He angsts at things." Barnes crossed his arms and assumed a slightly-depressed, withdrawn look that made Julia start chuckling at the resemblance. "'I made a horrible mistake and I started the war, oh woe is all of us'."

"Don't you _dare_ do that in front of him," Julia insisted. "And I see Rob as more of the superhero thing, you know, heroic pose and going off to save the day?"

Barnes considered it. "That's the other side of his personality," he finally admitted. "And it's the cooler side if you ask me."

"You're not the one tearing your hair out dealing with him when he's like that," Julia protested.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"So if I'm the serious, you're the unserious, and Rob's the brooder…"

"Angel's the violent one." Barnes faked a very Angel-like snarl. "'I'm gonna kick your ass and break your bones, I know kung fu!' And as for Jarod..."

He listed them all, chuckling and laughing as he did the impersonations.

And Julia laughed through each and every one of them.


	16. Episode 2-04-1 Diplomatic Maneuvers

**Teaser**

The _Starship Aurora_ quietly orbited the world dubbed Russell's Planet, Universe Designate R4A1, in the company of a handful of other local ships and defensive stations.

In the bowels of the kilometer-long starship, the green-eyed, dark-haired figure of the ship's captain was concerning himself with a matter outside of his duties toward his ship. Robert Dale was busy concentrating, wearing the training robes his security chief had procured for him and holding a wooden practice blade in his hands. Sweat covered his forehead and face, dripping into his eyes and messing with his vision.

Commander Meridina, said security chief, remained still. Her plain features were Human-looking, a source of many a confused blink from people who heard she was an alien, and she too was in a training robe. Her deep blue eyes looked to her other student in the Gersallian arts of _swevyra_ , Lieutenant Lucy Lucero, and stated, "You are not hesitating, but you have prolonged this duel. Why?"

Lucy had her own wooden blade at a ready position as she faced down Robert. Her curly dark hair had been gathered in a ponytail at the back of her head. Blue eyes remained focused on Robert, set in an oval-shaped face. Sweat glistened on her light bronze complexion. "I want to give him a chance," she said.

Robert kept his focus up. He could sense her plans, holding back to see what he would do, how he would attack. He forced his frustration down. Ever since this training with their " _swevyra_ " - with the strange powers that their "life force" had granted them, according to Meridina's own cultural tradition - he had felt second-best to Lucy. Granted, she had been training for at least five months longer, but he was approaching his fourth month of the training and his progress seemed to be slower than her own had been. Ever since Meridina had said he needed to train in these duels to learn finer control and focus, he had been repeatedly beaten by both of them. He simply couldn't read them well enough, or keep up with their enhanced speed and skill.

"It's frustrating, I know," Lucy said to him. "But you can't just stand there all day, Robert. Do you know how many weeks it took me before I put Meridina on her back?"

Robert replied with a frown. He forced a breath into his lungs. "You see everything I do before I do it," he said. "I don't see the point in attacking."

Meridina shook her head. "The point is not to attack or to defend. It is to learn to listen."

"Listen?" Robert looked at her. "Listen to…"

He felt it coming too late. After turning his head, his focus, to Meridina, he'd opened himself up, and Lucy took swift and complete advantage of his lapse. In a single strike she twisted his wooden blade impossibly, forcing it from his hand. Her leg curled under his feet at the shins. His feet lost contact with the training mat and he fell onto his back. The tip of Lucy's training blade went to his throat.

As she pulled it away, Robert made a growling noise of frustration. Before he could complain Lucy spoke first. "Listen to what's going on around you, for starters," she said. "Listen to what's _inside_ of you. Just like you did back in that Facility."

"You make it sound easy."

Lucy smiled thinly. She held her hand down toward him and helped Robert to his feet. "It's not," she admitted. "There are too many ways to distract yourself mentally."

"Indeed." Meridina stepped up to them. "This is why I train you with the blades. These matches teach and reinforce focus of mind, focus upon the _swevyra_."

"You mean the life force."

"That term in your language lacks meaning for what our word conveys," Meridina remarked. "As you must have felt by now."

She had something of a point, Robert decided. "Life force" was a clunky term to say. It implied a force that sustained life or embodied it, yes. But the connection to the wider universe he'd felt when using this power was more than that.

But at the same time, the Gersallian term just felt off. It didn't fit right in his speech. He had once had the computer's linguistics programs transliterate the term into English and the computer spat up about four different pronunciations of it with six different spellings. He'd settled on "swe-veee-ra" as sounding the closest to how Meridina pronounced it. Even that seemed somehow inadequate to him.

As for learning how to focus on it, Robert's comeback was, "Getting smacked with a wooden stick is not the easiest way I've heard of to learn focus."

"Pain can be a motivator," Meridina pointed out. "The important thing, Robert, is not winning. It is learning to listen."

"Which hopefully leads to winning."

Lucy shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm still at like a ten percent win ratio with Meridina." She gave Meridina a bemused look. "And sometimes I think half of those wins are her letting me win."

Meridina did not deign to respond to that allegation.

"So, again?", Robert asked. "I've got another hour before we meet with the Russell's Planet colonial government to find out just why they called us here."

Meridina held her hand out and reached for her own training blade. It flew gently through the air to her hand. "Yes. I think..."

She stopped speaking. A bewildered look crossed her face, a look that was not often seen on her usually-stoic features.

There was a feeling. Robert started to sense it too, as did Lucy. Not of danger. But that something was about to…

There was a buzzing sound in the air. And out of nowhere a white light appeared in the middle of their training area, A single figure appeared within it as the light peaked and flashed away. The figure was small, with a bulbous head and a gray tinge to its inhuman exterior. It was completely uncovered and almost looked like a toy that way, given the absolute lack of any attributes, sexual or otherwise. Solid black eyes looked to him and a thin arm and hand came up in a peaceful gesture.

Lucy's hand was starting to go toward her mutlidevice. Robert tensed up and felt his mind race. Where could this being have come from? Why had it transported directly and so suddenly into the gym, of all places.

Before anything else could be said or done, the being began to speak with a sort of monotone voice. And in perfect English.

"Greetings. You are Captain Robert Dale of the Allied Systems."

Robert got the feeling it wasn't a question. He nodded. "I am."

The being nodded. "Then it is important that we speak. I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard."

"The… Asgard?" Robert thought about that. That sounded familiar.

"Yes. I am the source of the transmissions requesting your vessel come to this world. I have come to speak with you and your Alliance on a matter of extreme urgency."

"Pretty extreme if you just beamed straight to our gym," Lucy remarked with a slight, sarcastic grin.

Meridina gave Lucy one of her looks of studied and direct patience.

Thor seemed unperturbed by the interruption. He went on. "This mission is of vital importance to your future. The fate of this galaxy's Earth, and possibly of your entire Alliance, may hang in the balance."

At that, Robert had only response he felt he could give.

"I'm listening." 

* * *

**Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Diplomatic Maneuvers"_**

* * *

 _Ship's Log; 8 April 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We're still at Russell's Planet awaiting the arrival of a high ranking official of the Alliance Government, called here in light of what I was told by Supreme Commander Thor yesterday._

The space over Russell's Planet opened up with the generation of an interuniversal jump point. A single Dorei starbird emerged. The _Layama_ -class craft was not the same size as the _Aurora_ but possessed a power of its own in its pleasant grace and look, like an aloft great bird soaring through space.

Robert and Julia were waiting at Transporter Station 3 when the ship arrived. A transport beam appeared, a pillar of white light that formed into a Dorei man of about Julia's height. His skin was dark ocean blue, which highlighted the teal spots running down his hairline and jaw down to his neck. Pale teal hair flowed over the back of his neck into an elaborate braid. His suit was of yellow and bronze, with purple trimming and a deep purple vest. Dark purple eyes looked at them in sequence, rimmed by the weary lines of the aged. "Captain Dale. Commander Andreys."

"Minister Onaran." Robert nodded to him. Lentiro Onaran was a respected Dorei statesman, a former First Minister of the Dorei Federation and former High Minister of the Leturan Republics, one of the internal Dorei states. Onaran had been a major player in the formation of the Alliance and had joined the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary to President Morgan. "Welcome aboard."

"Yes. I would like to dispense with the usual pleasantries and formalities, Captain," Onaran announced. "Your report to Admiral Maran indicates the situation requires immediate attention."

Robert nodded. "If you'll follow us, I've called my command crew for a meeting to discuss Thor's information."

"And will this Asgard being show himself?"

"He told me he would be ready to meet," Robert confirmed. "But we still haven't identified where his ship is yet."

"Concerning. What do we know of this species? Are they potentially hostile?"

"Our Science Officer, Lieutenant Delgado, has consulted what remains of our Darglan databases," Julia began to say as they emerged into the corridors of the ship. "From what we've seen, the Darglan considered the Asgard to be friendly. They traded technology with them during their time of multiversal exploration."

"But not interuniversal technology," Onaran pointed out.

"The Darglan apparently didn't give that to anyone," Robert remarked. "Even the Gersallians, and the Gersallians saw them as mentors."

"Yes." Onaran nodded. It needn't be said that the Dorei had for a long while, after their Unification Wars, seen the Gersallians as _their_ mentor species. "Well, let us see what the Asgard have to say." 

* * *

The briefing room on the _Aurora_ was chosen, giving wider sitting space and room for the arrival of Thor. The command crew of the _Aurora_ and that of the _Koenig_ were seated at a series of tables looking at a central holotank. Generally the holotank was used for presentations and briefings. For the moment it was blank, projecting nothing.

Onaran was shown to a central seat at the central table, where Robert and Julia joined him and Zack. Jarod was at the nearest table with Lucy, Cat, and Scotty. Leo sat with Angel, Nick Locarno, and the _Aurora_ 's Wing Command Officer Commander Patrice Laurent. Zack's officers - Lieutenant Creighton Apley, Lieutenants Magda Navaez, Karen Derbely, and April Sherlily, and the Dorei Doctor Opani - were gathered at the last table.

They had barely a moment to settle in before there was a short buzzing sound, followed by a sudden pillar of white light shifting into place to a deep electronic "vweee". The central place in the room was now occupied by the Asgard named Thor. "Robert Dale and crew. I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard. I have come to assist you in a matter of grave importance."

Caterina was almost vibrating with excitement in her chair. "An Asgard," she said, holding back barely-constrained enthusiasm. "An actual… I've got so many questions!"

Robert smiled gently at her before looking to their visitor. "Supreme Commander Thor, this is Foreign Secretary Lentiro Onaran of the Alliance, sent on behalf of our government."

"Greetings, Supreme Commander," Onaran said, inclining his head.

"It is good that you are here. We are faced with a matter requiring delicate diplomatic handling. You are aware of the Goa'uld System Lords?"

Leo gave the most visceral reaction, frowning deeply. Losing Joshua Marik to his illness was still a fresh wound, and the Goa'uld had come so close to imposing another defeat on him in their prior adventure in this cosmos. Robert nodded and answered, "Yes, we are. We faced a couple at Abydos. Heru'ur and Apophis."

"Yes." Thor inclined his head. He then turned to the holotank and held up a device in his hand. Light bridged the two devices and the holotank displayed a bald man wearing golden finery that looked like it belonged to the Bronze Age. Above it was another figure, a woman with a tanned bronze explosion and long dark hair.

"Sha're," Julia remarked.

"You refer to the former host of the Goa'uld Amaunet," Thor stated. "Whom you extracted from her host without consent."

"Fitting, since she took Sha're as host without consent," Leo pointed out.

"That said, your ability to do so and to save the host is a matter of concern to the System Lords," Thor stated. "Your technology has also drawn their attention. Specifically, this vessel, and its main armament."

Julia nodded. "Heru'ur ran when we hit him with our pulse plasma cannons. His ship had been taking hits from everything else."

"Indeed. Your nuclear-disruption energy weapons, while potent, are not a concern to the Goa'uld. The weapons you employ on this ship are, however, as they prove you have the capability to threaten the Goa'uld in space. The System Lords cannot abide this state of affairs." Thor waved his hand again. Another woman, also wearing the kind of Bronze Age-looking garb that seemed the staple of the Goa'uld, appeared. "And there is the matter of Earth. We too have encountered their Stargate Command. I believe you are familiar with Colonel Jack O'Neill and the SG-1 team?"

There were nods in reply. "We are," Robert replied verbally.

"They recently had a conflict with the former System Lord Hathor," Thor explained. "She was killed as a result. With this victory and their earlier defeat of the System Lord Apophis, they too have come to the attention of the System Lords. Now the System Lords fear that your Alliance will work with the Humans of Earth to threaten their empire. They will not let this come to pass, and have begun mobilizing their fleets to attack both your worlds and Earth itself."

A deep oppressive silence filled the room. "How big of an attack?", Julia asked.

"Hundreds of their strongest motherships. Each of greater power than the small vessel Heru'ur took with him to Abydos," Thor explained. With a wave of his hand on the holotank a massive vessel appeared, a pyramid-shaped primary hull with a gray secondary hull above the base of the pyramid.

Robert swallowed. Heru'ur's ship had seemed, if not their equal, then at least close to it. "Basically, hundreds of dreadnoughts," he said.

Thor considered that remark. "I believe you would rate these vessels at the same scale as the strongest of your 'dreadnoughts', yes. And while your own technology is formidable, the Goa'uld have acquired advanced technology over their millennia of scavenging the galaxy. You do not currently have the capability to stand against them on even terms."

"And that's not counting the fact that we are already in one big war," Julia added, sighing.

"Supreme Commander, I thank you for this warning," Onaran said. "Given your prior remarks I believe you consider diplomacy as a way to prevent this attack?"

Thor directed his dark eyes to Onaran. "We do, Secretary. The Asgard High Council has contacted the System Lords on this matter. We are preparing to provide them concessions in exchange for placing Earth under the Protected Planets Treaty, and to secure a non-interference pact and peace treaty between the Goa'uld System Lords and your Alliance of Systems."

"A non-interference pact?", Jarod asked.

"The terms will have to be discussed, but in general, it would forbid either side from interfering with the other's internal matters. The peace treaty would in turn protect either side from the other launching an attack directly."

"So we wouldn't be allowed to pull any Goa'ulds out of their hosts," Nick remarked.

"Or help people who are trying to fight them," Angel added.

"Yes," Thor stated. "Anything less will be insufficient to prevent a Goa'uld attack upon both your Alliance and Earth."

"It's bad enough that we have to worry about the Nazis inevitably finding how to work IU drives." Julia shook her head. "I don't want to even begin to think about the Goa'uld getting them."

"We would be interested in such an outcome, yes," Onaran said. "Are the Goa'uld ready to commence talks?"

"They have accepted my invitation to meet on Earth, in Stargate Command," Thor explained. "In four standard days. You will also be invited to participate in these discussions. Specifically you."

Thor looked directly at Robert.

Robert blinked. "Me?"

"You were in command of the mission to Abydos. Your vessel attacked Heru'ur."

"Julia's the one who punched him though," Zack pointed out.

"Perhaps. But the Goa'uld will be conscious of rank. Captain Dale led the mission in question. And he is of equivalent rank to the Earth member of the talks."

"And that would be?", Onaran asked.

Robert sensed the answer before Thor gave it. It made the most sense. "Jack O'Neill," he said.

"Correct." Thor nodded to him. "You and Colonel O'Neill will represent your people in this negotiation. You will be expected to be present in the SGC facility on Earth by that time."

Robert drew in a breath. He wasn't new to diplomacy now, but the stakes weren't usually quite this high. "Okay. Nick." He looked to Locarno. "We're what, about eighteen hours from Earth at standard warp?"

"Nineteen and a half," Locarno corrected.

"I am afraid you cannot have your vessel present at Earth," Thor said. "The Goa'uld will regard it as a threat."

"Would they know?", Angel asked. "If they're going to be in the SGC the entire time?"

"They would have ways of determining your presence," Thor informed them.

"Then I'll take the _Koenig_ ," Robert said. "It can make it to Earth in four days too, and it's not a big ship."

"I am afraid any Alliance vessel present may be regarded as unacceptable. Only my ship will be allowed to be present. I am prepared to transport you myself. Although for the purpose of diplomacy, it may be advisable to travel by Stargate."

Robert's brow lifted at that. Use the Stargate itself? They'd never done that before. "The SGC has defenses, are they expecting us?"

"I have informed them you would be requested to join the talks," Thor stated. "And I suspect you have your own means of identifying your presence to them."

"We gave SG-1 a code for communications," Julia reminded Robert. "All you have to do is transmit it through the gate and wait for a coded reply, they should let you through."

"Alright." Robert put his hands together. He was really starting to feel uncertain about this. "Anything else?"

"No weapons will be permitted within the SGC during the negotiations. You must go unarmed."

"Oh come on," Angel protested. "Will the Goa'uld be unarmed?"

"Likely. They will honor the same terms, because they know that you would not risk harm to them," Thor explained.

"Am I limited in who can go?", Robert asked.

"I would suggest that your entourage be small," Thor advised. "Only three Goa'uld will be attending. You should not have more than four or five of your people."

"So myself, Secretary Onaram…" Robert looked around at the others. "Meridina to help with security, Lucy to assist her. And Doctor Opani if we need medical backup."

Leo gave Robert a slight look. Robert sighed and added, "Leo, you yanked one of them out, remember? I can't have you there, that would be as much an unspoken threat as anything else."

"Alright," Leo said, conceding the point.

"Your selections are well-considered, Captain." Thor turned off the holotank. "I will inform Earth and the Goa'uld that you are attending." He set upon the nearby table an item. "This will download into your systems a list of those Goa'uld System Lords attending the talks. Again, we meet in four standard days. Farewell."

There was another electronic buzzing sound, another flash of light, and Thor was gone.

"It looks like the Darglan developed their transporters off of Asgard tech too," Caterina said. "I wonder how much technology the Darglan got from them?"

Derbely chimed in. "If you ask me, Lieutenant, the real question is what the Darglan had to offer to them, if they didn't give them IU drives."

"Yeah, that's a good one."

Robert looked over the stone-like device Thor left. He picked it up. "Jarod, Cat, load this into a secured system so Secretary Onaram and I can see what we're up against. Nick, please get up to the bridge and set a course for Abydos, standard warp."

"We should be there with about a day to spare," Nick said. He stood from his chair. "If we go faster I can shave time off."

"It's probably best if you don't," Onaram said. "We will need time to examine this data and speak with the President on it."

"We'll also want time to speak with the SGC and Earth authorities about our plan," Robert pointed out.

Onaram tilted his head for a moment. "I see what you are thinking. But we must consider Alliance interests as well. We are in a delicate situation, Captain. If our interests demand an agreement that the Earth authorities want to refuse, we will be forced to stand apart from them."

"Wait." Zack stared. "You're saying that we might _abandon_ these people to the Goa'uld?!"

"I would prefer not to," Onaram insisted, turning his gaze to Zack. "But if they are intransigent, we may be forced to. We are already in one war Commander. We cannot fight a second one, especially not against a foe with this much power."

Julia let out a sigh. "I hate it, but he's right. Hopefully whomever Colonel O'Neill answers to will have the same view and we can make an agreement work."

"At what cost, though?", asked Jarod.

"Any cost that is bearable in this situation," Onaram replied. "That is our duty Commander, though it might pain our hearts."

Robert frowned. As much as he hated the thought of giving in to the slaving evil of the Goa'uld System Lords, he knew Onaram was right too. There were all sorts of concessions he might have to give to them for peace.

He just hoped he could stomach it. 

* * *

A day out from Abydos, Zack was sitting in the Lookout staring out at the streaking lights of the warp field effect around them. A plate of cold cut meat sandwiches and potato chips was sitting half-eaten before him.

"Ye dinnae seem very hungry, lad."

The accent was a dead give away. Zack smiled slightly and looked over to where Scott was standing beside the table, a tray with his own lunch in his hands. He was wearing his usual non-standard uniform, a white jersey under a black engineering vest with Commander rank insignia on the vest. Zack motioned to him to sit and looked out the window again for a moment. "She's running like a dream, isn't she?"

"Aye." The old man nodded. "Still a beauty, she is. So, what's troublin' ye?"

Zack's smile remained on his face, but it had a thoughtful, even sad quality to it. "A little restless, I guess," he admitted. "On the one hand, it's great to have access to facilities without having to beam anywhere. And to have full-size quarters again. But since we've been back, the _Koenig_ 's spent almost the entire time in dock."

"That it has. Tom an' that lass Derbely did a right fine job o' keepin' her up while ye were with those Colonials, but th' gal needed that wee bit o' downtime."

"Yeah. But it's been a couple of months now. I was starting to hope we'd get out there for a while. Run a few missions."

"What has ye so restless, Zachary?", Scott asked. "Not thinkin' of wantin' t' leave again, are ye?"

Zack almost denied it right off, but stopped himself. He couldn't honestly say no, could he? "The thought's crossed my mind a bit, yeah," he admitted. "But I know how much that hurt Rob and the others. We've been a group for ages. Running off on them again…" Zack shook his head. "I think it'd hurt them too much."

That prompted a nod from the older man. Scott finished the bite he was chewing with a quick swallow before he asked, "An' this widnae happen t' be about that sweet lass Tom says ye were seein' all th' time, wid it?" There was a knowing grin on the old engineer's face.

Zack matched the grin. "Clara," he said.

"The lass at yer father's funeral?"

"The same. She's working with the Fleet as a nurse." Zack looked out the window again for a moment. "Being with her made me think of my life so far. I mean, I've chased girls since I had the urge to, been with quite a few of them… but I don't think I ever really considered the idea of settling down with one. Not usually."

"Really?"

"Well…" Zack felt an old ache in his heart. "There is one. A girl who, if she'd ever asked me, I would have given up everything for. Someone I've truly loved for a long time. But she's never been interested in me. Not that way. And she made it pretty clear she would never be. But Clara… Clara is."

"Ah." Scott nodded. "An' that has ye thinkin'."

"It does."

"Well, lad, it's nae very easy t' balance out this sort o' life with havin' a lass an' a family of yer own," Scott pointed out. "So ye'll be workin' hard tae make that work, if that's yer choice."

Zack nodded at him. "So I guess the question is… is it worth it?"

"I cannae answer that one, lad. Dinnae think anyone can except for yeself."

"Yeah." Zack looked back out at the streaks zipping by. "You're right about that." 

* * *

The meetings with Onaram were taking place in the same chamber, Briefing Room 1, that Thor had spoken to them in before the departure for Abydos. Robert, Meridina, Lucy, and Opani all sat around the table while Onaram took the main seat, looking directly at the holotank.

President Henry Morgan's face filled the holo-image above the tank. His dark skin was creased with thought and age, giving him the visage of a man long-used to the stresses of statesmanship. Robert thought he looked a bit older than he'd been on their first meeting about two and a half years before, when Morgan had been a leading foreign secretary for the Earth Confederacy of his home universe sent to negotiate over what became the United Alliance of Systems.

"Thor's information has given us an idea on what to expect from the System Lords negotiating this arrangement," Onaram said. "The one known as Yu will be the most agreeable to an arrangement, as he has few interests in this region of the galaxy. Nirrti is the most aggressive and the most likely to be hostile. Cronus will thus be the one to determine the outcome, we expect."

" _Do you have any idea what they will require of us?_ "

Onaram looked to Robert, who sighed. "We believe it highly likely they will require us to forswear removing any more Goa'uld from their hosts, as Doctor Gillam did to Amaunet last year. Restrictions on expansion and on relations with other species are also likely."

"They'll probably want us to drop any links to the SGC," Robert continued. "Thor seems to think that they're afraid we'll turn Earth into a force to use against them."

" _An interesting fear given our relative lack of involvement with Earth in that universe_ ," Morgan noted. " _Perhaps it is for the best that we have kept our relations with them on a small scale. As for this business, if that is the limit of their terms, we will adhere to them._ "

"I think we'll be lucky if that's it." Robert shook his head. "Given how full of themselves the Goa'uld can be, they're not going to let us off easy." A bit of guilt flashed through him. When they'd faced Apophis, he hadn't been very diplomatic at all. They'd presented Apophis with his mutilated queen in a cylinder and he had threatened to do the same if Apophis made any further attacks. _That was not my finest moment._

" _How far out are you?_ ," Morgan asked.

"We arrive at Abydos tonight," Robert replied. "We're due to go through the Stargate tomorrow morning, just before the Goa'uld are due to arrive. Thor made it clear that they might get suspicious if we arrive too much earlier than they."

" _And you have the communications equipment you'll need to keep contact?_ "

"We'll have a subspace radio capable of patching in to our IU transceiver on Russell's Planet," Robert assured him.

" _Good. Let me know of any final terms being mandated. Secretary Onaram will provide immediate consultations on all other matters. He knows the Cabinet's decisions on this matter._ "

Robert nodded. "Understood, Mister President."

" _Good luck, Mister Secretary, Captain. I don't need to tell you what it will mean if we can't get an agreement. Morgan out._ "

The President's image disappeared.

"What _is_ the plan if the Goa'uld demand too much?", Lucy asked. "If they demand we give them a new host for Amaunet or even new hosts in general? Or if they want the IU jump drive?"

Onaram frowned slightly. "As humiliating as it may seem, our backup plan is immediate evacuation."

"As in, we evacuate R4A1," Opani clarified.

"Exactly, Doctor. All colonies will be abandoned. Any sensitive technology we can't remove will be destroyed."

"And the Earth in this galaxy will be left to its own devices," Meridina noted.

Onaram nodded. "Sadly, yes. This is, of course, only a final resort. If the Goa'uld prove reasonable, and their terms are those we can reasonably accept, we'll be able to maintain our presence in this universe. And the resources we have to gain from the worlds and systems we have claimed are of use in the war effort. Abandoning these systems will complicate our war construction."

"But not vitally?"

Onaram shook his head. "No."

"Then we have at least some leeway. If their price gets too high, the Alliance can always leave." Robert's frown made it clear he didn't necessarily like that.

"And leave Earth to the mercy of the System Lords?", Lucy asked.

Robert shook his head. "It might be better than giving the Goa'uld a shot at getting our technology."

"That is our assessment," Onaram said. "May I suggest we go over the material one more time before we adjourn?"

"Right." Robert picked up his digital reader. "So Yu is supposedly one of the most senior of the Goa'uld. The Asgard information indicates he is something of a conservative on expansion and is generally content with what he controls…" 

* * *

The next morning Robert woke up and felt stirring beside him. He turned and gently laid a hand on Angel's bare shoulder. "Hey."

She turned her head. Her hazel eyes were dulled with sleepiness, but she was awake. "Hey."

He could sense the stirring of emotion inside of her, just as he had before they'd fallen asleep. When they had been making love. His ability to sense emotions, to sense what was coming, through the life force powers he was learning, it had changed everything for him in their relationship. An irony since it was the single greatest strain on that relationship now.

"I know you wish you could come to," he said. "But our group can't be that large."

"And you need Meridina for her mind-reading stuff," Angel sighed.

"Yeah. Just in case. And Lucy's got a handle on some of that too." Robert frowned. "And just in case this is a setup, having two people who can fight without weapons could be useful."

Angel's eyes now glistened. "I can fight without weapons." The reminder was laced with anger and frustration.

"You can't throw someone across a room with a gesture." Sensing her emotions growing negative, Robert attempted levity. "A glare, yeah. You can make anyone gulp with that 'I'm going to kick your ass' glare you have. But that might not work on the Goa'uld."

Angel let out a growl and snarled slightly. She turned in the bed. "Yeah. Fine. You're right. I don't have weird mojo like you and Meridina and Lucy do. I'm not as good as they are, yeah."

Robert bit into his lip. "I didn't mean to…"

"Just go, Rob. Do your job." Angel didn't turn. "I'll be fine."

But not happy. Robert could feel that, and he didn't even need that knowledge to know it anyway. But there was nothing more to say. He got out of the bed and went for the shower.

Angel remained where she lay. She felt angry. Angry and ashamed. This… power… had changed everything for Rob, and for her. They'd gotten back together because, out here, any day something could happen to one or both of them. But now, between this and their duties… it was sometimes like they shouldn't have even bothered trying again. There weren't enough hours in the day for the two of them now.

Try as she might to fight the thought, it still haunted her. That this time wouldn't be unlike the others. That, yet again, she and Robert weren't going to last together. It would end again. Just like it had before.

By the time Robert came back out of the shower to get ready, Angel had gotten her things and left for her quarters. He sighed and went over to the bed for a moment. He didn't need to pick up the pillow she'd left behind to know it was now damp.

The wet spots left by Angel's tears were proof enough of that.


	17. Episode 2-04-2 Diplomatic Maneuvers

Julia and Zack beamed down with them to see everyone off. Leo joined, if only to say goodbye before visiting the clinic left in the Abydonians' village after their last visit. "Take care of my CMO, Rob," Zack insisted, smiling at Opani. The young Dorei woman blushed a faint blue against her dark teal skin.

"Of course we will," Robert promised.

"We'll be waiting for word from you, whatever happens," Julia promised.

Robert nodded in thanks.

"Good luck." Julia embraced him in a hug. Lucy got one as well. Julia looked to Meridina. "Please, take care of them."

Meridina nodded with understanding. "I will, of course. You may be certain of that."

Satisfied, Julia nodded and stepped back to the DHD. She checked her multi-device to confirm again the address for Earth. One by one she found the symbols on the ancient console and keyed them in, causing them to light up. When seven had been punched in, she pressed a hand to the red orb in the middle of the console.

Robert could feel energy shift in the air. A lot of it. The great ring of naqia that dominated the chamber flared up with energy. Blue energy coalesced within the ring, followed by a massive, water-like geyser that rushed out toward them before being sucked back in. A portal that rippled like fluid had formed, just like it had before.

Lucy operated her multi-device. "I'm sending our coded recognition signal now." For several seconds there was no response. But just before Robert could decide to ask about it, Lucy grinned and nodded. "Reply sent. They're ready for us."

Robert stepped up toward the Stargate. "I'll go first," he said.

"No." Meridina moved ahead of him. She looked back. "I will. Once you confirm my multidevice is still transmitting and functioning, you may follow." Seeing Robert's look, she gave a smirk, which was admittedly not something they often saw on her face. "I am the security chief, remember? It is my duty to secure your lives."

"Right." Robert nodded. "My apologies."

"None needed," she assured him sweetly. Meridina promptly turned and went into the Stargate. It rippled around her point of entry.

Lucy nodded. "She's through. I'm still picking up her multidevice." After a moment she shrugged. "And I can still feel her with my life force as well."

Robert nodded. He thought he could sense it too, even though Meridina had just been transported by stable wormhole across vast light years. "Mister Secretary?"

"I am behind you, Captain," Onaram confirmed.

Robert drew in a breath and stepped up to the Stargate. It felt almost like stepping into water, if just for a brief moment. As if the surface was slightly resisting him like the surface of water might.

And then there was a strange coldness within him. Light streaked through his vision for a long series of seconds.

Suddenly it was over. His uniform shoes caused a metallic echo to ring in the air. He was standing on a metal walkway now. The shimmering light of the Stargate was illuminating the far walls and windows. With a sweep of his eyes Robert could see he had arrived in a gray-walled chamber facing a control room. It looked like what you would expect for an underground bunker.

Meridina was waiting for him halfway down the walkway leading up to the Stargate. Beyond her was a line of figures. Robert recognized the four members of SG-1 immediately. They were joined by a balding older man with general's stars on his uniform - General Hammond, presumably - and a middle-aged man in a civilian business suit wearing glasses. Men and women in BDUs were at various positions in the room.

Behind Robert there were sounds along the lines of _glorp_ , three in succession. He looked back briefly to confirm that Secretary Onaram had come through with Lucy and Opani. A number of those present stared intently at the two Dorei.

 _Oh well_ , Robert thought. _Time to get to business._ "Colonel O'Neill, it's good to see you again," he said.

"Likewise, Captain," Jack answered. "This is my commanding officer, General Hammond."

Robert and the others straightened their postures, the agreed upon Alliance equivalent of a salute. "General. I'm Captain Robert Dale of the _Starship Aurora_."

"General George Hammond, Stargate Command," Hammond answered. His drawl was Southern, or rather Texan Robert thought. The blue color of his uniform jacket and trousers were US Air Force. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Captain."

"Same here, General."

"This is Secretary of Defense Arthur Simms," Hammond explained, gesturing to the man in the civilian suit.

Simms was clearly struggling to stop staring at the Dorei in their group. "I've read SG-1s report on your people, Captain. The entire idea of this 'Multiverse', as you call it, and all of the civilizations and nations… it's really quite extraordinary."

"And it never loses that luster, Mister Secretary," Robert answered, smiling. "General, Mister Secretary, this is Foreign Secretary Lentiro Onaram, here to represent President Morgan and direct our side of the negotiations."

"But he won't be at the table, will he?" Jack asked.

"Indeed not," Onaram said. He nodded to the others before offering his hand to Simms, who accepted it. Hammond did so afterward. Both had bewildered, surprised looks on their faces afterward.

Robert looked at Onaram with renewed respect. Dorei… didn't do handshakes, really, not as casually as Humans did anyway. Their psionic abilities included enhanced empathic sensing with skin-to-skin contact, so natural that to initiate even a handshake was a gesture of respect and openness for a Dorei. They were literally allowing you to get a glimpse at their feelings.

"Quite the gesture, Mister Secretary," Meridina noted. Seeing the looks on the Earth side's faces, she elaborated. "Dorei can share emotions, even thoughts, with skin contact. By offering you a handshake in the Human fashion, Secretary Onaram was showing immense trust in you."

"That's… quite the gesture indeed."

"It seemed appropriate for our circumstances."

Robert looked to Meridina. "General, Mister Secretary, this is Commander Meridina, my chief of security. Lieutenant Lucy Lucero is an operations officer with some expertise of value to the security role. And Doctor Roliri Opani is along to assist if there are any medical emergencies. She's the Medical Officer for the _Koenig_."

"What, you didn't bring Doctor Gillam?", Jack asked.

Daniel Jackson, standing between Samantha Carter and Teal'c, joined in, remarking, "Somehow I suspect the Goa'uld wouldn't be pleased having him around given what he did to Amaunet."

"That was how we thought about it, yeah," Robert admitted. "Thor also advised us to keep our ships away. The Goa'uld would take it badly or something to that extent."

"Yeah, he made some suggestions our way as well," Jack said. "Anyway, Mister Secretary." Jack was looking to Onaram now. "I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill and this is my team. Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."

Onaram nodded to them. He offered a handshake to each. All but Teal'c accepted, with Teal'c instead nodding his head in respect. Robert nevertheless got the feeling he was Not Happy.

"Congratulations, Major Carter," Robert said once Onaram was done.

"Thank you," she answered back.

"How long do we have until the Goa'uld arrive?", Lucy asked.

"Enough time to get you settled in," Hammond replied. "Doctor Jackson, if you could do the honors?"

"We have quarters set aside for you inside the SGC," he explained, leading them toward the right hand door leading out of the Stargate chamber. "As will the Goa'uld."

"I can't imagine they'll enjoy barracks-style accommodations," Robert said.

"No, they probably won't," Daniel sighed. "We've done a lot of work trying to pretty everything up to something close to what a Goa'uld might expect. But I'm pretty sure there will be complaints."

"I appreciate all efforts made on our behalf," Onaram noted. Robert got the feeling Onaram probably wouldn't be enthused with his living area either, but would be more of a diplomat with his reaction to it.

"How is your child?", asked Meridina.

"Little Leo?" Daniel smiled thinly. "He's doing well. Sha're is with him all the time. They're back at my apartment while this is going on."

"Of course." Meridina nodded. "It pleases me to know they are well. And Leonard will find the news comforting."

Robert sighed. "Hrm?" The inquiry was from Jack, so Robert answered. "Leo lost a patient a few weeks ago. A kid with leukemia. He's still broken up about it."

"Ah." Jack nodded. "I can understand that." The look on Jack's face explained his decision to swiftly change the subject. "So, how's everyone else doing? I hope your buddy Zack has learned some new insults, I'd hate to see him break out 'Baldy' again…" 

* * *

Upon returning to the _Aurora_ , Zack followed Julia into her Deck 3 office. "Are we really just going to sit here?", he asked.

"Those are the orders," she replied. "If anything's wrong, they'll communicate it to us."

"But how will we help?", Zack asked. "Even if we go through the Stargate, that assumes they control it on the other end. If this is some sort of trick, or trap, we could end up walking into a Goa'uld trap on the other end."

Julia had been picking up her digital pad to begin looking over paperwork for the day. She looked up from it. "I won't disagree with that. On the other hand, we can't jeopardize these talks."

"There won't be any Goa'uld ships nearby," Zack reminded her. "And I'll keep the _Koenig_ outside of the heliopause. We'll still be close enough to warp right to Earth orbit if we need to."

Julia seemed to think on it. "No," she finally said.

"Julie!"

"Not that close," she said. "Promise me you'll stay at least one light-day out."

Zack rolled his eyes. "It'll take us longer to go in if we're needed."

"Not that much longer. You could be there within half an hour at Warp 3. A high warp jump could still get you there in minutes." Julia met him eye to eye. "One light-day. Take it or leave it."

Zack frowned in frustration. And then he sighed. "Fine."

"And bring Leo," Julia said. "Just in case. I'll have his subordinates load a surgical module onto the _Koenig_ before you leave."

"Right." Zack nodded. "I'll get my crew ready." He turned toward the door.

"Zack."

He looked back to her. Julia's green eyes focused on him. "Be safe," she said. "And good luck."

Zack nodded. "Thanks."

He left, and Julia returned to the paperwork. 

* * *

Meridina and Daniel accompanied Robert and Jack back to the Stargate chamber for the scheduled arrival of the Goa'uld. "So, Thor insisted you be the one at the table?", Jack asked.

"He did." Robert shook his head. "It confuses the hell out of me, honestly. Julia was the one leading the team that faced Heru'ur. I never even saw the guy."

"Yeah, well, you didn't miss much. These Goa'uld all tend to be the same. They all do that 'Bow and worship me for I am a god' thing."

"Well, they're used to bullying pre-industrial societies, I guess they would be seen as gods." Robert frowned. "And now we have to make nice with them."

"I was actually going to bring that up," Daniel said. "Why, exactly, is the Alliance so ready to make a deal with the Goa'uld?"

"We're already in one war," Robert sighed. "It's taking enough of our efforts to fight off the Nazis, we can't…"

"Wait. Woh, back it up there." Jack turned his head and faced him directly. "Did you just say 'Nazis'?"

Robert nodded. "I did."

"As in the whole ' _Heil Hitler_ ' goose-stepping black-wearing German guys?"

"Well, it's apparently ' _Heil Sauckel_ ' now," Robert replied. "But yes. They're a space-faring Nazi Germany in a universe where Hitler won World War II, and Nazi Germany gradually came to dominate the world."

Jack looked at him intently. "You've got to be joking."

"I'm not."

"And they have the SS and all that?"

Robert frowned. "Yeah. And they're the nastiest of the whole rotten bunch."

"Indeed," Meridina concurred. "They are quite unpleasant."

For several moments Jack was silent. "Okay, the Multiverse is _really_ weird," he finally said.

Robert chuckled. "And I didn't even tell you about S0T5 yet."

"And what about them?"

"Oh… Zigonians. A reptilian humanoid race." Robert smirked. "And they're devout Catholics. In their own way, at least."

Jack blinked. "You're not joking, are you?"

"I'm not."

Jack looked over to Daniel. " _Weeeeird_ ," he intoned.

"Well." Daniel shrugged. "I suppose there's no reason why a reptilian species _can't_ be…"

Daniel stopped as they entered the gate room. Sam and Hammond were waiting already, in their USAF dress blues just as Jack was. Guards in camo, but unarmed, were to either side of the room, standing still with hands behind their backs.

Ahead of them the Stargate was already lit up.

One by one the lights on the Stargate finished coming on. By the time it activated the room had filled with a subtle tension. Expectation, disgust, irritation, worry, everything you would expect for this occasion.

" _Chevron 7 is locked. Off-world activation_ ," said a woman. Presumably sitting in the control room behind and above them.

Once the portal stabilized, there was nothing for several seconds, increasing the nervousness and uncertainty in the room.

And then the Goa'uld started to emerge.

The first was in a suit of silver with a fur cloak slung over his left shoulder. His light eyes were full of self-assurance far beyond arrogance. Long hair of light brownish color went down to his shoulders.

The second was a woman, of light brown complexion, with deep, dark eyes and a proud forbearance. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun that was obscured under a silver headscarf that flowed loosely down to her shoulders. She had a red jewel set into her forehead and further glittering stones on her silver garments - a sari and billowing pants - and at the edge of her hairline where the headscarf was in place. A prominent jewel was just under her neck, at the center of the gems that made her sari glitter.

The last figure was in robes of Oriental finery, primarily crimson in color with a light gold collar trimmed with white. Brown eyes took in the environment of the gate room. His dark hair was obscured by the black hat that covered his head, a round cap that made Robert think of old Chinese dress styles. He had facial hair, a mustache that joined the hair of a thin goatee down to his chin, where a long tail of a beard hung down several inches.

Moreover, he recognized them from the information the Asgard granted the Alliance. Cronus, Nirrti, and Yu.

They went down the walkway slowly until they were facing Robert, Jack, and the others. He could sense nothing of their hosts, simply the Goa'uld within. Disgust on their own part, a sense of grinding irritation from Nirrti at the least, and certainly haughty distaste from the others.

Meridina seemed to tense up as the Goa'uld looked over her. It occurred to Robert that her talent made her even more susceptible to sensing their feelings and emotions. It was clear that she didn't enjoy what they were thinking.

Daniel, appointed to deal with their needs, spoke first. "The United States and the people of Earth welcome you to the SGC," he said. Daniel's calm diplomatic tones made Robert wonder why he hadn't been picked to represent Earth. "We are honored by your attendance. This is Colonel Jonathan…"

"We are aware of whom you are," Yu announced. The Goa'uld glanced at Daniel in irritation, while his peers kept their attentions on Jack and Robert. "Introductions are not necessary, nor are they desired."

"We require to see our dwellings before the meeting with the Asgard," said Cronus.

Daniel rolled with the discourtesy with surprising grace. "Of course. Please follow me."

* * *

As it turned out the Goa'uld did not appreciate their lodgings. Or the security cameras in their VIP rooms. And Cronus in particular did not appreciate the presence of Teal'c, with whom he shared harsh words. It was, Robert thought, not an auspicious start.

Meridina's expression betrayed some concern. Which was worrying enough, as she rarely showed such an emotion. "Perhaps General Hammond might permit me to oversee the security here?", she asked Robert quietly. "To prevent incidents."

"I'll share that thought with him soon," Robert answered in a low voice. Sensing that the Goa'uld were still directing some attention his way, especially now, he stepped toward where they were giving Daniel a host of complaints. "While formal introductions are clearly not necessary," he began, "I would like to extend my thanks that you are willing to nego…"

He never got the chance to finish. "You are not welcome in this galaxy, outsiders," Yu announced. "It is only by our patience that you have not been driven from your worlds."

Robert and Jack exchanged looks. "Well, doesn't that sound friendly?", Jack asked. "Because that doesn't sound like negotiating as I understand…"

Daniel got a concerned look in his eyes and interrupted Jack. "What Colonel O'Neill means to say is that he believes all issues of contention should be held until the official negotiations commence," Daniel said, giving Jack a look that nearly oozed the sentiment "Don't say anything else, let me handle this before you ruin everything". Jack recognized the look and held back. Not happily, it seemed, but he did.

Cronus grunted noncommittally, before returning to complaints about the lodgings.

Robert went over to Meridina, who was watching quietly. "Think they're just acting?", he whispered to her.

"No," she answered quietly. "They are truly unhappy with their accommodations. They are used to... more luxurious surroundings."

"So are most diplomats, I imagine," Robert answered. "I don't think Secretary Onaram is too pleased with his either."

"That is not all, though," Meridina said. "I sense a greater sentiment within them."

"Well, they're arrogant as hell, that's pretty obvious."

"No, not that." Meridina looked on them with some fascination and concern. "They are actually afraid as well." Meridina looked to him. "Be wary of appearances. I am sensing something like deception."

"As in they're tricking us?"

"Not necessarily. It is not a general feeling. I believe one or more Goa'uld are hiding things from the others, primarily."

Hearing that made Robert feel a little better about their options. If the Goa'uld were squabble amongst themselves, that might give him and the others room to maneuver between their dissensions.

"Keep an eye on them," he murmured. "Nothing indiscreet. I just want to know if one gets up to anything hostile."

"I will endeavor to learn as much as I can," she promised. "I additionally feel that there is something to the situation between Cronus and Teal'c."

As Teal'c had already walked away, Robert said nothing. "I'm sure the SG-1 team can handle themselves," he answered quietly. "I'd better see to Secretary Onaram and see if he has any final instructions for me."

Lucy and Doctor Opani had been assigned quarters together, a spare room with two twin-sized beds that they barely fit on. "Well, this looks like fun," Lucy mumbled. "And we're going to be trapped in here for days."

Opani was busy going through her satchel. "I would have preferred a mobile biobed," she said. "Should we have any medical emergencies."

"They've got an infirmary on base, right?"

"They do. But their medical technology is still behind our own. And the materials I could bring can only do so much."

Lucy couldn't dispute that. But she could sense that there was more to Opani's mood. "Are you okay?", she asked.

Opani gave her a look. There was a sense of nervousness in her light teal eyes. "You've heard of the Jeaxians?", she asked.

Lucy nodded. "They're a species from N2S7. Your closest stellar neighbors aside from the Gersallians. Didn't they get involved in your Second Unification War?"

"They did," Opani confirmed. "They provided technology and weapons to the Kings of the Sindai continent to launch a surprise attack on the Dorei Federation."

"To keep your people divided."

"Yes." Opani's expression darkened. "So it would be easier for them to raid us for slaves."

Lucy had nothing to say to that. "I know your universe has had issues with slavers too. From personal experience."

"The Jeaxians were the worst. Some still are," Opani explained. "They don't simply whip or beat slaves to keep them in line, Lieutenant. They created devices. I would describe them as neural override implants. They are placed to allow a remote controller to override inputs from the brain. Anyone implanted with a neural override device has control over their body stripped away from them. They can be controlled like automatons, and the person inside… they are aware of every moment of it. They still feel every moment of pain inflicted on them, every physical agony from being overworked and underfed."

The realization of what Opani was saying came to Lucy then. She couldn't stop the gasp from coming out. "You're saying…"

Opani quietly reached to the back of her head. She lifted her dark purple hair up to reveal the back of her neck. At the hairline, and a little beyond, was a thin line of lightened teal flesh set against her dark teal skin. Lucy could tell it was a surgical incision scar almost right away.

"I was twenty years old. Equivalent to eighteen of yours," she explained quietly. "I was pursuing pre-medical school training with an organization that provided assistance to struggling worlds. The Mi'qote Homeworld of Ys'talla."

Lucy thought she'd heard of them. The Mi'qote were roughly felinoid, but with Human-esque features and skin instead of the furred bodies of Caitians from S5T3. "They're not a very advanced species," Lucy proposed. "I mean, I've never seen one, and only barely heard of them from Meridina listing the sentient species of your universe."

Opani nodded. "We were working in a village along one of the borders between their internal nations. Some Mi'qote nations are more… tribalistic than the others. Their chiefs allow for raiders to plunder over borders."

"They attacked the village," Lucy said. "And took you."

Opani nodded. "Nobody thought an attack would happen. But the chief across the border had invited a deposed Jeaxian warlord to join his tribe. The Jeaxians provided them with weapons and technology. And I was implanted with one that night."

Lucy felt compelled to put a hand on Opani's shoulder. Her power made it easier for her to sense the emotions going through the other woman. The memories she was reliving in that moment were horrifying.

"I was held for nineteen days. A slave to the Jeaxian warlord. It might have been longer had not the Order of Swenya's knights arrived, along with those of the Sisters of the Silver Moon. And those nineteen days were a hell that I will never forget." Opani's eyes now shined with tears. "And now, there are three of your species in this base who suffer something like that hell, and have for _years_. And I can do nothing for them." Opani clenched her hands into fists. "I have always wanted to heal. My suffering made that desire even stronger. But for them, I can do _nothing_." Opani's lips thinned into a deep, frustrated frown. "I wish Captain Dale had chosen another."

"I understand." Lucy sat down beside her on one of the beds. "I know what it's like to be hurt. Enough that I'd love to help those three hosts too. Just as I know we can't without causing another war."

Neither spoke again for a time. Opani silently got back to work when she was ready, and Lucy did nothing but quietly observe.

* * *

Daniel came to Robert when it was time. He had been busy going over the list Onaram gave him of the concessions President Morgan was willing to make to the Goa'uld, and what terms were unacceptable. But he still had little idea over how these talks would go.

They picked up the Goa'uld next, with Meridina joining them as escort, and together made their way to a room that had been converted to host the negotiations. Jack's voice was coming from the other side. "...don't want them _anywhere_ ," he was saying. Once inside the door Robert could see his back had been to them. Jack had been facing Sam instead. Both were still in USAF dress blues.

Flags and banners representing the present factions were along the walls. A hexagonal table had been set into the room, with a folder before each table.

"Welcome, hello everyone," Jack was saying, rebounding from being walked in on. Sam gave him a quiet look before leaving. Robert could feel that she was aggravated about being around the Goa'uld too, and not just like the rest of them. "Let's all get to our seats."

Wordlessly the three Goa'uld took seats. Yu, Nirrti, and Cronus, in order from right to left (at least from their perspective). That left three chairs. Robert, mindful of the diplomatic issues at stake, sat opposite from Jack, putting the last open seat between them.

Jack hadn't sat yet. "Well. That's almost everyone." He was consulting his watch. "Any moment…"

The sound of an Asgard transporter filled the room. Thor appeared in a chair after a prolonged burst of white light.

"There." Jack kept his voice quiet and neutral in tone. "We're all here." He sat down as well.

Thor nodded to them all. His small mouth began to move. "The Asgard High Council wishes you all greetings and thanks for this opportunity to negotiate for peace."

Yu spoke next. "The Goa'uld System Lords are prepared to hear the Asgard proposal."

Robert could feel the anger and frustration coming from Nirrti. She grumbled something in Goa'uld.

Cronus' expression soured. He glared at Nirrti and growled something back at her. She responded with a hissed retort.

Yu slammed a fist on the table and barked at both of them. Again he was speaking in Goa'uld, but Robert clearly made out the word "Asgard". He cursed the fact that they didn't have the Goa'uld language loaded into his translation program yet.

Jack had a confused expression at the ongoing exchange. "I thought we were all gonna speak the same language here?"

Immediately the Goa'uld all glared his way. Cronus spat out something in their language and stood to his feet abruptly. Nirrti and Yu followed suit. They stomped out of the room.

"What did I say?", Jack asked, utterly confused.

"You insulted them," Thor replied.

Jack seemed even more confused by that reply. "What? I _insulted_ them? They were already insulting each other by the way things looked!"

"You spoke out of turn," Thor explained patiently.

Robert sighed. "Maybe the protocols of these talks should have been made clearer. I've heard of this sort of custom before, but I've never seen it applied so quickly over a question like that."

"The Goa'uld operate under very specific rules on these matters," Thor explained. "And the balance between System Lords is fragile, as is their relationship with us."

The door slid open and Daniel came in. "What just happened?", he asked, gesturing toward the door.

"Apparently we met, insulted each other, and broke for recess," Jack answered.

Robert turned to Thor. "What is the balance of power between the Asgard and Goa'uld, anyway?"

"The Asgard are the more advanced and powerful species," Daniel answered.

"Which makes me wonder how you could let the Goa'uld get that powerful," Jack asked Thor.

"It is a state of affairs we are not proud of," Thor admitted. "But you must understand that we do what we can with the resources left to us, which are limited. All we can manage is used to sustain the treaties with the Goa'uld. We can spare nothing more for this galaxy."

"Why?", Daniel asked.

Thor looked to him and Jack. "We are fighting an enemy in our home galaxy that is even worse than the Goa'uld."

Robert stared in horror at the idea. "Worse than _them_?!"

"Yes, Captain Dale."

Jack stared at Thor for a moment. "So… you're bluffing these guys, aren't you? This is all one big bluff."

Thor nodded at that.

Worry was visible on both their faces. "So, say that a rogue Goa'uld like Sokar were to come after us," Daniel asked. "What would happen then?"

"The System Lords would attempt to prevent it to preserve the treaty," Thor answered. "The feudal nature of their society and their divisions have always been useful. Our greatest fear is that one System Lord would rise above the others and seize complete control of their empire."

"Someone like this Sokar?", Robert ventured.

"Precisely." Thor got out of his chair. "I will return to my vessel now. When the negotiations are ready to proceed, you may inform me with this." He held out his hand to Jack. There was a bright glow and an item materialized in Thor's hand, a small teardrop-shaped stone with runes carved around its base.

Jack took it gingerly. He looked it over. "So… how does it work?"

"Simply speak into it, and I will hear you," Thor said. A moment later he transported out.

That left the three of them alone. Robert was flipping through the binder in front of him, seeing the terms the Asgard were setting for Earth's protection and the proposal for the Alliance-Goa'uld non-interference and peace treaties. They were giving up their own concessions to sweeten the pot for the Goa'uld.

It occurred to him that Thor and his people were playing the long-game. They were giving up great short-term gains to the System Lords while, in the long-term, Earth and the Allied Systems would have time to establish themselves more strongly.

 _Assuming the Goa'uld don't see that risk too_ , he pondered. _I'm sure they'll ask for something to counter-act it_.

"Well," Daniel began, "I'd better go draw up an apology to the Goa'uld. You'll need to sign it, Jack."

"Of course," Jack muttered.

"I'd better inform Secretary Onaram," Robert said. He stood from his chair. "Let me know when the Goa'uld are ready to resume." 

* * *

Meridina was waiting patiently in the proximity of the Goa'uld-occupied VIP quarters when Daniel and Teal'c walked in her direction. Daniel was carrying a piece of paper and looked resigned to his task of kowtowing appropriately to the Goa'uld. "Commander," he said simply before walking on.

Teal'c remained with Meridina, refusing to go any closer. Meridina sensed his resentment and anger. "You have great animosity toward them. Personal animosity."

Teal'c was frowning intently toward the Goa'ulds' rooms. "My father was First Prime of Cronus," he said. "Cronus murdered him for defeat in a hopeless battle."

"A great injustice," Meridina murmured.

"I serve the Tau'ri to fight the Goa'uld and free my people," Teal'c continued. "Now the Tau'ri face annihilation if the Goa'uld strike. Are your people not strong enough to help?"

"My people are, regrettably, already in one war with a dark and terrible evil," she answered. "The Goa'uld would be too much for us."

"That is to our misfortune, then," Teal'c lamented.

Meridina shook her head. A quiet, serene smile came to her face. "Misfortune is never permanent. The Light will prevail. One day, the System Lords will be called to account by those with the Light."

"You believe this to be true?"

"Yes. I do."

Teal'c appraised her quietly. "Then I look forward to the day that it comes true."

Daniel emerged from the last of the VIP rooms and walked toward them. "Well, I've presented Jack's groveling apology for him," he said to them. "Now we just have to wait and see how long it will take them to reconvene."

"And what it might cost you at the negotiations," Meridina said.

"Yeah, I really didn't want to think about that." Daniel sighed.

With how negative Daniel's thoughts and feelings were getting, Meridina changed the subject. "How are your wife, and the child?"

Daniel's expression softened. "Sha're is happy. There are still a few things she's learning about Earth, but she's adapted to living here now. And Leo, our Leo, is getting bigger every day, it seems."

"I see." Meridina's smile remained soft. "It is pleasing to know that things have improved for your family, Doctor Jackson."

"Thank you. Well, I'd better…"

There were footsteps down the hall. Yu approached them, head high. He nodded stiffly. "The Goa'uld System Lords find the apology of the Earth representative sufficient. We will be ready to return to the summit shortly."

"Thank you, Lord Yu," Daniel answered. "I will go inform the other representatives."

Yu barely acknowledged him before walking the other way.

Daniel and Teal'c departed while Meridina resumed her vigil. She felt something, a sense of deception that made her feel wary. But for the moment, she would act as before, and quietly observe. 

* * *

Robert was called away from a quick update with President Morgan with the news the Goa'uld were returning to the table. Thor beamed down as before and Yu took the lead again, stating they had accepted Jack's apology and were ready to resume the talks.

It went to business first. Thor laid out various Asgard concessions, mostly in the way of authorizing Goa'uld trade through various parts of space, confirmation of some Goa'uld gains, and similar matters.

"And in exchange for these considerations, you intend that Earth be included in the Protected Planets Treaty," Cronus stated.

"We do," Thor said. "The Asgard will also guarantee a treaty of non-interference and peace between the Goa'uld System Lords and the United Alliance of Systems."

"The Goa'uld are prepared to agree to these terms," Yu said. "Should our terms be met."

For a moment Jack almost spoke out again, but he caught himself. He raised a hand toward Thor, who nodded like the Chairman of a Committee. "What would those terms be?", Jack asked.

"Your planet cannot be allowed to advance to a point where you are a threat to the System Lords, as is laid out in the Protected Planets Treaty," Yu said. "We require guarantees to this effect."

Again Jack forced himself to wait until Thor recognized him. "Woh, I don't remember anything about that being said before. You're going to restrict our development?"

"The Protected Planets Treaty recognizes that the purpose of the Human species is to provide the Goa'uld with hosts and slaves," Cronus said. "No Human civilization can be allowed to threaten our superior position."

Robert felt a hot anger rise from within him. "Like hell," he muttered. "We're not here to be your cattle." After he spoke, he felt a wave of self-recrimination. Now he had spoken out of turn.

The Goa'uld didn't seem to consider this the same way they had Jack's earlier outburst on the agreed language. In fact, it looked like they were amused by what he said, in that smug superior sense they possessed. "The Asgard have already recognized our position over your kind," Nirrti purred through that unnatural timbre. "Your opinions on the matter are irrelevant."

"What is relevant is the potential threat you pose," Cronus said. "Any treaty you sign with the System Lords will include a similar recognition of our superior place in this galaxy. You will accept the same term as the Asgard have. Your Alliance will guarantee that it will never allow a Goa'uld to be stripped from their host. You will not provide assistance or support for any slave populations of the Goa'uld. And your Alliance will be forbidden from sharing any further technology with Earth."

Robert glowered at that. "And what's to protect any of our citizens from being taken to be made into slaves or hosts?"

"The Goa'uld System Lords will not encroach upon any existing colony of the Allied Systems and will recognize future colonies settled within a short range of those worlds," Yu stated. "And we will recognize that Ra's former holding of Abydos is now under the jurisdiction of the Allied Systems. None of your people will be subject to seizure as slaves or hosts so long as they are in the recognized zone of Alliance space."

"But if they exit your territory, they are forfeit to our desires," Cronus added.

Robert's glower nearly became a snarl. This was what the Alliance had expected, of course, but to hear it in those terms, to know that any exploration teams or free colonies outside of the recognized sphere of Alliance space would be fair game for Goa'uld attack, that was almost too much.

As for the ban on giving technology away… that was also expected. Although it said nothing about Earth itself…

"And that's it?", Jack asked. "Those are your extra terms?"

"There are two more," Cronus revealed.

"And they are?", Robert asked.

"The Tau'ri will give up their Stargate to the Goa'uld System Lords," Yu said. Jack had only a brief moment to consider the loophole in that before Yu clarified, " _Both_ of them."

Jack frowned deeply at that.

"And the Alliance will make a further guarantee," Yu continued, looking to Robert. "The vessel known as the _Aurora_ will be banned from our home universe."

Robert stared. "What?"

"The Alliance will be forbidden from bringing into this universe any vessel bearing Asgard technology," Yu clarified. "Including your ship."

Robert blinked. He brought up a hand. "Asgard technology? We don't have any Asgard technology…"

"You are either a liar or an incompetent," Cronus answered. "We are already aware that your vessel is armed with Asgard weaponry."

"What do you mean, Asgard weaponry? All we have are..." Robert stopped and glanced to Thor, who remained patiently still. He was putting two and two together.

"We have all seen Heru'ur's information about your ship," said Yu. "Your ship's main weapons are based on Asgard technology. And we will not permit such technology to be used in our galaxy by any but the Asgard themselves."

Robert blinked again. He could see Jack's bewildered expression. "The pulse plasma cannons," Robert murmured. He looked to Thor. "They're what the Darglan got from you?"

Thor nodded. "We provided them with the necessary information to construct their own variants of our defensive systems. Your transporter systems also operate under principles derived from our own."

Robert thought on that a moment. "But… the Darglan were peaceful explorers, and they had… why would they need such an increase in firepower?"

"You may discuss this at another time," Cronus insisted. "Those are our terms. We will await your consultation with your leaders."

"If your leaders are wise, they will accept them," Yu added.

The Goa'uld all stood and went for the door.

Robert barely noticed them go. He was still looking at Thor, his head full of questions.

Thor noticed it as well. "I must consult with the High Council," Thor said. "Please inform me when your governments have made a decision." He vanished in a flash of light.

Robert rubbed at his forehead. Jack was already standing. His expression was a dark and sour one, and for an understandable reason. The Goa'uld had just effectively asked Earth to throw away any means of finding a way to defend itself from them. Their only shield would be a treaty that, given what Jack and Robert now knew, was working purely on a bluff by the Asgard. If they gave their Stargate up and things went bad, Earth was doomed.

The Alliance was, at least, in a better position. But the Goa'uld terms meant that any of the new ship designs employing Darglan - or rather, _Asgard_ \- plasma weaponry would be barred from service in R4A1. The Goa'uld, if they discovered how distracted the Asgard were, could be assured of facing older Alliance vessels in their initial assault, not the newer and more powerful ones being designed and built.

"Well, I guess that's that," he murmured, looking at Jack. "We might as well report this to our bosses."

"Oh, I can't wait," Jack replied in a dull tone.


	18. Episode 2-04-3 Diplomatic Maneuvers

Secretary Onaram considered the Goa'uld terms carefully. "We would undermine our defenses over time," he noted. "If this plasma weaponry is Asgard-based and not permitted in this galaxy."

"That's just what I thought," Robert said in reply. "And we're barred from helping Earth out, so they'll be on their own if the Goa'uld abrogate the treaty."

"What are the chances of that? That is the consideration we face."

"Well, the treaty's held for centuries. Millennia, it seems." Robert shrugged. "It's a big galaxy and the Goa'uld already own much of it. Maybe they'll be content to continue fighting each other and respect our borders." Robert lowered himself into the seat across the table from Onaram. The SGC had kindly converted a back-up storeroom into a conference room for the Alliance team, with the technology the Alliance had brought through allowing for communication with Portland. Currently that channel was closed, but Onaram would be using it soon to report to President Morgan the Goa'uld terms.

"That would certainly be a preferable outcome." Onaram put his hands together on the table. "Just for sake of argument, Captain, would you accept this agreement?"

Robert wanted to say no. That they were giving too much to the Goa'uld. But he knew the alternative was worse. They didn't have the means to fight off the Goa'uld right now. Not with the war with the Nazi Reich still on. "Well. I can't see anything they've said that goes against the President's basic requirements," Robert admitted. "They've agreed to recognize our colonies and the zone of space we've claimed, and so long as our citizens remain in our territory they're considered hands-off."

"But any Alliance citizen who leaves our space becomes a target?"

Robert nodded. "Potentially. I guess it would come down to whether the Goa'uld in question wanted to be hostile or not. They're more feudal than the Inner Sphere. But if they take any of our people found outside our space, we can't do anything about it. Short of ransoming them back, I guess. And if they're taken to be hosts, there's nothing we can do."

Onaram silently pondered this. "The Goa'uld are disgusting, are they not?", he finally asked.

"Completely," Robert agreed.

"But that does not matter. Our mission is not to like them, it is to forestall chance of an invasion with a peace treaty. And the Goa'uld terms, while onerous, are not in contradiction to President Morgan's instructions." Onaram his hands together on the table, aligned so that the fingers on each hand were gripping the side of the other. "Deity forgive us for treating with such monsters. But we have accomplished what we came to do. I will seek final approval from President Morgan, but for the moment, we are accepting the Goa'uld offer."

As much as Robert wanted to hate the very idea of the deal, he couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I think that's our best choice for now."

"As for Earth." The elder Dorei's expression was somber. "Do you think they will accept the Goa'uld terms?"

Robert sighed and nodded. "I think they'd be crazy not to. We can't protect them or help, the Asgard won't if they refuse the Goa'uld terms, and if they say no the Goa'uld will throw ships at them until Earth is crushed."

"Agreed. Hopefully they will see the wisdom in this."

"I would ask permission to seek one exception from the Goa'uld, Mister Secretary," Robert said. "Civilian technology. I want to see if the Goa'uld will let us continue to provide Earth, quietly, with superior technology to improve life on Earth. Medical technology and means, ecological repair methods, agricultural bonuses, that sort of thing."

"If you can get the Goa'uld to agree without a major concession, I will defend such a term with the President," Onaram pledged. "Please, inform Secretary Simms and General Hammond of our decision, and give them my recommendation that they accept. And tell them this: should they accept and give up their Stargates, and should the Goa'uld betray the treaty, the Alliance will do whatever is in our power to assist the people of Earth in the resulting struggle."

"I'll pass it on." Robert stood and left the room, pondering that promise. It was not hollow, but it would not be comforting to an Earth bombarded into submission and invaded by the Goa'uld, with the survivors enslaved. It would be years, probably, before the Goa'uld could be confronted by the Alliance.

But it was all they could do. 

* * *

Meridina was surprised to see Teal'c enter the hall where the Goa'uld were being kept. She looked to him with some bewilderment. "Teal'c," she said.

"Commander Meridina," he replied, nodding his head respectfully.'

"Why have you come?", she asked.

"I was called by Cronus," Teal'c said. He handed a scrap of paper with Goa'uld writing on it. Meridina looked it over and handed it back. She couldn't read the writing save to recognize the characters for Cronus' name, but she could sense no deception from the Jaffa.

"Allow me to stand by the room, then," Meridina said. "For security purposes."

"That is most wise," Teal'c agreed.

Meridina walked with Teal'c to the room in question. She knocked upon the door and opened it.

Cronus looked up. He saw her, and then he saw Teal'c and snarled. " _Shol'va_ ," he spat. "Why have you returned to my presence? Is this the extent of the Alliance's supposed security?"

"It was you who summoned me," Teal'c stated. He showed his invitation to Cronus.

Cronus snatched the paper and looked it over. Confusion now crossed his haughty face. He growled in Goa'uld.

Meridina sensed something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. Her hand went to her _lakesh_ and she stood ready to act to protect both.

The chaos began a moment later. 

* * *

Robert found Jack in the SGC wardroom above the control room, complete with a glass window into the Gate Room. "Colonel," he said politely.

Jack turned only after a moment. His expression was torn and bitter. "Captain," he said. "So, how's your side doing? You going to sell out to the Goa'uld too?"

Robert couldn't keep the frown off his face from distaste. "Secretary Onaram thinks we're getting about as good as we can hope for. He has allowed me to ask the Goa'uld to make an exception for some civilian technology. Help your planet along with medical technology, the means to repair ecological damage, that sort of thing."

Jack nodded slowly. "I guess that's all you can really hope to do in your situation, is it?"

"Pretty much," Robert admitted. "Onaram did want me to extend a promise, that we'll do whatever we can for Earth's people if the Goa'uld end up betraying the treaty. That we'll help whoever we can."

"Mighty nice of you." Jack's tone was bitter and sarcastic. After a moment he winced. "I'm sorry, you don't deserve that. I just hate this entire situation." He crossed his arms. "We're up against the corner and the Goa'uld know that, so they're taking everything they can get out of us. And I can't think of a single way to stop them."

"I can't either." Robert put his hands on the back of the nearest chair and leaned against it slightly. "The timing for us is terrible."

"Well, at least you're fighting actual Nazis," Jack pointed out. He looked out again at the Stargate. "Hell, maybe I should just join your side of things. The SGC's going to be disbanded if this goes through."

"We'd be glad to have all of you," Robert said. "If you really want that."

"I suppose we'll see what happens," Jack replied. "I just think we're going to regret this. Trusting the Goa'uld to not be Goa'uld with us when…"

Jack was interrupted by an alarm and a number of red lights starting to go off. "What…" He started.

Robert's multidevice chimed. He reached to it and pressed the commkey. "Dale here."

" _You need to get to the Goa'uld VIP rooms, now,_ " Lucy said on the other end.

"Why?" Robert could see Jack's attention focus on him with laser-like intensity. "What's going on?"

" _It's all…. it looks like Teal'c attacked Cronus, Captain._ "

Both men went right for the door. 

* * *

By the time the two men arrived, soldiers and medics had come as well. Yu was shouting in enraged Goa'uld. He glared at them as they came. "Is this your idea of security, Captain?!", he raged. "And you. Your people will suffer for this!"

"Before you go off threatening us, can we find out what happened first?", Jack asked.

Yu's eyes glowed white, and his face remained locked in restrained fury.

Robert could already feel Lucy inside with Meridina. He moved by Yu and entered the room. Opani and Doctor Fraiser were busy getting an unconscious Cronus into aa stretcher. Another pair of medics were tending to a wounded Teal'c, covered in blows and cuts. Meridina was seated against a wall, a cut and bruise on her forehead. Lucy was kneeling beside her. She looked up at Robert. "I found them like this," Lucy said.

"Did you see anything? Feel anything?"

"Just…" Lucy shook her head. "Deception, I think. Anger. Surprise. I can't tell if Meridina walked in on them or what."

"So Teal'c might have attacked Cronus?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Lucy shook her head. "Meridina probably knows."

The Gersallian woman stirred. Her eyes looked distant when she opened them. "What… what has…"

"I was hoping you could tell us," Robert said.

Daniel was in the room now and standing with them. "Did you see anything?", he asked. "Any indication of who attacked Cronus and Teal'c."

"I am afraid my memory is not clear," Meridina answered. She rubbed at her forehead. "The blow to my head was quite unexpected. I am afraid I was distracted too greatly by the fighting."

Robert's stomach twisted. "Who was fighting?"

"Cronus and Teal'c," she said. "Maddened with anger and rage. I could not tell who started the fight."

"Why was Teal'c even down here?", Jack asked. "He knew to stay away."

"A message was invoked on his part. I trusted his judgement to be appropriate and allowed him to pass."

"Well, that's not going to look good," Daniel sighed.

"Here, let me give you a medical scan," Lucy offered. "And then we can get you to the infirmary."

Meridina shook her head. "That is not necessary."

"I don't know, this head wound looks…"

"I _said_ that it is _not necessary_ ," Meridina insisted. Her voice became heated in a way Robert had never heard before, and she almost glared daggers at Lucy.

Lucy was taken aback. "Okay, okay," she said. "I'm just… I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Meridina's face relaxed. "I… I apologize," she said. "I am merely aggravated at myself for not escorting Teal'c as I should have. Everything may be ruined now from his surrender to his darkness."

"We'll find out what happened," Robert assured Meridina. Her outburst worried him. She had clearly felt ashamed of what looked to be broken trust… but Meridina was usually far calmer than that.

Then again, she'd spent all day near the Goa'uld, feeling their nastiest and most vile thoughts being "transmitted", for lack of a better word, for everyone with her level of telepathy to feel. Robert suspected he'd be tetchy as well. "Why don't you go rest?", he advised. "I'll let you know if anything else happens."

"Of course." She stood and began to walk away.

"Well, so much for the peace summit," Daniel sighed.

Robert nodded. He swallowed. "I'd better go report this to Secretary Onaram. See if he has any idea how we can deal with this."

"We're going to see what's happening in the infirmary," Jack said. "Maybe if we're lucky we can talk our way out of this."

There was something in his tone, and in Daniel's look, that told Robert how both were actually feeling about their chances, and it was certainly how he felt about it.

 _When are we ever that lucky?_

* * *

Onaram heard Robert's quick report with quiet contemplation. Robert could still sense something of the feelings within the older Dorei, though - frustration, concern, a sense of everything having fallen out of control. "What is the Goa'uld response?", he finally asked.

"Bad," Robert replied. "Yu vowed the people of Earth would suffer."

The Dorei statesman's right ear twitched slightly. "He specified Earth only? He is not blaming us?"

"Not of the attack. He accused us of incompetence, that was it." Robert could sense the calculation going on and didn't need to be a mind-reader to see where this was going. "Sir, you're not about to suggest…?"

"We must consider the needs and interests of the Alliance as a whole, Captain," Onaram said. His voice was plainly weary. "All we can do is encourage the Goa'uld to show mercy. Perhaps if this Teal'c were to stand trial for the attack…"

"I doubt the Goa'uld care for a trial," Robert answered. "With a system like theirs, all they'll want to do is execute Teal'c on the spot. And they might still want more."

"All we can do is see if further concessions we can accept, and Teal'c's extradition, can mollify them. If it can't…" Onaram shook his head. "Then we must leave Earth to its fate."

Robert couldn't keep the angry look off his face. "You're talking about leaving five to six billion people to be slaughtered or enslaved, Mister Secretary. How can we let something like that happen?"

Even as he asked that, in the heat of the moment, he could guess the basic point of the weary reaction Onaram had to that. "Because there are billions more in Universe S4W8 who suffer the same at the hands of the Nazi Reich."

Robert's jaw clenched.

"I must inform President Morgan, Captain," Onaram sighed. "Please let me know of any further updates to the situation."

Robert nodded and left. 

* * *

The critical care room in the SG-1 infirmary was rather dark from all the dimmed lights. Doctor Fraiser was in charge, with Opani providing what help she could. Lucy could feel Opani's disturbed feelings. She was helping to save the parasite and the helpless host that it kept imprisoned in his own mind.

 _And helping to save the peace_ , she thought.

Yu and Nirrti were present, and both were even nastier in disposition than before. "Your primitive technology can do nothing for him," Nirrti asserted. "We must get him to a sarcophagus."

Which, of course, meant never getting Cronus' testimony on what happened. It meant not finding out what was going on, and Earth being at the mercy of the Goa'uld.

"If I could get a medical module from the _Aurora_ , I could treat him," Opani said.

"You mean you could have a chance to tear Cronus from his host," Nirrti spat. "Just as you did to Amaunet."

Opani bit into her lip. "I would save him. That would be my duty."

"There might be something," Sam suggested, stepping into the room. She carried with her a box. Opened, it revealed a hand-held device of some sort, a golden hand brace and frame around a red emitter of some sort. She held it out. "See if this works."

Nirrti considered the item. After a moment she picked it up and held it down to Cronus. Energy flowed from the emitter and into his body. Nothing came of it, however, and after several seconds Nirrti took off the device and put it down. "His wounds are too severe."

Lucy felt an itch inside of herself at that. A sense of deceit. But she knew that accusing Nirrti of lying here might only cause a greater fight later. _Maybe I can get Yu to use it later?_

"There is nothing more we can do here," Yu stated. "We will prepare to depart now."

"Wait," Lucy said. "There might be one more thing we can try." When they all looked at her, she triggered her multidevice. "Lucero to Meridina." When she saw the call was received, she asked, "Can you come to the infirmary? I think we need your help."

Several minutes passed before Meridina entered. She looked around the room quietly before nodding to Lucy. "You needed something?"

Lucy gestured to Cronus. "Nothing we've done to heal him has worked so far," she said. "I was hoping maybe your force healing abilities would help."

Meridina shook her head. "Likely not. I am not a fully-trained healer, Lucy. There is only so much I can do. His condition is grave."

"It's still something," she insisted. "Maybe if you manage just a little the Goa'uld healing device can work?"

Meridina thought on it for a moment before nodding. "I will endeavor to save him." She walked up beside the bed and set her hands on Cronus' stomach and chest. Lucy felt Meridina's power begin to brighten, to pick up in intensity as she applied her will to Cronus' body. It felt weaker than prior times she had used it, although Lucy knew that proximity to life sources could enhance her ability to heal as it had on the Citadel.

After a minute nothing had changed. Meridina slumped over slightly and put her hands to the bed, using it to hold herself up as she regained her bearings. "I am sorry," she said. "I can do nothing."

In their corner of the room, Jack and Daniel frowned. Sam was upset as well - it was clear they felt this was their last hope of saving Cronus and finding out what happened to him.

"You tried," Lucy said, distraught. Sam looked even more disturbed, but given her world was the one under threat that was understandable.

"I must go rest," Meridina said.

"And we must prepare to depart," Yu announced. He nodded to Nirrti, who joined him in leaving. Meridina was not far behind.

Lucy watched her go. She felt off about something. The attack, primarily, and what she thought she could feel within Meridina. A trace of… fear? Despair? It was a distraught feeling she never felt in Meridina usually. _Then again, we're usually not facing the killing and enslaving of an entire planet like this._

"There has to be some way to save him," Opani insisted. "Give me, give us, time, please," she said to Jack.

Jack shrugged. "I'll go see what General Hammond and Secretary Simms want to do. Let me know if anything else happens, alright? And I mean let me know _immediately_."

"Of course," Fraiser said. 

* * *

One of the SGC personnel, Corporal Burleigh, was surprised to see Meridina enter his workspace. The young man did personnel work, mostly, helping officers and higher-ranking NCOs go over personnel files for promotion reviews or disciplinary proceedings. It was fairly unglamorous as things went considering the work of the SGC, but Burleigh was hopeful he would get a higher responsibility eventually.

For the moment, however, he was simply confused at why the Alliance officer - who looked human despite everyone saying she was alien - had come to him. "Can I help you, ma'am?", he ventured nervously.

Meridina looked at him with little emotion. "I need to investigate something. I require access to your personnel files."

"I'll need a written order from General Hammond for that, ma'am," he said.

A soft, friendly smile crossed her expression. "Of course." She held out a piece of paper. Burleigh took it and it looked like everything was in order. "Okay, this computer will get you the information you need, ma'am."

"My thanks," she said. 

* * *

The unease and desperation in the SGC were getting to Robert. There seemed to be nowhere he could go to escape it and the constant reminder of what was at stake. Even here, in the quarters they assigned, he could feel it.

He hung up his uniform jacket in the small metal wardrobe of the room and laid on the stiff bed. There were cheap motels with softer mattresses, he decided. It certainly didn't make resting any easier.

He wished he had someone to talk to. Beth, Julie, Zack… the people he trusted. But only Meridina was here, and she was resting from the attack.

There was a knock on the door. Robert called out, "It's open" and sat up.

Lucy entered. "Hey."

"Hey." He gestured toward one of the two chairs in the room, which Lucy went for. She had shed her uniform jacket and left it in her room, leaving the light gray undershirt on. "No change?"

"They hope Teal'c will awaken soon, but nothing else has happened," Lucy said. "The Goa'uld couldn't heal Cronus. Neither could Meridina." He nodded and sighed. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Nothing," Robert said. "I've already followed Secretary Onaram's instructions on this. Told Yu that the Allied Systems was 'appalled at what transpired' and we 'were still ready to sign the treaty'."

"You mean we're going to abandon Earth to the Goa'uld."

Robert's frown deepened. "That's what's been decided in Portland. That right now we have no hope of saving Earth, and won't for the near or mid-future."

Lucy shook her head in frustration. "This entire thing feels wrong. Doesn't it to you?"

"Abandoning these people? Yes, yes it does."

"Not just that," Lucy said. "Just the situation in general. The idea that Teal'c would put Earth in danger for petty revenge."

"I know. But the guy killed his father and exiled Teal'c and his mother. I can't blame him for being bitter. And maybe it got the better of him." Robert put a hand to his forehead. "It's times like this that I wish I didn't have this power. What's happening right now is bad enough, feeling the desperation and worry here is making it worse."

"I know what you mean. I even think it's getting to Meridina a little. She seems to be a little off now, disturbed I mean."

"The fact even she can be disturbed is frightening," Robert muttered. "Even the fight in the Facility didn't make her lose confidence."

Lucy shook her head. "I just… for a moment, I felt something like despair from her. Like she was completely helpless. It just doesn't make sense."

"It does to me. We _are_ helpless. Helpless to help these people, our fellow…"

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Robert called out.

Daniel stepped in. "Hey," he said.

"Doctor Jackson." Robert nodded. "What can I do for you?"

Given the look on his face, there were a lot of things Daniel was thinking of. "Take Sha're and her baby to safety, for starters," he said. "Not that you'll be able to. General Hammond just locked down the Stargate. Nobody's being allowed to leave while we investigate this."

Lucy frowned. "The Goa'uld won't stand for it."

"Well, we're going to get invaded and enslaved anyway, so I suppose there's nothing to lose now," Daniel answered. The flippancy in the remark could not hide his fear. "Anyway, General Hammond reopened the base and brought armed soldiers in. They're supposed to keep an eye on the Goa'uld, but there's always the chance you might get challenged if you're in the wrong area. I just thought you should know."

"Secretary Onaram will probably insist I protest this," Robert said. "I understand why, of course."

"Yeah."

"Where's Colonel O'Neill?", Lucy asked.

"Oh, he's trying to get some help from Thor. I told him it's not likely, of course." Daniel nodded. "Come find me if you need anything." He left the room.

* * *

Nirrti returned to the VIP room she was assigned to. As always, it was pitiful and small, with almost no proper luxuries. This was no way for a Goa'uld of her stature to be treated. The entire situation made her burn with fury that her prior plan to destroy the Earthers and their Stargate had failed.

But there was always more plans. She pondered if she should try to take out Yu as well. It was tempting. But given the chaos it would lead to in the hierarchy, it seemed to be an unwise risk to her plans. She would stay her blade for the moment.

There was a knock on the door. Nirrti turned as it opened. "What is the meaning of this?", she asked as Meridina stepped in.

Meridina stepped away from the door for a moment. She focused and then, with a gentle movement of her hand, shut the door. She looked to Nirrti. A small smile crossed her face, as it did Nirrti's.

And then her eyes flashed white.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan," said Meridina, in the deep timbre of a Goa'uld. "As I pledged it would."

"So it seems." Nirrti's eyes narrowed. "Are you in full control of your new host?"

"Her mind and power is great, but once I was inside, it has been meaningless against me," the Goa'uld replied. "For all of her power, this woman is as vulnerable to us as any other being."

"As it should be." Nirrti stepped toward her. "The Tau'ri will not let us leave. We are prisoners until they finish their investigation. You must act before they give up."

"I already know where I am going," replied the Goa'uld. "The powers this body can wield are more than sufficient to the task of accomplishing our goal."

"And you will take the child?"

The Goa'uld nodded. "The _harcesis_ will be ours."

Nirrti answered with an anticipatory smile. "Excellent. And the mother…?"

Meridina's face curled into its own sinister smirk. "I will deal with my former host as I please," declared Amaunet.


	19. Episode 2-04-4 Diplomatic Maneuvers

In the infirmary, Opani was looking over the unconscious Teal'c and running another medical scan to make sure his brain wasn't damaged.

"I'm not sure that will do any good," Doctor Fraiser said to her. "His condition hasn't changed that much in the last ten minutes."

"I know." Opani put her medical scanner back into its place on her wrist-mounted multidevice. "But it is something. Your people are facing a terrible threat and Teal'c may hold the key to helping you. And I would rather be active than passively sit aside while other beings are enslaved." Opani's fists clenched. "My people knew slavery once before. We stand against it now."

"We just have to hope the others find a way," Fraiser said. "Sometimes it's all you can do around here. Hope."

Opani answered her with a nod. Hope, indeed, was something she was familiar with, and it had fulfilled its promise to her.

She went back to work checking on Teal'c's vitals. 

* * *

Amaunet walked silently through the once-sealed blast doors without immediate resistance. A primitive transport lift brought her up to ground level, where she faced a checkpoint for the first time. Armed Tau'ri did not challenge her with raised weapons but did call out to her on why she had come up. "I am on an urgent assignment," she said to them, mimicking her host's tone accurately. She felt her host resist. It was troublesome, but ultimately futile. In time the host, this Meridina, would submit as all hosts did. As all hosts should.

"Do you have a pass from General Hammond, ma'am? Otherwise I have to ask you to go back down and see him," one insisted.

A surge of impatience made Amaunet think of the ways she could kill this little meek Tau'ri. But she was not going to risk her purpose on a fight. Instead she would put her host's raw powers to use. She raised a blank piece of their paper. As the guard took it she gathered her will and impose her mind, or rather Meridina's under her control, to give the illusion of a signed order from General Hammond. She did not think of the order itself, but rather used the powers given to her now to make the soldiers think they saw what they expected. "Good day, ma'am," the lead guard said, opening the checkpoint for her and handing her back the empty sheet.

With great satisfaction, Amaunet walked on, making her way toward the exit.

* * *

Lucy stepped into one of the labs in the SGC, where she found Samantha Carter looking over the Goa'uld healing device. Sam turned her head towarad Lucy. "Lieutenant?", she asked.

"Sorry, ma'am, I'm just looking for Meridina," Lucy answered. She took another step in and looked around. "So this is where you work when you're not off-world?"

"Usually," Sam said. "Sometimes we pick up technology that needs to be examined and catalogued."

Lucy looked over one item in the lab, a squat box-like thing. "You're trying to build a working naqia reactor?"

"Naqia? You mean naquadah?"

"That's what you call it." Lucy nodded. She looked over the prototype unit. "You might want to add another capacitor, with the amount of material you might blow out the ones you've put in."

Sam looked to her again. A smile faintly crossed her face. "Thanks. But isn't that a violation of the treaty?"

"What the Goa'uld don't know can't hurt them," Lucy remarked. "Much. Besides, I didn't build you a reactor, I made a suggestion."

"Still…" Samantha walked up beside her and looked over the prototype unit. "So your people use naquadah power generation?"

"We do," Lucy confirmed. "The _Aurora_ is powered by several banks of reactors. It allows for more stable and less volatile power generation than matter/anti-matter reactors."

"Anti-matter? Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?", Samantha asked. "I mean, just one containment failure and…"

"...and your ship goes out in a big boom, yeah." Lucy nodded. "It's why the races and nations we've met who do use that power source are starting to change over to naqia reactors."

Sam nodded. After a moment she asked, "You didn't come to talk about this, did you?"

"I was hoping Meridina was here," Lucy said. "She's not in her quarters, so I imagined she might be moving around, trying to help out. But I can't find her."

"Hrm. Well, I could ask base security to see if she's been on camera anywhere," Sam said.

"I'd appreciate that, Major. A lot," answered Lucy.

Sam picked up her phone and connected to base security. Lucy couldn't make out the voice on the other end, but she could tell they were speaking with some intensity. And all she could think was that something else had gone wrong.

"Thank you," Sam said. "Has General Hammond been informed?... He has?... No... No, I don't think telling one of the staff officers is good enough, I know you're busy trying to fix everything, but he needs to know _now_. Make the call."

"Trouble?", Lucy asked.

"Our camera systems have gone down," Samantha said.

Lucy frowned. Another occurrence that made her consider there was something else going on here. "I think we need to talk to the people in charge. Together. Because there is something seriously bugging me about this entire situation and…."

The door swung open. Jack stepped in and looked at them. "Hey," he said. "The infirmary just called. Teal'c's awake."

There was relief plain on Samantha's face. Lucy let her take the lead in following Jack back out. 

* * *

Teal'c looked weak and tired when they got to his bed. Opani was monitoring his vitals for Doctor Fraiser, making full use of her medical-role multidevice. The other members of SG-1 joined Secretary Simms and General Hammond at the other side and foot of the bed; Robert and Lucy were with Opani on her side. "Your injuries have healed and there is no sign of brain damage, Mister Teal'c," the Dorei doctor said. "You are going to have a full life yet."

"About as long as we will, anyway," Jack muttered. He frowned at Teal'c. "What happened?"

"I was summoned to Cronus' room," Teal'c said. "When I arrived, he denied sending for me. Before I could inquire further, we were attacked."

"Who?", Jack asked.

"I could not see the attacker."

Daniel asked, "You couldn't see the attacker because you were knocked out or because…?"

"I did not see one at all," Teal'c stated. "And I was not made unconscious on the first blow."

"A personal cloaking device," Lucy murmured. She looked to Robert. "That's what it sounds like."

"Do the Goa'uld have any technology like that?", Robert asked.

"Not that we've seen," Sam replied. She furrowed her brow. "I mean, I suppose it's possible a Goa'uld could have developed one. If it's meant for phase-shifting, they might have made something to fight against the Reetou."

"I suspect accusing an invisible attacker won't work very well." Hammond looked to Simms. "Not unless we find proof. And we can't do that if we let the Goa'uld go."

Clearly the two men had been in discussion on the point. Simms finally nodded slightly, as if in acquiescence. Hammond stepped away to make the necessary calls.

"Is there anything else you can remember, Teal'c?", Jack asked.

"Nothing."

"So we don't have anything to show the Goa'uld," Lucy sighed. "Maybe if I scan the room again.. but no, I'd need stronger sensors than I've got. I'd need the _Aurora_."

"I doubt the Goa'uld would let me call her in," Robert muttered.

Simms walked away by now, leaving the others alone. Opani finished injecting Teal'c with a hypospray. "That should help with the bruising," she said to him.

"The pain is nothing."

As this discussion continued, Robert felt bothered by something. Teal'c's explanation didn't sound wrong, but he seemed to have left out a thought, or at least something Robert felt he really should have considered. So he leaned in. "Teal'c, why didn't you ask Meridina to accompany you?"

Teal'c looked at him in bewilderment. "I did."

Robert and Lucy stared at him.

"I do not see Commander Meridina," Teal'c continued, looking around the infirmary ward. "Was she seriously harmed?"

"She's okay," Robert said, although now he was wondering about that. "Took a blow to the head."

"Wait." Daniel shook his head. "Meridina said she walked in on you and Cronus fighting."

Teal'c frowned at that. "She has said such?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "So now you're giving us a different story. I bet the Goa'uld will just love that."

"Are you sure Teal'c?", Lucy asked. "Completely sure you were with her?"

"I was with her," Teal'c stated. "Do you not have her gifts? Do you sense deception from me?"

Lucy swallowed. She looked to Robert in intense worry and confusion on her face. "No," she finally said. "And that's what worries me."

"So she lied?", Sam said. "Meridina _lied_ to you?"

"She wouldn't do that," Robert said. "Not intentionally. It doesn't make sense…"

"Maybe the blow to her head muddled her memories of the attack?", Lucy suggested.

"A possibility," said Opani. "I would have to examine her again."

"Well, she's not in her quarters," Lucy said. "And the cameras across the base are down."

The looks on everyone made it clear how suspicious that was.

"Let's go find her." Robert looked to Jack and the others. "You know this place better than we do."

Jack answered with a nod. "Let's find out what's going on here."

"Not just Meridina," Lucy said. Seeing everyone looking her way, she continued. "I wasn't sure, but now I'm starting to think that Nirrti wasn't really trying to save Cronus. She just put in an appearance of trying."

"At this point, I'm up for trying out anything," Jack said. He looked to Sam.

She nodded. "I'll see if it will work for me."

Robert's brow crinkled. He looked at Sam with some confusion. "I thought Goa'uld technology could only be used by Goa'uld?"

"Normally, yes," Samantha said. "But when someone's been a host to one, it leaves markers for the technology to identify. The former host can use the Goa'uld technology."

"Oh." Lucy's look toward Samantha was now one of disbelief and compassion. "You… you were taken as a host for one?"

"I was a host to a Tok'ra for a short while," she explained. "Jolinar."

"The Tok'ra being the good Goa'uld off-shoot, right?'

"Something like that, yes," said Daniel.

"If you're going to do this, Sam, you'd better hurry," Dr. Fraiser said. "Cronus is fading fast."

"I'm going to let Secretary Onaram know about what's going on," Robert said. "And then I'll join the rest of you in looking for Meridina."

Jack nodded. "Sounds like a plan." 

* * *

The primitive motor vehicles of the Tau'ri annoyed Amaunet. She accessed her host's memories for such conveyances and found them lacking, at least for how Humans used them. She had lost time in getting a firm grasp of driving while working her way off the base.

But now, after some time driving, she had arrived at her destination.

Finding it had been easier. Her host's mental abilities allowed her to view into the minds of the other drivers and query where to go. It led her to a series of "apartment homes". The numbering system was easily followed. She stopped the vehicle in place, shut the machine down, and stepped out of it. She approached the door, colored lightly and with the right number on it. Her host sensed the two minds within and Amaunet grinned.

 _No, you mustn't!_

Amaunet scowled. This host was strong-willed, enough that she still resisted. The symbiote sent a surge of pain into her host's brain to quiet her.

Her host's memories of how Tau'ri interacted prompted Amaunet to knock on the door. There was the faint sound of footsteps inside of the domicile. Each one drove Amaunet's anticipation to new, unexpected heights.

She had planned to enter the home before revealing herself, but her impatience got the better of her. The moment the door opened and her host appeared, she took her host's power and lashed out with it.

Sha're only had time to barely recognize Meridina before invisible force sent her flying back into the home. She crashed into the table behind her, sending items flying to cause more crashing sounds to fill the air.

Amaunet advanced into the house and reached out again with the power, this time to grip Sha're by the throat and hold her up. Sha're's hands went to her neck, trying to find the invisible hand that was starting to choke the life out of her. Her eyes widened with shock and terror.

"Where is the child?!", demanded Amaunet. " _Where_?! Answer me, slave, or I will rip the life from you as I was ripped from you!"

A cold sensation began to fill Amaunet and her host. It was frightening, and then exhilarating, a voice that told her to avenge herself upon her treacherous former host. To kill Sha're here and now, the first of many she would kill in revenge for the indignity she had suffered.

 _Let her go!_

Her host interfered again. This time with far more power than Amaunet had thought possible for a host to resist with. The power she was using to choke the life from Sha're cut off, causing the woman to drop to her hands and knees on the floor. Amaunet scowled and sent another jolt of pain into her host to make her behave.

"Demon," Sha're gasped. "I won't let you…"

"You have no choice in the matter," Amaunet retorted.

She had intended to resume the killing of her former host. But she held back when she heard the crying coming from deeper within the home. She walked through the domicile, not recognizing half of what she saw, and entered a room with a large comfortable bed - fit for Goa'uld, not slaves - and a smaller bed beside it. The crying led her to the smaller bed. The _harcesis_ was there, screaming, frightened by the sounds of conflict that had awoken him from a sleep.

Amaunet picked up the wailing child. A sharp mental command put the child back into a sleeping state. Amaunet looked to one side and saw what appeared to be a bag, large enough to carry the child with suffocating him. She secured the sleeping baby into the pack and walked back toward the door.

A scream of rage filled the air. Sha're had gotten back to her feet. In her hand she held a sharp steak knife, with which she lunged at Amaunet.

The cold power she'd felt before was still there. Amaunet gave it form, gave it function, and called upon it through her protesting host. She was delighted to see the unnatural lightning rip from her free hand and envelop her former host. Sha're screamed in agony and fell to her knees. Her cries fueled Amaunet's hatred, her need for revenge, and she wanted to run the lightning through her prior host until she was a blackened char.

But she couldn't. They had already caused a commotion, and would be running out of time. She needed to get back to Nirrti with the child so they could escape the SGC.

With more will than it should have taken, Amaunet cut off the attack. Sha're twisted on the ground, groaning in agony, and unable to resist as Amaunet walked on toward the door. The child was still peacefully asleep in the bag slung over her shoulder. 

* * *

With no sign of Meridina yet, everyone returned to the infirmary in time to see Samantha using the healing device on Cronus. Again golden light reached out from the device and bathed his wounded body with its power.

"It's working," Opani said, watching Cronus' state with her medical scanner. "His vitals are stabilizing."

Several tense seconds passed before Cronus' eyes opened. The Goa'uld appraised his surroundings before focusing on Samantha. "You have saved me," he rumbled.

"Yeah," Samantha replied.

A smirk curled on his face. "I suspect you only did so in order to spare your world."

"Did you see who attacked you?", Jack asked. "It's sort of a big question around here right now."

Cronus snarled at that. "I did not," he announced.

"Well, that's swell," Jack sighed.

"But it wasn't Teal'c, was it?", Robert asked.

"The _shol'va_ may have been in league with the attacker even if he was not responsible," Cronus said. "You must prove who was behind the attack if you wish these negotiations to be completed."

"That leaves one person," Robert said. "We need to find out what's going on with Meridina." He directed his attention to Cronus. "When Teal'c came in, did you see Commander Meridina? Was she with him?"

Cronus considered the question. "I do not recall. She may have been just outside the door when the first blow was struck. I did not see afterward."

The phone in the infirmary rang. Doctor Fraiser was the first to answer it. She turned and looked to them. "Doctor Jackson." She held up the phone. "It's for you."

Daniel was the center of attention as he walked over and took the phone. "Hello?"

Everyone watched his face pale.

When Daniel resumed speaking it was not in English. Abydonian, Robert thought. He could feel Daniel's worry and fear and sheer anger.

When the conversation ended Daniel turned to face them. "Meridina just attacked my home," he said in a grim tone. "She hurt Sha're and took our son."

The idea caught Robert and Lucy entirely by surprise. "...but why would she do that?", Lucy finally asked. "She…"

"I'm sorry." Daniel shook his head. "Your friend isn't herself now. She's been taken by a Goa'uld. Amaunet, actually."

There was a moment of stunned, quiet silence in the infirmary. "Name of the Supreme One, no," Opani swore.

"Amaunet took over Meridina?" Robert shook his head. He remembered that name, the name of the Goa'uld who had been removed from Sha're. "That… how? How could the Goa'uld sneak up on her like that?"

"If she was distracted, maybe," Lucy pointed out.

As she spoke, Robert thought he knew what she was meaning. "The attack on Teal'c and Cronus," he said. "If the attacker was invisible, and got in the first blow on Meridina, she wouldn't have had time to recover."

"Well, finding out the 'how' is nice and all," Jack said. "But right now we've gotten nothing to help finish this case."

"We should probably go," Opani said. She noted where Cronus was starting to sleep. "He'll need his rest." 

* * *

General Hammond and the two government secretaries present reacted to the news with understandable concern. "Is this not a violation of the protocols by which these negotiations are held?', Onaram asked. Robert could feel the fury radiating from him.

"I'd have to ask Thor," Jack answered. "I'm sure it's got to violate something. I don't know if there's anything the Asgard can do about it, though."

"We can be reasonably certain that it's a Goa'uld behind this," said Hammond. "We need to figure out which one."

"And we need to get my son back," Daniel added.

"Any idea where she would be taking him?", Hammond asked. "She can't think that she can get back in here."

"Maybe she is," Lucy remarked. "She has an invisible conspirator, and on top of that, given what Daniel said about her attack on Sha're, Amaunet is using Meridina's powers as well as her body."

"Yeah, about the powers thing." Jack gestured with his hand. "What is up with that?"

Robert and Lucy looked at each other as they considered what kind of explanation to give. "Well, in the short version without any of the underlying philosophy the Gersallians have built up…", Lucy began.

"...it's basically a method of mind over matter, of a connection to the wider universe," Robert continued. "And it lets you do interesting things. Lift things with your mind."

"Throw bolts of invisible force."

"Win gunfights with swords."

That won them a bunch of quizzical looks from the native Earthers.

"The point is that Amaunet might use Meridina's power to fight her way through your security, if she wants to use the Stargate." Lucy looked at Robert. "I'll go up and face her."

"I'm coming too," Daniel said.

"We have to assume the invisible attacker will strike again as well," Samantha said. "I can bring out the gear we used for finding the Reetou. It might help."

"There's still the matter of finding out which Goa'uld is our guy. Or girl. The only way we save these negotiations is if we have a better suspect for the deed. And fighting invisible saboteurs doesn't lend itself to that.""

Secretary Simms nodded. "Which we're running out of time for, Captain."

Robert didn't need reminding of that. He looked at Jack. "Maybe if you got the Asgard involved again? I mean, one of them took Meridina as a host, that's got to count for something. Direct Asgard intervention…"

Jack shook his head. "Not happening."

"Yeah, the Asgard have that little problem of a threat bigger than the Goa'uld," Daniel noted. "They won't be able to really push their weight."

"Hence the whole bluff…"

The way Jack cut that line off made Robert curious. He turned his head and faced the SG-1 commander. He sensed the shift in Jack's emotions, from bewilderment and frustration to at least a measure of accomplishment.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond gave Jack a slight look.

"Well, if it works for the Asgard," Jack began, "why not let it work for us."

"You mean a bluff," Samantha said.

"Yeah." Jack motioned to the door. "Carter, mind coming with me? I need you to get that gear out of the box and issued to everyone on the level."

"And me?", Robert asked.

"We're going back to the table," said Jack. "Time to bluff with the bad hand." 

* * *

Amaunet returned to find the base locked down. Armed men at the main gate held up rifles as she brought the motor vehicle to a stop. Amaunet stood from the car with the duffel bag carrying the _harcesis_ to one side.

"Hands on your head, now!", shouted one of the soldiers. Behind them the gate slid to a close.

Amaunet smirked. "I am your god," she declared to them. "Let me pass or suffer my wrath."

"On the ground now! We _will_ open fire!"

Amaunet lashed out with the power of her new host. Energy crackled in the air as lightning erupted from her right hand. Her foes were caught by it before they could . They screamed, they writhed, and most importantly, they went down.

Amaunet reached deeper into that ever-enveloping dark power and with it she gripped the car she had been driving. A mighty heave with every bit of power she could muster flew through the car and sent it flying into - and through - the gatehouse, which came apart from the force. So did the gate.

Amaunet picked the bag with her sleeping child up and started walking briskly toward the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain. 

* * *

The two Goa'uld were not happy when escorted back into the conference room. Robert sat near Jack, who welcomed them back in.

"We demand to be released immediately," Nirrti said.

"Of course you do. After all, one of you is responsible for the attack on Cronus." Jack gestured to Robert. "And for putting Amaunet into Captain Dale's security chief."

And that was what did it. For Robert, at least, the sensations he picked up from the two Goa'uld made it clear whom the enemy was. From Yu he felt bewilderment, disbelief, and frustration. From Nirrti it was all of those as well… but with a smidgen of worry as well. A worry she was trying to suppress.

He made sure to add, "The Alliance is issuing a protest with the Asgard, I can assure you. And since this is not Goa'uld territory, and this was done while we were negotiating in good faith, I want to make it clear that I will have her removed from Meridina as soon as it can be arranged."

"These are severe accusations," Nirrti said. "I will have you punished for these lies and threats."

"Oh, they're not lies. But you would be the one to say that, wouldn't you Nirrti?" Jack put his hands on the table. "After all, you're the only one here who has the technology to make someone invisible."

Yu looked at her with surprise. Nirrti snarled. "That is a lie," she declared.

"We talked with the Tok'ra," Jack said. "We know about your program to find ways to fight the Reetou."

"You know nothing!", Nirrti hissed.

Yu slammed his hands on the table. "You dare?!"

Yu saying such might have been worrisome… if he had not been directing that at Nirrti. "You would develop such technology and not share it with the rest of the System Lords?"

"You cannot believe them!", Nirrti shouted.

"You opposed the treaty," Yu said. "You have long coveted Cronus' territories."

"They are…"

"You _dare_ defile our summit with the Asgard!", Yu continued. Clearly he believed her guilty on the weight of the accusation alone. "And to take a host from those we are in negotiation with?"

Before Jack or Robert could intercede, the enraged Goa'uld grabbed Nirrti by the throat and began to choke her. She struggled against him for several seconds, trying to force his hands off.

Then her hands went toward her waist. There was a shimmer in the air and Nirrti disappeared in a ripple of air. Yu was thrown away from her, not able to see where the blow was coming from.

The SGC guard in the room readied his weapon, but he had nowhere to fire. An invisible force slammed into him and wrenched the gun from him, strap and all.

Robert focused on that area and raised his hand. Pure power flowed from within, coming from an inner part of him that was always warm and gentle. It came out through his hand in a broad wave of invisible power. There was an audible pair of thumps, one from the guard who had, by necessity, been caught in the wave, the other by the invisible Nirrti.

Within moments it was clear she had rolled with it, however. Robert felt the danger of what was coming surge through him. The gun Nirrti had taken briefly appeared from outside of whatever cloaking device she was using.

"Crap!", Jack called out, jumping on Yu just as she opened fire. Robert dropped to the floor. "You okay?", Jack asked him.

"Fine. You?"

"I am unharmed," the Goa'uld answered.

Jack flashed a small grin Robert's way. He knew that had been intended for him.

They scrambled back to their feet. "Carter's already waiting for her," Jack said. "She'll have our gear for stopping Reetous, Nirrti isn't going anywhere."

Robert nodded. He reached out with his power at the moment to sense for Nirrti. He could feel frustration, fear, and a deep tingle of anger winding through it.

"She won't get far," Jack promised.

Robert was about to answer when he felt something cold and dark brush against his being. It was not a familiar sensation personally, but he had listened to Lucy describe her experiences and could guess what it was; darkness. Pure darkness.

"She's not our biggest problem now," Robert told Jack. "Amaunet is."

"Oh?"

"I can feel her," Robert continued. "The way she's using Meridina's power, it's… it's _wrong_. It's dark. She's killing your people with it."

Jack frowned at that. "Anything we can do about it?"

"I don't know. Meridina's… well… she's powerful."

"You mean that whole 'win gunfights with a sword' thing?"

"Yeah." Robert nodded. "I think Lucy and I are the only ones who can take her down. If you guys can get Nirrti, we'll get Amaunet."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack agreed.

With the arrival of another guard team for Yu, they went their separate ways. 

* * *

The lift doors opened and Amaunet stepped out from amidst the bodies and unconscious forms of the SGC personnel who had been in the lift. The _harcesis_ , still in a state of sedation, remained thankfully quiet.

She had intended to begin sabotaging everything she could find before linking up with Nirrti and leaving. Now she wanted to destroy everything here, to send a signal of defiance and rage to her enemies by slaughtering as many as she could before leaving.

Two figures stepped out forward out of the nearby corridor. Amaunet snarled at the sight of them.

Daniel was glaring harshly at Amaunet. He glanced over to see where Lucy was looking at her teacher and friend with a neutral, yet determined, expression. "You shouldn't be here," she said to Daniel. "This isn't a fight you can help with."

"She's got my son. She hurt Sha're."

Amaunet snickered, a sinister sound that was so unnatural to Meridina that it further clarified the horror of what was being done to her. "The child is mine. Meant for a purpose far beyond anything you could imagine." Amaunet raised Meridina's arm and looked at it. Lucy noted with horror the power crackling around her hand. When she looked at them, Meridina's blue eyes had become yellow.

 _Just like mine did…_

It wasn't electricity that shot from her hand, though, but force. Force that grabbed them both by the throat and lifted them in the air. Daniel began to choke at the pressure crushing his windpipe.

Lucy, meanwhile, was focusing on countering with her own power. Meridina had taught her how to focus like that, how to save herself from such a grip. Through the pain and the labored breathing of her own gasping lungs, Lucy forced her focus onto the power gripping her and challenged it with her own.

The gripping force faded. Lucy and Daniel dropped back to the floor, gasping for air. Daniel was barely moving; Lucy forced herself back to her feet while breathing hard. Her hand went to her waist and pulled her _lakesh_ from its clipped place on her belt. Her finger slipped over the activation key.

No sooner did the memory metal blade finish forming than Amaunet's hand stretched out. Lightning erupted from it, crackling at them. Lucy put her _lakesh_ in the way, intercepting the lightning. She could feel the unnatural energies snapping at her, wanting to drain the very life from her, but she held on against them to keep Daniel safe as he recovered.

"You are strong, I see," Amaunet said, giving Meridina's voice an unnatural bass distortion. "But this host is stronger. She knows all of your failures and mistakes. Even now I feel all of the times you have frustrated and disappointed her. You are no match for her power, for _my_ power."

Lucy kept her weapon ready. "Whatever," she said. "You might be controlling Meridina's body, but you're not her. You don't know how to use the power right. You don't know what it can do."

Amaunet snarled at her and reached for her belt. She had recovered Meridina's _lakesh_ after the base lockdown had ended. The blade flowed into existence with the snap of a switch.

For several seconds neither did anything.

And then, in a single moment, their blades clashed. The duel was on. 

* * *

Robert was running toward the sense of darkness he was feeling from Amaunet when he felt the attack start to come. He rolled to one side in time to avoid the bullets, which instead sent sparks flying from hitting the wall behind him. He scrambled up to all fours and crawled along, focusing to see if he could feel where the attack was coming from.

Once he was generally sure of it, he turned slightly and sent a wave of energy toward that direction. He heard a distant thump. That caused him to scramble to his feet. His power molded at his will to form a shield of invisible energy in front of him.

Fire came down on him again and he nearly lost his protection from the power he was being hit with. If not for Meridina's strenuous training, he likely would have had his field pop like a bubble. And then he would have been shot. Repeatedly.

Just as it was becoming too much Robert slammed into something. There was a distorted cry and a thump. He gripped into nothingness until, as he expected, he felt the hot metal of an assault rifle recently fired. He wrapped his fingers around it and pulled to yank it free.

An unseen fist slammed into his shoulder with enough force that Robert thought it might have been broken. He lost his grip on the weapon. A second blow hit him in the side of the head. Stars and colors exploded in his vision. There were more gunshots and, with his head spinning, he couldn't tell if it was aimed at him or not.

By the time he recovered he looked up to see a large hand lower toward him. He reached for it and found he was looking into Teal'c's face as he was brought to his feet. His head still spun a little from the blow. "Thanks," he said, only now noticing Jack was with Teal'c.

"You are welcome," Teal'c stated stoically. He motioned toward the next hall. "I believe the Goa'uld went this way."

"Before we go further." Jack took Robert's hand. Robert felt the weight of something settle into his palm. He realized it was a pulse pistol. "From the goodies you left us last year," Jack explained. "Figured you'd like a weapon."

"You figured right," Robert said. He concentrated for a moment, not just to clear his head but to get a feel for what was going on. He could feel Lucy now, carefully confident and determined, and the dark power he'd sensed before. "I believe Lucy got to Amaunet first. We need to take out Nirrti before those two link up."

"Teal'c?"

The Jaffa nodded to Jack. And with him in the lead, they went after Nirrti.


	20. Episode 2-04-5 Diplomatic Maneuvers

Lucy's arms strained as she locked blades again with the Goa'uld controlling Meridina's body. "I know you're in there," she said hoarsely. "Fight that thing."

"If you are talking to my host, you waste your time. The host of a Goa'uld no longer exists."

"Your last host seemed to be existing pretty well," Lucy snarled in retort. She finished gathering her power and threw it forward in a wave of energy that knocked the Goa'uld back. She attempted to use the opening to go for the blade-bearing hand out of her hope to knock it loose.

But the Goa'uld recovered more quickly than she expected. Her strike was parried. Worse, because of where it had been parried, it left her open to taking a wicked kick to her ribs. Lucy gasped and doubled over a little, taking a second kick that hurt even more before she backed off. Her arms moved without thinking, deflecting a cut aimed at her head.

It was disconcerting and terrifying and enraging to see Meridina's face locked into a vicious snarl that didn't normally fit. To see the malevolent gold in her eyes and the darkness coming from her. That it was from Meridina's body, her very _swevyra_ , being enslaved by the Goa'uld parasite in her skull… that made it worse.

But Lucy couldn't let those dark feelings drive her. Not without becoming the same. She parried and evaded several more strikes wordlessly. As powerful as Meridina was, Amaunet could not take full use of her power, and that kept the battle more even. Although decidedly not entirely to Lucy's advantage, unfortunately.

Her real disadvantage was in the fact that she was holding back. Lucy didn't want to kill Meridina, but Amaunet was certainly out to kill her. This meant she didn't take the occasional openings she saw because the strikes in question would certainly be mortal if they hit.

Amaunet seemed to realize that. "You fear killing my host," she said. "You cannot hope to defeat me by holding back."

"I'm not letting you kill anyone else with Meridina," Lucy vowed.

An unnatural flash of white temporarily obscured the gold burning in Meridina's eyes. "I am a god," declared the Goa'uld. "You have no say in what I can or cannot do!"

Amaunet brought Meridina's _lakesh_ into a series of attacks against Lucy. Lucy struggled against them but kept deflecting them. The faint blue energy fields that surrounded their memory metal blades let out loud hissing noises with each strike, joining the metallic clang of metal to metal and the occasional spark.

Seeing that Amaunet was driving her back toward a junction in the base corridors, Lucy forced herself into a series of swings and thrusts, trying to force her opponent back toward the lift. Amaunet gave ground, bit by bit…

She struck suddenly. Lucy barely saw it coming, which saved her life. She drew back and watched the _lakesh_ swoop in right above her right eye. A sting of pain came from her forehead where the tip of Meridina's _lakesh_ had cut through skin and flesh. Blood started to seep down around her eye, warm and sticky.

Lucy used the opening to cut at Amaunet. But again, she refrained from striking somewhere that would be fatal. Her mind flashed back, briefly, to seeing Meridina after Hawk had impaled her through the lung. She couldn't bring herself to do the same thing to her.

Instead her blade went for the arm. But Amaunet, with Meridina's power, saw it coming. Or rather, Meridina's power saw it coming and acted without the Goa'uld symbiote's direct will. Their blades met again and Lucy's blow was deflected, gaining her nothing.

Amaunet's blade came for her again, and she blocked it. And the next, and the next. Amaunet was starting to become more aggressive. Her hate, her rage, her sheer malice were warping Meridina's power further, calling upon darkness in a way that was innately corruptive.

Half-blind from the blood streaming into her vision, Lucy knew she was losing the fight.

* * *

Teal'c's senses and Robert's own extrasensory perceptions, as untrained as they were, enabled them to follow Nirrti through the SGC. As they went they found the knocked over, or even knocked out, guards and personnel that were left from her passage.

"I thought Carter was supposed to head her off if she got out of the conference room?", Robert asked.

"Yeah. But it turns out that someone, probably the snakehead in your security chief, sabotaged the TERs. The weapons we use to see things out of phase, I mean. The Major will be joining us as soon as she gets a couple fixed."

Robert didn't bother nodding, as they were both following Teal'c. "This is going toward the Stargate, isn't it?", he asked.

"Nirrti is trying to flee," Teal'c said. "She clearly intends to declare treachery and cause an immediate attack."

"Which we have to stop. Tell me you've got security on the Stargate?"

"Some, but she's invisible and a Goa'uld, they might not be enough."

They made it to the Gate Control Room in time to hear the Stargate start to activate. "That's not good," Jack muttered.

Robert closed his eyes and focused. He could feel the injured SGC personnel in the control room, knocked out by Nirrti, and a sense of satisfaction, of success.

And then concern. A flare-up of worry. She'd seen them arrive. She knew he could…

Robert didn't consciously think about what to do. As Meridina had trained him, he simply acted. His arm reached out and he felt out with his power. There was a clatter of chairs, forced out of the way by the invisible Goa'uld. Nirrti landed somewhere on the floor. "Get her now!", he cried out. "I can't hold her!"

Jack and Teal'c acted. But they had spent a half-second too long in confusion at Robert's use of his abilities and Nirrti had time to break free. They had to hit the floor as bullets fired where their heads and shoulders had been a mere second before.

They started to scramble back to their feet as the bullets fired again, this time shattering the glass of the control room. The palm scanner to close and open the iris was violently ripped from its place, preventing the iris from being closed. Outside the Stargate was locking its fifth chevron. It began to rotate again. "She's getting away!", Jack shouted as he finished standing.

"Find her, I'll stop the Stargate!", Robert shouted. Outside the Stargate was already locking its sixth chevron.

"How?!", Jack demanded.

Robert had no time to explain. The Stargate had already wheeled over to the final coordinate icon, the pyramid-style triangle with a circle above it. He focused and reached out with his hand. His power took hold of the Gate's locking mechanism to hold it in place. He cried out as he did so. The pain from the strain of his action was shooting through his head. "I don't know how long I can hold it!", he shouted.

Jack and Teal'c asked nothing further. They both jumped through the control room windows and rolled into the Gate Room. Bullets created sparks above them as they ran for cover. "Any ideas now, Teal'c?!" Jack pulled his gun. "Because I still don't see her!"

Teal'c lifted a zat from his side. "Nor I, O'Neill."

"Just great," Jack muttered. "Dammit, Sam," he mumbled under his breath. "We could really use those TREs right now."

* * *

Daniel woke up to the sound of clashing blades. His throat still ached from the force that seemed to nearly crush his windpipe. His mind even reeled a little at the idea. It was one thing to hear about Meridina and others having such abilities, these "life force' powers, but another to experience their use first hand.

A cry of pain jolted his attentions. He looked over to see Lucy favoring one leg. A deep bleeding gash had been cut into her upper left leg. She hobbled backward, meeting more strikes with her own. Daniel could see that she was losing the fight.

But she was giving him an opportunity. If he sneaked up behind…

 _Don't!_ , a voice called out to him, faint and tired. _You will die._

Daniel blinked. The voice was in his _head_.

 _Please… I am so weak. You must not join the battle… save your son, Doctor Jackson. Save your son. You must save…_ A short cry ended the sentence.

"Meridina," he muttered. He hadn't spoken much to the Gersallian woman, but he could feel that it was her. She was still fighting Amaunet, even if Amaunet had total control of her body.

And she was right. If he jumped in, he would likely die. Amaunet was using her powers to the fullest. But if he could get little Leo to safety…

Daniel quietly got up to his hands and knees and then to his feet. He spied the duffel bag she had been carrying, still where he had dropped it by the lift entrance.

And he ran for it.

* * *

Lucy deflected a blow toward one of her shoulders and rolled away from a second follow-up attack. She got her _lakesh_ back up in time to stop the one Amaunet was holding before it cleaved into her neck. Amaunet glared at her through Meridina's eyes, now glowing yellow with dark corruption. "You cannot defeat me," she growled, Meridina's voice warped into the unnatural bass tone of a Goa'uld host. "I am too powerful."

Lucy's face locked into a rictus of effort. She put everything into resisting the Goa'uld's blade and pushing it away from her throat. "I'm not giving up," she rasped.

"I will enjoy your death, and then the deaths of your pitiful crew," said Amaunet. "There is nothing I cannot accomplish in this host."

Lucy's muscled burned with effort. She was putting everything she could into stopping the blade. But it was still inching toward her neck.

 _Lucy._

The voice almost took her focus off Amaunet. She blinked. _Meridina?_

 _I cannot stop her. You must stop hesitating. Strike us down!_

A snarl was crossing Amaunet's face. "This host cannot resist me for much longer."

 _I can't kill you_ , Lucy thought. _Please._

 _You must, Lucy. Amaunet has corrupted my power and uses it for darkness. We must be stopped. This is your duty. Strike us down._

"No," Lucy whimpered. Her eyes were filling with tears, the tears in her right eye now mingling with the blood from her wound. And now she felt the sharp edge of Meridina's _lakesh_ begin to draw blood from her neck. Amaunet was going to kill her if nothing changed.

 _Please. Do not let me be used to kill again. You must…_

The contact cut off with a sensation of pain. Amaunet's snarl became a gloating smirk. "She is too weak to resist me again," Amaunet informed Lucy. She cut deeper into Lucy's neck, turning the wound into a deeper one. Nothing fatal or serious yet, but it would be soon. "This host now belongs to me."

"No. _No._ "

Righteous fury filled Lucy. Determination followed. Determination to save Meridina, to stop this monster that had enslaved her body, enslaved her power, and used it for such evil. Lucy's arms protested as she demanded more from them. She felt within herself for the power of her life energy, the _swevyra_ the Gersallians believed in, and the power beyond it. The metaphysical power, the power of the universe, the power that let her accomplish such fantastic things.

Slowly, the blade moved away from Lucy's neck. Amaunet seemed surprised. Worried, then, as the blade continued to move back toward her.

It didn't get far. Amaunet pushed away from her. She was breathing heavily while bringing the sword back to a ready position. "You cannot…." She stopped, suddenly, and twirled around. " _No._ "

Lucy looked behind her foe. Daniel Jackson had pulled the unconscious baby out of the bag.

" _YOU WILL RELEASE THE CHILD!_ ", Amaunet raged. She turned away completely from Lucy and raised her hand. Raw power began to gather, power Amaunet would direct at Daniel.

 _Now Lucy! You must act now!_ , the weak voice said in her head.

Lucy's tears were still streaming from her eyes. In that moment, she could sense the truth. That if she did not act, Daniel Jackson would die.

She could not hold back. Not without the cost of an innocent life.

With a sob, Lucy plunged her _lakesh_ into Meridina's back.

Amaunet might not have seen it coming. Or if she did, she was too focused on gathering the power within Meridina's body to do anything about it. The uniform fabric yielded easily to the memory metal blade A sickening sound accompanied the wound while it drove through Meridina's torso and out the front of her body.

Amaunet cried out in pain and disbelief. "You… actually…." Rage flared from the Goa'uld. "You will… pay…"

Lucy pulled the blade out with a sickening sucking sound. Blood flowed through both sides of the wound.

She sensed what the Goa'uld would do next. Poison Meridina, intentionally, as spite for what she had done.

She couldn't let that happen.

Lucy knew her cut had to be just right. Too shallow and Amaunet would kill Meridina with her toxin. Too deep and Meridina would be hurt, or even die, as well.

Lucy trusted in her instincts and let them guide the blade as it cut at the back of Meridina's head and neck. Bone sundered and blood flew from the resulting wound. A scream came from Meridina's throat.

And she fell, silently, blood oozing from the wounds she had taken at Lucy's hands.

Lucy herself dropped to a knee. The wound on her forehead was still bleeding and her pants leg was soaked in the blood from her leg wound. The cut in her neck added to the crimson now staining her uniform.

Daniel was nearly running when he approached her, his son in his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Get Doctor Opani," Lucy urged, looking up at him. " _Now_."

He nodded and began to run.

Lucy dropped the other knee. Now kneeling beside Meridina, she summoned her strength and used her power on the wounds. She could not heal, not like Meridina had once shown her was possible, but she could provide pressure to ease or stop the bleeding that threatened her life. She could sense no other life inside of her. Her cut had found its mark, cleaving Amaunet in two and killing her instantly.

Now all she could do was keep Meridina alive and hope that help came.

* * *

Deeper in the SGC, Robert felt like he was about to collapse. All of his power was going into the Stargate's mechanism, preventing it from locking the final chevron.

But his need to concentrate on this kept him from aiding Teal'c and Jack. They remained in cover, trying to find where Nirrti's fire was coming from so they could return the favor. "Any ideas?", Jack asked him.

"We are in a difficult situation, Colonel O'Neill. I am afraid I can think of nothing."

"Well, that's swell," Jack muttered. He moved to peer around the corner of the dismantled machine gun mount he'd taken cover behind, but was forced back to the protective cover of the shield by the bullets. "She's got to run out of ammunition some time."

The doors to the Gate Room opened. Sam ran in with three other soldiers as her escorts, all holding TREs. The Goa'uld-made weapons all focused toward the Stargate. Nirrti appeared out of nothing, or rather her torso did anyway. The range field of the devices' effects did not display her entire body. "Lower your weapon!", Sam ordered.

Nirrti's face was grim and defiant. As she looked to each of them, and undoubtedly recognized the TREs, she knew she'd been caught. Her only hope was that the Stargate would activate and she would get a shot at jumping through.

Which was about to happen. Robert simply couldn't hold it anymore. It was taxing his abilities utterly to do as much as he had done. He needed help.

He got it a moment later when Sergeant Silar pulled himself back up from where Nirrti had left him unconscious. His keyboard clacked in rapid fire. The Stargate stopped.

Robert had to put both of his palms against the table to stabilize himself. His head was spinning. "Thank you, Sergeant," he said to Silar.

"Thanks sir," came the reply. "How did you keep the final chevron from locking?"

"Long story," Robert breathed.

Whatever rest he might have wanted, he knew he wasn't going to get it when his multi-device went off. His fingers found the key. "Dale here."

" _Doctor Opani, sir. I thought you should know…. Commander Meridina is gravely wounded, and Lieutenant Lucero's been cut up. I need to get them immediate medical attention._ "

"Has Doctor Fraiser gotten to you yet?", he asked.

" _She is here. But, the medical technology here is insufficient to save Meridina. We need to take her back to the_ Aurora _for her to survive._ "

Robert thought about that. And he smiled. "Let me get back to you on that, Opani." He used his multidevice to tap into the subspace transmitter that they had brought for Onaram to use in keeping contact with the Alliance authorities in their colonies. "This is Captain Dale. Anyone out there?", he asked in a general transmission on the main fleet channels. "I know someone had to have decided to stay close in case we needed it."

After several seconds, another signal joined his in a connection. " _You know us so well, Rob_ ," said Zack. "Koenig _is here, we're ready to warp in if you say so._ "

"Good. Come in ASAP. We have injured. I want your best medical staff ready to help Doctor Opani."

" _We're warping in now_ ," Zack said. " _Doctor Gillam is standing ready with a medical module._ "

"Good thinking, Dale out." Robert sighed and looked out at the control center, where Jack was happily securing cuffs to Nirrti. "Well, looks like we might survive this after all," he sighed.

* * *

Yu was waiting when Robert and Jack returned. Sam followed with guards and the restrained Nirrti. Yu saw this and nodded. "I am pleased you caught the traitor."

"Thank you for that, Lord Yu," Robert said.

"And what of the other? The officer taken by a Goa'uld?"

"Amaunet is dead," said Jack. "We're still not sure her host will survive."

Yu tilted his head slightly in a half-nod. "Very well," he intoned. "And what is it that you want?"

"Cronus said that if we proved who attacked him, we could keep our Stargate," Jack informed him. "I was hoping we could get your support."

Yu contemplated things for a moment. Finally he nodded slightly. "And you, Captain?", he asked. "Your people have been wronged in this affair. You are owed consideration."

Robert smiled thinly. "And I do have one issue, yes. About Earth."

"Yes?" Yu narrowed his eyes.

"For one thing, I would like to amend the limitations of sharing technology. Nothing of military value may be shared, but I want the Goa'uld to accept any decision for us to share purely civilian technologies. Our medical scanners and systems, means to counter ecological difficulties, technologies to improve the standard of life on Earth without improving its military capability. Categories that pose no threat to the System Lords."

Yu nodded. "Acceptable."

"Secondly…" Robert cursed his headache. This was the hard sale, and one he had barely had time to propose to Onaram. "Right now the Earthers here are keeping this all a secret. If they disclose the Stargate to their population, I ask that the treaty leave open the possibility that this Earth and its nations may join the Alliance."

Yu frowned. So Robert continued. "This would mean Earth becomes subject to the Alliance-Goa'uld Peace Treaty. Nothing changes for you and Earth becomes more secure, giving it a reason to sustain the peace treaty. You would lose nothing. Earth would gain security and a stronger incentive to support the treaty."

Robert waited almost breathlessly while Yu pondered his proposal. "I will encourage the System Lords to accept," he finally stated. "Now I will leave."

Yu left. Jack looked to Robert. "That's a pretty big chance you just took. He might have gotten offended."

"Given the day we've had," Robert replied, "I thought I'd test our luck. I'm glad it was still with us."

"So am I," Jack said. "And now that we've settled that…"

"I need to check on my people," Robert said. He frowned. "Including Meridina."

"Right." Jack nodded. "I'll go debrief Hammond and the Secretaries."

"Thank you."

Jack was already going through the door. "Don't worry about it," he called back over his shoulder.

* * *

In the infirmary Robert saw only Lucy, being treated for her cuts by Opani and Fraiser. The latter was looking with some resigned jealousy at the tissue regenerator Opani was using on Lucy's wounds. "Don't feel bad about it, Doctor," he said to her. She turned to face him. "If the Goa'uld accept our changes, we'll be sharing more medical technology too."

"That would be wonderful," Fraiser replied. "And it would make my job a lot easier."

Robert looked over to Opani and Lucy. The latter looked distraught and exhausted. "How is she?"

"Multiple lacerations, two cracked ribs, and bruising to her leg," replied Opani.

"And Meridina?"

Lucy's expression worsened. Opani saw it and sighed quietly. "Doctor Gillam still has her in surgery on the _Koenig_. He's removing what's left of the Goa'uld who took her over and working on her wounds."

"How bad were they?"

Lucy shook her head. "I had to run her through to stop her," Lucy admitted, her voice quiet and full of regret. "And to save her, I had to…" She swallowed. "I had to cut into her head."

"You mean to kill the Goa'uld."

"Yeah." Lucy shook her head. "I still don't know if I got it right. I may have cut too deep. There was so much blood…"

"You did what you could," Robert assured her. "The important thing was to free Meridina from that thing."

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. There were still dried tears in her eyes.

"Hey." Robert pulled up a seat and sat beside her. He took her hand. "You saved her, Lucy."

"Or I killed her," Lucy pointed out.

"Given what happens with Goa'uld hosts…" Robert shook his head. "Those two might be considered the same thing."

"I'm not sure they are. We can take Goa'ulds out of people. We can't bring life back to them."

"Lucy…"

Lucy gave him a hard look. "Robert, you're not Julia. Don't go pulling the mother hen thing on me." there was some heat in her voice. "Yes, you're right, and I know you're right, but that doesn't change my feelings about this. It's about what's in my heart, not my head. I nearly killed Meridina. Maybe I had to. I'm pretty sure she wanted me to. But she's come to mean a lot to me, so I'm still going to be upset with myself until I know whether she made it or not. Do you understand?"

Robert said nothing for a moment before finally nodding. "Yes," he finally said. "I understand."

And he said nothing more, simply remaining by his friend's side as she worked through her feelings.

This turned out for the better, as both were present to hear Leo call down to say Meridina would be fine. Off-duty, and certainly not returning to the SGC now, but okay.

* * *

The remaining negotiations were an afterthought. Cronus and Yu had concurred on the revisions Robert and Jack had asked for and the final agreement was signed.

Now the three Goa'uld were due to leave. Nirrti was bound and held securely by Yu and Cronus, with SG-1 and Robert present to watch them go. After the Stargate activated Cronus looked to them. "We will not attack your world," Cronus said to Jack, "but if you continue to use the Stargate, know this. If any of your people are caught by the System Lords, they will suffer _greatly_."

Jack responded in his usual non-chalant way. "Well, that will make things interesting."

"The same is true for your people, Captain," Cronus said to Robert, looking at him. "We will be watching you."

"We'll abide by the treaty as well as you will," Robert answered directly. "And I'll make sure to pass the message on."

Cronus huffed and turned away. He and Yu dragged Nirrti with them into the Stargate, which closed a moment later.

"Well, weren't they charmers?", Jack asked rhetorically.

Robert looked to Daniel. "How is Sha're?", he asked.

"Bruised and hurt, but she'll live." Daniel nodded in thanks. "Leo, our Leo, is with her now."

"That's good to know." Robert looked to Jack. There was a thought now in his head. "Colonel, do you still have that calling device Thor gave you?"

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. Then his hands started patting his pockets, both on his uniform jacket and trousers, before one finally reached in and fished out the device. "Here. You need to talk to Thor?"

"I have a couple of questions, yeah."

"Fair enough." Jack handed the pinkish stone to Robert. For a moment Robert considered the device, with its carved runes around the bottom rim of the stone.

Finally Robert brought the stone up to his mouth. "Thor? This is Captain Dale. If you have some time, I have a few questions."

Silence.

"It's about the Darglan," Robert continued. "And what they got from you. Since that's part of the treaty and everything I was hoping you'd share some information with me."

Again, nothing responded.

"The Asgard aren't always cooperative about things like that," Daniel said. "Usually it's things about how 'it is not your time to know' and…"

Robert never heard Daniel finish the sentence. Light filled his vision and, in an instant even faster than the transporters he was used to, he found himself standing elsewhere. The room, while not outright dark, was not too bright either. A window was looking out at the Earth.

He turned. Thor was in his chair. "Captain."

"Supreme Commander." Robert nodded. He offered the stone.

Thor waved his hand. The stone disappeared from Robert's hand in a flash of light. "You have questions," Thor said.

"I do." Robert nodded. "The Darglan got technology from you. But you're thousands of years more advanced than they ever were. What did they have to trade for things like transporters and weapons technology?"

"They had their labor and creativity," Thor replied.

Robert blinked at that. "That's it?"

"They provided a great service to the Asgard, to the longevity and progress of our species."

"Okay." Robert nodded at that. "So you gave them weapons. Which you refuse to give to anyone facing the Goa'uld now. Why then? Why would the Darglan even need your weapons? Was it because of whatever it was they were fighting?"

Thor was silent for a moment. His large head finally nodded slightly. "You are aware of the war they fought?"

"I found the evidence of it. A Darglan facility, attacked and damaged by an unknown foe that forced the Darglan to destroy themselves to stop them." Robert took a slight step forward. "Do you know anything about this threat?"

"I know little more than you," Thor stated. "The Darglan cut all contact shortly after the war began. They were trying to keep their enemy from discovering our universe. The prospect of an invasion alone drove us into alliance with the Goa'uld to stop it."

Robert blinked. It was that bad? "Who were these people?"

"That is unknown to us."

Robert frowned at that.

Thor looked up to speak again. "Be careful with how you use the interuniversal drive. Not all universes are alike. There are parts of reality we should never come into contact with."

Before Robert could speak anything else, the transporter whisked him away.

* * *

 **Tag**

Only a day after the Goa'uld left, it was the turn of the Alliance team. They would be going home on the _Koenig_ instead of by Stargate.

Nevertheless, they were departing from the Gate Room. Robert, Opani, Lucy, and Onaram were lined up opposite from the SG-1 team members, Hammond, Fraiser, and Secretary Simms. The two government secretaries were conversing quietly at the end of the line. Hammond offered his hand to Robert and the others, which was accepted. "It was good to finally meet you, Captain Dale," he said.

"Thank you, General Hammond," Robert answered.

"And I've been meaning to ask…" A small smile crossed General Hammond's face. He pointed a finger at Robert. "Kansas, right?"

Robert didn't bother to fight the grin that split his face. "Yes sir. Texas?"

"Of course." Hammond nodded. "Take care of yourself, Captain. It may be a while, but I'd like to see you and your fine crew come back here in one piece."

"I'll do my best, sir."

While Robert went to exchange goodbyes with Jack, Lucy was met by Daniel. "Listen," he began, "I want to say thank you. You saved my life, and my son."

Lucy nodded quietly. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry you had to hurt your mentor to do it," Daniel said. "I know that hurt you deeply."

"It did." Lucy sighed and eyed him directly. "But you don't need to apologize for it, Doctor Jackson. It's what Meridina wanted. She would never allow herself to be more important than an innocent life."

"I hope she feels better soon. Between the Goa'uld and actual breathing Nazis and all the other bad things out there, we need more people like Meridina." Daniel's expression turned thoughtful. "She's going to need someone there for her, for a while I mean. Being taken as a host… I've seen what that does to survivors."

Lucy nodded. "I'll be there for her, Doctor Jackson, don't worry."

"I didn't think otherwise. Just be sure someone is there for you too." Daniel glanced toward his comrades, making clear what he meant.

Gradually the goodbyes ended. Robert looked at his people and gave a final nod to Jack and the others. "Good luck out there, Colonel. And whatever the treaty says… I hope you give the Goa'uld a black eye whenever they need it."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be running into them quite often," Jack answered. "The jerks are everywhere." He motioned to Robert. "Now you guys take care too. Shoot up a Nazi for me, will you?"

"Too bad you can't come and shoot some yourself," Lucy said, finally grinning a little.

"That would be a break from the usual," Sam remarked, matching the grin.

"Well, who knows, maybe we'll get to eventually." Jack gave a look to General Hammond, who smirked and shook his head. "Until then, though, we'll leave the Nazis and other nasties out there in that big, weird Multiverse to you guys, and you can leave the Goa'uld to us. Deal?"

"It's a deal," Robert agreed. He gave Jack one last handshake before reaching for his multi-device. He hit the commkey. "Dale to _Koenig_."

"Koenig _here_ ," replied Zack.

"Zack, you were supposed to come over for beer, remember?", Jack protested.

A short chuckle came from the other end. " _Yeah. Some other time, Jack, some other time. Rob?_ "

"Four to beam up," Robert said. "We're going home."

"Farewell," Teal'c said, finally joining in.

"May the Deity stand between you and harm wherever your journeys take you," Opani replied to SG-1 in total.

A moment later, all four of them were whisked away by the _Koenig_ transporters.

* * *

The _Aurora_ met them on the way between Earth and Abydos. Once the ship was docked Robert went to his quarters to finish his report and file it with Admiral Maran's office.

He was near the end when the door chime sounded. He looked up and called out, "Come in." Julia entered the door and, of course, presented him with a digital pad. "Let me guess," Robert sighed. "Personnel paperwork?"

"I've done most of the hard work," Julia said, smiling sweetly. "They just need your signature."

"Anything I should know?"

"We've had a few promotions finish going through, and so we have some transfers." Julia took a seat on the other side of his desk. She pulled her right leg up to set the right foot on her left knee.

"Still not as bad as things were last year, though," Robert noted. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, Admiral Relini just won a battle at Pi Sagaron. Intelligence thinks the Nazis may be abandoning that sector by the end of the month." Julia seemed to think on things. "The new Alliance ambassador accredited to the Citadel finished that trade deal with the Turians and Volus everyone's been talking about…"

"I'm sure it's imperative that I know how quickly I can invest in the Volus-run markets on the Citadel," Robert snorted.

Julia smirked. "Apparently you impressed on Luthien, Coordinator Kurita just dispatched a permanent ambassador to Portland."

"Ah." Robert nodded. "It's a very good thing I didn't say anything about the smog, then."

"Very." Julia's smirk turned into a wide smile. "I think that's about it. Although I think Angel's gotten pretty worked up since you were gone, you might have some trouble tonight."

At that Robert leveled a playful glare at Julia. "You have entirely too much fun finding humor in my love life."

"I'm the one who gets the bruises when Angel's worked up and I'm the only one giving her an outlet for it, remember?", Julia pointed out, the smile still on her face. The smile shifted slightly. "And don't you _dare_ re-interpret that."

The grin that appeared on Robert's face spoke to the thought that had already been coming up. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"She's your girlfriend, not mine. I mean, outside of the platonic sense."

Robert made an exaggerated sigh of resignation. "Well, drat. There goes _that_ fantasy."

Julia's green eyes narrowed slightly. "I can kick your ass, you know. Mind powers or no mind powers."

"Life force powers, and yes, I know. I have nightmares about you and Angel kicking my ass in the ring. Though there was that one time…"

That earned him a playful kick to his shin under the desk. Robert winced briefly, but the grin didn't disappear.

Julia's grin turned somber, although it didn't disappear. "Meridina?", she asked.

Robert's grin faded. "Leo said she was healed enough to go into her quarters. The surgery was easier this time, less complicated on account of the fact that Lucy cut the Goa'uld in her head into two very dead pieces."

Julia winced and shuddered. "You know, when Sha're talked about what was done to her… I couldn't let myself imagine what it must be like. I still can't. And from what I've heard, Amaunet used Meridina to kill several of General Hammond's people."

"Five fatalities to the SGC," Robert confirmed. "Would have been more if Amaunet hadn't been in a hurry, and if Lucy hadn't been there..."

Julia nodded at that. A sad look came to her eyes where the mirth of their prior exchange had once glistened. "You've talked to her?"

"Tried. She needs time to process it," Robert said. "But she's strong. She'll bounce back."

"Yeah." Julia sounded like she was trying to be confident of that assessment, as opposed to completely believing it. "Yeah, she will."

* * *

Lucy finished her own report, put her things up, caught up on some missed work - the _Rio Grande_ , her baby, had needed a re-calibration of the warp field array - and finally made her way to the quarters on Deck 4. Meridina's name was on the space by the door. Lucy hit the chime key.

No answer.

Lucy sighed and took a moment to concentrate. Meridina's sorrow and horror, intense guilt rippling through it, rolled through her mind. She hit the chime again. "Meridina, it's me," Lucy said.

This time the door opened. The quarters inside were dim. Soft sobs were coming from the bedroom.

Lucy walked through Meridina's well-kept living area to her bedroom. Meridina was seated upon the simple bed wearing a sleeveless sleeping vest and shorts of faded white coloring. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was hunched over, head almost parallel with the floor, sobbing.

"Meridina," Lucy said gently. She walked over and sat beside her mentor. With a careful movement she set a hand on Meridina's nearly-bare shoulder.

 _I am corrupted_ , was the telepathic reply. _The darkness is in me it's in me I am corrupted…_

"No." Lucy shook her head. She bent over and put her right arm around Meridina's shoulders. "That wasn't you."

Meridina continued to weep. Thoughts of how the darkness had touched her being, how it was still in her, seeped into Lucy's mind. She held Meridina and pulled her into a full sitting position on the bed. Her other arm came up and she took her teacher, her friend, into an embrace.

Meridina accepted the embrace, her arms coming up to take hold of Lucy. She buried her face into Lucy's shoulder and continued to weep.

Lucy did the only thing she could do in that situation.

She did nothing. Nothing but hold on and allow her friend to deal with her suffering.


	21. Episode 2-05-1 What is Past

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: 20 April 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We have completed a short overhaul of the_ Aurora _at the Gersal Ring Yards and are preparing to depart for Universe S4W8 for training purposes.._

 _On another note, Commander Meridina is leaving the ship for personal time. Her request for an extended leave has been granted due to the ordeal that the Goa'uld Amaunet put her through. I hope that time back home will help her recover mentally from the experience of being made into Amaunet's host._

Robert met Lucy at the airlock on the Ring Yards station. The Ring Yards were just one portion of the massive orbital ring built around Gersal's moon, with which the Gersallians refined the mineral wealth of their moon, built and maintained their starships, and supported the workers who made this possible. By mass it was one of the largest structures in the entire Alliance and the product of over twenty centuries of continuous construction and amalgamation of older Gersallian lunar stations.

Gersallians and Humans looked virtually alike, so it was hard to tell which of those walking around them were of either species, at least from seeing their faces. Clothing style proved the most effective way of telling the differences - Gersallians tended to prefer an overcoat or even a robe, some wearing long flowing dresses over trousers. It was a style that was employed regardless of gender, with yellows, oranges, and light reds favored, and specific design patterns or forms of overcoat and robe referenced regional differences back on their homeworld. Humans were more varied in their choice of clothing, going from jacket or shirt with trousers to jumpsuits.

Aside from Humans and Gersallians, Dorei were somewhat common. Alakin appeared here and there as well, and Robert noticed the pointed ears of two Vulcans - acolytes by their robes - who were boarding the next airlock over. A Minbari in worker caste garb followed them, chatting amiably with a Bajoran cleric.

A voice spoke over the loudspeaker. Initially it was in Common Gersallian Dialect, which Robert recognized a few words from. The voice repeated itself in English. " _Orbital transport_ Luteran _is departing in ten minutes from Airlock 42. All passengers please report to Airlock 42 immediately._ "

As the voice repeated a third time, this time in Lushan Dorei, Robert felt Meridina approach. Even in this teeming flow of life - a literal one too, as Meridina had shown him - he could feel her presence standing out amongst the others.

He could also feel how different it was now. He could sense the anguish inside of her, the pain of what she had been forced to do.

Meridina had been taken as a host by the Goa'uld Amaunet. Amaunet had used her body, her _swevyra_ \- "life force" - and the powers it granted, to wreak havoc during the peace talks with the Goa'uld. Several of Stargate Command's people had died at Amaunet's hand. Lucy herself had nearly died stopping Amaunet, and in turn Meridina had almost died when Lucy killed Amaunet.

 _And now she has to live with what Amaunet did to her, with her_ , Lucy was thinking. Robert could sense the thought with surprising ease. While some aspect of these " _swevyra_ " powers were still difficult for him to use, mental linking with Meridina and Lucy was becoming easier with each passing week.

While they were in uniform, Meridina was wearing the traveling robes of a Gersallian Knight of Swenya, or _swevyra'se_ as the Gersallians called it. A blue robe with the hood lowered was over a beige-tinted vest. A tied strap around her waist held up the loose, baggy trousers of the same color. Her dark hair was brushed downward, sweeping out slightly around the ears before curling back so that the ends pressed against her neck. She had only a small bag being carried on her shoulder. As a Knight of Swenya, Meridina owned little.

A small, sad smile came to her face when she saw them waiting. "My friends," she said simply. "I am glad to see you."

"We wanted to see you off," said Robert.

"I appreciate the sentiment," Meridina stated. She looked to Lucy. "I know you wished to come with me, Lucy, but I will be fine."

Lucy forced a smile to her face. She knew how much Meridina was hurting on the inside. She'd seen her with her defenses completely lowered. "I just don't want you to be alone."

"I will not be," Meridina assured them. "Now, I believe you have duties to attend to, yes?"

Robert nodded. "Julia and Nick are handling the new crew, but we're due for the supply run to Beta Durani 4." He looked at the time with his multidevice. "So we're due to jump out in about four hours."

Meridina nodded. "Indeed. Do not worry. I shall see you again in a couple of your weeks."

The station PA system repeated the prior boarding call. Meridina looked to the airlock. "I need to go now. I trust you two will continue the exercises I showed you?"

They nodded, giving each other aside glances.

"Then there is nothing more to say." She bowed her head to them. " _Mi rake sa sweyvra iso_ , Robert and Lucy."

"Mee rockey sa sweevyra icho," was Robert's rather inaccurate reply.

Lucy allowed herself a giggle at his expense. Robert's continued inability to deal with Gersallian phonetics was a source of amusement to everyone else. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Meridina," she said, proud that as troublesome as it was she could at least make the sound right. She gave Meridina a hug.

Meridina was used to such displays of friendship and affection and accepted the hug, returning it with a slight embrace. When Lucy pulled back she gave Lucy the small smile she knew Lucy wanted, needed, to see, and turned to board her ship.

Lucy and Robert watched Meridina disappear into the corridors of the transport craft. Once she was well out of sight, they departed as well.

* * *

Julia Andreys stepped off the lift on Deck 6 and found Nick Locarno waiting for her. "Well, I thought we'd meet in the Briefing Room," she said.

"I figured you'd be arriving any moment," he answered. "So I waited."

"Ah." They began walking down the corridor. Their uniforms were almost a matching set, black pants, primarily black shoes, and a black uniform jacket, with the secondary color on the trim of each being the red of ship control and command. Julia had three gold stripes affixed to her collar, showing she was a Commander, while Locarno had two gold stripes to show he was a full Lieutenant. "So why am I assigned to this detail, again?", he asked.

"Because you're the senior Navigation Officer," Julia reminded him. "And we have an entire group of navigation and piloting officers coming aboard to join the crew."

"How many, again?"

"Twelve."

Locarno chuckled. "Wow. That many? All at once?"

"Well, Ensign Rutira transferred to the _Shenzhou_ ," Julia said. "Ensign Karlan was promoted and is being re-assigned to oversee shuttle piloting at Nasin Station. Ensign Yaratov finished her flight qualifications and is assigned to the fighter wing now. Ensign Kurikt is expecting and has to go back to Alakis to lay her eggs…"

"...okay, okay, I get it," Locarno interrupted, shaking his head. "But it's still a little excessive."

She shrugged. "We have twelve runabouts, a few dozen shuttles, and the _Koenig_. We need that full complement of piloting officers if we're going to maintain all of our usual operations."

Locarno shook his head. "You love doing this kind of thing, don't you? Rattling off all of these justifications and facts."

A smile crossed Julia's face. "I like to remind you all of just how good at this job I am."

"Well, you don't need to convince me," Locarno assured her.

"Oh, you're looking to take my fun away, huh?" Julia chuckled.

"No ma'am, I am not," he assured her with a chuckle of his own.

After rounding the corner of a corridor the two went up to a sliding door marked Briefing Room 2. Typically used for department-level meetings, it was currently occupied by the dozen new officers that had joined the _Aurora_ crew. Over half looked Human or Gersallian. There were three Dorei, an Alakin, and even an eager-looking Mi'qote girl.

Locarno looked over the new arrivals. His eyes briefly focused on the Mi'qote girl, with her bronze complexion a strange contrast to the snow-colored fur over her cat-like ears on the top of her head. Her tail, made of the same snow-colored fur, swished as she turned to face him with bright green eyes, more feline than Human. She smiled at him and stepped to the side.

The Human woman who had been behind her turned toward the door. Her dark eyes focused on Locarno and Julia. Locarno's eyes met her's.

Recognition shot through his mind. Locarno's expression froze in disbelief.

The young woman was his age, as she would be. Her brown hair was pulled back in a severe bun at the back of her head. Her face had a pronounced round shape to it.

And given the stare, she recognized him too.

Julia saw the look on Locarno's face. Concern flickered over her features. "Nick?", she asked. "Are you alright?" She followed his eyes and looked at the young woman in question, who turned away hurriedly upon seeing Julia's attention and, presumably, her rank insignia. "Someone you know?", Julia asked.

"Yeah," Nick said, his voice hoarse. He swallowed. "Her name is Jean Hajar." He looked at Julia and let her see how rattled he was. "She was in Nova Squad."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"What is Past…"_**

* * *

Julia looked from Locarno to the woman he spoke of. She'd turned away and found a seat beside another of the new arrivals. She looked to them again with dark eyes that were hiding any emotional reaction to their presence. As if they were just new arrivals. "Nova Squad," Julia murmured, low enough that none of the new arrivals could hear. "You mean your group of cadets when you were in Starfleet Academy."

Locarno nodded. "Yeah," he said. "She and I are the only ones left now."

It was clear to Julia that Locarno was in the middle of some very strong emotions. "Nick, it's okay, I understand," she said. "Just let me do all the talking. I'll arrange to have her trained by Lieutenant…"

"No." Locarno shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'm alright. It was just a shock to see her, that's all." He nodded toward the table in front of the assembled chairs. "Let's get this started. The ship's due to leave in a few hours, right?"

Julia nodded slightly. "Right." She gave him another worried look before turning away and going to the central chair. Locarno sat to her left. The right seat was vacant. Julia cleared her throat loudly, cutting through the background noise of quiet conversations among the new arrivals. "Attention, everyone."

All of the assembled turned toward them. Spines straightened.

"I am Commander Julia Andreys, First Officer of the _Aurora_." Julia motioned to her left. "And this is Lieutenant Nicholas Locarno, our Navigation Officer. He and I will be responsible for your acclimation training now that you're assigned to the crew. I know some of you are eager to get into your postings, so let's try to make this quick. You will all cover shifts on the bridge at the conn, at regularly-scheduled intervals, rotating between that duty and duty as shuttle and runabout pilots. In consultation with Commander Carrey, one or two of you will be assigned to the _Koenig_. Shift assignments will be as follows. Rozowski, Kutap, Rogers, Meritami, you will be on Alpha Shift. Hajar, U'saya, Korimi…"

* * *

Upon returning to the ship Robert went to his ready office. Jarod followed him in with a digital pad. "Oh, not you too," Robert mumbled. "And I thought Julia welcoming those new officers would give me a reprieve."

"Julia is all-wise when it comes to these things," Jarod remarked with faux-sagacity. He handed him the pad. "We just need you to sign on the final receipts. All of our requisition orders were filled and we've loaded all of the supplies we can ever need."

"That's good to hear." Robert took the pad and skimmed it. "Anything from Maran about our discovery?"

"You mean about how Darglan technology uses Asgard technology?" Jarod shook his head. "Not yet. He's got a panel of experts looking over everything."

"That's good to hear." Once Robert finished signing he handed the device back to Jarod. "Everything's ready for departure?"

"Pretty much," Jarod confirmed.

"Good. We're due to drop supplies off for the garrison at Beta Durani 4 before we rendezvous with the Phosako at the Durani Nebula," Robert said. "We finally got our orders in."

"Durani Nebula?" Jarod considered that. "That's in a quiet sector."

"The Nazis retreated from there four months ago, but they left a few surprises," Robert said. "We'll be sending them a couple of shuttles loaded with decontamination supplies and dextro-acid consumables."

"Turians, then?", Jarod asked.

"The Fifth Regiment. Or Platoon." Robert shook his head. "I'm still getting used to the way Turian unit organizations work. But their Fifth unit has set up a base on the northern continent to support Phosako and Alliance engineers building planetary-scale defensive systems for Beta Durani 4. They'll need extra food supplies, though, or we'll have to pull them out. Admiral Maran says it's already caused a bit of a scandal on the Citadel that our quartermasters screwed up on dispatching sufficient stores for them."

"I bet." Jarod put the reader in his pocket. "Well, we'll be underway shortly. I'll have the shuttles loaded with the supplies listed on the request."

"Good. We're due to launch them when we arrive in the Durani Cluster in two days." Robert nodded to him. "I'll see you for the staff meeting tomorrow, Jarod."

Jarod nodded back. "See you there."

* * *

Locarno was alone in the Lookout eating a late lunch when he looked up in time to see Zack approaching. "Any seats taken?", he asked.

"Not at all." Locarno gestured to one. Zack slipped into it and immediately took a bite from his chicken sandwich. Locarno looked at his own barely-eaten meal and forced himself to take a bite as well.

"So, any ETA on when you and Julie will have Ensign Hong's replacement?", Zack asked. "I'd like to know for setting up my rotation in the training exercises."

"None yet." Locarno eyed Zack suspiciously. He set his sandwich down with a forceful plop. "She sent you, didn't she?"

Zack gave him a look while finishing chewing a bite down. "What do you mean?", he finally asked.

"Julia told you about Jean," Locarno accused. "And she sent you here to get me to open up and talk about it."

Zack shook his head. "You think I need Julia's input on this stuff? The moment I heard a Nova Squad survivor was with the recruits, I knew you'd be like this."

"And how did you hear that?"

Zack lifted an eyebrow. "You know how things go around here. The rumor mill on the _Aurora_ reminds me of the one back in our hometown."

Locarno sighed at that. "What do you want me to say, Zack? That she's reminding me of the worst mistake in my life? That I'm worried about whether I can work with her, if she blames me for her Starfleet career going nowhere?"

"I suppose that's a start." Zack saw Locarno's dark expression and sighed. He set his sandwich down. "Okay, dude. This is me. I'm not Julia, I'm not Mama Hen coming to check on the chicks. I'm just a guy looking out for his buddy, okay? If you don't want to talk about it, we won't."

Locarno was silent for a moment. Seeing the laid back expression on Zack's face made it hard for him to remain irritated at him and inevitably Locarno sighed. "Alright. I just… I never expected to see her again. To see any of them again."

"You invited them to join us didn't you?"

"Quietly, yes," Locarno confessed. "None of them answered. I can't be surprised. I got Joshua killed and nearly destroyed their careers covering it up. So after that, I figured... " He stopped.

Zack saw the expression covering his face and turned. Both watched as Jean Hajar stepped into the Lookout. She was still in uniform, just as they were, an ensign's single gold stripe on her collar. Her eyes clearly swept over them before moving on to take in the rest of the Lookout. She wordlessly moved on to the bar.

"Well, talk about your timing," Zack murmured.

Locarno let out a breath. "To hell with it," he said. "Let's get this over with." He stood up.

"Ah crap," muttered Zack. But he knew well enough to sit and observe as Locarno approached Hajar.

Albert, the assistant lounge host, got to her first, taking an order for a drink. Locarno patiently waited until Albert stepped away before walking up beside Hajar.

She'd seen him coming and turned before he could speak. "Lieutenant," she said respectfully, in a measured tone.

"Ensign." Locarno refrained from sitting down for the moment. "There's actually something of a standing rule in the Lookout that we don't go by ranks here. Not between crew."

"Really?" Hajar nodded briefly. "Well, then, I suppose it's 'Locarno' then."

Her tone was not the best sign that this would go well. But he formally accepted her proposal by nodded and saying, "Yes. Hajar. Welcome to the _Aurora_. I admit I'm a little surprised to see you. You never answered my offer."

Hajar's face curled into a thin, almost sarcastic smile. "I was still trying to salvage my Starfleet career at the time." The look in her eye became distant. "Not that it did me any good. Or Jaxa."

Locarno swallowed and nodded. "I heard about her."

"She was determined to make it work," Hajar said. "More determined than me, in the end. So, like Wes, I walked out. Made my way as a civilian shuttle pilot." By this point Albert returned with a glass of what looked to be brandy. Hajar accepted it with a nod and "Thanks". She immediately took a drink and considered it for a moment. "Then I heard about the marvelous opportunities of the Alliance Stellar Navy, and that my Starfleet Academy experience would be factored in if I signed up. So six months of expedited officer training and here I am, an Ensign after all." She looked to Locarno. "No thanks to you, Locarno."

There was some real venom in that voice. "I'm sorry for what happened," he managed.

"Yeah. Me too," she said. She took another drink and put the glass back on the table with some strength. "Let's get this out of the way, shall we? I'm sorry I ever signed up for Nova Squad. I'm sorry I ever listened to you, and I'm damned sorry I let you talk me into that damned Kolvoord Starburst plot. And if you've come to me looking for forgiveness, then you might as well keep walking, Locarno, because I'm never giving you that. You ruined our lives. You caused Joshua to die. And there's not a damn thing in this world you can do to ever make up for that." She glared at him, their eyes meeting and hers full of passionate ferocity. "You're my superior officer now and I'll respect that. We're here to do a job, after all. But we're not friends anymore and we'll never be friends again, do you understand?"

Locarno nodded briefly.

"Good."

With that Hajar finished her glass and slammed it on the bar with some heat. She turned and, wordlessly, left the Lookout.

Zack stepped up behind Locarno. "So, how well did that go?", he asked.

Locarno drew in a breath. "About as well as I had any right to expect," he said in reply.

* * *

The _Luteran_ finished making its leisurely course to the capital city Jantarihal, situated in the valley below the Great Temple of Swenya and the headquarters of the Order. Stepping out onto the open concourse of the Jantarihal Spaceport, Meridina looked up at the mountains that the Temple was built within and drew in a breath. Ordinarily she would have flown there directly from the Great Ring on a shuttle provided by the Order.

But not this time. She wasn't here as a _swevyra'se_ reporting in at the Temple for assignment or debriefing. She was here for the purpose of simply coming home.

A brown-tinted carrier bus was waiting for her and others. There was no fare for it, the service being a communal one supported by the municipal and planetary governments instead of the private services favored in other societies. Even if there had been one, Meridina's robes and visible _lakesh_ would have seen it waived. _Swevyra'se_ paid for little in Gersallian space, and what little they paid for was at their insistence.

The bus was soon taking Meridina through the heart of the capital. The high, gleaming spires were a lovely sight, built to inspire as much as to function, with smaller buildings of round construction and slanted shapes abounding. Far below the bus, the streets flowed with rich life, a populace going about their way in the bustling roadways and walkways of the Gersallian capital. Meridina could, in the distance, make out Swenya's Column, marking the spot where the Grand Foundress refused the diadem that the peoples of Gersal were ready to place upon her brow, and where she had instead handed down the Precepts that, over a hundred years later, formed the basis of the Gersallian Interdependency.

Many other species found that title strange for a country. There were Kingdoms, Republics, Associations, Federations, Empires… but 'Interdependency'? It was likely from the translation of Gersallian into other languages, for Meridina thought the Human concept of republic and communal organization best fit the Gersallian idea of the Interdependency. Of a people bound together by laws and rules commonly accepted and developed by the populace.

It was not always easy. The history of first contact with the Dorei saw misunderstanding of the nature, and the Oligarchical, merchant-dominated republics of the Dorei had proven especially hostile to their concept of a society where public interest and private interest were not considered distinct from each other.

Humans also seemed to not understand it very much. Lucy had, upon having Gersallian society and law explained, used the term "socialism". Meridina had been intrigued and looked that term up. She thought it a poor fit, since Human socialism seemed to be built on the idea of the government dictating the economy for the benefit of workers, and of class conflict between those with much and those with little. The idea was bizarre. Why would someone not pay another proper compensation for their work? Or allow neighbors' homes to degrade or be shut down? Certainly one might feel envy at another's superior accomplishments or compensation for skilled work of greater demand, but to outright hate them? And surely everyone, especially those responsible for the economy, understood that everyone affects one another and that letting neighborhoods go into decline or workers to starve without food or suffer without medical help would undermine social cohesion and cause conflict? Why, indeed, would anyone _want_ that sort of imbalance between different sections of society? Imbalance undermined society, after all. And it seemed this entire concept of "public" versus "private" was a sign of that.

Perhaps it was simply how other species approached the idea.

Meridina stopped her pondering. She was just avoiding the issue again. The thoughts constantly entering her head. The memory of Amaunet's darkness, of all of the slain in the SGC… it was just so much. _So much_.

The bus flew out of the city center and into the arcologies section, where tall buildings contained a multitude of homes. The bus flew in to street level and came to a stop at one arcology. Meridina quietly disembarked.

The entrance lobby was beautiful, covered in flower stands and small statuary. Meridina noted with surprise that there was a marking on one of the statues currently being removed by a young woman in the light red maintenance jersey.

With curiosity Meridina approached the statue, a fairly-good rendition of a _majtan_ , a giant quadripedal herbivore of the northern forests of Tensha. The marking was blurred out so that she couldn't make out what it once was. "What has happened?", she asked the worker.

The yellow-haired girl grumbled, "A marking by the Dissenters. They've been up to it a lot lately." She turned and made eye contact with Meridina's waist. Her eyes widened at seeing the _lakesh_ and her tone became more reverential. " _Swevyra'se_ , what may I…" Her teal-toned eyes looked up and met Meridina's. The stunned reverential expression turned to stunned disbelief. "Meridina? By my family…"

"Penrine?" Meridina looked at her with some surprise. "My you have grown. It has been so long."

An embrace was exchanged. "It is good to see you, Meri," said Penrine. "Gami will be ecstatic."

"You and Leni still work to drive her to distraction, I imagine?", Meridina asked. A genuine smiled crossed her face.

"We do keep in practice," Penrine boasted. "After all, you are not here any longer."

"Swenya preserve me, there were times you two were so irritating…" Meridina stopped herself and allowed a laugh to come.

"You laugh?" Penrine narrowed her eyes playfully. "What is this? A laughing _swevyra'se_? A laughing _swevyra'se_ who is the daughter of Karesl? Such a scandal for the Order!"

The look on Meridina's face turned somber. "Is my father home?"

Penrine's face shifted. Undoubtedly she had heard something of the fracture between Meridina and her father. She nodded in understanding. "At times. I have been told he is meeting with the Director and others. The Dissenters have been a distraction ever since the war started."

"The Dissenters?" Meridina frowned. "Are you referring to those who opposed the Alliance?"

Penrine nodded. "They grow angrier with every passing week, it seems." An uncomfortable look came to her face. "There was even a violent disturbance in Hatan several days ago, when recruiters came for the Alliance Army. I'm told one of them, a Human, nearly died."

Meridina was stunned by that admission. Gersallians could be independent-minded, certainly, and there were plenty of disputes and disagreements about this or that, but the idea of _violence_ being used in them? That wasn't their way, it wasn't what was supposed to be done. Violent dissent unbalanced society, drove wedges into communities. It threatened to unravel the very concept of the Interdependency.

 _There has not been political violence on Gersal since the Brotherhood of Kohbal…_

How could things have become so bad?

"I thought you were serving with the Alliance?", Penrine asked. "Why have you come home?"

The question was painful to consider. Meridina lowered her eyes. "I needed to regain my balance, to… deal with something that was done to me."

"Oh." Penrine nodded. "Well, Leni and Gami are home with your mother. Although Leni is probably still cleaning the gardens on the 12th level. I'm sure they're eager to see you."

Meridina nodded and forced a smile. "As I am eager to see them. It was good to see you, Penrine. _Mi rake sa sweyvra iso_."

" _Mi rake sa sweyvra iso_ ," Penrine answered cheerfully.

* * *

Meridina's family lived in a sizable home on the 12th level, on the north side of the arcology garden. She walked through said garden after leaving the lift to enjoy the scent of the flowers and other flora of her homeworld, and others. With interest she recognized tulips, obviously transplants from Earth, and other new alien flowers.

Standing in the middle of the garden, Meridina felt a gnawing anxiety build up. She had not been home in years. Her time away as a _swevyra'se_ , and now serving in the Alliance, had kept her away. She hadn't even visited last year when the _Aurora_ was repaired at Gersal. She had been so busy with Lucy's training, and hadn't wanted to face her father…

A painful ache came to her heart from that. She'd punished her sisters, her brother, and her mother for the difference of opinion she had with her father.

For several moments Meridina wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She felt hesitation, so unlike the decisiveness a Knight of Swenya had to show, and it gnawed at her that she was letting her experience with Amaunet affect her in such a strong way. Amaunet was dead, after all, and she was freed. The darkness had never been hers, only Amaunet.

But she could still remember. She could remember the thing burrowing into her neck and seizing her body. The agony whenever she resisted Amaunet's control. The horror and pain on Sha're's face, the cries of her infant…

...the dead bodies, slain by her physical hand.

Meridina had to take several deep breaths in an effort to deal with that pain.

She heard the rustling of leaves and turned. A young woman several years younger than her emerged. She was in a maintenance jerkin over a sleeveless blue tunic and a plain skirt of the same blue. Her eyes had the same blue as Meridina's own while her brown hair was cut short. Her eyes widened at seeing Meridina and a look of surprise came to her face. "Meri?"

"Leni," said Meridina. She forced a gentle smile to her face at the sight of her youngest sister Leniraya. "It is so good to see you."

"Meri!" She rushed forward and clasped Meridina's forearms with her hands. The embrace they shared was little different than the type Humans in such a situation might share. "It is such a relief to see you."

"I should have come sooner," Meridina admitted.

"What brings you home?", Leniraya asked.

Meridina's smile couldn't hide her feelings. Especially not from Leniraya, who had inherited some of their mother's mental talents. She tried to hold back the memories regardless, knowing that it would hurt Leni to see what she had suffered.

But she couldn't keep it entirely out. Leniraya's face twisted into a look of concern. "I understand," she said. "Let's go and see Mother. And Gami will be thrilled to see you."

"Are you not working in the garden?" Meridina frowned. "The arcology managers will be displeased you left your work unfinished."

"It is finished. Mostly." Leniraya put an arm on Meridina's shoulders, "You have returned home, they will understand."

Meridina nodded and let Leniraya lead her out of the garden and to the main entrance of the family home. The markings read out the family name of Lumantala. Family names were generally not used by Gersallians as much as they were among Dorei, Humans, and a few of the other species Meridina had encountered in her journeys. And for herself, it was almost never used, as generally she only referred to herself as coming from the Order. "Draswenya" was a common way to do that for some, although she never used it herself.

The door slid open as soon as the sensors reigstered their presence. Leniraya was the first through. "Our home welcomes a long and accomplished traveler!", she called out, undoubtedly amusing herself at her flowery turn of phrase.

The inside of the door was the family greeting area. Chairs and small tables abounded - a distant opening showed the dining table and the kitchen beyond, and to the side would be the family's inner living area and the halls to the sleeping rooms. Or "bedrooms", as Humans would call them.

A head of light blond hair graying at the temples looked up from the distant kitchen. Meridina felt her mother Drentiya's mind gently touch her own. She didn't resist her mother's mental inquiry. She was keeping the worst memories as quiet as she could manage. But she could sense her mother had an idea of what was wrong.

 _Please come_ , her mother said mentally, already leaving the kitchen. She was in her cooking robe, so dinner was due soon. "Meridina," she said aloud when they were close.

Meridina said nothing as her mother embraced her warmly.

"Gami! Gami, come!", cried Drentiya.

Gamays came bounding out of the living area and into sight. Meridina's sister, between her and Leniraya in age, wore a white vest and dark pantaloons. "Meri!", she called out, rushing past her mother and taking Meridina into an embrace. "Meri, it is so good to see you! Welcome home."

"Thank you, Gami," said Meridina. "Where is Qalk?"

"With Utiriluma," said her mother. "They are surveying a farmstead in the Lapana Valley."

"So he has made that choice? I must wish him well."

"He will be back in a few days." Drentiya put a hand on Meridina's bag. "Come, dear, your room awaits you. And then we will talk about this terrible pain I sense in you."

Meridina surrendered her bag and followed her mother into the living area and toward the hall leading to their bedrooms. As they approached her old room she finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Where is Father?"

The response in her mother's mind was easily read. Discomfort. Sadness. A little irritation, quickly suppressed. It was not easy for her to stand between her feuding daughter and spouse. "He is away," she said. "A meeting with some of the Dorei orders or some such thing, he will return in a day or so."

In other words, she had no worry about her father arriving soon and seeing, feeling, Meridina like this.

"I look forward to seeing him return home regardless," Meridina assured her suffering mother.

"It will be fine, my dear. What is important is to get you settled in, and for you to share with me what hurts you so."

Meridina answered her mother with a nod and followed her into her old bedroom. It was much as she left it. A single bed, a desk and chair, old clothes in the garment compartment beside the bed, a mirror. It held little more than her quarters on the _Aurora_.

What it did hold was one of her few material possessions, an old trophy from her sword lessons as a child. The sight of the trophy, a brass likeness of a _talkesh_ blade, reminded her of that day she'd won it in a competition with other young initiates. Of her father's reaction and insistence she would be a great _swevyra'se_. That brought a dull ache to her heart. Her father had been the light of her life growing up, even moreso than the mother who taught her how to use her telepathic abilities,

Meridina went to the bed and sat upon it. It was softer than she remembered. Drentiya sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Open up to me, child," she asked. "Let me see what ails you."

So Meridina did.


	22. Episode 2-05-2 What is Past

The _Aurora_ was on its way through the Durani Cluster, Rimward Liberation Zone, when they completed the jump to S4W8. Robert was in his ready office instead of his quarters for the last reports of the evening, with the ship at operating code Blue due to their relative proximity to Reich-held territories.

Still, this was a quiet sector, all things considered. Only one region of Reich space was still in easy warping range of Durani and all intelligence reports indicated the Reich only had a token defensive force there. Enough to resist a minor incursion or to possibly delay a major one until reinforcement, but not enough for an offensive.

The strategic situation was brightening at least. A year of build-up in the fleet meant that more new starships were entering Alliance service, including those using Darglan technology. It was making up well for the loss of the Klingon and Federation assistance.

And yet… whenever Robert looked at the reports, especially the casualty list, he remembered his role in starting this conflict. And it always stung.

His door chime sounded. "Come in," Robert called out.

Locarno stepped in from the bridge. It would be the end of his shift for the day. "You wanted to see me before I went off-duty?", he asked.

"I did." Robert gestured toward a chair and Locarno took it. "I understand that one of our new trainees was a classmate of yours in Starfleet Academy?"

Locarno drew in a breath and sighed. Robert could sense his aggravation at the subject coming up. "Right, of course you know." He nodded quickly. "Jean Hajar was in Nova Squad."

"I see." Robert frowned. "Well, I doubt Fleet Personnel knew about the relationship. Although it wouldn't surprise me if they did and this was another niggling little annoyance that Minister Hawthorne and Admiral Davies has thrown our way. Anyway, I'll arrange her transfer off the ship as soon as I can."

"That won't be necessary," Locarno insisted. He shook his head. "I'll adjust."

Robert gave him a close look. He could feel the conflicted feelings coming from Locarno. "You won't be doing her any favors, Nick, if she's still upset about what happened. She won't function at her best and neither will you."

"I can do this," Locarno insisted. "I'm not going to be responsible for Jean getting dropped from her training group."

"So you have a suggestion?", Robert asked.

"Let me show I can work with her, and she can work with me. No matter what we feel about Josh. Someone's got to fly the _Sandar_ to Beta Durani 4. I'll let her pilot and ride as the co-pilot for training. It's a simple run. If we have any trouble, I'll remove myself from training duty."

Robert put his digital reader down. "I'm not sure that's how this sort of thing is supposed to go, Nick." Seeing Locarno was about to argue he raised a hand. "Don't worry about it. Just… see if you can make the professional side of things work. Alright?"

Locarno nodded. The relief radiated from him. "That works, Captain. Thank you."

"Just make sure everything goes smoothly," Robert asked. "You're dismissed." 

* * *

It had been years since Meridina had cried on her mother's shoulder. Many years. She had been just a child the last time, reacting to harsh words of disappointment from her father over a childish misuse of her _swevyra_.

But as biting as his disapproval of her had been, it was nothing compared to the pain she felt now.

Drentiya had tears in her eyes. At her daughter's pain, and the sympathetic reaction she had on feeling it. "Meri." Her hand gently moved to wipe the tears flowing from Meridina's eyes. "My poor dear girl. To have had such a thing happen to you…"

"I can still feel it, Mama," Meridina sniffled. "The darkness. Its so cold, and its angry and hateful and it wants to come back out. It wasn't even from me, but it's in me now."

"The lingering influence of this 'Amaunet'." Drentiya gently held Meridina's hand. "Meridina, dear, you have always impressed me with how like your father you have become as a _swevyra'se_. We could not be more proud of you. But you must not be afraid to release your feelings. Stop struggling to contain them."

"I have to keep control," Meridina insisted tearfully. "I must not let the taint grow."

"Meri. Do you not see what…"

They were interrupted by the opening of the door. Leniraya was on the other side. "Father is home," she said. "He has returned early."

Drentiya nodded briskly. A small frown came to her face, not at the news that her husband was home, but rather as she felt all of Meridina's mental defenses snap into place. Meridina wiped away the tears swiftly and drew in several breaths, forcing control on herself. Control that Drentiya thought would prove more harmful than anything else in the long run.

"He will understand," she said gently to Meridina.

"I am a _swevyra'se_ ," Meridina answered. "I control my emotions. They do not control me." Her eyes closed while the last tears dried on her face.

"Meri…" _Child. You must be open about your pain. You must not be afraid of it. Or of showing it to your father._

But the stoic look that returned to Meridina's face had told Drentiya she had failed in that argument. For the moment. Meridina was too committed to proving herself to her father to ever show that weakness in front of him.

Mother and daughter returned to the living area of the family home. Gamaya was still working at her study desk, where the wiry figure of _Mastrash_ Karesl now stood behind her to observe with interest. He looked over to Meridina upon their return to the room. He was still in his robe of purple with blue trim - signifying his place on the Council of the Order of Swenya - with a light blue vest and tunic underneath joined with dark blue trousers. He gave Meridina an intent look. "You have come home, I see," he said. "How are you, ch-…"

He stopped. For a moment his eyes focused completely on her, scrutinizing every detail of Meridina's expression, her posture, her face. But that was just the openly-visible component for what he was doing, as his own powerful life force examined his daughter's. "Meridina, what has happened?", he finally asked. "I can feel…"

"A Goa'uld called Amaunet took control of my body," Meridina said simply. "She used my _swevyra_ for her own ends while she was in control."

Nothing was said for a moment. Karesl was clearly feeling out for a sign of deception on the matter. But seconds before Drentiya could scold him for that, his expression softened. "I sense the truth of what you have suffered, daughter. Words cannot describe how much it pains me."

"Thank you," she answered plainly. "I have taken a leave from the _Aurora_ to come home and meditate upon my experience. To be sure I have control of this taint."

"A wise choice, daughter," Karesl answered. "I can arrange healers to see you."

"Mother has already been a great help, I would not wish to impose…"

"It is never imposition," he chided her gently. "You know that, child."

Drentiya narrowed her eyes at her spouse. "Meridina does not need the Order pushing her into suppressing what happened. She must face it if she is to move on."

"Ordinarily, love, I would agree with you," Karesl answered. "But this is no mere pain. This is the taint of Darkness, brought on by the Goa'uld. Meridina must be careful in how she treats it lest the darkness within come out through negative feelings. That could cause the Darkness within to grow out of control.

"I would like to have Mother attempt to aid me for a few days, _Mastrash_ ," Meridina said formally. "I will report to the Great Temple for time with the healers afterward."

Karesl nodded at that. "An understandable choice, child." His expression warmed slightly as he looked to the rest of the family. "Hopefully Qalk will return soon. It has been too long since our family was together."

"I look forward to seeing him as well," Meridina agreed.

"Until then," said Drentiya, "I will get the evening meal finished."

"I shall prepare the table then," pledged Meridina. She turned and walked into the dining room

Drentiya looked at Karesl intently. _I love you dearly, but please, for our daughter's sake, do not make politics of this. She deserves better._

 _Our daughter has already made herself a point of politics, my love_ , Karesl replied. _It may be out of my hands. But I will do nothing to directly cause such a thing to happen. This I promise you_.

There was a dissatisfied look on Drentiya's face. But she said nothing more while returning to the kitchen. 

* * *

The usual morning routine saw Robert out of bed, into the shower, and then off to the Lookout for breakfast. Julia joined him there and they took to a table after exchanging "Good morning"s. "We'll be to our training point in six hours," Robert noted. "We should probably get those shuttles off to Beta Durani soon."

"The first launched this morning," Julia revealed. "Dahler and Uwambe are piloting."

"Making good use of the trainees then," Robert noted.

"The tricky thing is the _Sandar_ ," Julia remarked. "I noticed the flight crew listed on the plan. Are you sure about that?"

"Nick asked," Robert replied. "He wants to prove he and Hajar can work together. A shuttle run together on a training flight and cargo mission sounded right."

"He's been tearing himself up on the inside ever since he saw she came aboard." The look on Julia's face was a concerned one. "I wonder what that's like. He's done so much to move on since he joined us, but having that old mistake thrust in his face all the time."

"I think he'll work through it." 

* * *

Locarno arrived at the shuttle bay first and quickly found the sleek shape of the _Sanjar_. The Alliance's transport shuttles resembled the newer Federation craft more than the old box-shaped shuttles Locarno had flown in Starfleet Academy and afterward. The nacelles were swept slightly back from the main body of the shuttle and positioned for more efficient warp field generation. The interior was twenty percent larger than the Federation models and, in this case, was packed full of crates containing dextro-compatible medications for the Turian garrison on Beta Durani 4. The rear hatch was already sealed and a side hatch at the cockpit, not found on Federation craft, was his point of entry.

Hajar was waiting for him in the piloting seat. Her duffel bag was tucked away beside her. Locarno did the same with his own, carrying hygienic supplies and a few snacks for the trip as well as a change of uniform. The replicator was accessible despite the full load, but there would be no sleeping on the fold-out beds until they were unloaded.

"Lieutenant," Hajar said. There was no coldness or bitterness in her words, just calm and cool professionalism. Locarno found that a bad sign. "I've completed the pre-flight checks. All systems are ready."

Locarno settled into the co-pilot chair. He double-checked her results as a perfunctory gesture and nodded. "Looks like we're ready to go."

Hajar pressed her fingers to the shuttle's communications panel, set between them for mutual access. "This is shuttle _Sandar_ to flight control, we're ready for launch."

The voice that replied was Slavic-accented, although not Russian. "Sandar, _you are cleared for launch._ "

Hajar quickly activated the thrusters on the shuttle. Locarno remained the quiet observer to the process while Hajar piloted the _Sandar_ into open space. They cleared the shuttle bay at the back of the primary hull. "Preparing for warp."

Locarno checked his screens. "Your course is clear. Naqia reactor is powered up for warp flight."

"Setting course for Beta Durani 4, Warp 4.7." Hajar finished flying the shuttle away from the graceful lines of the _Aurora_. "Engaging."

The shuttle thrummed with energy. Locarno watched as space distorted around them until the streaks of warped space appeared outside of the shuttle. He leaned back and sighed. "ETA, Ensign?"

"Ten hours, fifteen minutes, roughly," she replied.

He glanced back to the rear compartment, still full of crates, and sighed. "Ten hours stuck in here."

"This is why Navigation Officers usually don't go on supply runs." Hajar gave him a look. "I'm not dumb, Lieutenant. This is some attempt to get me to talk."

"It's not," Locarno replied. "It's an attempt to see if we can work together despite what happened."

"Do your friends not trust me?", Hajar asked. "Should I just go ahead and ask for a transfer? Then I can see if it blows up this career too?"

There was some heat in her voice from that inquiry. "No." Locarno shook his head. "I don't want that to happen. That's why I wanted to make this run with you. I want to prove that we can serve together without having the past get in the way."

Hajar barely glanced his way. She seemed far more interested in her flight controls. After several seconds she finally spoke. "Like I said. We can work together professionally. But that's it."

Locarno nodded. He held back the sigh he felt wanting to form. It was going to be a _long_ flight. 

* * *

The brilliant sunlight was shining through the opening in the arcology structure, bathing the 12th level gardens in warm light. Meridina felt the warmth of her homeworld's sun on her face. It was a sensation she had not felt in a long while.

She was wearing a sleeveless tunic and knee-length skirt, both of dull brown coloring. The ground of the garden was not unpleasant to sit upon, legs crossed in meditative position.

Meridina was focusing upon her mind and spirit. She sought her center and thought of letting it soothe in the warm flow of the Flow of Life. She would let it calm her. Like it always did. Like it…

The flashes returned. She could feel the cold power, the burning fury, of Amaunet. She remembered how the Goa'uld had twisted her power and exposed her life energies to darkness. The faces of the people Amaunet had killed…

 _The people_ you _killed._

Noise caused Merridina's eyes to snap open. She looked to her side and saw Gamaya walking up toward her, wearing a blue sleeveless pull-over blouse and matching blue baggy pantaloons. Gamaya looked at Meridina and asked, "Are you okay?"

Meridina forced herself to be honest. "I am not."

Gamaya reacted by sitting down beside her older sister. "I'm so sorry you were hurt like that, Meri. You have done so many good things, to know you are hurt…."

"Gami." Meridina wiped at her cheek to remove the tear still there. Afterward she set that hand on her sister's shoulder. "You have always been so sweet. But I know you have examinations coming and need to study."

"I can study later," Gamaya insisted. "But I want to be here for you. I mean, I'm not a _farisa_ like Mother or Leni, I'm certainly not _swevyra'se_... but I can still help you."

Meridina put a soft smile on her face, for Gamaya's benefit. "I know. Ever since you were little, you have always wanted to be helpful." Meridina did not put into words the frustration she knew her sister felt. Out of all of them, Gamaya was the only child born without mindwalking or a connected _swevyra_. That outcome showed in the quiet frustration now appearing on Gamaya's face. "Your place to help will be in the sciences, where you have a brilliant future." Meridina pulled Gamaya into an embrace. "You should be working toward that."

"But what about you?", she asked. "This has happened. And there are the stories…"

Meridina blinked. "Stories?"

Gamaya swallowed. "I just… sometimes things come up. I know you and Father are opposed now. And the Dissenters said something about you, that you're teaching our ways to outsiders who don't accept the Order."

Meridina blinked at that. "Really? They have said that?"

Gamaya nodded. "It has upset Mother and the others greatly. Father as well, although he never shows it."

"I am not surprised." Meridina drew in a quick sigh and forced a smile back on her face for Gamaya. She stood to her feet. "Come, it is almost time for midday meal. Leniraya is making those stuffed _hitashan_ you adore."

"Oh, I do. She's gotten better at making them than mother."

"I'll believe that when I taste them." Meridina led Gamay back to the family home, all the while worrying about what she said.

The Dissenters weren't new, although the name was fairly new. There had always been a part of the population opposed to membership in the Alliance. But how did this group amass so much power so quickly? And how could they know anything about her, much less have any ground to accuse her of teaching outside of the Order?

What was going on with her homeworld? 

* * *

It was the equivalent of evening hours on the _Aurora_ when the _Sandar_ finally approached Beta Durani. "Securing from warp," Hajar said as a shudder filled the shuttle from dropping out of warp. Her tone, Locarno noted, was as emotionless as before.

Locarno put down his digital reader and checked his boards. "Hrm. That's odd." He watched the display with interest.

"What is?"

"I'm not picking up any signals from the surface," Locarno confirmed. "And the satellites aren't responding."

Hajar considered this. "Could there be a major communication fault in their systems?"

"This widespread? I doubt it." Locarno frowned. "I don't like the looks of this. The _Paxson_ and _Moore_ should have signaled us by now. I'm attempting to…"

There was a flash of energy and Locarno's hands shot to another control "Raising shields!", he called out. And not a moment too soon, as the shuttle shuddered violently. "I'm picking up Reich fighter craft coming up from around the planet!"

"Evading!" Hajar's hands went back to her controls.

The _Sandar_ began a series of sharp maneuvers as emerald energy beams lashed out at them from the direction of the planet's north pole. "I'm sending a signal to the _Aurora_." Locarno hit several keys. "But I don't know if I'm getting through the jamming."

"Re-route power from the warp systems," Hajar suggested. "These things are faster than we are at warp anyway, we'll never get away."

"Good suggestion." Locarno began doing so, putting as much energy as he dared into the ship's transceiver systems to transmit the mayday. "This is the shuttlecraft _Sandar_ to all Alliance and friendly vessels, we are being attacked by Nazi fighters. I repeat, Reich craft are in orbit of Beta Durani 4, we are under attack. Mayday, mayday…"

Beta Durani 4 began to loom large on their screen. "What are you doing?", he asked Hajar.

"I'm going to take us into atmosphere," Hajar said. "We've got no cover out here, but I might be able to lose them planet-side."

As if to reinforce her point, the shuttle shook again. "Shields down to seventy percent," Locarno noted. Another hit rattled them. "Make that fifty-five percent."

"Hold on!"

The _Sandar_ plunged into the atmosphere of Beta Durani 4. The dagger-shaped Nazi craft pursued them, disruptors firing as they went. Hajar jinked and slid the shuttle back and forth trying to avoid the fire as, outside, the void of space became blue sky.

A burst of sparks came from the rear of the ship. "I'm losing power!", Hajar shouted.

"We just lost our primary power conduit. The secondaries are damaged and can't handle enough load…" The shuttle violently shuddered beneath them. "Shields down to twenty percent."

By now the shuttle was soaring over an alpine vista. Hajar banked them around a rocky outcropping on the side of a mountain and twisted the ship to follow the contours of a canyon formed by the river flowing at the bottom. It was, by the standards of an aerospace craft, a very narrow canyon for maneuvering. Locarno could see Hajar was absorbed with piloting them through the canyon and avoiding the sides.

The enemy craft didn't quite follow, preferring to remain above the canyon. Locarno's sensors showed the two pursuers flying above them. "Looks like they're trying to head us off at the end of the canyon." He looked at her. "Remember that tactical scenario we did back in the Academy? Stardate 45144?"

Hajar nodded. "The one where we caught Josh and Wes by surprise?"

"Yeah." Seeing she knew what he meant, Locarno went to work at his console. "Putting all available power into the phaser banks," Locarno confirmed.

Hajar nodded. "On my mark…" She looked at her instruments and where the Nazi fighters were relative to them. They were starting to pull ahead of them to cut the _Sandar_ off. "Mark!"

Hajar jerked the _Sandar_ into a climb, at an angle that presented the phaser banks to the enemy fighters. Locarno triggered the phasers as soon as he had a shot.

Twin beams of amber energy lashed out from the corners of the bow and converged on one of the Nazi fighters. They sliced through the shields of the ship and into its engine plant. The Nazi fighter disappeared in a fireball that spread flaming debris into the forest below.

The other fighter was already maneuvering clear when Locarno shot at it. His first shot was a glancing hit at the side. The second shot was wide. Hajar banked the shuttle to give him a better shot for his third blast.

The phaser beams hit home again. They sliced into the enemy ship, creating a smaller explosion that did not completely envelop the enemy ship. Instead it started to spin and fall downward, robbed of the power it needed to stay in the air.

Hajar and Locarno looked at each other with grins of relief. Survival and victory briefly trumped their difficulties over the past.

"So where did those fighters come from?", Hajar asked. "Those are short-range craft, right?"

"They had to have come from another ship." Locarno looked to his sensors.

What he saw wiped the smile from his face.

"Land," he said. "We need to land, now."

"What's wrong?", Hajar asked. She was moving to execute the order. "What are you seeing?"

Locarno swallowed. "Multiple warp contacts." He looked to her with fear in his eyes. "It's an invasion fleet."

Hajar swallowed and directed her attention back to her console. "Alright, I'm…"

The was a sudden violent surge through the shuttle that wanted to tear them from their seats. More sparks erupted from machinery spaces in the back. "They're firing at us from orbit," he said.

"I'll try to land us in some cover."

Hajar flew the shuttle toward the forested foothills near the canyon. Another emerald beam lashed out from the sky at them, barely missing from her desperate maneuvering. A second missed. A third.

The next connected. The rear of the shuttle exploded in a roar that deafened the two occupants. "Engines are out! Firing retro-thrusters… I have no helm control!"

Locarno watched the ground racing toward them on the screen. "Brace yourself!", he cried.

There was nothing more they could do before the _Sandar_ began smashing through trees on its way to a violent landing. 

* * *

It was near the end of the evening shift and Robert and Julia were putting in their final hours for the day on bridge watch. Lieutenant Jupap, Jarod's Alakin subordinate, was at Operations, and the helm was currently manned by Ensign Violeta Arterria, a young woman from the Sirian League who was, like some other Sirians on the crew, gene-tailored to have exotic hair and eye coloring, in this case possessing richly-colored purple hair and matching purple eyes, while her dark bronze complexion was a more natural and common coloration. Lieutenant James Jarke, a young African-American from the Earth Confederacy, was at tactical, and Caterina was finishing up her own shift at Sensors.

"Lieutenant Jupap, any word from Beta Durani?", Robert asked. "The _Sandar_ should have arrived by now."

"I have received no regular transmission," the Alakin answered.

Julia gave Robert a look of concern. "Is everything okay?"

Robert looked back and shook his head. "I just have a… bad feeling, is all."

"The general kind or the metaphysical kind?", she asked.

"Sometimes I can't be sure," he admitted. He drew in a breath and tried to relax in his chair. "Ensign, what's our ETA to our destination?"

"Six hours, thirty-eight minutes, Captain," she answered.

"The _Carmichel_ and her convoy isn't scheduled to arrive until the morning anyway," Julia reminded him. "And the Phosako are expecting us to be there."

"Yeah. But…"

A tone came from Ops. Jupap checked it. "I have detected a garbled transmission from Beta Durani. It appears to be a distress signal."

Robert turned his head quickly toward Ops. "Put it on, Jupap."

Crackling came over the speakers. " _This is… shuttle... to all Alliance..._ ", came a voice both realized was Locarno, through bursts of sharp static. " _...are being… -cked by Nazi figh-... I rep-... Reich craft... orbit of Beta Du-... under attack. Mayday, mayday…_ "

Robert frowned and clenched his hands in frustration. "Could we make it there and then back for the rendezvous? At high warp?"

"If we turn right around and leave again, sir," Violeta answered.

"Even then, if there's a strong enemy presence at Beta Durani 4, we could warp right into a Nazi attack group." Julia shook her head. "And if the Nazis are moving into Durani, that convoy's going to need us sooner, not later. We can't risk it."

The look in Robert's eyes told her that he knew she was right, and that he hated it. "Okay, we can't go…"

Julia nodded. "But the _Koenig_ can." 

* * *

Just twenty minutes later, Lucy was settling into an auxiliary engineering station on the _Koenig_ 's small bridge. Beside her Lieutenant Magda Navaez, _Koenig_ 's operations officer, was finishing her part of the launch. "All umbilicals released. All ship systems normal."

"All naqia reactors are functioning," Lucy added, looking at her own board. "Warp power at your command."

Zack leaned to one side of his chair. "Take us out as soon as the doors open, Ap. Then set a course for Beta Durani 4, maximum warp."

Lieutenant Creighton Apley, Zack's first officer and the usual pilot of the ship, nodded. "Main doors opening now. Releasing docking clamps."

The dock built into the rear section of the _Aurora_ 's primary hull finished opening up. The _Koenig_ slipped out of it and turned away before picking up forward velocity. The _Aurora_ 's engine nacelles flashed with light as she jumped back to warp. _Koenig_ prepared to go to warp as well, but instead of a flash of light from her nacelles there was a ripple through her form until she, to the eye of any who might have been watching, disappeared.

"We're at Warp 9," Apley confirmed several seconds later. "ETA to Beta Durani system is approximately four hours."

"Good. And the cloak?"

It was Magda's turn to make a report. "Operating normally."

Zack nodded. "Good to hear it." He drew in a breath and relaxed in his chair. "Well, it's been awhile since the parents let us out, hasn't it?"

"Looking forward to it, sir," Apley affirmed with a small smile.

"But not the part about getting shot at?", Zack asked with amusement.

"Oh, never that, sir," was Apley's reply.

Zack's only reply was a thin smile. 

* * *

Pain woke Locarno up. He looked up at the intact cockpit window of the _Sandar_ , now half-buried under soil and roots. He blinked as awareness began to return to him.

He glanced over to his side. Hajar was starting to stir. It was clear she was unharmed as well. Their harnesses had kept them from pitching forward at impact, substituting that experience with a more survivable, if still painful, bruising of the shoulders.

Locarno snapped his harness off and turned back toward the rear of the shuttle. The crates of supplies were still secured despite the force of the landing. Panels in the back were flickering from inconsistent power supply. Locarno checked his panel and confirmed that the shuttle's power systems were offline from damage. Backup battery power was the only thing they had left. Enough to run a protective shield for the next ten or so hours. He quickly activated those systems.

Hajar sat up in her chair, holding her head. "Everything okay?"

"We're on battery power only. I've got the shields up so they can't just beam us up."

Hajar examined her board. "I can't even get a response to the engine diagnostics."

"This shuttle's completely trashed. She's not flying again." Locarno got out of the chair and went to a compartment. He pulled out the survival pack, pulled a pulse pistol out of it, and fixed the pistol and its holster to his belt at the right hip. He double-checked his multidevice to confirm it had no damage.

Hajar was going for her survival pack too. "Do we stay here or try to run for it?"

"I don't think going anywhere will help," Locarno said. "We'd show up on sensors the moment they scanned for life signs."

"Maybe if we put together a jammer?", she suggested. "A passive jamming device to obscure our life readings?" She looked back to the shuttle panel. "Give me an hour and I can rig something up."

Locarno gave her a look. "Really?"

"After Nova Squad was broken up, I considered engineering," she said. "I took a course during the following semester, Field Engineering."

That made Locarno remember something. "Field Engineering… wasn't that under Commander Terox? That nutty Denobulan?"

"You have _no_ idea," was Hajar's murmured reply. She pulled open the panel. "Just give me a minute, I need to get some parts from the shuttle's sensor suite."

Locarno returned to his chair and brought up communications. "Subspace communications are out, but I've got localized comms. It looks like the Nazis are focusing on the generator sites. The Turians and the engineering detachments are putting up a hell of a fight, though."

"Anything from the other shuttles?", Hajar asked.

"Nothing. They might be helping the defenders." Locarno shook his head. "We're about seventy kilometers from the nearest friendly base. If we stretch things out, we'll have just enough rations to survive the trip."

"If only we hadn't been carrying the _Turians_ ' rations, right?", Hajar sighed, her voice muffled from inside the shuttle panel.

"Yeah."

Hajar stuck her head out briefly. "Do you think anyone got the distress signal?"

Locarno could have confidently asserted that it had to have been heard. But they weren't stupid cadets anymore, and Hajar wouldn't be tricked. He shook his head. "Can't be sure. I didn't get any responses."

A grim look came to her face. "Well, let's hope someone called for the cavalry, then."

All he could think to answer with was a nod of agreement. 

* * *

Robert was preparing to get into bed for as much sleep as he could manage when the return call came from Admiral Relini. The Dorei woman, her blue eyes the same shade as her skin and long purple hair pulled into a braided ponytail, was the commander of the 9th Fleet and responsible for this entire region of space. " _Captain, we are facing a Reich offensive in the Argolis Sector, so I will make this brief. We've confirmed the full extent of the enemy's attack in Durani. Our analysts believe this is a secondary operation meant to distract us._ "

"So what do we do about Beta Durani?"

" _The forces you are linking up with will be committed to the counter-attack. They are already accelerating to meet you ahead of schedule. Your new orders are to make the rendezvous as soon as possible and escort the force through to Beta Durani 4._ "

"Yes, Admiral. If I may ask, I've got crew I sent to Durani, do we have any information on them?"

" _Our last transmissions said nothing definite. We know one shuttle was shot down._ "

Robert nodded. "I understand. I'll inform you of when we make the rendezvous with the _Carmichel_. Dale out."

He looked up from his desk after Relini's image disappeared. Angel was sitting at the edge of his bed. She looked at him intently. "No word, then."

"No word," he said.

Her expression was pensive. While Locarno hadn't been an original member of their group, or even their outfit in the Facility, he was now a friend and colleague. The idea they were going to lose one of their own was a hard one.

"Zack will be there in an hour or so," Robert said to her. He pulled off the uniform jacket and hung it upon his uniform rack "And hopefully Lucy and Kane can do something to get them to safety."

"Yeah."

Once Robert had shed the rest of his uniform he sat down beside Angel. She put an arm around him as he put one on her shoulder, and they drew close enough for a good night kiss. 

* * *

The forest was not quiet. Chirping and whooping sounded in the distance and made Locarno regret that he hadn't looked up on the native fauna of Beta Durani 4. He patted his pulse pistol, as if to assure himself it was present.

A cry of frustration came from within the shuttle. Locarno went to the hatch and looked inside. Hajar was seated on the floor, a set of tools laid out with several pieces of electronics and technology around her. She had her fingers within what looked like the remains of a tricorder. "I'd like to punch whoever designed these things."

"Have you tried…"

Hajar glared up at him. "I know far more about this than you, so don't go trying to second-guess what I'm doing."

Locarno stopped abruptly. "Sure. I wasn't intending to step on your toes. But if we're going to get moving, it should be soon. Night's going to fall soon, and I don't want to be out in that forest at night. There's no telling what the local animals will be like."

"Actually, they're mostly herbivores in this part of the world," Hajar pointed out. "It's the alpines of the southern hemisphere where we'd be in real danger."

Locarno looked at her with surprise. "And you know this because…"

"...because I read the profile on the planet," she said. "Just in case. Shouldn't you have done the same?"

Locarno tried to hide his embarrassment that he had, in fact, not done so. He'd been far too distracted.

Hajar chuckled lowly at that. "Well, big surprise there." Her look turned bitter. "You were never one for doing all the prep work. You always left that to us. You had more schemes to cook up, more wild ideas for stunts, for flight formations. Maybe if you were more of a planner you would have seen how nasty the Starburst move would have been, and Josh would still be alive."

Locarno glowered at her. "You're not going to stop on that point, are you?"

"Given that it _ruined our lives_?" Hajar returned the glower. "You think you can ask me to just forget about that? About how you screwed everything up for us?"

"You could have said no," Locarno retorted. "You could have stopped me."

"No, we couldn't have," Hajar shot back. Her round face twisted into an expression of raw anger and hurt. "There's nothing we wouldn't have done for you, Nick. Nothing! We were ready to follow you anywhere, and you led us right off the damned cliff! Because all you cared about was looking good to the rest of the Academy!"

"I was trying to make us the best!"

Hajar laughed bitterly. "I know." She shook her head. "And now look where we are. Your stunt killed Josh. Jaxa was so determined to prove herself she signed up for a mission that got her killed. Wes is gone. And you and I are out of Starfleet. Although it's not so bad for you I see." Her eyes flashed with frustration. "You, the one who deserved the least, got the most out of all of us." Hajar motioned angrily to the gear she was working on. "So, Lieutenant, would you please allow me to resume my work? Or do you _want_ us to be caught?"

Locarno had nothing to say to the diatribe. He nodded softly in the direction of the hatch. "I'll be on lookout outside. Let me know when you're done?"

"Certainly," she answered, promptly resuming her work.


	23. Episode 2-05-3 What is Past

Lucy and Kane were on the _Koenig_ bridge when the ship came out of warp near Beta Durani 4. Both looked at the viewscreen with some trepidation. "Well." Lucy swallowed. "That's not good."

Zack was in his command chair, looking at the same thing. At least a dozen Reich warships were orbiting the planet. He spotted _Z-2500_ s mixed in with the short-ranged _A-1700_ gunship variants. Three _Dresden_ -class light cruisers and a _Sedan_ -class heavy cruiser were the largest units visible…

...save for the final one.

"Is that a _Lutzow_?", Zack asked. "Because the profile looks off."

Magda examined the readings from the _Koenig_ 's sensors. "The silhouette and characteristics are close. I think we're looking at a new battlecruiser class."

"This isn't just a raid then. They want to take the planet and hold it." Zack frowned as he thought on their situation. "And we don't have any sensor shadows we can hide in long enough to transport the Marines down?"

"They're too widely-spread around the planet," Magda confirmed.

"Well, it looks like Plan B." Zack turned in his chair to face Lucy and Kane. "Up for this, Lucy?"

"I'm not sure we'll be able to evade detection even if I do a powered down drop," Lucy remarked. "Not unless we get sneaky."

"Didn't you outfit the _Rio_ with a cloaking device?", asked Zack.

"A cloak can't stop them from seeing our atmospheric wake," Lucy replied. Her brow furrowed. "We'd have to go slow enough, and be low enough, to make the wake so weak they wouldn't spot it."

"Sounds like it could work, though," Zack said. "And you could fly as close to Nick and his friend as possible."

"The only question is, can you survive long enough to get us into the atmosphere," Lucy asked him.

Zack looked back to the ships present. He reached for his intercom and keyed it. "Bridge to Engineering."

" _Derbely here._ "

"We're about to present our Nazi friends with a target for a few minutes, Karen. Can you shore up the shield systems?"

" _I'll give it everything I can._ "

"Thank you. I'll let you know when we need it." Zack returned his attention to the screen. "Bring up tactical view." The straight video image was replaced by a model of the planet and the enemy ships around it. "Do we have any idea on where their shuttle crashed?"

"I'm not… wait." Magda looked at her board intently. "I've picked up an engine trail consistent with a shuttle's drives. At this range I can't give you an accurate reading, but I can give you a rough location." She looked over at Lucy. "You'll need to scan for yourself once you're in the atmosphere."

"Thank you." Lucy looked at the tactical screen. "So we have a plan."

"We have a plan."

"Good." Kane nodded. "I'll get my Marines loaded. See you down in the bay, "

"I'll be right there," Lucy promised. She continued to examine the enemy force until after Kane left. "The trouble may be getting off-planet once we have them," Lucy noted.

"I'll stay as close as I can under cloak," Zack promised. "But I can't do much else until we have backup. And I get the feeling we'll be waiting for that."

"So do I."

They looked at each other. "Good luck, Lucy," Zack said to her. "Bring Nick home, please. And everyone else."

"I'll do what I can," she promised. "Make sure you get home too?"

"I plan on it."

After an exchange of understanding nods, Lucy departed the bridge. Zack looked back to the tactical screen. "Okay, it looks like one of those gunboats is right in the middle of our preferred approach vector for atmospheric entry," he noted. "April, as soon as we decloak I want that thing out of the way. Ap, you up for the atmospheric flight?"

"I'm ready for it," Apley promised. "Let me know when we go."

"We're ready to shift power to shields," Magda confirmed. "And I've started the necessary calculations for an in-atmo warp jump."

"Good. Relay those to Apley when you're done." Zack gripped the arms of his command chair tightly. It had been months since the _Koenig_ had been in a battle. _What a way to return to the war_ , he pondered. 

* * *

The runabout _Bastilone_ was not the standard runabout, as her decidedly-non-riverine name made clear. Lucy settled into the helm and looked over at Kane, who was manning the station beside her. "You've been flight training?", she asked him.

"I'll remind you, Lieutenant, that this is a _Marine_ craft," he answered. "Of course I trained on her." Lucy gave Kane a skeptical look, so he soon added,"Holo-simulation training, I mean."

Lucy smirked. "Of course." She completed the flight checks. The _Bastilone_ was a _Wingate_ -class assault runabout developed exclusively for the war, built for inserting strike teams into behind-the-lines targets. One had been assigned to the _Aurora_ as a just-in-case measure. "A good thing I was one of the test pilots."

Behind them, a gruff female voice asked, "Aren't they all about the same?"

"Lieutenant Lucero, meet Lieutenant Pauline Barker. Lieutenant Barker, this is Lieutenant Lucilla Lucero." Seeing Lucy's inquisitive look, Kane added, "The Lieutenant joined us at the Rings, she's one of my platoon officers."

"Right." Lucy turned her attention back to the board. "I hope everyone is strapped in, because our pre-flight checks are complete and I'm signalling the bridge that we're ready."

Barker nodded and stomped to the back of the runabout, where the Marines' seats were present. Her voice began barking orders.

Lucy gave Kane a look. "I thought Sergeants did things like that?"

"Wartime commission, Lieutenant," Kane answered.

Lucy nodded. A blue light flashed on the console. "They're moving in. We drop in approximately three minutes." 

* * *

The _Koenig_ was almost up to the nearest _A-1700_ when she decloaked. Amber fury erupted from her forward emitters and slammed the dagger-shaped Nazi gunship repeatedly until the vessel, its defenses overcome, exploded in a white fireball.

The enemy fleet recognized their arrival. Other ships began to converge on them as the _Koenig_ dove toward the atmosphere. Red light gathered at her bow from the re-entry friction acting on her shields.

Disruptor fire came in as she breached the mid-point of the upper atmosphere. The emerald beams were fired from the emitter points on two more of the dagger-shaped Nazi ships - their _Z-2500_ s and _A-1700_ s - and stabbed repeatedly at _Koenig_ 's shields. From the angle she couldn't fire back directly and so took the enemy fire in silence.

"We're approaching the optimal drop point, sir," Apley stated.

"Magda, open links to our planet-side forces," Zack ordered. "Let's make sure the Nazis think they know what we're up to."

"Communication links established. We're receiving updates on their situations, casualties, remaining supplies."

"Drop point reached."

Zack nodded. "Open the shuttle bay door."

 _Koenig_ 's shuttle bay opened up on the bottom of her hull. The _Bastilone_ dropped out and shimmered out of view, joined by sensor probes to fully exploit the deception. The enemy would likely destroy the probes in the coming minutes, but that was part of the plan and thus fully expected.

" _Bastilone_ is away. Under cloak. I'm reading minimal wind current disruption."

"Let's give them a minute." The ship shuddered slightly from another direct hit. "Prepare for warp jump."

"Preparing for in-atmo warp jump," Apley confirmed. "Coordinates and course laid in."

The ship rocked again. "Shields down to eighty percent. Enemy cruisers are moving into engagement range."

Zack nodded. "Steady…"

Apley keyed in more information. "Course is clear. At your command, sir."

"Steady…" Zack checked the timer. Every moment they spent here was another bit of distance the _Bastilone_ could go without being noticed. He'd never feel right again if he felt he hadn't given them as big a chance as he could.

They took another series of hits. "Shields down to sixty percent," Magda warned. "We're starting to take bleedthrough damage to the hull."

Zack nodded. He checked the timer again and decided it was the best they could hope for. "Warp jump on my mark, Ap."

"Yes sir."

"Three… two…" Another hit rocked the ship. "...mark!"

Apley keyed in the command to generate a warp field. The _Koenig_ shot out of orbit as if thrown by a catapult.

And the _Bastilone_ continued on, creeping her way to the surface to avoid detection. 

* * *

The whistling noises and hoots and other such sounds were keeping Locarno alert while he and Hajar tromped through the forested foothills of Beta Durani 4. They were following one of the streams that emptied into the central river. "This stream doesn't come from the mountains," he noted aloud, looking down the side of the tall hill they were on at the running water.

"It must start in an underground spring." Hajar took a moment to look around. "Or more than one. There could be all sorts of small caverns and waterways carved into the rock these hills are built on.

Hearing that prompted Locaro's attention to the time. It was getting dark. "We might have to stop and set up a camp," he said. "If there are caverns we can slip into they'd be great places to hide."

Hajar looked back at him while consulting her multidevice, specifically the directional scanning. "We've still got about two hours of daylight left. Let's keep pushing."

"We'll want to save some daylight for preparations," Locarno pointed out.

"I remember Professor Sirok's field survival course as much as you do," Hajar insisted. "I know what we need to do."

"You really like bringing up our Nova Squad days," Locarno pointed out.

Hajar looked back at him with a sardonic look. "It was the last time in my life that I was happy."

Locarno stopped. "You're never going to give me an inch, are you?"

For a moment Hajar ignored him and kept going. It was only when he'd called to her again that she finally turned. "I can't give you an inch, Locarno," she answered. "Last time I gave you any leeway was when you talked me into supporting that damned starburst training."

"Dammit, Jean!", Locarno shouted. "I made…"

He stopped upon hearing the distant sound of a cracking twig. Assuming the worst he jumped and tackled Hajar to the ground.

A loud "whmpf" sound filled the air, and the tree just past them exploded, showering Locarno and Hajar with splinters. Locarno felt the stinging pain of one of the splinters cutting into the back of his head, drawing a little blood.

The two scrambled forward as another disruptor bolt landed, this time within inches of Hajar's arm. They got back to their feet and ducked behind a thick tree. Hajar looked over her multidevice's sensor scans. "There's at least four of them," she said. "They're trying to flank us."

"Please tell me they're not in powered armor," Locarno said. He'd seen the others train in simulations against the _Panzergrenadiers_ and knew they'd be dead if one of those was around.

"I'm not picking up any armor suits."

"That's a relief." Another disruptor bolt slammed into the tree, gouging out a chunk of it. "Not a big one, but I'll take it."

"We have to get to better cover," Hajar insisted. She looked over her multidevice. "There's a spring cavern entrance about a hundred meters to our southeast. If we can get in there maybe we can catch them in an ambush."

"Or they'll just throw a grenade in and finish us off," Locarno pointed out. He pulled out his pulse pistol and fired off a couple of shots toward the shooter.

"Do you have any better ideas?", Hajar countered as a challenge.

Locarno had to admit that he didn't. They had to change their position to avoid being encircled. And they didn't seem to have any good choices. "Right. Okay, ready?"

Hajar nodded.

"After their next shot…" When said shot blasted away more of the tree, leaving very little cover for them, Locarno leaned out again and fired his pistol in automatic mode. Blue pulses flew out toward the shooter, a figure in _feldgrau_ crouched behind a long-fallen tree nearly sixty meters away. Said figure ducked back into cover to avoid the spray of fire.

Hajar leapt from cover and began running in the direction she had indicated. Locarno put his pistol to the brink of overheating before stopping and running to pursue. She stopped and turned, pistol up, and fired at their pursuer as Locarno ducked low under a shot that went wild. He turned and fired off another series of shots while Hajar continued onward.

The pursuit took them over the uneven ground. It had been hard enough walking through it - at a run they were at constant risk of tripping over thick silver-sheened roots and old rotten remnants of the fallen trees. Every time cover was offered they would turn and fire, forcing their pursuer's head down.

The other pursuers were moving up alongside them, appearing only on the sensors of their multidevices. Hajar started firing to their left and front to suppress the attacker from that angle.

The forest gave way only partially to the banks of a stream. Crisp, dark water flowed by at a fair current. "We're almost there," Hajar urged, just starting to pant. The adrenaline rush and fear were becoming overwhelming.

The opening in the ground was partly below the ground level. The gentle rushing of water was pouring inward. "This doesn't look… like a spring," Locarno said, panting now from the exertion of running for his life.

"We'll never make it to the next!", Hajar retorted. "Come on!"

As they entered Locarno couldn't help but feel they were entering a trap. They plunged into darkness until Hajar's multi-device activated a light for their benefit. She found an outcropping of rock along the wall and slid behind it. Her pulse pistol came up.

Locarno looked around. A stalagmite formation growing out of the ground looked like the best cover and he got over to it. He crouched low and checked his gun. He'd used up a lot of charges and only had two fresh power batteries for the weapon. He readied a fresh one and sat there, waiting, for the first enemy to come through.

One did. He didn't get a good look at the man, firing right at the entrance in time with Hajar. Blue pulses repeatedly hit the Nazi soldier's torso and he fell over, dead. A figure behind him retreated from the barrage of shots. A grunt of pain came from the retreating figure after a blue pulse from Locarno's weapon nicked him along the shoulder.

For several moments there was oppressive silence. Hajar and Locarno exchanged looks. Was the enemy going to rush through? Or would they do something else?

"Attention Alliance officers," an accented voice called out. "Surrender and you will not be harmed."

"We've seen the holos of your prisoner camps, pal, so the answer is no," Locarno retorted.

"If you do not surrender you _will_ die."

Locarno looked to Hajar. They both figured what was coming next.

And they both looked toward the darkness deeper in the cavern.

Both ran from their cover and went deeper, following the flow of the water.

About ten seconds after they took off running, a thunderous roar sounded behind them, so loud it hurt their ears. The explosion was joined by the terrifying sound of falling rocks and the vibrations that could only come from a cave-in.

They ran. They ran as fast as they could, as the rumbling caught up behind them. The explosion had destabilized the delicate structural elements that kept the underground opening intact. If the entire thing collapsed on them…

Locarno pushed that thought out of his head, unwilling to follow that sentence through. Their only hope was to keep running, to keep running until they got to safety, and all while the rumbling continued to get closer and closer.

They arrived at what looked to be an opening up of the cavern to a wider, and hopefully safer, space. Hajar went through first and Locarno got to the opening…

And then there was pain, pressure, and the blackness of unconsciousness. 

* * *

The _Bastilone_ flew over the blue fields of a tree canopy, marking the temperate forest that the remnant engine trail from the shuttle had led Lucy to. The runabout had crept its way through the atmosphere, managing to go just slowly enough to avoid detection of its atmospheric wake, at the cost of precious time. Now they were in position to a point where the impulse drive signs faded.

"I'm not getting anything on comms," Kane revealed from his station.

"Given the jamming in the area, I'm not shocked," Lucy murmured. "It looks like they're using localized jamming."

"What? From a backpack source?"

"No." Lucy looked out and slightly up of the cockpit window. " _That_."

The craft that moved overhead was smaller than the runabout, but the speed with which it zipped through the air showed it was powerful in its own right. Four uniformed figures were standing on top of it, manning what looked like gun stations and a control panel, with a railing encircling their position.

"Assault craft," Kane muttered.

"Nazi flying saucers," Lucy sighed, not sure whether to laugh or groan. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"Eh, the Taranak use something like those," Kane pointed out. "I mean, if you're going for low-level aerial ground-attack craft with hover flight, the saucer shape isn't bad for multiple firing angles."

"Whatever. That thing is going to seriously ruin our day," Lucy said. "And if we blow it up with the ship, we'll have to decloak, and the orbiting starships will blow us out of the sky too."

"Can't you just use your life force mumbo jumbo stuff on it?", Kane asked.

Lucy gave him a sardonic look. "I've never manipulated something of that size with my power before, Commander." She shook her head. "I don't think we should rely on stopping it that way. We need a way to ground it."

"Or blind the damn thing," Lieutenant Barker suggested.

Lucy thought on that. Slowly a smile crept across her face. "That is a very good idea," she said.

Under Lucy's control the _Bastilone_ flew even lower, nearly brushing the treetops as it got below the Nazi assault craft. "We don't even need to decloak for this," she said. "Kane, we're going to run a powerful surge through the main sensors. Keep an eye on the stress levels for our systems, please."

"Sure." Kane gave her a confused look. "What are you planning on doing again?"

"The electronic equivalent of shining a blinding light in their eyes," replied Lucy.

"Oh." Kane grinned in acknowledgement and agreement.

Under Lucy's guidance the _Bastilone_ kept its position. Energy surged into the systems on the runabout that would emit the pulse Lucy planned. An electronic signal that would burn out the sensing gear on the Nazi craft, or at least their IR scanners and similar systems.

Once she confirmed the pulse had gone off Lucy began flying onward. A check to the sensors showed the craft was flying away, this time at a much faster speed than it had been hovering before.

"Looks like your trick worked, Lieutenant," Kane said.

"So it does." Her hands moved over the controls again. "It looks like we've got a potential landing zone just alongside the river. Sensors are showing what looked to be a crashed shuttle about two kilometers south of the river. No life signs."

"That doesn't mean anything," Kane insisted. "They might have fled."

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. She hoped that was what had happened. "Okay, I'm going to fly us to the shuttle crash site. Ensign." She turned to the backup piloting officer she'd brought along, Ensign Yang. The young Anglo-Chinese man nodded in acknowledgement of her imminent command. "You'll take over piloting from here. Set her down at the river spot I indicated and keep the cloak on. We'll call for you if we need you."

"And for Christ's sake, make sure you pay attention to our codes. If we're sending the duress code on the subchannel keep this thing cloaked," Kane added. "Lieutenant, have Perelman and Icahn stay behind with the Ensign to guard the ship."

"Yes sir."

While Barker prepared the Marines and brought out the two who would remain behind, Lucy finished flying them to their destination. She brought the runabout as low as she dared above the trees before stepping away from the console for Yang to take over. While Kane oversaw the Marines jumping out into position - wearing their light powered suits they weren't in any danger of hurting themselves from the twenty-plus meter fall - Lucy changed out of her flight uniform and put on her field armor. It was purple like Meridina's, sans robe since wearing such a thing in this terrain was just asking for it to repeatedly get ensnared.

Once that was done and she had secured her _lakesh_ and her pulse pistol to their proper places at her hips, Lucy went through the Marines' seating area and to the waiting back hatch. Kane was standing there, his light armor suit active. "My team's already scouted the crash site," Kane said. "No bodies, and there are clear signs of survivors."

"Or the Nazis could have removed their bodies… no, then they wouldn't need that assault craft out here, would they?" Lucy smiled thinly. "So they're still alive."

"Hopefully."

Lucy nodded. "Alright, after you Commander."

"You sure about this, Lieutenant?" Kane gave her a look. "You're not wearing a suit. I've got shock absorbers rated to a height of fifty meters. You've got unpowered armor."

"I've got _swevyra_ ," Lucy reminded him. "Or whatever you want to call it. I can use my life force to absorb the impact."

"Just so long as we don't have to carry you after you break your legs," Kane said. "See you on the ground." He stepped to the end of the short ramp and jumped off.

Lucy took a moment to breathe and clear her mind. She had to suppress the small voice of doubt that told her that no, she couldn't do this, this was foolish, and this was going to hurt. Doubt was her enemy, just as Meridina had taught her.

With certainty and readiness in her mind, Lucy jumped from the back of the runabout. The ground rushed up toward her from their height and she would have seconds to react before landing. Using those seconds she focused her power below her. The kinetic energy that would go through her body upon landing would, if this worked, be redistributed safely and evenly in the air around her. She'd still have a bone-jarring landing, but nothing would break.

When she hit, it was with a small "BOOM". Soil and debris flew away from the impact point with a violent wave. Lucy had landed on one knee to help focus her redistribution of the resulting energy reaction. Much to her relief, the impact went as planned. It jarred her, certainly, and it hurt a bit, but she hadn't broken anything.

"I've got a trail," one of Kane's people called out. "Leading to the southwest. Looks like two people."

"I've got another trail. At least two," said another nearby Marine. "Parallel."

"Fan out. Tajak, Poulastides, you're watching our backsides. Barker, you're in the middle with your squad. Lucero and I are taking point."

A chorus of "Yes sirs!" answered Kane. He looked at Lucy. The darkness of the moonless night and Kane's visor being dark made it impossible to see his face, but Lucy could imagine his slight grin at her. "After you, Lieutenant."

Lucy nodded. With her multidevice display up and active she brought up the trail the Marines found and began to follow it. Behind her, the entire group started moving. 

* * *

When Locarno woke up, he was in pain. Pain that went all through his legs and the lower half of his back, almost numbing in its intensity. He coughed at the dust that had gotten into his mouth and nostrils.

Most of his surroundings were dark, but there was a source of light nearby. That light, after he blinked a few times, was revealed as a small fire.

Locarno tried to move. Pain and pressure kept his legs pinned in place. He gasped involuntarily at the quantity of the pain and discomfort he felt.

Hajar appeared in his vision, sitting beside the fire that was clearly closer than he had imagined. She was working on her multidevice intently. 'Jean?", Locarno said with his voice hoarse.

She looked up and over at him. "How are you?", she asked.

Locarno grimaced. "Not good."

"Which is still better than you might have been otherwise." She went over to him and knelt beside him. "Don't try to move too much. You got caught in the cave-in. The cave nearly fell on all of us."

With Hajar closer Locarno could see the bruising and cuts on her dust-covered hands. "You dug me out?", he stated. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." She shook her head. "I couldn't get everything."

Locarno could both feel and see that when he looked behind his shoulder to the broken stones still pinning him down. He let out something that sounded like a sigh and a groan had collided in his throat. "Well, I thought my legs had gone numb. Good to see I was wrong about that." He took a breath and looked back to her. "Any sign of more?"

"No," she said. And this cavern system goes on for kilometers. At least, it does according to my device scanners."

"Maybe there's another exit." Locarno nodded. "You should go."

Hajar looked at him. "What?"

"If you can find another exit, it's probably for the best if you keep going," Locarno continued. He grimaced. "I'm not going to be in any shape to follow."

"Ah." She nodded. An irritated look came to Hajar's face. "So now you want to be the sacrificing hero. I'll stay right here."

"Dammit." Locarno clenched his fists. "Jean, I'm being serious."

"And so am I. I'm not leaving you to die just so you can feel like a hero!"

"And what if they find a way in here?" Locarno gestured toward his legs. "You can't get me out alone. The only way for any of us to get out of here is for you to go and to remember the way back to me. If we're lucky, maybe friendly forces can get back in time."

Hajar didn't answer him. She turned her head away for a moment.

"I'll make it an order," Locarno said.

"I'll treat it like you would, and ignore it."

"Seriously, you're doing this now?!" Locarno smacked a hand to the ground. "I'm trying to work with you, Jean! Please!"

She didn't immediately react. Locarno saw her go back to fidgeting with the device in her hands. In the process she turned her back toward him, signaling the conversation was over.

He almost laughed. He wanted to. This entire trip had been meant to show that the past was the past and they could still be professionals. Instead it had made it all too clear that the past still mattered… and now he was stuck with her, unable to move himself, or to move on from what happened.

Locarno laid his head on his arm and thought, quietly, on his few options.

* * *

The stars and moon shined silver light through the center of the arcology and into the 12th level garden, illuminating the quiet place while Meridina sat there, legs folded, hands together in gentle repose. She focused upon herself, upon her power, her _swevyra_ , and the emotions that could guide and effect how it manifested.

For so long this meditation had always worked to center her feelings. She would press her feelings and every raw, untoward emotion, every feeling with a hint of darkness to it, would seep away in the face of light.,

But now, whenever she felt like letting go, her mind filled with images of those killed by Amaunet. She could feel the Goa'uld's vicious hatred and fury, the self-centered arrogance, as it felt when Amaunet had held her captive. And her own feelings, the anger and rage she felt at how Amaunet had violated her autonomy as a person, the pain in her heart...

Meridina tried to fight it. She murmured a mantra, a rhyme in Gersallian repeated in an orderly, melodic way to help focus. Meridina would not let this control her. She would control it. She would restrain it. She would push these feelings away as she always did. Focus on the light . Focus on it. Focus on positive feelings, positive emotions. Control them. Control…

But she couldn't. The thoughts and feelings came roaring back. She kept thinking of Lucy. Poor, brave Lucy, who had stood against her, had fought her to a standstill with every ounce of will she had. The clash of their weapons. The savage joy when Amaunet had raked Meridina's _lakesh_ through Lucy's flesh.

 _I will kill your precious student_ , the Goa'uld had told her. Not in words, but in savage malevolent feeling.

Reliving those memories made the meditation a sham. Meridina couldn't control them, she couldn't push them away. Why? Why did they still torment her? Why couldn't she move on?

 _Why couldn't she get rid of the darkness?_

"It is odd to see you so troubled, Meridina."

The voice made her look up. Tears had formed in Meridina's eyes, tears from the frustration she felt within, but even through the blurred vision they caused her Meridina could see the shape of her father standing alone in the starlight. He was clad in the simple white tunic and brown vest he always kept for his private meditations.

Anger and shame welled up within Meridina. Every erg of her mental effort went into crushing these emotions, and all others, and to again regain her center of calm.

Karesl shook his head. "Meridina, you have always sought to impress me with your skills. But do you really believe I do not know what you are feeling?" He sat on the ground opposite from Meridina and assumed a meditative pose. "Your mother's gift and your _swevyra_ make it very hard indeed to not sense your moods."

"It is odd that you can speak of knowing my feelings given how far apart we now are," Meridina remarked lowly.

A thin, bitter smile came to Karesl's face. "Ledosh has always been a very charismatic, very loyal man. I am not surprised by the faith he has in you. I simply wish it was for other causes."

Meridina seized upon that; it was a way to cease speaking on her failures before her father. "Were you not once friends? Didn't you train in the same cadre? Now you are enemies."

"Yes to all of those things, although I protest at describing us as enemies," Karesl said. "But Ledosh's views have become radical. And his insistence, your insistence, upon the prophecy…" He visibly stopped himself.

But he hadn't done so early enough, not to avoid Meridina's frustrated retort. "Why are you so _insistent_ , Father, on this course? Of following Goras and his isolationism? The Alliance is everything we might have dreamed of. It holds the power to swing the universes toward the Light."

"And it holds the potential to drag us all down into darkness," Karesl replied. "The Human nations and worlds are fractious and squabbling. They keep no balance amongst each other, they do not recognize the interdependence of beings but insist either on absolute individual power or complete control. They are worse than the Dorei in this regard, and we are but one part that might get swamped by the rest. Indeed, we may have already begun…"

"The Dissenters?", Meridina asked.

"There are those who always insist on rebellion," Karesl noted. "So long as they do not harm others or call forth darkness in other ways, there is nothing necessarily wrong with that. The colonies have long been a way for those with the fire of youth to leave behind those they cannot achieve balance with. But now they have the Human example of demanding change. And I fear they have begun following Human examples of using violence to push for that change." Karesl drew in a breath and easily recovered his center. Thinking about such things was painful for him. To see thousands of years of social peace threatened, and threatened in part by people whom agreed with him and on another part by his own daughter…

"The Council could step in," Meridina said. "Reconcile the factions."

"That has been our usual way, but it does not work now. Many Dissenters accuse the Order of instigating our admission to the Alliance. They do not trust us." Karesl shook his head. "Perhaps they are right. We have had such an effect upon this new Alliance, and now we will be feared for it."

Meridina thought back to Commander King of the attack ship _Sladen_ , who had served with the _Aurora_ while the _Koenig_ was elsewhere. The woman had proven to be a spy, working for Alliance Naval Intelligence and Admiral Davies in particular, sent to investigate how much Meridina and her Order were directly influencing the _Aurora_ crew. When King had been discovered, she had revealed this fact and another: that the Gersallian government, advised by the Order, had threatened to withdraw from the Allied Systems if Minister Hawthorne and Admiral Davies prevailed in stripping Robert Dale and his friends of their ship. "I have heard that the Order involved itself in the attempt to take my comrades from their ship," she murmured.

"Yes we did." Karesl gave her a careful look. "Or rather Maklir did after Ledosh and the others with him pushed. And what has it gotten us? Suspicion and paranoia from the Humans as well." He shook his head. "You believed, daughter, that the Alliance would usher in a golden age of peace, of tranquility? It is a source of dissension and disruption as well, and I fear that the war with the Reich has only worsened this."

Meridina considered her father's words. She knew well enough that they were slanted by his own views, by his alignment with Goras and his isolationist ways. But she thought of that marked statue, of the reports of violence, and wondered… what if she was wrong? What if Ledosh was wrong? What if they were harming their people by their actions in support of the Prophecy of the Dawn, and all for nothing?

All Meridina had ever wanted was to serve proudly as a Knight of Swenya, to uphold the Code that embodied everything that was good and noble about the Gersallian people. She was ready to die for that. Had always been.

But… she'd been breaking it, hadn't she? With her training of Lucy and now Robert, with her devotion to the idea that the Prophecy was coming true, and that even the rules she had cherished could be circumvented if it was necessary to support that greater achievement.

Meridina did not usually doubt. Doubt was anathema to a Knight of Swenya, to a wielder of _swevyra_. The energy of one's life only worked its will with the universe when unclouded by uncertainty and doubt. There could be no half-measures. You either did or you did not. Act or don't act.

But now doubt gnawed at her.

The darkness inside of her, the darkness left by Amaunet, grew colder, as if to remind her it was there. That she couldn't be certain anymore, not while it lingered.

Karesl noticed the look on her face and extended his hand to clasp her arm. "You have suffered much lately, daughter. It is well you are home. Come, now, let us go back inside. You need your rest." He stood and offered his hand to help her up. "And I would be wrong to press this upon you while you still recover from your experiences. Your recovery is more important."

Meridina murmured her agreement. She let her father guide her back into the family home.


	24. Episode 2-05-4 What is Past

Lucy and Kane were in the lead for the advance through the darkened, night-time forest. The animals of Beta Durani 4 seemed to pay them little mind, which was much to Lucy's pleasure. _I am not the outdoors type_ , she thought to herself.

Kane was busy looking over the ground. "The tracks are picking up right about here, it looks like they started to run."

"And no wonder why." Barker stepped ahead of them and surveyed a tree to the side. A tree that, on closer inspection, had clear chunks of its trunk missing. "Looks like the Ratzis caught up to them," the gruff woman stated.

Lucy nodded and knelt down. She closed her eyes and remembered what Meridina had told her about sensing others through their mutual life forces. How she could feel for those who didn't have the connection to the universe she did. Here the Flow of Life was different than it would be around sentient beings. The animal and plant life gave it a darker tinge. Not the cold darkness of negative thoughts but the absence of conscious thought. The life around her was built on instinct and habit.

But she could feel the embers of consciousness in the Flow of Life around her. The remnants of thoughts that were once here, the echoes of those far away. She could just about sense immense frustration and irritation. The frustration of a hunter having to struggle to catch their prey.

 _That would be the bad guys, then_. Lucy kept on, trying to feel out for any other sensations.

"Lieutenant?", Kane said, looking at her. "We can't just stand around."

"Shh," she insisted. Lucy drew in a breath and re-focused. She had to go further afield, further away, hoping that she'd feel something, that she'd…

There was a sense of anger at the edge of her perception. Anger and grief and regret. She could feel physical pain. She… felt worry about a situation. Frustration at being trapped. Aggravation at stubbornness.

 _There you are_ , Lucy thought.

"They're still alive." Lucy stood up. "I can feel them."

"Sure? Because I've got nothing on sensors," Kane replied.

Lucy gave him a look. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said with some exasperation. "This way."

They moved on, following the tracks to the southwestern course of the nearby stream. The tracks remained constant, showing two people running and gunning, stopping to cover each other as they went.

"Local topography suggests underground caverns, sir." Corporal Ijala's voice had that strange pitch common to Alakins speaking English. "Perhaps they fled underground."

"Probably a good idea with bad guys in orbit," Kane noted. "Everyone's electronic stealth gear checking out?"

"That won't do us any good against orbital sensors using heat scans," Lucy noted. "We just have to hope that any heat scanning they do doesn't have enough resolution to show them us against the background of the forest."

Their path took them to a cavern opening. The light was too poor to see directly the indications the multidevice was giving off. "I'm definitely picking up disruptor damage to the area. It looks like they ducked in here."

Kane motioned to his Marines and went in first with Corporal Mendelssohn. Several moments later he called out "Clear!". Barker motioned to three others to take up defensive positions at the cavern opening while Lucy entered to join Kane.

They didn't far into the cavern before finding a wall of loose rock. "Looks like someone triggered a cave-in," Kane muttered. "My suit's scans still show no life signs."

Lucy nodded and went up to the wall of rock now blocking their path. She concentrated again, feeling around it, through it, to see if she could sense anything.

She quickly felt the sensations within. The same anger and frustration, guilt and shame, concern…

"It's them," she said to Kane. "I can feel them."

Kane nodded. "Maybe they're jamming their life signs from our sensors?"

"Maybe, it's possible with the right tools." Lucy brought up her arm and began operating her multidevice, trying to see if she could form a connection to Locarno's. 

* * *

Locarno had almost nodded off when he heard the tone come from the area of his forearm. Hajar heard it too. For the first time in a while she looked back at him and away from whatever it was she was doing. "Someone's sending me a narrow-beam transmission." Locarno used his hand to accept the message.

 _Nick, are you there?_ The ID code was identified by his system as Lucy Lucero's.

"It could be a trick," Hajar pointed out.

"It could be, but I doubt it." Locarno activated his audio receiver and transmitter. "Locarno here. Hajar and I are alive, but we're stuck behind rubble."

After several moments the signal came through again. " _We could tell. Have you tried exploring to see if there's another exit?_ "

"That's a little hard," Locarno answered, "on account of the fact that my legs are buried under a bunch of rocks. And I'm pretty sure both of them are broken."

" _What about Ensign Hajar? Didn't you send her to look for a way out?_ "

At Lucy's question Locarno gave Hajar a sharp look. "I tried. But she has other ideas."

There was no immediate answer to that. " _Ensign, are you listening?_ ", Lucy finally asked.

"I am, ma'am," Hajar replied, finally looking up from what she was doing.

" _I hope, I really hope, you had a good reason to defy a direct order from your superior officer,_ " Lucy said, " _because if I find out this is drama due to your background with him I'm going to personally report you for jeopardizing yourself and maybe others out of sheer pettiness._ "

Locarno winced at the heat in Lucy's voice.

"I was finishing some modifications to my multidevice scanner, ma'am," Hajar responded. "I've turned it into a sonar mapping device and I've been delicately pinging for the last ten minutes. " She gave Locarno an intent look. "If you go about four kilometers to the south of the cavern entrance I think you'll find some kind of opening."

That prompted further quiet on the other end. " _Four kilometers_?", Lucy repeated. " _...that's some pretty good thinking, Ensign. Hold tight there, we'll be in touch._ "

The call ended after several moments. "Good thinking," Locarno said, looking at Hajar now. "So now we wait."

"They still have to fight their way to us," she reminded him. "I'm sure the Reich troops are after us too." Hajar set her device down. "She's worried about you, isn't she?"

Locarno nodded. "Lucy's been around since the beginning. I mean, with the crew that used to run that Darglan Facility. The people who recruited me."

Hajar nodded. "So basically… she's one of your replacements? For us?"

Locarno's expression turned stony. "No," he said frostily. "She's not."

"Ah." Hajar's voice betrayed evident skepticism.

" _Nobody_ could replace the squad," Locarno insisted. "And I've never tried. What they gave me is something you're clearly not interested in." He only gave her a moment to look to him again before he continued. "They gave me a second chance."

"That's nice." Hajar glared at him. "And what about the rest of us? We didn't get second chances. We had to live under the cloud of what you did while you got your precious second chance."

"That's why I tried to get you to join us back then!", Locarno protested.

"So what, I was supposed to just walk out on everything?", Hajar retorted. "Walk out on Starfleet, on the Federation, on everyone I know and love? And become some renegade like you?"

"Then that's your choice, but I did what I could to give you one!" Locarno, more than anything, wanted to move and to get out of the trap he was stuck in. But the weight of the rock remained too great. "I can't undo what happened to Josh, Jean! I wish I could, but I can't! All I could do was try to do the right thing, for you and the others. I thought it'd be enough when I… when I confessed, when I got kicked out of the Academy. That the punishment they ordered for the rest of you would be enough and you could move on with your careers. I'm sorry it didn't turn out that way."

As he spoke, Locarno felt the defenses he'd built up within himself, the walls that kept in his feelings about what he'd done, begin to just crumble away like nothing. He had done everything he could to move on from Nova Squad, from Josh Albert's death, but in the end… it was still something he couldn't walk away from. He had caused Josh's death. And no amount of excuses, no matter how true, could diminish that fact.

"You, Josh, Jaxa and Wes… you were the best," Locarno said through the tears forming in his eyes. "I admired every one of you for what you were and could be. I… I was flattered that people like you were so loyal to me. That you cared about what I had to say." He swallowed. "That… you saw me as your leader. All I wanted was to show the world, all of Starfleet, how great we were as a team."

Hajar nearly spoke. But at the words died in her throat. She had opted to wait and see what else he had to say.

"The Kalvoord Starburst seemed like just the thing," Locarno continued. "It just made so much sense at the time. That we could do it, and make it work, and it would show everyone that there was nothing Nova Squad couldn't do." He shook his head. The dust from all of the pulverized rock around him became small clouds in his blurred vision. "But I was stupid! I was arrogant! I had to prove I was good enough to lead and do anything! So I pushed you all into it! And I got Josh killed! And… and if I could find anyway to undo that, any way at all, _I would_. But I can't bring him back, and I can't bring Jaxa back, and I can't give you and Wes your lives back. All I could do was this… to join the others and make up for what I did to you, and to give you the chance to join me if you wanted." His voice grew hoarse from exhaustion. "I… I don't know what else I can do. How I can even begin to make it up to you..."

At that point Locarno stopped. He felt tired and alone. He'd done everything he could with Hajar, to show her that he wasn't the brash and arrogant fool he'd been as a cadet. That he had learned from his mistake.

Even now he had to admit he'd been wrong. He had asked Robert to let him take this trip to prove he could work with Jean Hajar as an officer. But he knew that hadn't been true. He'd wanted to show her that they could be friends again. To find some way for that to happen. Because if they could be friends again…

….if they could, it would let him move on.

Hajar remained eerily silent. It seemed like an eternity in the making. All of that, and she still wouldn't say anything?

Locarno, through the dust and tears, finally noticed the tears flowing down Hajar's face too. "Dammit, Nick," she muttered. "It would have been so much easier if you were the same arrogant idiot from the Academy."

He looked at her, confusion on his expression.

Hajar sighed and sat down next to him. "The truth is… we're not going back to that. Not right now." Hajar shook her head. "I can't. I just can't. All of my dreams went up in flames when we tried that Kalvoord Starburst." After she was answered by silence, Hajar continued. "Maybe you deserve a second chance from me. But I can't give it." She shook her head for emphasis on that point. "Not right now. Not when it feels like you were the one to get all the breaks."

As answers went, it wasn't satisfying. But Locarno didn't feel himself in a position to question it. He had another question on his mind. "So the answer to this entire trip is… no. We can't work together."

"There is far too much in the past," Hajar said. "I'm not ready to move on. Not while I'm trying to get my life back." She looked over at him. "If we survive this, I'm going to request a transfer. It might not look very good on my record, but it's the only way forward for me."

"I'll talk to Captain Dale and the others," Locarno answered. He couldn't keep the disappointment he felt out of his voice. "If we survive."

"Pretty long odds of that, it looks like," Hajar said.

"If you get the chance, though, leave me behind," Locarno insisted. "Please."

Hajar looked back to him with an uncertain look in her eyes. Her round face, now smeared with dirt mixed in with sweat, was dim with the light of their camp behind her. But he thought he could see something of a glint in her eyes. "Alright," she finally answered. "I'll go."

The only answer he could muster was a nod. 

* * *

Lucy and Kane had left the blocked cavern behind, leading the Marines in the direction indicated by Hajar's work and waiting to see if they would encounter Reich forces.

They were not disappointed.

Here the forest was starting to give way to rockier surroundings. eons of erosion and similar forces had had pulled away the soil. The terrain was marked by higher and more pronounced hills and rises. Along one of those rises the various sensors the group was using were showing life readings.

Approaching from the northeast, the group followed the sloping hills up. Lucy already felt the presence of their foes through her life force. While much of the area was covered in darkness that was no guarantee they could get by undetected, not with the many forms of sensors and image enhancement that even field troops could employ. "Status on your cloaks?", Lucy asked.

"Getting pretty low on power," Kane noted. "If you were thinking of us just cloaking entirely and slipping through, we'd only have a minute or two before the power's out."

"So no sneaking in. Figures." Lucy drew in a breath and focused her thoughts to see if she could consider a solution. "Ijala, can you get a shot from around here?"

"There are no good perches, Lieutenant," replied the sniper in his usual chirping voice.

"Our best bet is come in on a main approach and open up as we get in range," Kane answered. "They're looking for ways to get at our people, they may not be expecting us."

Lucy considered that. She wasn't a big fan of the direct approach, not in this situation, but Kane was the ground commander, she was the tech help plus metaphysical backup. She nodded. "Go ahead then."

Kane nodded at her and looked back to his people. He began issuing commands, splitting them up into fire teams and giving them directions to approach from. She concentrated on other things. The growing sense of unease she felt, like something was off. Something wrong.

She realized what it was just in time to save Kane's life.

He had moved out of the cover of one of the last trees, ready to creep further up the slope. Lucy dived and tackled him to the ground. Not a moment later green energy lanced by the spot he'd been moving through.

The others opened up with fire. Not at an enemy on the ground, but above, where the rough saucer shape of a Nazi assault craft was now hovering overhead. Red energy flared around it; the craft's shield was stopping the Marine fire. A barrage of rockets flared through the night sky and met the shield. Again and again it flared red, and it did not fall.

"Looks like our friend came back", Lucy muttered. She helped Kane get back up and get back into some semblance of cover. Overhead the whine of an anti-gravity field told them the attack craft was still in position. "These things have energy shields?"

"Not according to the battle reports I've read." Kane frowned. "They must be getting tired of our boys shooting them down." He looked further away, toward the bottom of the slope where the team was finding cover. "Ijala, can you take a shot?", he asked.

There was no answer.

"They're jamming communications," Lucy said. "There must be a lot of power if they're blanketing even short-range comms."

"Shields, jammers, I'd hate to see what else this thing can do." Another emerald beam lanced the ground nearby. A second fired off further away, driving two of Kane's people back into cover.

"We have to find a way around that thing."

"There's no way around that thing, Lieutenant," Kane pointed out. He tried to peek around their cover and barely got his head back in time for an emerald beam to sizzle through the air where he had been.

"If we don't catch up, they'll kill Nick." Lucy started looking around their surroundings. The assault craft was in just the right spot, hovering nearby and forcing them to stay in cover without giving them much chance to fire at it. Even in the night it couldn't be missed, giving it a literal otherworldly look with the white glow from the craft's undercarriage and networked anti-gravity drives.

"If you get far enough way, you should be able to call the _Bastilone_ in", Kane proposed. "A runabout should make short work of one of those things."

"'It'd take time to get into position. And if they fly a little too fast, the enemy fleet sees them." Lucy shook her head. "And that's if they didn't see them when they decloaked to fire."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions." Kane looked back to his tactical display on his HUD. There were more signatures moving in. Enemy troops, he suspected, to flush them out for the saucer to kill. "Because we've got more Ratzis coming in to flush us out."

Lucy bit into her lip for a moment as she thought about the situation. She looked back to the assault craft hovering above them. To generate a shield that powerful required a lot of energy. Could such a craft be capable of that on all sides?

 _Not likely. Not if they wanted to make it affordable_ , she decided. And if it was too expensive, it wouldn't be as numerous and therefore not as useful, since actual fighter craft could make short work of it.

"Give me what cover you can," Lucy said to Kane. "I'm going to try something." She leaned over away from him and put herself into a starting position to begin running.

As expected, Kane looked at Lucy as if she was nuts, although it wasn't a disapproving look. He tapped something on his arm and a rocket launcher swiveled up on his armor suit.

Once she was ready, Lucy began to run. She focused on her power, on the energy she felt within her and around everything else, and willed her legs to carry her forward faster and faster. Her running soon hit speeds normal Humans would never manage.

Behind her disruptor fire stitched up the ground. Rockets glared into the night sky again as Kane, and now his Marines, laid down the cover fire she requested. Rockets lit up the air and exploded against the craft's shield.

Lucy ran-on, rushing toward the slope and then up it. She ran up it, surprised with herself at how well she was keeping this up.

But the truly tricky part came next. Lucy backed away from the edge of the rockface and pulled her _lakesh_ from the place on her belt. _Here goes nothing_.

Backing up an appreciable distance, Lucy took off running again and straight for the edge. At the last moment she jumped off with her feet, still focusing her power into her body's muscles to go faster and now jump farther. Her arms wheeled to either side in the open air as the distant ground, and the enemy saucer, rushed up toward her.

If Lucy missed, the landing would be painful and the enemy craft would get a clear shot at her. If she was wrong about the shields, she'd slam into a concentrated energy field and end up dead, burnt, or getting battered by the reactive force of impacting the field with the kinetic energy of her fall.

The craft loomed closer, and closer, and closer…

Lucy managed a landing just inside what looked to be the protective rail for the operation space. Coming out of the night sky above, compared to the clashing colors of energy fire from below, the enemy gunners hadn't been in place to notice her descent until she'd landed. She sensed their surprise, and more than that, the immediate intention to go for their weapons. Her finger hit the switch on her _lakesh_ hilt. A sharp metallic sound sounded out and the memory metal surged from its reservoir in the hilt, forming a deadly blade that faintly glowed with blue light.

Lucy slashed the nearest Nazi trooper with her weapon. The blade found the side of his neck and cut through flesh and bone, nearly decapitating him. The enemy beside him pulled out his disruptor pistol, but Lucy caught him with a kick to the hand that knocked it free before driving the blade into his heart.

The third and fourth men recoiled, the fourth nevertheless having gotten his sidearm out. The emerald beam lashed out for Lucy the moment she got her blade back into position. It deflected from the blade, protected by that EM field, and the beam struck the third man in the chest. The man disappeared in a wave of green energy, utterly vaporized.

Lucy freed one hand and thrust it toward the last remaining soldier before he could fire again. He flew off of the saucer, crying out in surprise and fear as he fell to the rocky ground below.

Lucy looked around her. The controls showed a fairly decent display of both Kane's Marines and the Nazi troops moving to encircle them. She reached for what looked like the firing controls. Reading German was definitely not her strong suit and it took her an extra moment to realize how the firing and piloting controls worked.

Once she did, however, the battle changed immediately. It took only a couple moments to set up the craft's auto-hover control, allowing her to focus on the firing console. Under Lucy's control the powerful emerald beams again flared out. But this time it was the Nazi troopers forced to flee for cover as their own weapon was turned against them.

After firing a few times Lucy quickly checked another console. Even with the German language controls, she could guess it was their tactical jamming gear given the clear frequency markings on the controls. She quickly shut down jamming on their command frequency. "Lucero here, I've got control."

" _Good job Lieutenant_ ," Kane said. " _I'm relaying firing data to you now. Keep the targets in that area suppressed while we handle the rest._ "

"I'm on it," Lucy answered.

From her vantage point on the saucer-like assault craft Lucy watched the battle unfold. Kane maneuvered the dozen Marines with him with the skill she expected from him, isolating and defeating the enemy bit by bit while she provided cover fire to keep them isolated.

As soon as the fight was over Lucy went over to the piloting controls again and flew the craft to the ground on the upper slope. It landed in a cloud of dust. Kane walked up to her. "You did it again," he said.

"You helped," Lucy answered. "As soon as their commanders realize what happened that saucer's a flying target."

"I hear you on that," said Kane. "Let's get to Locarno and Hajar. I want to set up a secure position just in case we get any more visitors before extraction."

Lucy promptly brought up her multi-device and called up the relevant data. "This way." 

* * *

It was Gamaya who came to check on Meridina after dawn. The short-haired, spry young scientist-in-the-making set off her sister's doorbell repeatedly until, with great care, she opened the door. Her sister's main living area was as sparse as ever. Meridina was sitting on the bed, staring out a window. "Meri? Meri, it's time for morning meal." When Gamaya didn't get a reaction she walked up beside Meridina.

She was surprised to see the tears of frustration on Meridina's cheeks. "Meri?"

"I doubt," Meridina whispered.

Gamaya blinked. "What do you doubt?"

"Everything," was the low answer. "What if I have been wrong? What if…" She looked to Gamaya directly. "What if everything I have worked for was the wrong thing?"

It wasn't hard to see how twisted up Meridina's feelings had become. Gamaya did not have her parents' gifts, but she knew her sister and that was what mattered. "Well, sometimes we make mistakes," Gamaya said. "Scientists do it all of the time. It's how they make new discoveries. I mean… that's how it sometimes happens."

Meridina considered that. "Then I would be obligated to change what I have done."

"Sometimes. But sometimes it's just a mistake in methodology, not idea," Gamaya answered. "And sometimes it's just how you're looking at the answer. That's how it is for science, anyway. For you… this doubt's a bad thing, right?"

"Doubt is deadly to us, yes," Meridina answered.

"Why are you doubting?"

Meridina pondered the answer. "There are… multiple reasons."

"Because of what happened to you?" Gamaya put a sympathetic hand on her sister's arm. "Because of that alien taking over your body?"

"I believe that is part of it. But to come home and find the Dissenters vandalizing statues and causing violence. And over something I support. It makes me believe I may have helped ruin three thousand years of peace on our planet."

"That's because they've let themselves be scared into fearing the Alliance." Gamaya frowned. "They can't find balance with the Alliance, so they're lashing out."

"Perhaps." Meridina shook her head. "But perhaps I have lost my balance too. I want the Alliance to be something great. So much that I may be losing sight of what is going on. Our people are being disrupted by what has happened. How can I continue on the path I've chosen, knowing it may be tearing our people apart?"

Gamaya frowned. "I know Father sees the Dissenters' violence as another sign why we shouldn't be in the Alliance. But I think he's wrong. The Alliance is worth this. It's a chance for our people to become part of something great. We can't just step away from that." Gamaya smiled at her sister, a soft smile meant to build confidence. "I don't think you're wrong for wanting our people to remain in the Alliance, Meridina, and I'm proud that you're trying to keep us together in your own way. Whatever happened to you, whatever this darkness is... please don't let it make you doubt that. You're helping to bring us to a new and better future."

The two sisters looked at each other for a quiet moment. They had grown up together, they knew each other quite well, and they didn't need to speak to communicate on the subtle things. Meridina could see Gamaya's honesty, her passion for the future she saw before her, just as Gamaya saw Meridina's desire to overcome the doubt and darkness clawing within her.

Seeing Gami like this made Meridina feel ashamed of that doubt. She knew she was letting the darkness left by Amaunet cloud her judgement with fear.

 _I have so much to fear_ , she thought quietly. But fear was the enemy. It created doubt. It caused anger. It fueled the rage of the Dissenters. Fear of the future could cloud all vision, all wisdom, that could make the future better.

She had to overcome this. Meridina simply couldn't live with this doubt gnawing at her.

As her own expression settled into a look of quiet determination, Gamaya's mouth spread into a smile. She put her hands together. "Now… we should go get our meal. Mother will be upset if you let your food get cold."

Meridina smiled thinly at that. She was still considering her sister's words in her mind, in her heart and being, as she stood up. With a nod she said, "Let us not disappoint Mother, then. I will follow you."

They departed from the room.

* * *

It took the better part of two hours for the group to get to the cave-in area. They found Hajar half-asleep from exhaustion and Locarno mostly unconscious. "Corpsman," barked Kane.

One of his team moved forward. The tan-skinned young man, Corpsman Sandoval, ran a medical scanner over Locarno. "Both legs have multiple fractures," he reported to Kane and Lucy. "I'm also reading internal damage, although no active internal bleeding. We'll have to be careful moving him around."

"Digging him out will be hard," Lucy noted, looking over the fallen rocks that were pinning him. "If we shift the weight and structure of this rockslide, it could cause another." She looked to Kane. "I'll do my best to hold the rock up while you dig him out."

"That's all I can ask, Lieutenant. Corpsman, see to Ensign Hajar while we get this done."

"Yes sir."

What followed was one of the most grueling uses of her power Lucy had yet to endure. The rock was indeed loose, and more wanted to pour in even as the Marines, with their armor-enhanced strength, pulled the rest of the rock out. Every iota of will she had went into keeping the loose rock above Locarno from filling in the space that was, centimeter-by-centimeter, freeing him. She felt dizzy and weak as the ordeal went on.

"Almost… almost… I've got him!" Kane pulled Locarno free. The helmsman cried out from the shock of pain that came from the jostling of his broken legs. "Get clear!"

They did so, and not a moment too soon for Lucy. She let go with a groan of relief. Rumbling filled the cavern as loose rock poured into the gap created by the Marines and the removal of Locarno. Dust kicked up in clouds around the impact sight that lingered even after the rumbling ceased.

Lucy toppled to her hands and knees. Her head ached and her vision was growing blurry. "Lieutenant?", Kane asked, concern carefully laced into his tone.

"Just a moment," she muttered. "That took a lot out of me. I've never had to hold that much mass for so long."

"Right. Take a rest and hydrate." Kane looked next to Corpsman Sandoval. "Corpsman?"

"I'll have splints ready shortly, sir," the Spaniard replied. He reached into his medkit and pulled out a hypospray, which he applied to Locarno. "This will help you with the pain."

"Thanks," was the mumbled reply.

Hajar knelt down beside Lucy. "Are you alright?", she asked.

"I will be as soon as the world stops spinning," came the hoarse answer.

Hajar nodded. And after a moment of clear consideration she said, "Thank you, Lieutenant. Thank you for helping to get Nick out."

"Part of the job," Lucy mumbled.

"I know." Hajar shook her head. "But I wanted to thank you anyway."

Lucy replied with a quiet nod. Which made the room spin just a little more, so she stopped. 

* * *

Dawn had just passed, sending the early rays of the day into the cavern opening when the team returned. Two Marines were carrying Locarno on a litter. Another was staying close to Lucy as she wobbled her way with them.

Kane signaled with his hands for everyone to stay put for the moment, just as they entered the daylight and could see outside. With everyone ready to take cover he and another Marine moved ahead to the furthest extent of the opening.

They took cover just in time, as emerald beams flashed through the air around them.

" _Surrender!_ ", a voice called out.

"That sounds like a really stupid thing to do," Lucy mumbled from her place behind cover.

"Agreed." Kane looked at his scanning system. "Looks like they pulled out the stops. At least a company out there, and they've got three of those attack craft with them. And a squad of _Panzergrenadiers_."

"So our other choice is hold out until someone comes?", asked Hajar. "I mean, don't you have a ship?"

"The _Bastilone_ would have to decloak to beam us up and they'd spot that immediately."

"And you don't look like you're up for any more heroics," Kane said to Lucy.

She returned a weak smile. "I'm not that strong, not yet."

Kane nodded. "If we don't surrender, they'll probably toss grenades in. We can retreat back into the cave and hope someone comes along to pick us up, but…"

Before Kane could finish, everyone became aware of a growing roar in the air. The enemy troops did so as well. And all could see the shape burning in, outlined against the the dawn light.

The craft was much larger than any shuttle or runabout, yet smaller than an attack ship. Kane thought it looked like a planetary assault landing craft by size, and said so.

It flew too high for the Nazi troops to fire at, moving in at just enough of an angle for them to see a glimpse of the large engine assembly in the back, burning orange flame into the atmosphere. Similar jets appeared at the bottom, hovering engines being brought to bear to stabilize the ship in mid-air. It turned to present its side fully.

Four figures jumped from the open bay doors along the side. They were clearly too large to be human-sized fighters, given the size of the ship in relation to their clear profiles. The tremendous clouds of dust kicked up by their thunderous landings made that more evident.

The lead machine was not even human-shaped, with legs slanted forward with chicken-like reverse joints for knees. It was painted in general green camo style with the exception of a rattlesnake insignia on the feet of the machine. An arm ending with a muzzle came up and fired an azure beam that streaked through the air, a solid beam of energy around which lightning crackled like a helix.

The beam speared one of the assault craft. Its shields flickered red for the barest moment, just long enough to be visible, before they gave out. The saucer-shaped hovering craft exploded violently. Debris showered down upon the troops it had been supporting.

A second figure in the same color scheme, slightly smaller and with humanoid legs, swung up its high-shouldered arms, each ending with two muzzles aligned vertically. Golden flame erupted repeatedly from these weapons. Tracer fire showed the onslaught of shells that connected with another of the assault saucers. Again the red light of its shields briefly played over its surface, resisting the fire of the automatic cannons briefly before the shells ripped the saucer to shreds.

The third and last of the saucers died a moment later. There was no visual indication of what had struck it, simply a thunderous impact of an unseen kinetic shell that slammed through its shields like they weren't even there. The Nazi assault craft broke apart like an egg smashed by a hammer.

Crackling came over their tactical comm link. "Corporal?" Kane looked to Corporal Haleigh Stone, his command squad radiowoman.

"They're patching into our tactical comm channels, sir," replied Stone. She was the tallest and arguably strongest in the unit, courtesy of the genetic engineering done to make her home planet of Littlefield survivable with its high-G environment.

A moment later a male voice began to speak with a vaguely American accent. " _This is Leftenant Garrett Petersen, 3rd Davion Guards, to_ Aurora _rescue mission. Do you copy?_ "

"Commander Kane, _Aurora_ Commander of Troops, I read you, Leftenant."

There was an explosion outside. A laser from one of the new arrivals had annihilated one of the _Panzergrenadiers_ with a shot that blew up its internal power core.

" _We're under orders to enable your extraction, sir. It looks like we were just in time._ "

Kane nodded and grinned at his Marines. "That you are, Leftenant. We'll hit them from behind now that you've got their attention."

The offer of help made sense, and its usefulness was highlighted by one of Petersen's machines nearly losing an arm to concentrated disruptor fire from the remaining _Panzergrenadiers_. " _Much obliged, Commander, much obliged._ "

"Alright Marines!" Kane lifted his particle rifle into his arms. "Let's go make an impression on our new friends from the Inner Sphere. _Ooh rah!_ "

" _OOH RAH!_ ", his squad roared in agreement.

Kane led them out of the cave. He quickly identified one of the enemy PGs, still focused on the Davion 'Mechs, and gave him a full blast to the back that took the foe out. Lieutenant Barker brought an arm up and fired a missile into a fireteam of Nazi troopers setting up a heavy weapon. It exploded from the impact and sent the _feldgrau_ -wearing foes around it flying.

The attack by the Marines, and the shock of the attack from Petersen's platoon - or lance, as he would call it - took the fight out of the foe quickly. The expectation of overwhelming victory turned into imminent defeat was more than enough to finish shattering their morale. Some fled away, toward the forest, and a handful of survivors soon threw their weapons down and surrendered.

Once the chaos was over, Kane looked up at the towering machines that had come to the rescue. "Nice to see the walking tanks are everything they were talked up to be," he heard Barker mutter.

"Leftenant, is your ship still alright? There's still that enemy fleet in orbit."

There was a short chuckle on the other end. " _Oh, they won't be a problem for long, Commander._ " 

* * *

The orbital space around Beta Durani 4 was filled with the tailfires of missiles and a number of energy beams of varying composition and color. A Reich _Sedan_ -class cruiser added to the pyrotechnic display by exploding from within after repeated hits found its fuel bunkerage.

The _Starship Aurora_ turned away from its dead foe and directed its attention towards the largest enemy. The Nazi battlecruiser, of a newer class than the _Lutzow_ s they'd seen before, retorted to their fire with its super-disruptor emitters facing them.

"Shields down to sixty percent." Jarod looked over his screens. "It looks like this new design has upgraded cannons, among other things."

Robert nodded. "Ensign Arterria, bring us in on an attack run."

"The _Carmichel_ is going after them too," Julia said from her chair.

"Locking on…" Angel looked over her board. "Firing!"

The _Aurora_ 's forward cannons blazed to life again, pouring thick bolts of sapphire energy over the enemy battlecruiser. Its shields flickered red under the onslaught, doing so as well when the amber of the _Aurora_ 's phaser cannons and arrays began to strike at it.

From another angle, the _Carmichel_ raced in. The _Scorpio_ -class attack cruiser was another of the new Alliance-wide designs built to fight in the war. It eschewed some of the mission flexibility of the _Aurora_ to pack tremendous firepower into its 400 meter-long, 120 meter-wide frame. The slight wedge shape was from FedStar design practices for ships of its type, allowing it to bring its batteries of cannons to maximum on single, larger targets. Sapphire bursts came from its batteries of pulse plasma cannons like on the _Aurora_.

Both ships added solar torpedoes to their attacks. The enemy ship's shields buckled and strained under the onslaught. But they had not yet broken.

"The Nazi light warships are heading toward the Commonwealth carrier ships." Caterina's voice had the usual nervous squeakiness she got when they were in a fight. "They're still deploying."

Julia gave him a concerned look. "They only have jury-rigged shields on those DropShips, if they get hit by torpedoes…"

"Get Laurent's people to…"

"There's a ship decloaking," Cat said, cutting in. "It's the _Koenig._ "

"Re-direct Laurent to the battlecruiser," Robert ordered. He grinned. "Zack's got them covered."

* * *

The _Koenig_ shimmered into view "above" the group of dagger-shaped enemy ships rushing toward the deploying Commonwealth DropShips. "Target lock," April said from tactical.

Zack kept a confident pose in his chair. "Fire at will, April. Keep them off our allies."

He watched on the viewscreen as the _Koenig_ 's forward cannons opened up. Pulses of deadly amber energy slammed into one of the Nazi destroyers along the rear, where its internal warp drive assembly was located. A ferocious white fireball nearly engulfed the enemy ship from the direct hit, sending it spiraling off.

The next shots from April were slightly off. "They're evading," April said.

"Ap…"

"On it," Apley replied from his place at the helm.

The _Koenig_ twisted along one path and soon April's fire was again hammering the enemy torpedo destroyer. A final solar torpedo blew the vessel in half, leaving just one.

The _Koenig_ turned to pursue that ship, and in the process opened the path for the Commonwealth ships to continue their descent into orbit. 

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge, Robert and the others watched the enemy battlecruiser suffer several more hits. Their shields were still holding, as were _Carmichel_ 's, and now the Mongoose fighters on the _Aurora_ were adding to the ship's difficulties with repeated torpedo and missile strafing runs. Aerospace fighters launching from the Commonwealth carrier DropShips added to the damage, slinging upgraded warheads retrofitted for their fighters' missile launchers into the enemy's shields and, increasingly, their hull.

"I'm picking up a power surge," Caterina said. "It looks like they're…"

In a flash of light the burning enemy battlecruiser elongated briefly and disappeared.

"...going to warp," she finished.

Julia nodded while observing the tactical display. One by one the remaining icons for enemy ships were disappearing. "They're retreating."

Robert smiled at that and leaned forward in his seat. "Let them. We need to attend to the enemy planetside now. Jarod, any word from the _Foxfire_?"

"They're sending us regular tactical updates," Jarod answered. "The second wave of ships are burning into atmosphere now."

"Did they say anything about our rescue team?", Julia asked.

"Nothing yet." Jarod noticed a light on his panel begin blinking. "We're getting a hail." Clear relief entered his voice when he added, "It's from the _Bastilone_. It's Commander Kane."

Robert sighed with relief. "Put them on."

The viewscreen shifted to show Lucy and Kane in the cockpit of the assault lander runabout. " _We found them,_ Aurora," Kane announced. "Locarno's busted up a bit, broken legs from a cave-in. But he'll live."

"We'll have sickbay standing by for your casualties, Commander," Robert said. "Thanks for getting to our people."

" _We have you to thank for getting the reinforcements here_ ," Lucy answered. " _They saved our bacon_." Her hands moved over the controls. " _We're lifting off now to return to the ship._ "

"Good. Don't take your time either, we still have to escort the Marik contingent to Eta Durani 2 to stop the enemy offensive there."

Lucy nodded. " _We'll be with you in a couple of minutes._ "

Julia, meanwhile, was already at work. "All fighters are coming back in, no losses," she announced happily. "And our other shuttle crews are preparing to beam back aboard. Unfortunately it looks like our other shuttles got shot up on the ground, none of them are flight-capable."

"Relay their coordinates to the shuttle bay transporters, then."

"Doing so now." Julia noticed another bit of data coming up. "And the _Koenig_ is preparing to dock."

Robert nodded. "Signal the convoy to get back into formation. We'll warp out as soon as the _Brasidas_ and her battle group get here. Ensign Arterria, set a course for Eta Durani, Warp 6."

"Laying in course and speed," the young woman answered. "ETA is ten hours."

"So much for this surprise Nazi offensive, huh?", Julia asked.

"They probably thought they could get away with it given the Klingon withdrawal." Robert shared a knowing grin with Julia. "The arrival of our new allies should make them have second thoughts about trying it again." He sighed and looked back to the viewscreen, showing the planet spinning below them as several more Commonwealth DropShips lowered into the atmosphere. "I'm just glad we didn't lose anyone."

"We got lucky, I guess." Julia's look turned sad. "We've lost enough of our people in this war."

"Maybe turning them back here will change the tempo of the war." Robert nodded to the screen and the ships still flaring against the atmosphere of Beta Durani 4. "And it'll bring the war to an end soon."

"All we can do is hope."

Robert found he had nothing to add to that statement.


	25. Episode 2-05-5 What is Past

After writing and filing her debriefing report, Hajar went to the medbay and was directed to the bed where Locarno was kept. A skeletal regenerator assembly was over his legs. Leo stood over him. "I don't want to see you on your feet for the next few days," he was saying. "It'll take time for the fractures to finish healing."

"Sure," Locarno said. "I think I could use a few days off doing… nothing, I guess? Just complete and absolute boredom."

Leo gave him a sardonic look. "Don't make me sic Julia on you."

Locarno chuckled in reply. "Don't worry, you won't have to."

Leo let out a short laugh and walked off.

Locarno turned his head to face Hajar. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," was her response.

"So, we made it out alive, huh."

She nodded.

There was more uncomfortable silence between the two. They had already said everything there was to say, after all. Their feelings were known.

"Thank you," Hajar finally said, to break the silence if anything. "For keeping me from getting hit by those rocks."

"You're welcome." Locarno swallowed. "I can make arrangements for you."

"I know. But I'm not worried." Hajar shook her head. "For now, I'm just going to wait and see what comes up."

"Yeah." And like that, there was nothing more to be said. Hajar left.

* * *

The hover-vehicle ride to the Temple was an hour long, and Meridina used that time to continue meditating and considering herself. To consider everything.

The surroundings did not escape her notice, of course. The gentle climb up toward the mountains overlooking the capital, with the arcologies and non-residential towers marking the heart of the Gersallian civilization slowly giving way to lush forest and gentle creeks flowing away from the Lutanyan River and its gorgeous, azure sheen. She could sense the animal life in that area, intermixed with those enjoying the forests or training within its boundaries.

The forest gave way to the blocks of dormitories in which the members of the Order, and their providers, lived and ate together. These old structures had been built and rebuilt with the latest technology while keeping their circular architectures and gentle shapes. The remnants of the road that once connected the Great Temple to the capital could still be seen exiting the forest.

The driver set the craft down in the vehicle park for the Temple. Meridina intentionally left Alliance credits in her seat, knowing that the driver would not accept pay directly, and started walking toward the main building.

Around her, heads turned among the sensitive. They could feel her anguish and pain, still so prominent in her heart. And... yes, they could sense that little piece of darkness Amaunet had left in her. She kept her head bowed and tried to force the shame out as she entered the main building.

The red-robed defenders of the Temple gave her closer, scrutinizing looks as she walked into the great Council Chambers. She took it as a sign of trust that they did not stop her as they might have stopped another who felt like she did.

The Chambers were the largest structure on the Temple Grounds. They had been built for the public deliberations of the Order Council and for the ceremonies of the Order, such as the recognition of new _Mastrash_ es or new members of the Council.

A chill went through Meridina's spine as she considered those public deliberations and ceremonies. They included trials for corruption or major violation of the Code. The sort of corruption she had now experienced… and the violation she was arguably performing by training Robert and Lucy as extensively as she was.

She walked beyond the vacant table, the ranks of vacant seating, and toward the relics. A great portrait depicted Swenya, dark-hair flowing out with a _lakesh_ shining with symbolic light extended and held up. Below the portrait were three glass cases. One held Swenya's sandals, one her battle-torn blue robe, and the third, her ancient _lakesh_ , with the rounded hilt different than any _lakesh_ known to their histories.

The relics made Meridina consider Swenya, the Great Foundress. The woman who arisen from the obscurity of the provinces with her mentor and teacher, Reshan, and brought stability and peace to Gersal. She had defeated the Trumav Brotherhood, restored peace with Gersal's outlying colonies, and joined the other _swevyra_ -using organizations into the Order that Meridina stood in today.

It seemed odd that so little was known about her, even if she had started out in the poorest provinces of the Jaldiran Continent. Her parentage was unknown. The only record of her birth was a printed record in the village of Trubin, stating the day and time of birth but not the mother's name - it had been established solely by the eyewitness testimony of a town elder's son, who didn't recall the parents. Even less was known of Reshan - claims he was from the colonies, disputes over the role he played in Swenya's life. The Brotherhood of Kohbal had caused so much devastation after Swenya's death that even these few surviving things were precious and rare.

For a moment Meridina set her eyes on the _lakesh_. The rounded hilt was so different from the one belted to her waist. She wondered why the roundish hilt had been preferred.

There was another presence in the room. Meridina turned and faced _Mastrash_ Ledosh, her mentor and teacher, now standing by the Council table. He looked at her with caring brown eyes full of sadness. "I have worried," he admitted. "The reports of the darkness now within you, of what was done to you."

"Amaunet seized my being," Meridina said. "I could not stop her from taking control."

"A dreadful thing." Ledosh shook his head. "Have you spent time with the healers?"

"I… have considered it, yes," Meridina admitted. "But I fear they will prejudge me. Or that it will further complicate their perceptions of the Alliance."

"I see." Ledosh finished walking up to her. "But this is serious, my student. This Goa'uld parasite has left you tainted by that will excite the members of the Order."

"Can the healers purge me of this darkness?"

"They may be able to. It will not be easy on you." Ledosh shook his head. "And it may require you to renounce your commission and leave the _Aurora_."

She gave him a sharp look. Refusal was evident in her features. Leave the _Aurora_...?!

Indeed, her reaction surprised her, as it seemed that her doubt simply melted against the intensity of the thought. It was instinctive, immediate, flowing from within the deepest core of her person. No. She could not leave the _Aurora_. Her work there was too important.

Ledosh felt it too, but he also felt the obligation to give his student good counsel. "Meridina, please. It may be for the best." Concern showed on the older man's face. "Your father has already sensed the darkness lingering within you. It will be expected of you to be treated for it. You must cleanse yourself before you resume any duties."

Meridina shook her head. "I cannot. Not with the responsibility on my shoulders. I still have work to do."

"Even with the doubt?", Ledosh asked. "I can sense it in you, my student. You now fear your own power and will. You fear what you might become if your control slips. You fear your own feelings."

Her reply was a nod. "Yes," Meridina admitted. "I do. I fear those things. And I fear we may be causing pain for our people. But I also have faith that they will confront their fears and overcome them. As for myself... there will always be fear to overcome for those of us following Swenya's path. You taught me this, _Mastrash_ , and you are a great teacher. I will not disappoint your teachings."

Ledosh remained silent for the moment. He had been fairly certain she would react that way. And, searching his own feelings, he felt his own fear. His fear for her well-being and for her future. "If things go wrong, Meridina, I cannot protect you."

"I do not wish it."

"Goras will pursue you with vigor. While the darkness lingers within you, it is a vulnerability he will aim for to destroy all we have worked for."

"I will be careful," Meridina insisted. "But I believe you and the others are right. They are the Bearers of the Dawn. And I must help them until their destiny is fulfilled."

Ledosh kept a level look on his former student. "I see. You are attempting to remain strong despite your doubt. Be careful, please."

Meridina nodded slightly. "I will, _Mastrash._ _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."

" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."

* * *

Meridina walked back out to the hovercar that would take her back home.

She may have sensed them, the ones watching her, but if she did she didn't show it. From a windowed chamber three floors up in the Great Temple, Karesl watched his daughter departing alongside Goras.

Goras momentarily scratched at his full gray beard. He had shaved his head down recently, giving him more hair on his chin than on his head. Dark brown eyes focused on Meridina as she stepped into the craft. "I sense it in her. How unlike her," he noted. "Doubt. Darkness."

"My daughter has suffered much."

"Register that upon Ledosh's account." Goras stepped away from the window. "A great many things will be laid upon his head in coming days."

Karesl looked to his ally. "You believe the Dissenters will act more openly?"

Goras folded his hands before him, causing his purple robes to shift slightly. "Ones such as they always do. The Order cannot keep our people balanced if it is also unbalanced."

"There are still a few key votes. _Mastrash_ Satrin, for instance, may yet be convinced of our approach."

Goras shook his head. "Satrin is too much of a xenophile. We must turn Rekisin, Quliran, and Lariskia first. Then they might bring her around." Goras gave Karesl a careful look. "Of course, if Ledosh is defeated, Meridina may suffer the greatest. She is the one of his faction who openly acted on his behalf."

"My daughter is devoted to the Code, wholly," Karesl said. "If the Council orders her to return home, she will do so. She would never invite ejection."

"Let us hope, for her sake, that you are correct." Goras took a seat. "If she fails to have the healers tend to her soul, she may yet fall to the darkness. And nothing will drive her further than to see her work undone by Ledosh's fall."

Karesl kept his expression level at that remark. A flutter of worry went through him. Ledosh had turned his daughter into a devotee of the greatest order. Might she resist even then?

Might he be forced to throw his daughter from the Order that had been her entire world?

"Let us hope, indeed," Karesl forced himself to say. "I will go see to the creche trials now. You know where to reach me."

"I do. _Mi rake sa sweyvra iso_ , Karesl."

" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Goras."

Karesl left the room. Goras watched him go and felt his essence grow further away.

A tone came over his personal computation system. He reached over and hit a key with the "Comm" marker on it in High Gersallian. A young woman appeared, her skin reflecting the sunlight off her shaved head. She had the robes of an apprentice. One of his. "Itaralai, have you made the contacts?"

" _I have_ ," she pledged. " _The Dissenters thank you for your service to their cause,_ Mastrash _. Although, is this truly…_ "

Goras waved a hand, anticipating the protest. "It is the best way. We must make the Alliance desire Gersallian departure as much as we wish it ourselves."

" _If you feel it is necessary, then. We have made the arrangements with a source in the Senate. Entry will be possible when the time is right._ "

"Excellent. Keep me informed. _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."

"Mi rake sa swevyra iso", the apprentice intoned. She disappeared from his screen.

Goras considered the situation quietly. No matter what happened, no matter what came, this had to be done. This had to happen. His people had to be saved before inertia bound them forever into Alliance servitude.

* * *

 **Tag**

 _Ship's Log: 24 April 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We have completed our part in the counter-attack against the surprise Reich offensive in the Durani Cluster. With the assistance of Inner Sphere ground forces the planets that were invaded are now being reclaimed, and enemy troops are being driven into surrendering. The Reich fleet has already withdrawn from combat._

Robert, Julia, and Zack were seated alone in the bridge-side staff conference room looking over the final reports. Below them Eta Durani 2 span quietly, as if blissfully unaware of the fighting still going on along its surface. A warship of the Sol Republic was visible in its closer orbit, occasionally firing particle cannon bursts from its light armament as orbital fire support.

"No casualties for our fighter wings or on our ships," Zack said, grinning. "It's about time we had a complete sweep."

"We caught them by surprise, so don't get used to this." Julia looked over her reader again. "A small note from Beta Durani 4. Apparently there's a new casualty." She smiled thinly. "Friendly fire, of a sorts."

"Given the smile, it must not be serious," Robert noted.

"Well, the report says that some of the 'Mech pilots and soldiers from the Commonwealth had a small celebration with the Turians." Julia kept reading. "Apparently they got into a heated discussion about which of their units had the best battle histories."

"Bar room brawl?", Zack asked.

"More like bar room boozing. And a drunken FedCom soldier mistakingly picked up a Turian beverage and drank it."

"Ah." Robert nodded. "Hopefully they got that out of his system."

"Well, he's not listed as dead, so that's a good ending to the story." Julia smirked. "And this, gentlemen, is why I don't drink alcohol."

"What about…"

" _Usually_ ," she added, glaring playfully at Zack.

Zack returned the glare with a playful smirk.

"I think that's it," Robert said. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes." Julia looked to Zack again, who nodded. "We have a solution for that little problem you spoke of."

"Oh?" Robert showed interest.

Julia tapped her multidevice in reply. "Jarod, send her in."

After several seconds the door opened from the bridge. Ensign Hajar entered and straightened her spine. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

Julia looked back to her report. "Ensign Hajar is one of our new piloting officer trainees."

"So I've heard," Robert said evenly. He leaned forward. "I read the reports on your mission to Beta Durani 4, Ensign. You did well despite the circumstances. I'm glad to have you."

Hajar smiled thinly and nodded. "Thank you, sir, for the complement. However, due to… personal reasons, I am going to request a transfer."

"So I'm told." Robert gestured to Julia. "Commander?"

Julia looked to Hajar before going over her datapad. "Ensign, you're not only showing high marks in piloting, but you're proven to have engineering aptitude too."

"I do have some, sir."

"As it so happens, there's a posting available for you that would make those 'personal reasons' no longer valid."

Robert could see where this was going when Zack stood up. "Ensign Hajar," he said, "I just lost one of my piloting officers to a transfer. I can use someone with your skills. And mixed specialties always has a place on the _Koenig_. I've asked Commander Andreys to arrange your transfer to my crew."

Hajar was clearly thoughtful for a moment, clearly considering the offer made. After that period of consideration she nodded. "I'd be honored to join the _Koenig_ crew, Commander. Thank you for this opportunity."

"Report to Lieutenant Apley tomorrow morning for your on-ship quarters assignment and duty roster placement," Zack stated. "You're dismissed."

Hajar nodded briskly and walked out.

"Well, there's another problem out of the way, I guess," Julia sighed.

"Give it time," Robert said. "And maybe she and Nick will bury the hatchet. Anyway, I have reports to finalize and a dinner with Angel to get to, so we're all dismissed."

The three friends exchanged grins and nods before departing.

* * *

Locarno was still in bed, and still quite moody from it, when Hajar came to inform him of what happened. "The _Koenig_." Locarno grinned at that and nodded. "Yeah, you'll fit in well there. So long as Commander Carrey's notorious informality doesn't grate on you."

"I think I'll live," Hajar answered. She looked over the regenerator over his legs. "Still healing?"

"Just some final work on the skeletal patching, according to Doctor Gillam." Locarno sighed. "I'll be out of here soon enough."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Again there was silence between them. Each seemed to be considering what to say next. It was becoming torturous for Locarno. Their distance, continuing like this… the consequence of a mistake in his past he couldn't get over.

Finally Locarno sighed and said, "Are we going to do the silent treatment every time?"

"Probably," Hajar conceded.

"Alright. I understand." And at that, Locarno looked directly into her eyes. "Just to ask… Do you think that, one day, you and I can be friends again?"

Hajar's round face became, for the moment, an imperceptible mask. All Locarno could do was wait and wonder how she would finally answer him.

Finally the mask broke. A small, hopeful little smile appeared on her face. "Maybe," she said. "Maybe one day I can… I can move on. And we can be friends again."

With that said, Hajar turned and walked out.

Locarno laid his head back on the bed after she was gone. The ghosts of Joshua Albert and Sito Jaxa still hovered over him, making him recall all of those foolish and prideful choices he had made in the Academy. The ghosts that he could never quite get rid of.

But he had to smile, if only because Hajar had finally given him a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could move on too.


	26. Episode 2-06-1 The Important Things

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: 3 May 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. We've made orbit of New Liberty in time for this year's Founding Celebration. The crew is looking forward to the downtime after our part in the counter-attack against the Reich forces near Durani._

 _It always brings warmth to my heart to see New Liberty, especially with how much it has grown. The colony is now surrounded by farms and small towns and villages for miles around the old center. I look at this place and I can't help but be awed at how far our colony has gone since we landed that first group of refugees back in the day. Even with the Alliance, and everything we've done on its behalf… I still can't help but feel, sometimes, that New Liberty may be our greatest accomplishment._

In the heart of New Liberty was the Administration Building, a pre-fab structure of Darglan design that had been worked and reworked over the few years to accommodate the ever growing number of residents of the colony. The Darglan architecture meant it was a smooth and curved kind of structure, four stories high , with circular windows on the exterior. It was in this building that the Colony's Governing Council held its meetings and that the Colony's civil service kept its offices, making it the nerve center for the Colony.

For years the management of the city had been in the hands of Beth Rankin, Robert's cousin. She was the daughter of his late aunt, born a couple years ahead of him. They were the only surviving members of the Dale family, at least of the generations from their grandfather onward, and despite his duties as a captain he made sure to keep in contact with her due to that unique connection.

It was also why he felt his heart swelling with pride for his cousin at seeing her new office in person. Beth Rankin had moved to New Liberty to be its manager. Now, as of the colony's last elections, she had gone beyond management: she was Governor.

Her office was as well-furnished as one would get on the colony. The wooden desk and furnishings were all well-made, carved from native woods by the craftsmen of the Colony (and in some demand across the Multiverse, Robert had been assured). A computer screen was set into a space intentionally built within the top of her desk. Behind her the flags of the Alliance - four stripes of color and a blazing torch in the middle - and of the New Liberty Colony - a green flag with the emblem of a sword breaking a pair of shackles - were on short flagpoles against the wall.

Beth sat behind her desk, wearing a dark blue blouse with a white buttoned down shirt beneath it. A matching suit skirt that went to her knees and dark leather shoes filled out her appearance. She had bright blue eyes and dark hair cut somewhat short and made into a shoulder-length arrangement. "Hello, Beth," he said, remaining at the door in his Stellar Navy uniform of black with command branch red trim, four gold stripes at his collar to mark him a Captain.

Beth looked up at him and smiled. She stood as he approached and walked around her desk to embrace him. "I'm so happy you're okay," she said.

"And it's good to see you're doing fine too," Robert replied.

"Well, the worst I have to worry about is another shouting match in the Council." Beth shook her head with a knowing smile. "I don't get shot at on a regular basis."

Robert nodded his agreement before sitting down in one off the side chairs. Beth didn't return to her desk but sat right beside him. "Shouting matches?"

Beth gave him a look. And then she laughed lightly. "Oh Rob, you always did tend toward the naive about the Colony. I know you like to think that all of those thousands of people you rescued over the course of our early days came together to live here in unity and harmony… but it doesn't really work that way in the end. Now that the Colony's settled, roughly speaking I mean, we are getting political factions. Half the reason I won the Governorship is that I've always focused on keeping the colony running, so all of the nationalities and political factions trust my judgement. They'll still fight me tooth and nail if they don't like what I'm doing, of course."

Robert sighed. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense."

"Don't get me wrong, it could be worse. They disagree about things, but they all agree that they like living here, and that they want the Colony to prosper," Beth continued. "They just disagree on the how, and they don't want anyone running roughshod over their rights." Beth shook her head. "But you're not here to talk politics, Rob. You're here so that I can see my little cousin for the first time in a year."

Robert gave her a look. "I'm not _that_ much younger than you, Beth."

She chuckled at that. "You will _always_ be my little cousin, Rob." Her smile was one he couldn't help but match. "So, how are you and Angel doing?"

Robert chuckled in reply. "Oh, we're… managing, I suppose. Things aren't as smooth as they could be. I don't have time to do much with her due to all of my duties. There are times I wonder if it will last."

"It's always best to take it a day at a time," Beth replied.

"Yeah." Robert allowed himself a small grin. "So, what about you and Annabelle?"

Beth laughed. "Oh, turning the tables on me, are you?" She crossed her arms. "We're doing well, thank you for asking. We're openly together and people seem to accept that. I'm hoping you and Angel might be willing to have dinner tomorrow night, a little family meal?"

"I'll bring it up with her," he pledged.

"Good." Beth put her hands on her knee. "So, about this year's parade. They've made some improvements to the float that you might feel better about…"

* * *

Among the colonists and those who had been in the Facility, the most popular of the Colony's endeavors had become the New Liberty Ale and Beer Company. Founded by a Cameroonian who had studied brewing, it used hops native to New Liberty to give its ales and beers a distinctive flavor that made New Liberty ale a favorite.

The brewery, additionally, had its own restaurant and bar, where the newest ales and beers could be tried. The bar, internally, was covered with a mishmash of mementos and items speaking to the multinational, multi-ethnic nature of the Colony. Korean posters, images of Cameroonian leaders, and items from all sorts of cultures were omni-present.

Three seats at the bar were taken up by crew from the _Aurora_. Tom Barnes guzzled down part of his pint and let out a satisfied "Ahh", when his drink was done. "We need more of this stuff on the ship."

Lucy Lucero gave him a look from his right. "These are calories I don't need regularly," she remarked.

"Says the lady with the fancy-pants superpowers," Barnes retorted. He smirked at her. "It's not like you're gaining weight. You're pretty hot if you ask me."

Lucy gave him a playful but irritated punch to the arm.

"Now, lad an' lass, do behave." From Barnes' left, Montgomery Scott raised his pint up. "Ye need t' go with th' atmosphere here." He chugged down the remnants of his pint in one gulp. "Enjoy yeselves a bit more. We've earned it."

"Tell me about it," Barnes mumbled. He gulped down another drink. "It took me two days to get those shield generators re-synchronized after that battle at Clirison."

"But ye did a wonderful job at it, Tom." Scott looked to the nearby barkeeper with a raised and empty pint. "Hey lad, have ye got any o' that ale ye had last year?"

The barkeeper came over. He had a dark complexion that reflected the lights of the bar and chocolate brown eyes, with short dark hair on his head. "Hey Pierre," Barnes called out. "Your dad's knocking our socks off with how awesome this stuff is."

"I will be sure to tell him that," Pierre answered, his accented English thick with French and Cameroonian flavor. "As for your request, Mister Scott, we do have a batch of the anniversary celebration ale just like last year."

"Well, lad, charge my tab an' let's have at it," Scotty insisted.

"I'll take some too," Barnes added, gulping down the last of what he had.

Pierre looked to Lucy. She shook her head. "I'm due to meet Meridina at the spaceport in an hour. I am not going to greet her plastered."

"No fun," Barnes sighed.

Pierre grinned and retrieved their pint glasses. While he filled them at a nearby tap the young man added, "As for your other request, Mister Scott, Father is still experimenting."

"Other request?", Lucy asked, looking to Scotty.

"Aye, I told 'em he needed t' branch out more," Scott answered. "What this Colony still needs is a maker o' good Scotch, an' I'm sure a man who can make such a hearty ale can find a way t' make it work."

"What I want to know," a new voice added, hoarse with age and a general craggyness, "is if they've got any good whiskey."

Barnes and Lucy both saw the surprise come to Scotty's round face. His eyes widened. After a moment the old engineer turned in his stool to face the corner of the bar.

A figure stood there, shoulders stooped from age, hair whitened to snow by the same process. A face lined with years of experience and burden nevertheless curled into a charming grin, with blue-gray eyes glistening with humor. The old man was in a gray overcoat over a white shirt vest, with black trousers filling out his appearance.

"It would appear that your surmise was correct," a second new voice intoned. It did not have the hoarseness of age, but a deliberation in it that was settled and calm in tone. This man was in a gray suit and matching trousers with a brown robe over them, the hood lowered to reveal a face of a middle-aged man with dark eyes and darker hair.

But for Barnes and Lucy, the most distinct feature on the man's head were his ears. His sharp, pointed ears.

Scotty nearly stumbled from the stool. A look of sheer, surprised joy crossed his face. "Doctor McCoy!", he blurted out. "Mister Spock!"

"Well, there you are, Scotty," McCoy answered, the grin growing on his wizened face. "It's about time we caught up with you. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"The Important Things"_**

* * *

Scotty's laugh echoed in the New Liberty Ale and Beer Company bar. "I had no idea!", he cried out. "Why didn't ye call, I'd have met ye right away!"

"The good Doctor insisted," Spock replied evenly. "And I indulged his desire for amusement."

"Oh, don't let him fool you, Spock loved the idea. As much as he can love anything," McCoy guffawed. With Spock's quiet assistance he got up onto the stool beside Scotty. "The truth is, we didn't know if you'd be showing up, given the war you people have gotten pulled into. But once we met up in your capital and talked about it, we decided to make the trip anyway."

"I met Doctor McCoy on the L2M1 Universe's Earth," Spock clarified. "It was happenstance that we were present there together to make the journey."

"Wait." Lucy rose from her stool and stepped around Barnes and Scotty to face the newcomers. "So you two are from the _Enterprise_ too? Did you get stuck in a transporter like Scotty did?"

"Oh, no we did not young lady," McCoy answered. "We got to this century the old-fashioned way."

Lucy sensed the "emphasis on _old_ " remark that was forming in Barnes' mind, and now making its way to his mouth. She gave him another, somewhat-less playful punch to the arm, so he never got beyond the first syllable of "emphasis" before the sound turned into a surprised, "Ow!" She ignored the resulting sullen look on his face.

"As Spock was saying, we met up on the capital Earth of the Alliance and since everyone was talking about the anniversary and how your ship usually attends, we decided to see if you'd show up." McCoy looked to the bartender. "Son, I'd like a mint julep, if you don't mind."

Pierre nodded and went to get said drink.

"Not to pry, but shouldn't someone your age be a little… careful about alcohol?", Lucy asked, trying to be polite.

McCoy let out a chuckle. It was Spock who answered, "I have found from long experience, Lieutenant, that the good Doctor rarely does the logical thing."

That prompted a sarcastic look to cross the older man's face. "When you've put up with that damned Vulcan logic for a century, kids, you can put up with _anything_."

Barnes broke out into chuckles. "Scotty said you were a real smartass, Doc, nice to see it in the flesh."

Scotty turned and gave Barnes a bit of a glare. "I dinnae put it like _that_ , Tom. Ah, where are my manners…" He turned back to his old comrades. "Doctor, Mister Spock, this is Lieutenant Tom Barnes, my senior Assistant on th' _Aurora_. Th' lad is possibly th' finest young engineer o' this generation… if he can learn when t' control that mouth o' his." He held out a hand toward Lucy. "An' this fine young lass is Lieutenant Lucy Lucero, she's with ship operations an' is a decent engineer an' pilot tae boot."

"Doctor, Mister Spock, a pleasure to meet you." Lucy offered her hand.

"Likewise, young lady," McCoy said, putting the fullest of charm into his greeting.

"Lieutenant." Spock nodded and offered his hand as well. During the handshake Lucy was surprised to feel a connection form, very latently, with him. She could sense the warmth under his austere Vulcan bearing - whatever he said, Spock was quite delighted at the occasion. "I see you have mental gifts of your own," he added.

Lucy took a moment, out of surprise, before nodding. "Yes, I've… learned some over the last year or so," she said.

Spock gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

And it was then that Lucy felt very much like an interloper. _We shouldn't be here_ went through her mind. "It was a pleasure to meet you both," she said with as much politeness as she could bring to bear. "But Lieutenant Barnes and I should be going, we have other things to attend to."

Barnes gave her a bewildered look. "What the hell do you mean by that, we don't…"

Lucy shot him a hot glare. But it was Scotty who said, "Lad, ye still have those diagnostics t' run on th' warp plasma feeds."

"But I can get those done in…" Barnes stopped when he saw the looks on both Lucy's face and on Scotty's. "Right. Plasma feeds. Gotcha." With a sullen look he slid off the bar stool and joined Lucy in departing.

Once they were out the door Scotty sighed, returning his attention to his two comrades. "Th' lad's goin' t' be a great engineer, but he's a bit daft when it comes t' th' social graces."

"Well, we can't all be so charming and likeable," McCoy said with a pleased grin. "Now, we've got several decades of catching up to do."

"Aye, that we do, Doctor," Scotty happily agreed. "That we do." 

* * *

Near the Colony's Administration Building was the Medical Plaza, containing the main hospital for New Liberty and adjoining doctor's offices, medical labs, and outpatient care centers. The buildings were painted marble white with holographic signposts that shifted languages every few seconds, displaying names in over a dozen languages to ensure that all of the colonists could understand them without a translator handy.

Wearing a blue civilian jacket and white shirt with matching pants, Jarod entered one of the office structures and easily found his way to the office of the Colony Dean of Psychiatry, on the first floor in the eastern hall. The secretary waved him into the elegant office of the Dean himself. "Sydney," he called out.

His surrogate father and mentor looked up from his desk. "Ah, Jarod," Sydney said, a smile crossing his face. Well into middle-aged, the gray-haired man stood to his feet with some energy and accepted an embrace from Jarod. "It's good to see you."

"And it's good to see you too." Jarod clapped Sydney's shoulder before ending the embrace. Sydney showed him to a chair before sitting in the other guest chair. "And it's good to see how well you're doing."

"Well… I am fortunate. Governor Rankin was a gracious sponsor, and the other mental-care professionals in the Colony thought it would be a good idea to formally organize." Sydney put his digital reader in low power mode and set it aside. "How have you been, Jarod?"

"I'm doing well," Jarod replied.

"So you are." Sydney's expression turned serious. "Have you had any luck with the Centre's data yet?"

That caused Jarod to frown and sigh. "A few clues, but nothing substantial. From what I have seen, the Centre has a lot to answer for."

"That they do."

For a moment there was silence. Jarod was the first to change the subject. "How are the others?"

A small smile crossed Sydney's face. "Well, Nicholas is enjoying his work at the school."

"He's good with kids," Jarod agreed. "Did Broots finish his course?"

"He did. Now he's working with the Colony's government as a computer technician. It's the sort of honest work he wanted to start."

Jarod nodded. "Broots and Debbie deserve the quiet life." A sad look came to his face. "I haven't heard from Angelo in a few weeks. Is he okay?"

"About as well as can be hoped." Sydney frowned. "I have monitored his progress at the institution that accepted him. Telepathic experts will help his condition more than anything else can."

'At least he's getting help." Jarod owed much to Angelow, finding a way to help Jarod from within the Centre. Trying to get what was left of his mind working was the least they could do for him. Of course, with everyone else out of the way he was left with one final point of inquiry. "Miss Parker doesn't return any messages I sent," he said to Sydney.

The older man sighed. "She has had the most trouble adjusting. And she worries for what Mr. Parker has gone through back at the Centre. The likelihood that he was blamed for your attack and that he's been killed, it… scares her."

"Although she's probably making the fear look like anger."

"Oh, definitely." Sydney smiled thinly. "She gave up smoking, at least."

"Even with all of this" Jarod gestured to the multidevice on his wrist, "that seems like the biggest miracle of them all."

"It was necessary for her to join Colony Security."

Jarod's eyes widened a little. "Really? She joined the security force?"

"In an advisory capacity, she's not doing the police work," Sydney revealed. "She assists in investigations. We do have some issues with the interstellar black market. New Liberty's autonomous status and small size has encouraged various organizations to attempt operations here. Miss Parker helps in shutting them down."

Jarod nodded and chuckled. "She's always good at tracking people down. I've learned that the hard way."

"So…" Sydney put his hands together. "Dinner, Jarod?"

"Of course. Carranzo's?"

"There is a new Italian eatery near the Plaza that opened a few months ago," Sydney said. "I thought they might provide an alternative."

"That's good enough for me." 

* * *

The New Liberty Spaceport, outside of the main city, was a new addition to the Colony. While before vessels with passengers had simply made use of minor fields outside of town, now they could land and disgorge said passengers directly into prepared terminals. Lucy stood in one of those terminals, her eyes on the brown, boxy Gersallian transport that had just landed, while further behind it other vessels were milling about. She identified passenger shuttles and liners from a number of the other universes up and down this terminal and the others.

She felt Meridina's arrival a moment before the Gersallian woman stepped through the terminal gate, carrying her small duffel bag of personal items and wearing the blue traveling robe of a Gersallian Knight of Swenya - a _swevyra'se_ \- over a white jerkin and cream-colored pants. The brown-haired woman had clearly felt her too and smiled at her. Lucy could feel that Meridina was better off than she had been before her leave. Not entirely better, that was certain, but at least feeling better.

"Welcome back, Meridina," Lucy said to her teacher, her friend, with a smile.

"Thank you kindly, Lucy." Meridina looked around. "I suppose Robert is…"

"...right here," Robert cut in, stepping up beside Lucy. He nodded to her and then grinned at Meridina. "Just in the nick of time."

"Of course. Although I did not wish to pull you away from your cousin."

"Beth and I talked over a working lunch, but she's back at the job now." Robert clearly sensed Meridina's state of mind as well. "It looks like you feel better now."

"I do," she stated. "The darkness Amaunet created inside of me is in abeyance. I am in control and reconciled to what happened." A look of amusement came to her. "I trust that you two have been keeping up your training?"

The looks they exchanged confirmed that they had, indeed, not done so, and had been doing other things.

"Then it appears I have returned just in time," she teased. 

* * *

The bar echoed with the laughter of McCoy and Scotty while Spock observed with his usual stoic patience for his comrades' outward emotions. "An' I'll never forget th' look on th' Captain's face," Scotty continued. "I thought for sure that Chekov was goin' t' end up below decks for th' rest o' his career!"

"He almost _did_ ," McCoy revealed. "Spock and I had to talk Jim into giving him another chance."

"Aye, an' it's a good thing ye did. Th' lad ended up one o' our best."

"Indeed," Spock agreed.

McCoy nodded in agreement while taking another sip from his mint julep. "Hrm. Needs a little work," he judged. "But if this is his first, it's not bad."

"I'll be sure t' pass that along."

The smile on McCoy's face turned sardonic. "So, Scotty, how _did_ you end up trying to run with these kids anyway?"

Scotty chuckled. "Well, Doctor, they saved my life, for one. Besides… they're good kids. Just needed some guidance is all."

"The reports of their missions that I am aware of have made for some intriguing reading." Spock was still nursing his non-alcoholic beverage, one of the fruit drinks offered by the establishment. "Although I have also been curious as to why you came out of retirement to answer to such a young crew."

"Like I said, they're a good crew, good people. And the things they're standin' for are worth my time." Scotty quaffed at his pint. "They're nae our old crew, o' course. They cannae be. But they're good folk an' I enjoy workin' with them."

McCoy grinned at him. "Now, Scotty, that's not all and you know it. There's no fooling an old country doctor. Especially not when you've been his patient for a long, long time."

"Ha!" Scotty shook his head. "No, I dinnae suppose ye're fooled." A twinkle appeared in the old engineer's eye. "Th' truth is, Doctor, I wasnae ready t' retire. An' t' see th' things these kids had, th' idea o' jumpin' between universes, nae t' mention buildin' an' runnin' that beautiful ship they'd inherited from th' Darglan, I cudnae walk away from that."

McCoy nodded gingerly. "Well, I suppose you couldn't, could you." He set his now-empty mint julep aside. "And it's as good as any a reason to try to keep up with the young."

"Ah, I cannae keep up with 'em, Doctor, I dinnae even try," Scotty answered. "I let them do th' runnin'."

"And that, Mister Scott, is the best way to handle it."

"I am myself curious to know more about the Darglan," Spock said, rejoining the conversation. "The Romulan government has been increasing their own investigations into the existence of the species."

"Aye, I imagine they would. Th' scunners were just about ready t' go t' war for th' drive technology last year."

"Indeed. Which tells me that the Darglan technology must be quite remarkable."

"Ye dinnae ken th' half of it, Mister Spock." Scotty shook his head. "It took me three weeks t' figure out how their plans for th' _Aurora_ 's power systems were supposed t' be laid out. Workin' naqia reactors isnae like anything I'd done before."

"I admit my curiosity to see how your vessel has turned out."

McCoy chuckled. "Just come out and say it, Spock. You want Scotty to give us a _tour_."

Spock maintained his stoic demeanor when he slightly turned his head to address McCoy. "I would not wish to take up Mister Scott's valuable time, Doctor."

"And now you're playing for sympathy," McCoy laughed. He looked to Scotty. "But hell, I'd love to see more of these kids that you've gotten yourself mixed up with."

The grin on the Scotsman's face didn't change. "Well now, I think that I might be able t' arrange somethin'. How long are ye plannin' on stayin' in New Liberty?"

"Well, since I'm here already, I thought I'd check in on your medical services around here," McCoy said. "I might as well put this damned Admiral rank to use if I've been saddled with it."

"I have already scheduled an appointment with Governor Rankin tomorrow morning," Spock explained. "I intend to inquire about the possibility of settling a colony of Romulan and Vulcan Unificationists on the planet."

"Well then, let me give ye th' contact frequency, an' I can get ye aboard tomorrow evenin'."

"Sounds like a plan," McCoy said warmly. 

* * *

The Lookout wasn't as busy as it would normally be at this time of day, given the number of crewmembers who were planetside. Even Angel and Caterina Delgado, currently enjoying a late lunch, were only getting a light meal in lieu of visiting Carranzo's in the colony for dinner. The bowls of soup were nevertheless nourishing and enjoyable, and the two sisters were happily slurping away.

Well, perhaps not happily. Angel noticed her little sister kept glancing toward the bar of the crew lounge with a nervous look. Finally, with most of her meal done anyway, Angel finished a spoonful and looked at Caterina with interest on her face. "Cat, why are you so worked up? What's wrong?"

Cat forcefully gulped down the soup in her mouth. "Huh? Oh. Nothing. Nothing's wr-wrong. I just, I mean, I'm thinking about my simulations, that all. I'm running a physics simulation on jump point formations."

Before she even finished that sentence, her head swiveled back to the bar. Angel didn't stop an expression of pure skepticism from appearing over her face. "Uh huh," she intoned. "Really."

"Yeah. Uh…" Cat's cheeks were blushing faintly.

Angel turned her own head toward the bar, where a few people were at various seats, most toward the center. But there was one who was alone, a young woman with a dark bronze complexion and a fairly attractive, if somewhat slim, build. Her short hair, which while combed outward failed to get to her shoulders, was a bright vibrant purple in tone, the same purple as her eyes.

"Ensign Arterria," Angel mumbled. The young navigation officer, Violeta Arterria, was one of Nick Locarno's subordinates newly-assigned to the ship before the New Year. The young woman came from the Sirian League of L2M1, where gene modifications on coloration, or even other appearance aspects, were common in their society. She'd seemed to be the usual bright young officer type Angel was getting to know since the Alliance was formed; eager to show her worth and to be recognized for her merits by superiors.

Angel looked back to Cat. And a little light bulb went off in Angel's head, causing her to smile with amusement and a little bit of sisterly affection. "You're smitten, aren't you?"

"What? Smitten?" Cat blinked and forced herself to turn to face her grinning sister. "No. No! I'm not, I mean, I'm just…" Cat couldn't get Angel to stop grinning at her and finally surrendered. "Okay, maybe a little. Not a little. A lot. But she's b-beautiful and... and exotic… and awesome and I'm just…"

"...an extremely intelligent young woman who is looking for someone interesting to be with," Angel finished for her sister. "And I don't see how anyone would say you're ugly, Cat."

Cat looked to Angel with a thin smile. "That's because you're here, Angel, and if they called me ugly you'd punch them."

Angel considered that response. "Yeah, probably," she admitted. "But seriously, stop underestimating yourself. You don't need to hide what you are anymore. You're interested in her. Go talk to her, Cat."

Caterina swallowed, looking from her sister to Ensign Arterria and back to her sister. "If she brushes me off, you're not going to hit her, are you?"

Angel gave Cat a bemused look. "Regardless of what Rob, Zack, and Tom think, I don't go around punching people for little things." Seeing that hadn't satisfied her sister, Angel sighed. "Alright. I promise, no punching the girl if she doesn't like you. Okay?'

"Okay." Cat nodded, breathing in. "Okay. I can do this. I can say 'Hi' and be friendly. I'm like that all the time, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are," Angel assured her.

"Right. Be friendly. Say 'Hi'. Don't worry about anything… don't worry." Caterina stood up from the table and, with growing yet fragile determination, walked over to where Ensign Arterria was sipping at something.

Angel watched her sister long enough to be sure she'd struck up a conversation with the young woman before finishing her last few spoonfuls of soup and departing the Lookout. 

* * *

The _Aurora_ medbay was blessedly quiet when Locarno arrived, slightly limping along until he got up on a bed. Leo appeared out of the offices area and went up to him, scanner at the ready. "Well, Nick, the good news is that all of the mending points are aligned properly and healing. The bad news…" Leo allowed himself a slight grin. "...is that you won't be doing any dancing for the celebration this year."

Locarno gave him a bemused look. "Sounds like a real disappointment, Doc."

"I imagined it would be." Leo looked over the results. "The other good news is that I'm bumping you back to full time duty once the ceremonies are done. Your legs have shown enough recovery to justify that. Hopefully this is the last time you let yourself get stuck in a cave-in."

"I'll do my best to avoid that, Doc." Locarno sighed. "So, any plans?"

"I'm attending meetings with the doctors down in the colony all week long," Leo replied. "I'll take some time out for the parade, of course…"

He stopped when Locarno gave him a sardonic look. "I'd think you, of all people, would appreciate the need for some downtime."

Leo leveled a look at him, a thin smile that was not really a smile. "And you're going to diagnose my need for leave time?"

"Well." Locarno clearly stopped to take a moment, thinking on the best way to say what was on his mind. "It's not exactly hard to see you're still broken up about Joshua Marik dying."

The smile had vanished from Leo's face.

Locarno saw it too. "I'm sorry," was all he could manage to say. "I know it's…"

"I get enough of the act from our esteemed First Officer," Leo said quietly. "I don't need it from you too."

"Everyone is worried about you," Locarno managed to say.

Leo nodded. "Of course you are, you're my friends." A look of quiet frustration came to his face. "But a kid died in my OR. A kid who might have lived if I'd done something different. This isn't something that fixes itself with the power of friendship, Nick. I have to work through it myself, alright?"

Locarno could see he would make no progress. He nodded quietly. "I see your point."

"Good." Leo motioned to the door. "Your checkup is complete. I'll see you again in a couple of days."

With the conversation clearly ended, Locarno left the medbay.


	27. Episode 2-06-2 The Important Things

Robert returned to the _Aurora_ with Lucy and Meridina and split from them immediately to see to the paperwork in his office.

There was an unexpected door chime sound that caused him to look up. "Come in," he said.

He'd expected Julia, or maybe Jarod. But it was Zack who stepped in. "So, how's Beth?"

"In charge, more paperwork than me, and more political headaches," Robert said.

"And openly out, too, I hear." Zack plopped into a seat opposite Robert's desk. "Good for her."

"Yes." Robert tried not to grin too widely. "You know Julia's the one handling shore leaves and runabout rentals, right?"

Zack laughed. "Not this year."

Robert blinked in surprise. "I figured you'd want to see Clara."

As soon as he said it, he could sense Zack's mirth and amusement. "Oh, that's not necessary."

"So she _is_ coming here?"

"Oh yeah, she arrives tomorrow by about noon," Zack said. "  
And I'm going to disable my multidevice comm to make sure we're not disturbed."

"If only I could," Robert sighed. He finished a signature on one piece of paperwork and electronically filed it. Satisfied with the work he had done so far, he put the reader down and looked at Zack. "I'm happy for you and Clara, Zack. I hope you enjoy your time with her."

"I intend to, don't worry."

"I know it's been a year…"

Robert stopped when Zack's hand came up. "Ah, ah, no. No using your new mumbo jumbo mind stuff to feel how I feel about my dad. It's been a year since he died, yeah, and it still hurts, and that's why I'm looking forward to Clara coming tomorrow. It's a way for me to enjoy myself instead of wallowing in grief."

There was a quiet nod from Robert. "That's a good way to approach it."

"The reason I came here, Rob, is that I think you and I need to stage an intervention."

That prompted Robert to give his old friend a confused look. "An intervention? For…?"

"Who else? For Julie." Zack shook his head. "She's been spending so much time arranging leaves she's not taking one for herself."

At that Robert shrugged. "Well, that's her usual way. She's always being the responsible one."

"Yeah, well, I think she needs to get out, enjoy a day to herself. And not just the day of the parade."

"Did you have something in mind?", Robert asked.

The smile that crossed Zack's face was infectious. 

* * *

With the day nearly over Angel decided it was time to check in on Caterina, just to make sure she was okay… and, Angel had to admit to herself, to see how her sister's approach to Ensign Arterria went.

The first sign that things were not going as she might have expected was that Caterina was not in her quarters. Nor, it turned out, was she in Science Lab 1 or Science Lab 2. The ten minutes it took Angel to go to each place, certain each time that she'd find Cat there, finally prompted her to simply press her multidevice and tap it into the ship's computer. "Computer, where is Lieutenant Caterina Delgado?", Angel asked.

After a moment the feminine computer voice responded, " _Lieutenant Delgado is in Holodeck 3._ "

Angel blinked. Why would Cat be in a _holodeck_? Her recreation was always going to the science labs to check on the gajillion simulations and scientific studies she was always doing.

With her curiosity further stoked by this, Angel continued on her way to Holodeck 3, halfway down the ship on Deck 14.

The holodeck was not sealed when she got there, nor was a privacy marker put up. Clearly Caterina didn't consider anything happening to be private. Angel found that oddly comforting.

With a press of a button the door slid open and warmth immediately hit Angel, a humid heat that reminded her of the kind you found in swamps. And indeed the interior was apparently a swamp, high dark trees and water standing everywhere off a beaten path before her. She stepped into the swampy area and, within a couple of steps, found an opening through the forest that led her to a more open area, pockmarked by ruins of marble and granite.

There were armed figures scattered about, most not moving. For some it was obvious why, with the arrows sticking out of them. Most were in chainmail or leather jerkins that looked medieval, and all had a grayish, inhuman pallor to them, with thin and long pointed ears.

Angel looked in the direction of a shout that she knew came from Caterina. "On the right!" She ran a short distance to the bottom steps of a ziggurat of the same worn marble, more of the enemy figures strewn about. Enemies still alive were crowding the steps.

And standing against them were just two people. Angel recognized Ensign Arterria's face, but she certainly looked off, even outlandish, in her low-cut white and green top with bared arms and what looked like very short shorts - they barely went thigh-length - joined by long boots or leggings that stopped mid-thigh. A white-brimmed white hat with a single dark blue feather in it was nestled over her purple hair.

Angel watched Violeta bring up an elegantly-carved longbow and put an arrow in it, its metal tip glistening in the light. In a rapid motion that spoke of training and practice Violeta pulled the string back and fired the arrow. It caught one of the gray-skinned enemies in the sternum. The being howled and fell down the stairs. By that point Violeta had already re-strung her bow and put an arrow into another foe.

Beside Violeta was Caterina, wearing a dark blue robe and a floppy yellow hat. She had a rod in one hand and was waving it at the enemies. "How do I use this stuff?"

"The spell names, remember?", Violeta answered.

"Oh, okay… wait, how do I cast… oh, I remember!" Cat swung her rod around and began chanting in Spanish.

Angel didn't know how this game worked, but seeing an enemy advancing on her sister, and knowing her sister's partner in this fantasy was busy with her own enemy, drove her forward. She charged up the stone stairs and slammed into the gray-skinned figure. It was like she had tackled an offensive lineman (as she had indeed done in what was very much a prior life); the sheer reaction force nearly took her breath away. The weight of the being's armor, and his own weight, had made sure of that.

Just as she entered Cat's sight, Cat finished her chant by pointing her hand forward and calling out the word " _Blizzara!_ ". Ice cold power formed ahead of them a blast of cold so intense it created a virtual block of ice around their foes that imprisoned them, save for Angel and her opponent. Only after she finished this did she notice her sister's presence. "Angel, what are you doing here?"

Angel almost answered, but the enemy - whatever he was - smacked her in the face. By all rights the hit was hard enough that it should have bloodied her nose, or even broken it. But just as the hit landed the strike was suddenly slowed to greatly minimize the impact.

Nevertheless Angel was thrown backward. She landed on the stone ledge with a pained "oompf".

The gray man got back to his feet and stopped. An arrow was now sticking out of his neck. He toppled over.

Cat was already going over to her. "Are you okay?!", her sister cried out. "That looked like it hurt."

"Not as much as it should have. I'm shocked my nose isn't broken." Angel sat up and looked over her sister, in her flowing dark robe. "...okay, why are you dressed up for Halloween?"

Cat made an amused face. "It's not for Halloween," she protested. "It's part of the game."

Angel gave her a puzzled look. "Game? This?"

" _Ultimate Fantasy: Worlds of Adventure_ ," answered Violeta, who was putting her bow up. She looked to Angel with some irritation. Angel acknowledged it with a sigh. She had generally violated some holodeck decorum by barging into an active session. But she could see Cat's reaction to her sister's presence and said nothing. "It's a holo-RPG."

"Uh huh." Angel nodded slowly. "And you become magic-users or something?'

"Yep!", Cat declared. "Isn't this fun?"

Angel blinked at her. "Well, I see the fun in hitting things, but you're usually in your lab talking about neutrinos and tachyons and tetryons and whateveryons."

"Yeah, but this is fun too!" Cat grinned at Violeta. "And when Violeta told me what it was and how it worked, I had to try it."

"And she's the only one on the ship who will play with me," Violeta added. "And it gives me a reason to keep up with archery practice."

Angel blinked at that. "Archery?", she asked.

"Well, yeah. My father won a Gold Medal in the Interstellar Olympic Games when I was little. He taught me everything I know." Violeta gestured to the top. "I'll go pick up the Crystal and save our progress. Okay?"

"Okay."

Violeta started going up the stairs, leaving immediate earshot to let the sisters talk.

"I thought you were just going to talk to her?", Angel asked.

"Well, I did. But this came up and I had time on my hands and she wanted someone to play with so I decided to be her partner. It's cool though, isn't it?"

"I suppose. The safeties _are_ on, right?"

Cat sighed. "Of course. Otherwise, you'd have a broken nose."

"Good. Because I heard one too many stories about safety malfunctions from Worf and Data."

"That's why Tom triple-checked all of the systems back when we installed them." Cat smiled. "Captain Farmer told him one too many stories of the same kind. And you really didn't have to check up on me, you know? I'm safe here on the ship." After a moment's contemplation Cat quickly added, "When we're not being shot at by Nazis or crazy violent people with their own Darglan Facility."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Angel insisted. "And to see how it went."

"Well, it went great." The smile hadn't vanished from Cat's face. "Why don't you give it a try? Violeta showed me the classes. You can be a monk."

The reply was a bemused look from Angel. "A _monk_?"

"Well, not St. Francis. I'm talking kung fu monk," Cat pointed out. "Then you'd get to hit people."

"Uh huh." Angel crossed her arms.

By this point Violeta was coming back down. She held up a solid crystal of blue color. "The Crystal of Courage. Now I just need Wisdom to complete the module and go on to the Elemental Crystals." Violeta looked over to Cat. "But that can wait. I've got some leave tomorrow and I really want to visit New Liberty and see what it's like."

"Oh, it's great," Cat said. "There are lots of fun places to eat, craftsmen making stuff, it's like a fair when the anniversary celebration happens."

"You know more than I do." Violeta gave Cat a grin. "I'd love to have you show me around. I mean, if you have the leave time too."

It was awkward for Angel to stand there and hear that, knowing what this meant for her sister. Caterina looked like she was stuck in a loop, unsure of how she should react and utterly frightened of what a rejection might involve. Her cheeks turned pink. After several moments she found her voice. "Oh. Uh… sure! Yes, I'd love to show you around and hang out with you… I mean…"

Violeta didn't seem oblivious to the effect she'd had on Caterina. A faint pink color appeared on the darkened bronze of her cheeks. "I'll see you at 1000 hours then?"

"Um, yeah, 1000 hours." Caterina nodded. "Transporter Station 1."

Violeta nodded and smiled more comfortably. "I'll be there." She held up the crystal. "Oh, touch this too. It'll consider the quest completed."

Caterina did. A set of stats appeared nearby in mid-air. "So… I leveled up?", Cat asked.

"Yeah, you did." Violeta looked away. "Computer, log off the game, please."

" _Content saved. Logging off user._ "

The game environment faded in favor of the blue-walled chamber of the holodeck. Violeta continued on to the nearby door, taking the time to wave and say "See you tomorrow!" before stepping out.

"See you!", Cat called back to her, just before the door slid closed. Once she was done she checked the multi-device. "Eek! It's almost 2330! I never realized it was that late! I'd better get to bed!"

"I'd tease you about if you had a hot date tomorrow… but you apparently do," Angel remarked, grinning.

"It's so exciting. I'm never going to sleep tonight." Caterina looked down at her costume. "I'd better get back to my quarters and get this off so I can get ready for bed."

"My sister the sorceress," Angel teased. 

* * *

Julia's morning routine went as it usually did. She woke up. She scarfed down breakfast for energy. She spent fifteen minutes warming up and then exercising, culminating with a _t'ai chi_ / _mok'bara_ fusion. She took a shower and satisfied herself that she wasn't gaining pounds (or was it more appropriate to use kilograms now?) and had remained generally in the athletic shape she'd enjoyed since High School. And then she put on her uniform and went to her office to continue sorting through leave requests.

To her surprise, she found three figures waiting. Robert had beaten her there, a big surprise since he usually took that extra half hour each morning to get ready. Even longer if Angel had stayed in his quarters that night.

But he had beaten her this morning. And he wasn't alone, with Zack and Leo standing to either side. "Good morning," she saida to the, a little bewildered. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"I did some checking," Leo said. "Do you know how long it's been since you last had leave?"

She shrugged. It had been a while, true. After a moment she said, "What about it?"

"I checked the logs. You haven't taken any leave time from the ship, not even liberty, since we were on _Babylon-5_ ," Leo explained.

"Which… fits you, but is a bit sad," Robert added. "You didn't even take time off when we were in the yard after Gamma PIratus."

To that Julia shrugged. "Well, yeah. The ship was being fixed. I wanted to be here to make sure it all went smoothly."

"I was back for the last three weeks of that," Robert pointed out. "You could have taken time."

"Well…"

"I've informed Captain Dale that I am concerned for your well-being," Leo stated firmly. "And that I want you put on liberty for the next three days."

"And I've agreed."

Julia held a hand up. "Wait. What… you can't…"

"The regulations are clear, Commander," Robert said. "I can. Even if I wasn't Captain." He smiled thinly at her. "So my orders are that you take the next few days to enjoy the anniversary celebration planetside."

Julia went to protest. But she stopped - she'd studied those regulations personally. "But I don't mind it…"

"Maybe not now, but eventually you'll burn out." Robert shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Jarod and I can pick up the slack and make sure the liberty schedules work. Go enjoy yourself."

"Remember," Leo said, "that's an order."

Julia gave them a scowl that was only half-playful. She turned to Zack. "And what are you doing here? Was this your idea, Zack?"

"Yep."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "I'll get you back for this, you know."

"Yep." Zack nodded and gestured down the hall. "But before you kick my ass, how about you join me at the spaceport? There's a ship coming in, and maybe you'll meet someone you'll actually want to spend the time with?"

Julia glowered at him. "Zack, is this an attempt to _hook me up with someone_?"

He held a hand up. "Not at all."

"Because if it is…"

She left the threat hanging as they walked off.

Once they were out of earshot, Robert looked over at Leo with a bemused grin. "Thank you for that backup, Leo."

"Ha." A chuckle came from the lab coat-clad ship's doctor. "After all of this time of her doing that to me, it was fun to turn the tables." Leo gave Robert a look. "So you're just going to do the paperwork yourself?"

"I am. And juggle the schedules for leaves. At least until the afternoon, when Angel and I are due planetside." Robert's grin turned soft and pleased. "Angel and I are joining Beth and her significant other for dinner tonight."

"Have fun with that," Leo replied while walking away.

Robert heard that and sighed. The things he did for his friends…

Indeed, before he could make more than a few steps away from the door to the office, he was met by Scotty. "Cap'n," he said respectfully.

"Scotty," Robert answered. "If you're coming to see Julia about your department's schedule for the leaves, I've taken that over."

"Oh?" The old engineer evinced interest in what he said. "Ye finally made th' lass take a break?"

"I'm sure I'll suffer appropriately for it," Robert sighed. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, sir, I was goin' tae ask permission to give a tour."

"To whom?", Robert asked. He wearily remembered how he'd gotten grilled over the tour given to Meridina's father Karesl.

"T' some friends o' mine," Scotty answered. A qiant smile came to his face. "A couple o' my old crewmates from th' _Enteprise_ are attendin' th' anniversary, I'd like t' show them about."

"Really?" Robert felt his interest peak. "Who?"

"Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy."

Robert was surprised at the names. He'd heard them before, and not just from Scotty. And he could sense how pleased the old man was at having his old comrades come to see his new ship. "Well, I'd be honored to have them aboard. Here, let me sign the paperwork, then you can get started on the arrangements." A thought brought a grin to his face. "Going to introduce Cat to Spock?"

The smile that split the engineer's face was all the answer he needed. 

* * *

Julia and Zack were in uniform when they transported down to the Spaceport's private shuttle area. Unlike the public areas, for liners and commercial shuttles, they could stand in the landing area and wait for the craft they were due to meet as it came into its berth.

"Julie, Julie, Julie," Zack said, amusement in his tone. "You look like you'd rather be anywhere else but here."

"I'd rather be dealing with the long list of liberty requests," she answered. "These things have to be…"

"...they'll be done. But you don't always have to be the one doing them." Zack shook his head. "Take a break, enjoy life, have fun. Keeping the ship running can't be the only thing in your life."

Julia gave him a smirk in reply. "Says the guy who talks about his ship all the time."

"She's not all I talk about, though."

Any conversation that might have continued was cut off by the sound of the engine on the incoming craft. It came in as a pale dot on the blue sky, growing in size until it's gray bulk was plainly visible. Julia stared at it in surprise. She hadn't expected to see such a ship arrive.

The Colonial Navy Raptor craft came to a picture-perfect landing about a hundred feet away. Once its engines had died down and it was safe to do so, the two approached it.

The side door opened as they did. Clara Davis appeared, wearing a gray jacket over a blue sleeveless blouse and loose skirt. Her dark hair was combed back into a ponytail. She spotted Zack, called out to him, and then ran up to him. He opened his arms and took her into an embrace. They kissed warmly, passionately, for several seconds. "I've missed you," Zack said, putting his hands on her cheeks.

"I've missed you more," Clara countered, smiling. Julia thought it looked good on her.

Three more people stepped out of the Raptor. "How's it going, Loverboy?", called out Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace.

Julia gave Zack a bemused look. "Just what happened to you while you were with the Fleet?"

Zack's kiss with Clara had ended, allowing him to speak. "The Colonial pilots will pick nicknames for each other," Zack replied. He blushed. "So they picked one for me."

"And it fits so well," Kara added.

Julia looked to the others on the craft. She didn't recognize the brown-haired man in a civilian jacket, who now came up beside Kara. Their mutual body language made that relationship clear.

The final figure, however, was one she did recognize. Like Kara he was in a Colonial uniform, with a darker shade of brown hair. "Commander Adama," she said respectfully.

Lee Adama nodded. "Commander Andreys." His tone was as friendly as Julia's. Though their rank name was the same, in truth he was the equivalent of a full Captain and a superior officer. "President Baltar extends his greetings. He's asked me to represent the Colonies for your celebration."

"It's good to have you here," she said to him. Julia offered her hand and Lee took it warmly. "I hope you enjoy it."

"I intend to try." Lee noticed Julia looking at Kara's friend. "And this is Samuel Anders, Kara's partner."

"Mister Anders." Julia offered her hand.

Anders took it. "Commander."

"Anders is a pyramid player," Zack explained. "It's the favorite sport for the Colonies. Like basketball and rugby mixed up."

" _Was_ might be the term soon," Anders said. "Your baseball is becoming more popular every day."

"Baseball?" Julia chuckled and gave Zack another look. "It sounds like you were awfully busy during your time with the Fleet."

"All I did was open a Little League for the kids," Zack insisted. He still had an arm around Clara. "Anyway, I've booked you all rooms at the New Liberty Visitors' Lodge, it's not far from the center of the Colony and you'll get to see everything. I promise." He looked to Julia. "And then once everyone has their luggage in their rooms, I can show you all the fun spots. The only rule is that we have to have fun, and that includes _you_..." He leveled a playfully paranoid look at Julia. "...Miss Responsible One."

Julia crossed her arms. Seeing Lee and Kara's expressions, she said, " _Someone_ convinced Captain Dale that I needed a day off."

"Ah." Kara grinned. "Well, let's make it one to remember, then! First we get some rooms, and then we show your little city here how Colonial pilots can party!"

Julia sighed. She noticed the sympathetic look Lee gave her and silently thanked him for it. "Somehow I know I'm going to regret this," she mumbled, unheard by anyone but Lee. 

* * *

The streets of the initial colony center were narrower than in other parts of the city, and the structures there were the smallest. Like the nearby Administration Building, they'd been made using Darglan prefabricated pieces, to provide the initial colony with dwellings.

Caterina and Violeta walked down one of those streets, where colony workers were still preparing for the next day's festivities. They were in uniform, Cat's uniform having the light blue trim of a science officer while Violeta's had the red trim of a command and navigation officer. Cat, as usual, was wearing the skirt instead of the uniform pants.

"This place has gotten so big," Cat said, looking over toward the new center of the city, where taller buildings rose in the near distance. "It was only a few years ago that it was just a village."

Violeta looked around at the dwellings and at the people milling about. Many had African complexions, but there were also the tanned bronze like her own and a number of East Asians to be seen as well. "I remember the first reports about this place, and about what your people were doing."

Cat showed interest at that. "Oh? Were people upset with us?"

"Not at all," Violeta insisted. "At least, not in the Sirian League. Sirians built our entire nation to be a combination of cultures and peoples. And to be socially free."

"Socially free?"

"Well, we're not libertarians like the Colony Confederation in D3R1," Violeta explained. "But Sirians don't like the idea of being told we have to act a certain way. Everyone should be free to live as they want as long as they're not hurting anyone."

"I know what you mean," Cat said. "And that's why we made this place. We wanted the people we were helping to have a chance to make their own lives."

"It can't have been easy," Violeta observed, looking over one building in particular. "The League had a lot of troubles growing up before we started to settle into roles. Ideas of what was going too far with freedom, or what should be permitted that wasn't." She brought her hand up to her head and ran her fingers through her purple hair. "It took ten years for gene-mods to be made legal."

Caterina furrowed her brow in surprise. "People were that upset about hair color?"

Violeta shook her head and laughed. "It's not just about hair color. Gene-modding had the potential to turn us into an entirely new species. Specific genes to enhance organs, enhance strength, or blend DNA from other species into our own genetic code. My cousin Louisa is one. She's a splicer, as they call it, and she's got literal eagle eyes now."

Cat gave a confused look in reply to that. "Wouldn't that require her to be born with those modifications? I mean, her parents would have to want it, right?"

"Not at all. Once they confirm the gene mod works, all they have to do is grow the new organ and implant it. So imagine how that possibility went over when it was first proposed."

"Yeah." Caterina nodded. "And there are plenty of worlds that forbid genetic modification."

Violeta nodded. "For these reasons, yeah. Of course, we Sirians are okay with it now. And we have some of the best technology and techniques for genetic therapy in the Multiverse today."

Cat nodded in reply.

"As for other things…" The smile on Violeta's face widened. She felt a bit of amusement. "We've never, in the history of our League, had to hide our sexual orientation."

And there it was. The unspoken factor in their conversations so far. Caterina dared not hope. Her heart skipped with anticipation.

Violeta noticed her physical reaction. She was too kind to draw it out painfully. So she nodded. "I'm gay."

Caterina couldn't help but sigh with relief. But she started to catch herself. "I… I was wondering."

"I could tell you were trying to spread your wings now that you're… what's the term? 'Out of the cottage'?"

"'Out of the closet."

"Right."

"And yeah. I mean… I wanted to get to know you, to… be like I feel I should be."

"You want to have a date with me," Violeta observed. "Unless you count last night?"

"I… don't think so? Should I?" Cat swung her head with some vehemence. "I didn't think it felt like one?"

"It depends, I guess."

"But anyway, it doesn't matter. I mean…" Cat gestured toward herself. "Look at me. I'm tiny, I'm short, I'm skinny. I can't be that attractive."

Violeta looked at her with surprise. "You really think that?"

"Well, yeah. Because I am."

"You're adorable, cute, and sweet. That's good enough for a lot of people." Violeta shook her head and giggled. "I'm short too. And I'm on the thin side, and not very physical."

"But you're still taller than me. You've got _curves_."

"So?" Violeta laughed. "Have you ever met Lieutenant Skydancer? She's one of the fighter pilots and is from Sirius too. And she's built like a curvy, sex goddess amazon." Violeta sighed and shook her head.

Cat didn't quite know how to answer that. It was odd to her to meet someone else with body image issues as well. "I… I didn't think you could feel that way, you're so…" She caught herself. "This… I'm…. I don't know what to say."

Violeta gave Cat a sympathetic look. "This would be your first time trying to go out with someone?"

"...mostly."

Violeta nearly asked what she meant, but caught herself. She'd heard about what happened on _Deep Space Nine_. This only made her more careful, realizing what Cat had gone through so recently. "And you've got your stomach twisting with fear and hope?"

"Twisting, wrenching, something like that."

Violeta nodded. "I know the feeling. Honestly, I still get it. I've never had a romance that really lasted, actually."

"I'm sorry. I…" Cat shook her head. "Am I being awkward? I mean, or… am I making you feel…"

"Stop worrying." Violeta shook her head. "You're not hurting me in any way. I just wanted you to know I have been there before. And…" She smiled sheepishly, and Caterina thought her heart would skip at it. "...I'm a little flattered that you picked me to be your first try at this."

Caterina couldn't quite speak. She felt flustered and uncertain and scared and…

Violeta took her hand. Cat nearly jumped. "Why don't we keep going?", she asked. "Show me the rest of the Colony. Then we'll decide how far to take things?"

"That… sounds good, yes." Caterina thought for a moment, working through the knotted up worries and fears and uncertainty filling her. "Let's go have lunch? I mean, if you're hungry… I'm not sure if you are or not, but _Senora_ Corranza makes things like my mother did, and it's great, and you'll love it, I'm sure!"

The purple-haired young woman nodded happily. "Let's go eat then."

They resumed their walk through the Colony. 

* * *

It had taken hours, and help from both Jarod and Meridina, to get the leave schedules sorted, and in the end Robert had been left with barely an hour to get ready and get to the transporter. Angel was waiting when he got out of the shower. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was in a short-sleeved green blouse with a pair of blue jeans. "You're running late," she chided him gently. The grin on her face made it clear she wasn't upset on that fact… and given he had stepped out with just a towel wrapped around his hips, she was clearly enjoying the view.

"I had no idea how much work went into scheduling leaves for the entire crew," Robert said. "I really do not appreciate Julie enough."

"She's always been the responsible workaholic," Angel remarked. "And you'd better hurry if we're going to beam down in time."

Robert went to work on that, finding the clothes he'd picked the prior evening. Since it was a private family dinner, Beth would be dressed casually just as Angel was, so Robert pulled out his rarely-worn dark jeans and a polo shirt of dark green with vertical stripes of white running down it. He found he had to tighten his belt an extra not for the jeans to fit.

As soon as he was done Angel took him into an embrace and shared a short kiss with him. "Here we go," she said. "Time for a quiet, casual night together."

"The start of one at least." 

* * *

They left his quarters and went to Transporter Station 1. A young woman with honey-colored auburn hair was standing the watch at the controls. "Two to transport down," Robert said to her.

"Yes sir." She pressed a key on her panel. A tone sounded from it. "One moment, Captain. I have an incoming transport request."

Robert nodded to her and joined Angel in standing to the side. Three distinct pillars of light formed. When they ended three men were standing on the pad. Since Scott was among them, it wasn't hard for Robert to figure out who had accompanied him.

The venerable gentleman in the gray coat made a disgruntled face. "That's certainly a new way to get my atoms scrambled."

"Your assessment is incorrect, Doctor," the other man, more middle-aged and with pointed Vulcanoid ears, stated. "This transporter technology does not appear to be based upon the same principles as our own." He looked to Scott. "May I be correct in assuming that it involves the shifting of matter through a subspace tunnel?"

"Aye, Mister Spock." Scott looked away from his old comrade and seemed to notice Robert and Angel. "Ah, ye didnae come here t' greet us, did ye?"

"We were about to beam down ourselves," Robert revealed. He looked to the visitors. "Ambassador Spock and Doctor McCoy, it's an honor to meet you gentlemen." He offered his hand. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the _Aurora_. This is Lieutenant Angel Delgado, our Tactical Officer."

"Hello," Angel said, with a slight smile of greeting.

"Captain. Lieutenant." Spock accepted the offered hand. "I have heard of some of your accomplishments in the fields of multiversal exploration and diplomacy. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet you in person."

"Thank you for the praise, Ambassador."

"I take it you are about to meet with Governor Rankin?"

"Yes. She's my cousin and we try to spend time together when duty allows." Robert could sense the truth, and more than that, he could sense that Spock could, in turn, sense something of his abilities. "You've met her already?"

"The Governor was kind enough to discuss my proposal to settle a Unificationist community on New Liberty."

"They'll be welcomed, I'm sure." Robert looked on to McCoy. "And Doctor McCoy. Mister Scott's told us a lot about your days on the _Enterprise_. It's an honor to meet you as well."

"Well, you certainly know how to put on the charm," McCoy said, accepting the handshake with surprising vigor given his age. "And what a fine and healthy young lady you've got on your arm," he added, shaking Angel's hand as well.

"Doctor." Angel's smile widened slightly. "Thank you for the compliment. I like to keep in shape."

"I hope you enjoy your tour of the ship, gentlemen," Robert said. "If you need anything I'm a comm-call away."

"Aye sir, but ye should enjoy yer dinner with family," said Scott. "I widnae see you called away from that on my account."

Robert gave a nod and smile in reply and stepped up onto the pad. Angel joined him. "We're ready."

"Transporting now," said the young operator.

Robert and Angel were whisked away by light a moment later.

After they were gone, Scott led his old comrades out into the corridor. "Well, you've got an interesting young man in charge of the ship," McCoy noted. "And his lady's quite fit."

"Th' lass is a physical one, aye. Got a wee bit of a temper, though."

"What did you think, Spock?", asked McCoy. When there was no reply for a short time, he said, "Spock?"

"I was simply contemplating the apparent ESP talent possessed by Captain Dale. Much like those that Lieutenant Lucero clearly held. I find this attribute fascinating."

"We've seen Humans receive extraordinary abilities before, Spock. What's so special about this?"

"There seems to be a pattern to them. They share a similarity I find intriguing. However, they are not the reason for our presence."

"I'm looking forward to seeing just what kind of sickbay you've got here," McCoy said.

"Doctor, I dinnae think ye will be disappointed," Scott assured him.


	28. Episode 2-06-3 The Important Things

Laughter filled the corner of Carranzo's that Zack had reserved. Perhaps fittingly, the laughter was directed at him.

"And I just punched him!", Julia declared, trying not to giggle. She directed a mirthful look at Zack. "He should have known better!"

"I was just coming in to look for Laura's necklace!", Zack protested. He had Clara in his arms, who was laughing riotously at hearing of this old predicament. "I didn't know you were even in the shower! I certainly didn't know you'd come out butt-naked!"

More laughter came from their guests. The day of touring the Colony had become a lively dinner, with Starbuck happily swigging a tequila with Anders while Lee nursed his drink more carefully. Julia had allowed herself a bit of a splurge with a dark ale, but only after Zack insisted. Zack and Clara had root beers in front of them, as well as the remnants of the enchilada platter they'd shared.

"Man, Carrey, we had you _pegged_ when we gave you that flight handle," Thrace laughed.

"Laura McGinley?", asked Clara. "I didn't even know you went out with her. She was always on the vicious side."

"In love too. But I was a more shallow person back then, love." He kissed her on the cheek. "Now that I'm older and wiser and more mature…" He pointedly ignored the sniggers from both Thrace and Julia. "...I've got you."

"Damn right you do," Clara declared, giving him a kiss on the lips. He returned it happily. They cuddled up as much as the booth allowed.

Lee shook his head, chuckling, before taking a quick drink from the same ale Julia was enjoying. He looked across the table at Julia. "You have a lot of these old stories."

"It comes from growing up together." Julia smiled wistfully at the old memories going through her mind. "And there wasn't much to do in the middle of Kansas farmland, so we had to make up things to do."

"And in our county, that was itself a full-time occupation," Zack added.

"Oh, the county used to be so boring." Julia sighed. "I always looked forward to road games when I was in high school basketball, just to see the bigger towns in Kansas."

"Zack tells me your sport is a lot like pyramid," Anders said. "I'm interested in seeing how it works."

"Maybe tomorrow, then," Julia said. "Before the parade. When are you leaving anyway?"

"The day after," said Thrace. "That's all the time the Old Man could give us. We've got to be back to bring the _Pegasus_ out of the refit yard in a couple weeks."

Clara let out a little, sad sigh at that. Julia gave her and Zack a sympathetic look before she turned her attention back to the others. "The Colony Visitor's Lodge has a basketball court. I can meet you in the morning and show you how the game works."

"So what is this parade going to be like anyway?", Thrace asked.

"Floats, displays, people dancing around and exchanging greetings in their various languages. It's a celebration of everything about the Colony." Julia sipped at her drink. She thought she felt the slightest hint of the alcohol nipping away at her sobriety.

"Before we end the night, we should see about crashing that party at the Lake Park," Zack suggested. "They'll be doing some warm-up for tomorrow."

"A proper party?" A wolfish grin now crossed the face of Kara Thrace. "And here I thought I wouldn't get a chance to show you Alliance people a proper party." She looked at Lee. "You coming, Lee?"

Lee waved a hand and shook his head. "I'll leave the demonstration to you. I'll be with the Governor tomorrow, I can't afford to be hungover."

"You were more fun when you were a pilot," she retorted.

"Responsibility and fun don't go together."

Julia's words caused Zack to glance her way briefly. "But that doesn't mean you focus entirely on one."

"Not if you can help it…" She let those words trail off by taking another drink. When Julia saw the table had gone quiet, she spoke again. "But don't stop having fun on my account. The Lake Park party won't last all night, after all." She motioned to Zack to put away the credit chit he was pulling out. "And I'll cover dinner. Don't worry, just go have fun."

Zack had a concerned look on his face. Julia answered it with a grin and a nod. "It'll be fine," she insisted. "Go on. Enjoy your time with Clara. I insist."

It was several seconds before Zack sighed, defeated, and led Clara, Thrace, and Anders out of the establishment.

* * *

The Executive Residence was hardly the palatial home that President Morgan enjoyed, nor anything like what Robert had seen other heads of state use. It had only two stories, and the second story was taken up by the bedrooms and guest rooms for state visitors. The kitchen, living area, dining area, and parlor were among the main areas of the first floor, and they were humbly furnished with mostly-basic furniture.

Robert and Julia were met by Beth at the front door, their host in a blue blouse and dark blue skirt down to the knee.. She had with her a young lady, a brunette, with light skin and brown eyes and the shawl favored by the Jewish refugees plucked up from the Pale of Settlement in C1P2. "This is Deborah Rabowicz," Beth said. "The Council insisted I hire a housekeeper."

"Captain, ma'am," the young lady said in accented English.

"Deborah, it's good to meet you." Robert offered his hand to the young lady. She stared for a moment, incredulous, before she finally remembered to extend her hand back. Robert blushed from a little embarrassment. 19th Century manners usually meant that "the help" weren't acknowledged this way by their social superiors. He'd made the young woman feel awkward and worried.

If Angel realized this, she didn't care, taking Deborah's hand as well before letting Beth hug the two of them together. "Come in. Dinner will be done soon."

"Did they make you hire a cook too?", Angel asked.

"Deborah and Annabelle do the cooking, actually," Beth said. She smirked. "But I've always been horrible at that."

"But we love you all the same," Robert said gladly.

She laughed. "I would hope so!"

The living area had a couple of couches and an assortment of recliners and chairs. Another woman, about Beth's age, was setting out drinks, and Robert recognized her from holos, photos, and prior calls as Annabelle. She was wearing the same casual blouse and skirt that Beth had, although of lavender and white color. Her skin was a solid brown in tint, the kind of brown you found in someone of mixed Caucasian and African ancestry, which was also seen in her facial structure. Light blue eyes, almost gray in their color, looked toward them. Robert could feel the warmth in the woman's being and the flutter of joy at seeing Beth. "Ah, the guests," she said. Her accent still had a slight Southern drawl to it. "It's good to see y'all." She approached and offered a hand.

Robert accepted the handshake, as did Angel. Beth got a quick embrace before the two shared a quick peck of a kiss on their lips. "Dinner should be finished soon," she said to them. "I pulled some drinks out of the cabinet."

"Do we still have that champagne that President Morgan sent us for the commemoration of the Constitutional signing?", Beth asked.

"I'm sure we have two or three bottles left." Annabelle looked to Deborah. "Debbie, dear, please check the wine pantry. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Yes, Miss," Deborah replied.

Their departure from the room left Robert and Angel to take up seats together on one of the couches, a wonderful model with a warm blue coloring. "Annabelle is better than I'd ever be at running a house," Beth admitted, a sad look on her face. "I suppose it is _some_ compensation for the condition she was in when you liberated that plantation."

Angel frowned darkly. "There were some nasty things in those places."

"I know." Beth smiled sadly. "She still has the nightmares. But I'd rather talk about happier things."

"Agreed." Robert nodded and grinned. "I don't think I can ever say how much I'm happy for you, Beth. Annabelle is wonderful, and of everyone you're the best by far to govern the Colony. You've done more work to make New Liberty turn out like it has than anyone else."

"That's very kind of you, Robert, but you may be giving me too much credit." Beth shook her head. "I'm not a politician. And dealing with the politicians in the other Alliance states, or the Alliance Government… there are times I feel like I'm in over my head."

"That's another familiar sentiment," Robert sighed. "It's how I usually feel. Especially now."

"You've mentioned this training you're doing with your security chief."

"Yeah. It's been… a strain." Robert gave Angel a guilty look, which in turn made her cheeks burn with a bit of shame. "Especially since I often feel I'm not advancing as far as I could be. Once I've learned enough it's supposed to end, and I can get back to a normal routine."

"I'm still not sure exactly what this is you're supposed to be training for," Beth admitted. "But whatever it is… don't let it take over your life, Rob. You've got enough work in your job, and I know how heavy work loads can impact a relationship. And I know it's impacting what you two have."

"Yeah." Robert gave another uncomfortable look Angel's way before deciding to change the subject. "So, I'd like to catch up on Gabe, Ba, and the others…"

* * *

The three former _Enterprise_ crew stood side-by-side in the large chamber of the _Aurora_ 's Main Engineering space. "Fascinating." Spock was looking over one of the unsecured stations and the variable power outputs being drawn from the various reactors compared to their capacities. "This goes far to explain the recent Romulan interest in 'naqia'."

"Aye, it's an incredible material." Scott tapped several keys on the station, bringing up the _Aurora_ 's drive profile. "I've broken all o' my old speed records with this system."

"The Darglan understanding of warp theory is quite advanced," Spock agreed. "I can see why this technology attracted your attention, Mister Scott."

It was clear that Doctor McCoy was lost on the technical side of things. "I'll take your word for it," he finally grumbled. Regardless he had a small grin on his face. "She's a beautiful ship, that's for sure. A bit too damned big, but beautiful." He looked around. "How many people do you have on this ship anyway?"

"A little under two thousand crew, not countin' th' civilian specialists."

"All these ships these days with their massive crews. Makes me miss the old days."

"I ken what ye mean, Doctor McCoy."

"Now, what I really want is to meet some more of these youngsters you're working with."

A sly grin crossed the Scotsman's face. "Well, I think there might be one lass we can meet."

* * *

After their day exploring New Liberty Colony, Caterina and Violeta had returned to the ship for a bridge watch and, for Cat, a chance to check her simulations in Science Lab 2.

Cat still wanted to see the outcome of said simulations, of course, but she found she was just as eager for 2030 to come about so Violeta would be relieved. After so long, just the mere concept of being with someone was making Cat impatient to see where it was going. The fear of eventual rejection was not nearly as strong as it had been yesterday.

Cat heard the door open. She glanced at the time and saw it was only 2003 hours; this couldn't be Violeta, nor any of the others. The timing wasn't right. She turned to face the new arrivals.

Scott continued walking up to her, two other older men at their sides. Caterina looked them over. Something was familiar about…

Then she recognized them. Or, at least, the Vulcan man in brown traveling robes to Scott's right.

Cat's eyes widened in disbelief. "Aye, lass, ye're nae bein' tricked," Scott assured her. "These are my old comrades from th' _Enterprise_ , Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy. Gentlemen, this wee lass is Lieutenant Caterina Delgado, ship's Science Officer, an' ye'll never find another like her."

"I can see the family resemblance," McCoy noted jovially.

"Lieutenant." Spock nodded.

Caterina's joy and her shyness had kept her locked in a speechless state up to this point, neither nature able to quite overcome the other. But at long last the deadlock broke, and with it she let out her customary squeal of joy, an excited " _SQUEEEEE!_ " that filled the lab.

Spock's eyebrow went up. A bemused grin came to McCoy's face that was matched by the satisfied one upon Scott, who had gotten the reaction he expected.

Caterina regained her composure enough to immediately offer her hand. "Mister Spock, I… it's such an honor! A pleasure… honor and pleasure… to meet you! Scotty's told us so much about you and the missions and… and your log is so thorough and precise _and I have so many questions_. Like the slingshot effect, how…"

And then she stopped. With the excitement having found outlet, the shyness came roaring back. A little voice in her head was yelling at her that, yes, she was in front of the legendary Mister Spock, and that she was acting like a silly fool instead of a _science officer_. Her cheeks turned deep red from the rush of embarrassment that went through her.

"I'm…. I a-apologize f-for my out-outburst, M-M-Mister Spock," she managed. "I just get… I got overexcited. I'm…" She stopped speaking.

Before the silence could become awkward, Spock spoke again. "Apologies are unnecessary, Lieutenant. I am quite experienced in witnessing the uncontrolled outbursts of Human emotion. Of primary concern is the issue of such enthusiasm clouding scientific judgement."

"Oh, no sir," Cat insisted. "I-I… well, I can't l-let myself get ex-excited about theories. I could b-bias myself. I have to r-remain objective. Otherwise I… I m-might not learn t-t-the facts if I don't."

"Indeed. Always keep your judgement confined away from your emotions. That is a key element to the role you have taken and will determine how well you rise in it.''

"Yes sir," she agreed. "And I can't tell you what a great honor it is to meet you." With her excitement and shyness finding a working medium point, Cat's stuttering had stopped. "And I don't think I can start to ask all the questions I have"

"I have time for a brief explanation of any points of interest to you." Spock settled into a chair beside Caterina's.

Caterina began asking questions concerning encounters from the _Enterprise_. The other two _Enterprise_ crew moved away. "And she's got that muscled, healthy young lady as a sister? Older?"

"Aye."

"Ah." McCoy nodded. "I don't think anyone has met Spock with that kind of reaction. I wish I could have recorded it." The grin on his face turned into a little smirk. "A strange crew you've got here."

"Aye," Scott repeated, nodding. "Wud ye like t' see th' sickbay next, Doctor? They call it th' 'medbay' in th' Alliance."

McCoy nodded. "I think I'd like that."

* * *

The dining room in the Executive Residence was well-kept and looked the part of the dining area for the leader of a country (however small). The table had accommodated the main course of rotisserie chicken with multiple side dishes, with the meal being a welcome callback to the kinds of food Robert had grown up eating at the Dale family table.

Beth finished her glass of wine with a final gulp and kept a happy smile on her face. "And the entire Council started laughing."

"I would hope so," said Angel. "Why did they bother demanding something like that in the first place?"

"Some of the governments on Earth consider the normalization of relations to mean they get to push us around," Beth said. "But I told the emissary in no certain terms that New Liberty was never going to turn on its citizens, and with the Council backing me… he stomped out the door."

Robert was chuckling while shaking his head. "I never knew that happened. Why did they even try? They had to know it wouldn't go anywhere."

Beth shrugged. "I can't tell you. Maybe they thought there was something to the rumors."

"Rumors?", asked Angel.

"From Portland." Beth waved a hand dismissively. "There are rumors that the Senate is going to revoke our status as an autonomous state."

A look of worry came to Robert's face. "What? Why would…?" He stopped. The thought already came to him that this might be from Hawthorne's political allies, cutting at New Liberty because they couldn't get at him directly.

"I don't buy it. I have my own sources in Portland that say otherwise." Beth twirled her fork around some chicken and noodles on her dish. "But there's always someone coming up with ideas that they think will advance their agenda."

"Which is exactly what I'm afraid of," Robert said sullenly.

"The Defense Minister isn't a fan of ours," Angel said. "And he's got a navy admiral working alongside him that put a spy in our crew last year."

Beth's expression betrayed her surprise. "I remember you had to account for the 33LA incident with the government, but… it was that bad?"

"According to records we were shown, they were going to take our ship from us," Robert said. "They only stopped because the Gersallians and several other member states threatened to leave the Alliance."

"Do they even have the right to do that?", Beth asked. " _We_ built the _Aurora_."

"But they're supporting it now. It's the Alliance that's paying our wages, giving us the crew we need to run the ship, and providing the spacedock facilities for repairs and maintenance." Robert took a sip. "So they do get a say."

"A say, maybe. But if we wanted to step out…"

Deborah entered from the side. "Madame, the consultant from Colony Security requests to see you."

"It must be about tomorrow,." Beth nodded. "Send her in."

Robert turned toward the door and watched the woman enter. Her hair was dark and long and she was built well, not too thin but well-kept in size and proportion. Her face had a reserved expression.

Surprise and a hint of suspicion came from Angel, evident in her body language That intrigued Robert.

"Robert, Angel, you've met Miss Parker, right?", Beth asked.

Robert realized why Angel was so upset. He shook his head. "Not in the flesh, but I've heard of her. Jarod brought her from his homeworld last year, didn't he?"

"He did." Miss Parker barely looked their way. "Madame Governor, I have the reports you requested ready, and Chief Almerda has made arrangements for the active and auxiliary police forces."

"The police?"

"For tomorrow," Beth clarified. "We've called up our auxiliary peacekeepers to help man the parade routes and keep everyone safe. It's standard when you run parades."

Robert frowned. "Do you think there might be an attack of some sort?"

Miss Parker smirked. "The Governor understands that just because you made this lovely little paradise for the downtrodden to be a land of hope and sunshine doesn't mean everyone will be play nice. You've got crime here like you would anywhere, and that means you need police and security to protect people."

Beth sighed at seeing how stony Robert's face had become. "It's Human nature, Rob. A lot of the people you took from those gulags and prisons and work camps were innocent people. But there were some that actually were criminals. They might not have deserved being in those kinds of places, but they don't always decide to turn a new leaf once they're out."

"Right." Robert sighed with discontent. "Silly of me to think otherwise, I guess." He nodded to Parker. "I hope you're enjoying your new work. It's something to be proud of."

"It's been a refreshing challenge," Miss Parker assured him. She turned her attention back to Beth. "I'll see you in the morning, Madame Governor."

"Enjoy the rest of the night," Beth urged. "We really must get you some time off."

"The thought is appreciated, Madame Governor, but I'll be fine." Parker nodded to them. "Enjoy your evening. You know how to reach me."

Without a further word, Parker stepped out.

Angel watched her go with a frown. Beth noticed the look on her face. "Yes?"

"I don't know if I trust her," Angel said, still looking that way. "She chased Jarod for years. And she didn't come willingly."

"She's done good work since she got here," Beth insisted. "Whatever she was before, she's embraced her opportunities here fully. We've had a drop in the crime rate since she started working with Colony Security. She's responsible for breaking up most of the major smuggling operations we've found in the last six months. She even gave up smoking'"

"Although it took her a few months," Annabelle added. "She was even kind enough to offer Beth her condolences when we thought you'd been killed by that bomb last July. Whatever she's done in the past, Miss Parker is trying to start a new life the same as everyone else."

"That's all we can ask of anyone," Robert said. He looked with concern toward Angel. "The entire point of the colony is to give people a second chance."

"Yeah." Angel forced her worry away from her mind. "I know."

* * *

The medbay was quiet, blessedly quiet, and Leo was thankful for the chance to deal with the inventory paperwork. And the personnel reports. And virtually every other piece of paperwork he had to do.

His hearing was sharp enough that he heard the main medbay door open. He stood up and left his office. By the time he took the short corridor to the main room of the medbay, he was met by the arrivals. "Mister Scott," Leo said politely. "And…"

"Doctor Leonard McCoy," the very old man at Scott's side answered. He glanced around the chamber. "Well, it looks like you're just swimming in technology, aren't you?"

Leo blinked. He recognized the name. "Your surgeon on the _Enterprise_ ," he said while looking at Scott.

"Aye." Scott grinned. "I promised Doctor McCoy a look at our medbay, but I think ye'll do a better job at it, Doctor Gillam. I'd better be goin' back t' Science Lab 2 t' see if Spock's ready t' move on."

"Or to see if that young lady has finally run out of questions," McCoy said, smirking.

Leo almost asked before putting two and two together. "You introduced Ambassador Spock to Caterina." A small smile crossed his face. "Well, if all else fails, you can replicate the jaws of life to split them apart."

"Oh, I'll think o' somethin', Doctor Gillam, dinnae worry about that."

Scott turned and left, leaving Leo alone with his counterpart from the old _Enterprise_. "Doctor Gillam, was it?"

Leo nodded.

McCoy smiled. "So… where are you from? I do think I hear a bit of Georgia in that accent."

At that Leo grinned. "Marietta."

"Atlanta," McCoy replied. "So, like I was saying, fancy sickbay you've got here."

Leo nodded. "A lot of good tools for saving lives. Although it's nothing without a good surgeon."

"Damn right." McCoy took a seat over on one of the biobeds. "I read your paper on removing that parasite… what was it… Go-ad?"

"Goa'uld."

"Right." McCoy brought a finger up. "You took quite the risk, trying a procedure that delicate without a full operating theater."

"The _St. Johns_ ' medical module had all the gear I needed. And I didn't have the time to get the patient back to the ship." Leo patiently kept his hands at his sides. "Would you have done anything different, Doctor?"

McCoy shook his head. "Not a damn thing. It's a part of our line of work sometimes, taking risks for the good of the patient. The important part is recognizing it's a risk."

Leo nodded. The smile was fading from his face, however. "You're just working up to talking to me about Joshua Marik, aren't you?"

For several moments the elderly man in front of him didn't say anything. "Well, son, that depends," McCoy finally said.

"On?"

"On you, mostly." McCoy lowered his head. "Lord knows it's never easy to lose a child."

"No, it isn't." Leo crossed his arms and sighed. After another long moment he sat opposite from McCoy on the biobed across from his. "I keep playing it over in my mind. If I could have done anything else to save Joshua."

"You always will." McCoy's voice was low, and the age made it all the more hoarse.

"And if I'd only gotten to him… a month earlier. Just a month, before the blast cells…" Leo stopped. He made himself stop.

"That's a fact of life for us, Doctor Gillam," McCoy said. "Sometimes we're just too damned late."

Leo nodded quietly. "I've lost patients before because they didn't get to me in time. I've done battle triage. But when it's just a kid it… it's so frustrating. And I know that I have to live with it." He had a pleading look on his face when he looked to the older doctor.

McCoy saw that look. A sad expression came to the deep, aged wrinkles of his face. "Nobody's going to take that pain away, Doctor. As much as we'd all like to be able to. All I can tell you is that, like any wound, it's going to heal with time."

"Yeah," Leo sighed. "I thought you'd say that."

There was nothing more to say on the subject. After a few moments of quiet McCoy slid off the bed. "Well, how about you give an old man a tour of your sickbay? Then I can give you a good and proper criticism on reliance on technology."

Despite the pain in his heart, Leo felt a laugh form in his throat. "I'd be delighted to do so, Doctor, and to hear about all of the ways I've been spoiled in the practice of medicine." He stood from the biobed. "This is our general treatment area. If half of my nurses weren't on shore leave they would have already finished checking your vitals."

"Lord, I would hope so…"

* * *

The excitement still buzzed through Caterina, even with Spock having departed with Mister Scott. Getting to speak to the legend, to hear his recollections and observations on the things he had observed in his career, it was like a late birthday gift and the best of them all.

An involuntary giggle escaped from her throat. She was so happy it almost ached.

"That _can't_ just be anticipation for me."

Cat turned in her chair. Violeta was standing inside the door in her uniform, smiling at her. "It looks like you enjoyed your science stuff."

"It's not that." Cat sprung from her chair and skipped - skipped indeed! - up to Violeta. She felt like she would burst if she didn't start informing Violeta of what had happened. "Scotty brought his old shipmates from the _Enterprise_ , he brought _Spock_! I've been reading Spock's old logs for the last year and I just couldn't believe I could talk with him and get the answers to so many questions I had and… and… and now I feel bad because you're here now and you don't want to…"

Violeta grinned and shook her head. "Everyone has their own hobbies and loves, Caterina. Just because I don't have this one doesn't mean I can't enjoy the way it makes your face light up."

Caterina felt a burn in her cheeks, which had indeed turned a deep pink. "I… thank you. But I don't want you to feel left out. Did you want to start your next module?"

Violeta shook her head. "No. It's almost 2100 and way too late for a good gaming session."

"Yeah." Cat swallowed. "Well, I guess, I mean, we could talk about… something else? No, not something else." She shook her head. Her hands moved forward until she felt Violeta grip them. She met Violeta's purple eyes, marveling still at how alluring they looked, and nodded. "We've only hung out the last couple of days, but I feel like we're bonding really well. And I'm worried I'm going to say the wrong thing or push things too hard. It's just so.. So new and exciting!"

"I know," Violeta nodded. "I'm worried too."

"Worried? About what?", asked Cat.

"About if this is right for you." Violeta brought her free hand up and gently touched Cat's face. "You're so sweet, Caterina. And you're brilliant. But I know that you've got to feel your way through this too. I don't want to rush you or hurt you."

"I know."

"So, this is going to be at your speed, Cat," Violeta continued. "You'll decide if this is going too fast or not fast enough. I'll take your lead."

Caterina responded with an understanding nod. And she thought about it.

It was frightening. And exhilarating. She had never been with someone before. Her knowledge of what that was like came entirely from observing her sister's romance with Robert over the years. Years of missed dates, small fights becoming big fights, and breakups that became friendly reconciliations and then full reconciliations, upon which the cycle would start to begin again. Their responsibilities on the _Aurora_ only made that more difficult, and Cat dreaded the day that might come soon when Angel would break it off with Robert again, or he would with her. She hated seeing her sister hurt.

With that thought, it was easy to see why she should take it slow, or even avoid letting things get romantic at all.

But the moment Cat considered that, she felt a cry from within: _NO!_

No! She… she'd wanted something like this for long, always hiding even the thought of it lest her family know of what she wanted (that they had figured it out was not something she had considered, because the idea had been so scary to her). And Violeta was so… she was nice, and cute, and beautiful, and she had that exotic purple hair and eyes and curves and… and she was just… Cat didn't want to step away from this, and a part of her that she'd kept quiet for so long roared to life and demanded she take this chance now.

 _Just like you did with that Asari?_ , a voice from within warned. With it came a series of painful memories.

Caterina swallowed. Her voice didn't want to work when she tried to speak, and Violeta simply continued to be patient with her, compassion and friendliness shining in those lovely purple eyes…

Those same eyes widened when Caterina, pushing herself up on tip-toes, pressed her lips against Violeta's. It was only a light kiss at first, a series of pecks on the lips, but growing confidence soon turned it into a full one. Violeta's arms came up and went back down, and it would be Cat who reached with her arms to pull the taller woman closer to her.

The kiss became the kind of thing one remembered, full of passion and hunger. Violeta smiled through it and put a hand on Caterina's shoulder and neck. She lowered her head further to enable the kiss to continue. She left it up to Caterina on when to end it.

It finally did end, if just for Caterina to force herself to breathe. "I…" Her cheeks turned bright pink. "I…"

The smile on Violeta's face turned into a wide grin. "Do you feel better?"

"I…" Caterina swallowed. Thoughts and desires swirled in her head. "I… really think we should go somewhere. Other than here. Someone else might come into the science lab."

"I share my quarters with three other officers," Violeta pointed out.

"Right." Cat's smile turned a little sheepish. "But I don't."

* * *

The two young ladies began kissing the moment the door to Cat's quarters closed. They went over to the small couch in Cat's personal area and sat there, continuing to quietly kiss, to simply enjoy the sensations of the act. Violeta took the lead only slightly, using a hand to guide where Cat's head moved.

Caterina felt like her heart would burst from her chest as the kiss continued. Her hands moved to Violeta's sides while Violeta ran a hand along her right hip. The hand started to come up, moving under her arm toward her shoulder. Cat felt a tingle of good feeling, of simple pleasure, at the touch of Violeta's hands on her shoulder and neck, guiding their kiss as it continued, stopped for breath, and then resumed.

Their eyes opened briefly, and something in Cat's heart throbbed at seeing the look in Violeta's eyes, on her face. "You decide," was all she said.

Caterina nodded yes. Violeta moved forward and kissed her again. Her hands went to Cat's shoulders, one going to her throat and the other up her shoulder and down to…

The memory roared through Cat, without warning, without any intent on her part. She remembered a hand on her neck and shoulder like that, the other hand extending downwards…

She remembered Morinth.

A phantom of pain, not real but every bit as terrible as it had been when it was real, shot through Caterina's body. She could remember screaming, she could remember her terror, her inability to move, the feeling of helplessness that Morinth had given her when she started to kill her. The agony ripping through her body, burning it out from within.

Violeta gasped in shock when Cat cried out, lost in the sudden scream of pain and fear. She pushed away from Violeta and curled up on the opposite end of the couch. Her hazel eyes widened with the shock of the experience, the ferocity of that horrible memory coming back.

"What's wrong?", Violeta asked. Her breathing was heavy and a flicker of frustration crossed her features, followed shortly afterward by a full wave of shame at her instinctive reaction. That quickly turned to compassion as the young astrogator watched the tears welling in Caterina's eyes.

"I'm… I…" Cat sniffled. "I don't know why. I w-was enjoying thi-this… but th-then I t-thought of Mor-Morinth…"

"Morinth?"

"Th-the Asari w-who nearly k-killed me," Cat stuttered, in a sound almost to the point of weeping when you considered the tears.

Silence filled the quarters for a short time. Violeta's purple eyes started to brim with tears. "I understand."

"I-I'm s-sorry." Caterina shook her head. "I w-wanted it… b-but I… I…"

Violeta put a hand on Caterina's shoulder. "It's okay. I understand. You were hurt and nearly killed."

"I-I'm sup-supposed to be a-an ad-adult…" Caterina let out a choked sob. "B-But I ca-can't h-help it… I…"

"Caterina, please…" Violeta shook her head. "Don't feel guilty about this, please."

"I have to get st-stronger… I count o-on An-Angel so m-much, b-but she has h-her own life. I ha-have to g-get stronger. I-have to st-stand on m-my own. But th-things l-like this h-happen, a-and a-all I c-can d-do is cry… I must l-look like a bi-big baby to y-you."

"It's okay to cry. Over this." Violeta lowered her eyes. "But If I'm making you uncomfortable, I'll leave."

There was no immediate response from Caterina. But it was clear that she _was_ uncomfortable with Violeta around. That having some witness her in this state, reduced to tears by the memories of pain and helplessness that had arisen within her, was making Cat even more upset. Violeta nodded quietly and stood. She walked to the door.

Just before it opened, Cat called out, "Stop, p-please."

Violeta did so. She turned and she faced Cat.

"You're r-right. Having s-someone see m-me like this…" Cat shook her head. "I h-hate being l-like this. Even w-with my sister. So I am uncomfortable." She forced a breath in. "B-but I th-think that's g-good. It might h-help me g-get better at this. So.. p-please s-stay. If you w-want, I mean."

Violeta walked back over to her and sat back on the couch. "I want to help you," she said.

"Th-thank you." Caterina looked at her and, despite the red in her cheeks and the pain in her eyes, a small smile came to her face. With determination she repeated her words. "Thank you, Violeta."

"You're welcome, Caterina." Wordlessly Violeta opened her arms.

It was an invitation Caterina happily accepted, moving over and letting the taller woman embrace her warmly. She wrapped her arms around Violeta's waist.

And the two did nothing else for the rest of the night.


	29. Episode 2-06-4 The Important Things

The Colony Visitor's Lodge was near the oldest residential areas of the Colony. A five story prefab building, it was originally employed to house new arrivals to New Liberty until permanent housing could be found, during which the residents would be issued with their translator devices and given other means to acclimate to their new home.

Of course, that had changed over the years. The Emigrant Welcoming Center now provided that housing and training, in rather more spacious surroundings, and the Colony had signed the property over to a colonist, Jeong Jin-Taek, who turned it into a lodge for visitors to the Colony. The rooms were refurbished as hotel rooms and the former common teaching areas turned into an eating area with three meals served per day. The old gym area had stayed the same, however, with the basketball courts and football field still available for both guests and local residents.

Earlier in the day they had settled their visitors from New Caprica into rooms. Lee paid with a voucher worth Alliance credits, courtesy of the Colonial budget, with one room each for himself, for Kara and Anders, and for Clara (and Zack). The doors were internal, which of course made the place feel fancy compared to the external entry doors you had at "normal" hotels, or at least as Julia had always known them.

Lee sat down beside the bed, his bag on the floor beside it right where he had left it earlier in the day, and looked around. A holovideo player was prominent on the dresser opposite the bed. An air conditioning unit was set below the window, outside of which one could see the Colony's central district. A bathroom unit, with shower, was available to the right of the entrance door.

"It's not a suite on _Cloud 9_ ," Lee observed. "But it looks nice."

"An old fashioned hotel room." Julia took a seat at the table between the bed and the window.

"You know the owner?"

She nodded. "A little. Jeong was one of the people we pulled out of a North Korean labor camp about two weeks after we got into that line of work." Julia shook her head while a thoughtful expression came to her face. The old memories were not pleasant, in many cases. "Sometimes I still see those places in my nightmares."

Lee nodded in reply and sat on the bed right across from her. Julia felt a slight burning in her cheeks when the thought came to mind that Lee was a rather handsome and attractive man.

"We've all gone through something," he said. "I noticed that Commander Carrey was a little disappointed in you."

Julia sighed and nodded. "Zack thinks I need a break. That I'm focusing too much on the work and not having enough fun in my life." The side of her mouth curled up, creating a little bit of an amused smirk. "Honestly, he's probably right. But I… I like what I do. Command is something I've always wanted. Maybe not quite like this, but I pushed for responsible positions even when I was younger."

Lee chuckled at that. "I've got more authority now than I ever wanted in life. Command of my own Battlestar… it's the dream of every Navy officer, and it fell to me."

"Your father needed the best man for the job, and you're it."

"He just wanted me as Fisk's XO. But Fisk had to go and meddle in the election."

"Zack hasn't talked much about the election. It's a bit of a shock that Baltar won, and I'm a little incredulous that he didn't settle here or another world outside of N2S7."

"Baltar isn't the easiest man to figure out. Which is surprising given how much of a narcissist the man can be."

"Anyway, you have the _Pegasus_ now." Julia smiled at him. "Congratulations. Whatever the circumstances behind it, starship command's a big achievement."

Lee looked at Julia thoughtfully. "Commander, I would think you're jealous of me, the way you're sounding."

Julia started to speak, to deny it, but she stopped at the last moment. The damned thing was… he was right. To a degree. "I think about commanding a ship. As in being the Captain," she admitted. "Or Commander, in your case."

Lee nodded in understanding. "But you won't do it right now?"

"Right now I'm content where I am." Julia said the words without the kind of conviction she'd expected to have. "I keep the _Aurora_ running and Robert turns to me for advice."

"But he's still ultimately the CO. And you follow his orders," Lee observed. "Have you thought about getting your own command?"

"No."

As soon as she said it, Julia knew she'd lied. And she knew Lee would know it. The thought had been subtle at first, but it had grown from there; there were times she had thought about it. About having her own ship. The price, though…

"I don't want to leave my friends," Julia said. "I'd have to. Or even worse, I'd bring some along, and we'd be fully split up."

"That's part of the navy life, though. You make friends, then you leave them when you go to new postings. When you climb in the ranks."

"I'm not denying it. But I'm not going to just walk out on the people I care about. Not to satisfy my ambition. I care about them too much."

"I do understand that." Lee leaned forward. "But I saw the way you were looking at Kara and Clara. You… don't have anyone, do you?"

For the first time, Julia actually frowned. She looked down at the floor for a moment to gather her thoughts. "Not in a long time."

Lee made a short, sad laugh. "Yeah, I know that."

"I had a guy. Years ago." Julia was still frowning when she lifted her head and faced Lee again. "He was a creep, and I cut him off. Then later I found out how much of a creep he was when I pulled a friend out of his literal torture dungeon."

The look on Lee's face actually brought a smile, albeit a small one, to Julia's face, from the amusement she felt at it. "That's… I don't think I can top that, actually," Lee admitted.

"Few can." Julia shook her head. "And I could have had… someone. A couple someones, actually. In the first case, we enjoy our relationship as it is and we didn't want to complicate it with romance. In the second…" Julia shook her head. "He was declaring his love for me, but I couldn't feel any for him. Not in that way. And honestly, I don't know if I want a relationship right now. I've got my work, and I like it. I'm not going to pine for a relationship that wouldn't work anyway."

"I can understand that." Lee leaned forward. His breathing had picked up a little. Julia got the feeling that he had much the same thoughts about her appearance as she had about his. "There's always the work."

"Always."

Their eyes met. And in that way people could have, and without anything like mental abilities or life force sensing, they could understand each other. What they wanted and needed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Julia forced herself to say.

"Right." Lee nodded in agreement.

Julia stood up. She didn't look back to him, but went for the door. Her hand gripped the handle and she twisted it.

But she did not pull the door open. At the last moment she stopped. Her heart pounded in her ears. She took a breath, then another, and felt the anticipation within her. It was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time.

The feeling of need that joined it wasn't as old. She had felt it, sometimes quite often. She had felt it tonight, seeing the way Zack and Clara acted with each other. The same with Kara Thrace and Samuel Anders.

And she felt it whenever she saw Robert and Angel together.

She turned back. Lee had removed his uniform jacket, now on the back of one of the table chairs, and was pulling off his uniform undershirt. He turned back to her after removing it. His chest was muscular and fit and, to her eye, certainly an appealing sight.

WIth deliberate steps Julia walked up to him. Lee kept his eyes on her, and it was clear he had similar thoughts. He did nothing, however, waiting to see what she would do first.

It was up to Julia to begin the kiss.

And she did so without hesitation. 

* * *

It was getting late in the evening for both the Colony and the _Aurora_ , synced as they were to the same operating time, and with dinner over Robert and Angela were preparing to leave Beth's house. Beth and Annabelle followed them to the front door. "Thank you for the meal, Beth." The smile that appeared on Robert's face was a sad one. "If only we could do it more often."

"I know the feeling." Beth embraced him, and he accepted it. With their arms around each other they gave one another a soft pat on the back. "I'm so worried about you. About you and everyone," she said. "You keep going into danger like that."

"I know," he answered. "But it's what we signed on for."

"There are times, Robert, that I wish you'd give this up and come here. There's plenty of farmland."

A soft grin crossed his face at that. "It'd be something, I suppose. An idea for when I retire."

Robert could feel the pang of fear that went through Beth. The thought that crossed her mind.

 _If you live long enough to retire…_

"Don't worry about me," he said to her. "We've been through a lot, but we're still here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Beth nodded. Left unsaid was the rejoinder in her mind: _Don't make promises you can't keep_.

Robert moved on to hugging Annabelle, who accepted it graciously. Angel meanwhile hugged Beth.

"Take care of her, please," Robert whispered softly to Annabelle, just a second before Beth whispered, "Please take care of Rob" to Angel.

The response was a pair of "I will"s.

Robert looked back at Beth. Beyond her, in the next room, Robert could make out the form of Miss Parker standing quietly, all proper in a casual business suit and long skirt, with a data reader in her hand. Angel couldn't quite hide the glare she was giving to Parker. She, in turn, saw them looking and returned the looks with a quiet gaze of, if not challenge, assertion.

"I trust her," Beth said. She could see where they were looking. "She's been a huge help, Robert. Please…"

"I'm not going to question you, Beth. This is your Colony. And it's made for second chances." Robert shook his head. "It's just hard. Knowing how long she chased Jarod…"

"It can be hard to bury old grudges and fears," Annabelle observed. She took Beth's hand tenderly. "But that is what our Colony was built to do. We move on from the pain of the past to the brightness of the future. A new start."

Robert nodded in agreement, prompting Angel to do the same.

But he knew Angel, for one, wasn't feeling it. 

* * *

The tour ended in the quiet of the Lookout. Outside a number of civilian vessels loitered in orbit, performing their business or waiting for business to conclude with the anniversary celebrations the next day.

The former _Enterprise_ crew sat together at a table near the window, observing the sight of the planet below and the ships before them. "Well, Scotty, I'll give you this," McCoy said. "You've got quite the ship here."

"It is most impressive," Spock agreed.

"That's kind o' ye t' say." It was clear from his face that Scott was beaming with pride at their assessment. "I've worked hard t' keep her runnin', an' th' crew does a fine job in bringin' us home." A wistful sigh came to him. "She's still not th' _Enterprise_ , of course."

"Obviously so," replied Spock. "But we should always avoid the temptation to allow indulgence in memory to undermine our understanding of the present. This vessel is as worthy of your efforts as the _Enterprise_ was, and she is a credit to your skill, Mister Scott, and to the skills of her other builders and her crew."

"That damned Vulcan stoicism aside, Spock's right about this one," McCoy agreed. "A man your age should be grateful you're in enough health to keep a ship like this running."

"Ah, gentlemen, _Guten Abend_."

The three turned and faced Hargert, who approached with a platter of glasses. "If I may be forgiven the interruption, I wished to meet you gentlemen. Mister Scott has spoken quite highly of you."

"Doctor, Mister Spock, this is th' gentleman who operates th' Lookout," Scott said. "Mister Hargert."

McCoy looked over the platter, and the bottles with the glasses. "Bourbon," he noted.

"Mister Scott and I have conversed on some on our favored drinks, Doctor," Hargert explained. "Your preferences were referenced."

"Well." McCoy smiled. "Don't mind if I do." He took a glass and held it toward Hargert, who gripped the bottle of Bourbon and brought it toward McCoy.

"Ye got that Scotch, I see", Scott said to Hargert as he poured McCoy's glass.

Hargert nodded and shifted his smiling face to Scott. "Of course, Mister Scott." He gestured toward the bottle in question, which Scott took with an empty glass. "And Mister Spock, as I am informed that you do not enjoy alcohol, I have attempted to brew a plomeek tea that, it is my hope, meets with your satisfaction." He presented the cup to Spock, who nodded politely and accepted it. "As for myself… schnapps, of course." He poured his glass and held it up. "To the benefits of age, gentlemen. We have the benefit of experience and the privilege of sharing it with the young."

"A most gratifying sentiment, Mister Hargert," Spock said, holding up the tea.

"Aye."

"That's about all I do these days," mumbled McCoy, but despite the slight sour look on his face, there was a grin on it.

The four old men took to their drinks. McCoy set his Bourbon down. "Mister Hargert, this is the finest Bourbon I have enjoyed in years."

"I am grateful, Doctor." Hargert nodded to him. "I am a discerning customer to my suppliers."

Spock finished a drink of his own beverage. "Your handiwork with the tea is singular. It is most satisfactory."

"My thanks to you, Mister Spock." Hargert took a drink of his schnapps. "At this time in my life, my pleasure is derived from seeing others enjoy the fruit of my labors in the kitchen."

"If only we'd had you on the _Enterprise_ ," McCoy said. "You're going to spoil the kids you've got running this ship."

"Doctor, I think he already has spoiled 'em," said Scotty.

"Ah, but spoiling is a point of view," Hargert said. "I like to think that I allow them the luxury of knowing there is a good meal waiting for them whenever they have need of it. That is one of the important things in life, isn't it?"

"You cannae get any arguin' from me about that, Mister Hargert," Scotty asserted.

"I'll drink to that." McCoy held up his glass. "To the Important Things."

As before, the toast was happily shared. 

* * *

It was morning when Julia awoke, more by internal clock than anything else. A brief confusion at her surroundings immediately faded as the warmth of Lee Adama against her naked body, asleep beside her in the hotel bed, reminded her of why she was here. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

She slipped out of the bed. When she reached down for a piece of discarded clothing, Lee's voice came from behind her. "I'll understand if you regret it."

She turned back to face him, uniform pants already in hand. "Regret it? No." She shook her head. A small, thin smile came to Julia's lips. "I probably needed it more than I'd ever admit. And I get the same feeling from you."

He matched her smile. "Probably," he admitted.

"Zack's probably right that I need to live more." Julia sat back on the bed. Lee's hand touched her bare back, following the curve of her spine. Even in the dim light of the room they were visible enough that Julia and Lee could admire the sight of one another. "But part of living, to me, is what I do. I can make a difference out there, and I know I can be a leader."

"You're probably better at it than I'd be," Lee said.

Julia looked back at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Lee. You deserve better than that." She reached over to the spot on the ground where her multidevice had fallen due to the enthusiasm of the night. "Well, I have just enough time to beam back up and get ready if I want to make it to the basketball court."

"You can use my shower if it's faster," Lee offered. "I'll wait."

Julia gave him a pointed look. "Usually when an offer like that is made in our circumstances, they end up late."

Lee shrugged. "I suppose so."

Julia nodded at his acceptance. And then a little, impish smile came to her face, and her green, aquamarine-shaded eyes glinted with a playfulness she tended to hold back. "If we run a little late, there won't be much harm."

The remark made Lee laugh. As he did so, she walked to the door to the bathroom and pointedly left the door open while she turned the light on and reached for the shower controls. 

* * *

The others were waiting patiently when Julia and Lee showed up at the gym, ten minutes late. It wasn't hard for the others to guess why, either.

Zack saw the spring in Julia's step, the impish little grin that told him that she knew she was going to be late and had done it anyway, and with just a smile and not a word he raised his hand toward Thrace, palm up.

Starbuck shot him a look that was both irritated and playful. "Godsdammit," she muttered, fishing in the pocket of her replicated gym shorts to pull out a plastic-cloth blend Alliance credit bill. She slapped it into his hand. "Lucky guess, Loverboy."

"Not as much as you think, Starbuck," Zack replied. "Not as much as you think." 

* * *

Caterina woke up alone. Despite the recalled trauma the prior night, she hadn't had a nightmare about Morinth. That, at least, was a good thing.

First she checked the time. And she had plenty before they'd be expected to beam down for the parade. She wondered if they'd made any changes to the float. It had looked pretty last year, but there had been room for improvement. They'd been a little off on the nacelle placement.

A thought came to Caterina before she went to her shower. She went into the living area of her quarters and found the couch still occupied. Violeta hadn't even taken her uniform off.

Tears came to Cat's eyes. Violeta had stayed in her quarters just in case she needed someone. It fit what she knew of Violeta's personality and, yet… it also made her understand, and enjoy, how close they had become, even over just two days.

She wondered about that. Was Violeta as lonely as she was? Did she actually… attract Violeta that strongly? _Her_? She was skinny and short and small and not really curvy at all, she wasn't pretty, maybe "cute" at best… and Violeta was into her?

Maybe it wasn't physical? Maybe… they just worked well together?

Either way, Caterina bent over and gave Violeta a little kiss on the cheek. When she saw the woman's purple eyes start to flutter open, she said, "Good morning."

It took Violeta a few moments to work the sleep out before she finally responded. And then several more moments before she asked, "How are you feeling, Cat?"

"Me? I'm doing okay," Cat answered. "I feel better now." She smiled at Violeta as she sat up. "Thank you for staying."

"It's okay." Violeta smiled back. "I'm a pushover for sensitive girls, honestly. I just want to hug you and tell you it'll be okay and let you fall asleep in my arms."

A little giggle came from Cat. "Well, I'm really sensitive, so that works?" She sat down next to Violeta. "So, are you going to the parade? There might be room on the float."

Violeta laughed. But Cat's heart fell at realizing it was a sad laugh. "I'm scheduled to work the watch shift on the bridge during the parade," she said. "I'm still new on the ship. I mean, I've only been here for four months. When you're that new, you end up working the shifts when everyone else is off doing something."

"That's so not fair," Caterina said, after which she sighed. "Well, okay, maybe… well, I guess someone has to watch my science shift too during the parade, so I can't complain, can I?"

" _Someone_ has to do it." Violeta shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I get to have tonight off. And we still have those crystals to get…"

That made Cat smile. "And I still have to get a handle on playing a black mage."

"I wasn't going to say anything… so you'll be there at 1900?"

"I'll be on the bridge until at least 1830, so I'll have to rush… but yeah," Cat answered. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

"I look forward to it. So… I guess you'd better get ready for your parade…"

"Yeah."

"And I need to go back to my quarters to get ready for my shift." Violeta sighed wistfully. "See you at 1900?"

Cat nodded and smiled. "1900. But before you go…"

Cat leaned over and put her lips to Violeta's, and before they went their separate ways for the day, they shared a tender kiss.

* * *

 **Tag**

It was after the parade that Scotty met back up with Spock and McCoy. As VIPs, they had joined Beth, as well as the Colonial delegates and others, on the main stand to watch the procession, and afterward were there to greet the _Aurora_ crew after the float (improved by the views of some of them) returned to its proper hanger.

The introductions were exchanged. The meeting most of the others anticipated, beyond the disappointment from Caterina having already met Spock, was Spock being introduced to Jarod. The two geniuses exchanged handshakes. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Spock." Jarod grinned slightly. "I actually took the name 'Doctor Spock' once myself."

Spock raised a curious eyebrow. "I see. Would this happen to have been a reference to 20th Century pediatrician Doctor Benjamin Spock?"

Jarod nodded. "That it was. I was Pretending to be a pediatrician at the time."

"I see. Mister Scott informs me that you learned warp mechanics after observing a systems chart for twenty seconds?"

Jarod looked to Scotty, who grinned like a teacher showing off a prized pupil. "Give or take a second," he answered. "Although that was mechanical understanding, mostly. The underlying science was something I took a little longer to grasp."

"I myself required seventeen seconds, but I had the advantage of prior knowledge of the scientific basis in question," Spock answered.

Before Jarod could answer that, his multidevice let out a tone. "Excuse me," he said, looking down to check it. It was a message from Sydney. He looked to Robert and Julia. "Sydney wants to meet me at his office, we're going to dinner."

"We'll see you back on the ship, Jarod," Robert replied. "Take care. And give him a hello from the rest of us."

"Thank you." Jarod looked back to Spock. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador Spock. Hopefully we can meet again some time."

"Indeed so," Spock answered. "Live long and prosper."

"The same to you."

After Jarod stepped away, McCoy came up beside Spock, having just finished talking with Zack and Barnes. "Hrm. I always wondered what you'd be like if you showed emotions. I reckon he's as close as we'll ever get to that."

"Unlikely, Doctor, but an interesting thought nevertheless."

As the rest of the _Aurora_ crew was starting to disperse, to either go to duty stations or head on to enjoy the rest of the day, Scotty returned to them and joined them in stepping outside. There was still cheering coming from the city, distant and thunderous, as the celebrations continued into the after-parade events. "Are ye stayin' any longer?", he asked his old comrades.

"Regrettably, I am informed that my window of opportunity to return to Romulan space in safety is starting to close," Spock answered. "I will be departing within the hour to make the necessary rendezvous to return to Romulus."

"A damned shame," McCoy said. "But I can't do much better. The _Phlox_ is arriving in thirty minutes to drag me back to Starfleet Medical. Seems there's been an outbreak or some other damned thing."

"Aye, duty calls."

"As duty always does," Spock noted. He gave Scotty a meaningful look. "I am grateful to see that you have found your own place in our century, Mister Scott."

"It's better than babysittin' midshipmen or wastin' away at th' retirement colony," Scotty said. "An' it's good t' know that after all these years, I can still do th' job."

"Indeed. And I look forward to hearing further reports of your achievements, Mister Scott." One might have almost thought Spock was being wistful when he continued, "Your continuation of the voyages we made long ago is… agreeable."

"Just don't let these kids run you ragged, Scotty," McCoy insisted. "Or I might have to have a word or two with them."

"I would surmise that these words would be among the more colorful terms in your vocabulary, Doctor?", Spock asked.

McCoy flashed a grin in reply. "You're damned right about that, Spock." 

* * *

Jarod found a ride on the community taxi line to get him to the Medical Plaza. He entered the office building where Sydney kept his offices. It was closed down with only a single security guard visible, a light-skinned Human or Human-looking man in sunglasses. Jarod nodded to the man, who nodded back as Jarod went on into the hall toward the office.

He entered the office waiting space. Sydney's secretary wasn't present. That didn't surprise him, and Jarod saw no problems in knocking on the closed door. "Sydney? I'm here." He opened the door after a moment.

There was nobody in the office.

Jarod's hand went immediately to a key on his multidevice.

That same second, amber energy lit up the periphery of his vision. He turned in time to see the phaser beam being absorbed by the energy field his multidevice was emitting. His attacker was a humanoid, somewhat short, and mostly human-looking. Mostly save the fur-covered, cat-like ears on the top of her head, and the red tail swishing behind her. Jarod recognized her as from one of the lesser-advanced species of N2S7, a Mi'qote.

She growled something in her native language. The auto-translator decided the best translation was "Bollocks!"

Jarod heard the step to his left and turned to face a man in dark-colored combat gear. Dark eyes gave him a cold, intent look from a face with East Asian features.

He moved more quickly that Jarod could anticipate and threw a punch that sent Jarod flying back into the door to Sydney's inner office. One of the hinges was torn off from the impact. A red light on Jarod's multidevice alerted him to his shield nearly failing from the blow. It had been a-near superhuman strike - Jarod figured it was cybernetic enhancement - and that told him his attacker was giving him precious little time to react.

React he did. Julia had taught him some of her techniques, and he applied it by a quick shift to the right that caused his opponent's next punch to go through air. Jarod timed his own punch to a pressure point, at the celiac plexus, that knocked the wind out of the man for a brief second. He grabbed and pivoted, turning his attacker's weight and momentum against him to send him flying into the door Jarod had just hit, tearing it completely off its hinges.

Another amber flash and the whine of a phaser told him the first attacker was still after him. His shield took that shot as well. But there was no guarantee his shield could take another, not from the disruption caused by that punch he'd taken. Jarod ran out into the hall.

He nearly collided with someone else, a short man with almost pale white skin and short-cut brown hair. Jarod turned away from him and back down the way he had come in, even as the new arrival threw a kick at his feet that his shield barely resisted. The attacker cried out in pain and rage at the feedback the shield hit him with. He fell back.

Running, Jarod finally had a moment to hit the comm key on his multidevice. "This is Jarod, emergency transport, now!"

There was no answer.

Jarod's mind was quick enough to consider the attack and what it meant. He could imagine the likely responsible party. It would be something to deal with when he got away. If he could get to the security desk, a hardwired line might…

Ahead of him the security guard from before appeared at the end of the hall. Jarod looked at him, saw the look on his face, and realized he was in trouble.

How much trouble, however, he hadn't even a chance to realize before it was too late.

The fake guard's hand came up toward Jarod. Suddenly it was like Jarod had run into a brick wall. He slammed into nothingness and literally fell right back.

He tried to get back up. As he did the man's hand became a fist. Invisible force grabbed Jarod by the throat and lifted him. He choked out a cry of surprise and fear while his feet flailed below him. He looked on his attacker as his free hand pulled away his sunglasses.

His eyes were an unnatural, yellow color, almost gold, and almost gleeful.

The force on Jarod's neck tightened. He gasped and choked, but no air could enter through the force holding his windpipe closed. Within seconds he was starting to black out.

"Stop, or you won't get paid," a voice said. "I need him alive."

Jarod felt the force go away and hit the floor. He tried to raise his head. A pair of hands grabbed each arm and pulled him up, holding his arms behind him until cold metal gripped his wrists. He glared at the person in front of him. "Of course it was you."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out," replied Miss Parker. She was in the kind of business casual suit Jarod had always seen her favor during their long chase. About the only change was the multidevice on her wrist and that the firearm at her hip was now an Alliance-model pulse pistol. "That's how it's always been for us. You run, I chase." She smirked as she brought a cigarette up to her mouth. Her other hand bore the lighter that, with a flick of her finger, she used to light the cigarette up. She inhaled from it for a moment, causing a red glow to further consume the cigarette. She removed it from her mouth and exhaled a breath full of smoke. "God, I needed that," she sighed, savoring the experience.

But with that done, Miss Parker returned her attention to Jarod. "You know, I always figured I'd catch you eventually. I just never imagined it'd be like this." She gestured around her at the rest of her team.

"Why are you doing this?" Try as he might, Jarod was being held by two of his prior assailants, and was well and truly caught. "I saved your life," Jarod reminded her, frowning. "More than once."

"Yes, you have," replied Miss Parker. "And now, Jarod, you're going to save my father."


	30. Episode 2-07-1 Family Matters

**Teaser**

The planet of New Liberty continued its quiet orbit outside the window of Robert's bridge office. He stood nearby, in the black-and-command-red-trim uniform of the Alliance Navy, breathing in a sigh at the sight. New Liberty, once, had not even been a speck on the planet surface. But now he could make out the gray splotch of city, and if his vision was a bit stronger, perhaps he'd even make out the fields surrounding the city where the Colony's staples were grown.

The thought occurred to him of one day retiring here and founding a new Dale family farm. Although Angel was, by her own repeated admission, not the type to be a farmhouse wife, he could almost imagine them in a home like his family's, kids playing in the fields as they grew old together.

Thinking of Angel in that way felt weird. Their relationship had always floundered on one rock or another, and it was certainly rocky right now. But it wasn't like he had anyone else to think about that way?

Except, of course, for that memory of the eagerly-shared kiss after a thrilling escape and a tumble down a collapsing hill. The pain in his ribs, the feeling of dirt and sweat mingling, the jubilant look on Julia's face before and after they shared that kiss...

The thoughts and dreams might have become a confusing, hopeless muddle if not for the interruption when his door chime went off. "Come in," he called out, and turned in time to see Julia enter with her uniform on. "I thought I had you on leave for another two days?", he asked with a wry look.

"Technically, you do. Technically, I'm not handing you the last shift's reports," she said. An amused grin crossed her face. "Technically this sprouted wings and flew to you."

"Ah, technically, that sounds interesting," he replied, chuckling and taking the datapad. "So how are you going to enjoy your remaining leave-time?"

"I'm going to tour the Colony again," she replied. "Seeing it with Zack and the others made me realize how much it had changed. I can barely find my way around it now."

"It's a booming city now," Robert agreed. "And it makes you think, doesn't it?"

"About how we started it? Yeah." she nodded. "Of course, that's what this anniversary is all about, isn't it?"

He nodded quietly. "Well, I don't want to…"

Before he could finish, there was a tone at his desk to say they had an incoming communication. He pressed the button to open the comm line. "This is Captain Dale," he said.

The person on the other end was Jupap. " _Sir, Colony Security is hailing us._ "

"What for?", he asked.

" _They say something happened in the Medical Plaza. It… it involves Commander Jarod._ "

Robert and Julia exchanged worried looks. 

* * *

The transporter that brought Jarod and his captors to what looked like the inside of a ship was an Alliance model transporter. Which did not narrow down the suspects as well as he might hope, unfortunately, as the subspace tunnelling-style transporter was becoming more and more widespread with every passing month.

The room was full of chairs. One had been prearranged with restraint cuffs built into the arm. Jarod was forced into the chair and restrained with those cuffs by two of his attackers while Miss Parker watched.

"He is still determining how to escape," said the golden-eyed man. "Give me ten minutes with him and I will crush his spirit."

"Jarod's been conditioned to resist torture and abuse," Miss Parker replied. "And the Centre wants him back intact. Which means I want him delivered intact."

Jarod laughed at her. "Do you really think they're going to let you walk away?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'd still like to make an example of me," she said. "But they'll be happy with having you back. Then they'll let my father go."

"Do you really think he's still alive?" Jarod laughed harshly and shook his head. "You should know better."

"I _know_ he's alive," answered Miss Parker. "And if they betray me…" She frowned at the thought, which she clearly wasn't letting herself think about. "That's why I hired these gentlemen. If the Centre kills him, or they try to double-cross me, I have the firepower to make them regret it." There was a cold look to Miss Parker's eyes as she inhaled another drag from her cigarette.

One of Jarod's attackers, the Asian cyborg, left the room. "I would have helped you rescue your father," Jarod said. "If you'd asked."

"Would you have, Jarod?" Miss Parker drew up a chair. She took another drag from her cigarette. "With everything my father was responsible for? What if it meant leaving your dear friends on the _Aurora_?"

"I would have arranged something," he insisted.

For several moments their eyes met, and it was clear Miss Parker was considering the sincerity of his words. During their silence, Jarod felt a steady acceleration through the ship and a sudden lurching feeling that surged and vanished. It was the familiar sensation of entering an interuniversal jump point.

The door slid open again. The cyborg re-entered. His voice was calm when he reported, "Wolff just made the jump. It doesn't look like anyone was the wiser in orbit. We're home free."

"Thank you, Kang." Miss Parker stood up. "Wilton, Y'tala, you'll have the first watch with him. Don't let Jarod out of your sight. In two hours I'll have you relieved."

The Mi'qote woman and the short man in the room nodded.

Miss Parker nodded to the man with the gold eyes, who nodded back and departed with Kang.

"He's a corrupted Gersallian, isn't he?", Jarod asked.

Miss Parker stopped and turned. "You mean he has the same weird magic that the Gersallians go on about? Yes, he does. And I'm paying him almost everything I have left after hiring the others."

"You made a lot of money in a year as a 'security consultant'", he charged.

Miss Parker smirked. "Well, as I told your friend Captain Dale last night… there's a dark side to his precious utopia. And I'm very good at finding things." She took another drag from her cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke. "Enjoy the ride, Jarod. We'll be back home soon enough."

Without another word, she left, leaving Jarod alone with his guards.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Family Matters"_**

* * *

Robert and Julia were met by Sydney at the office building he used in the Medical Plaza. He was accompanied by two men, an African and someone with a tanned bronze complexion. Robert recognized the second man as Luis de Almerda, a Colombian policeman whom they'd found in a FARC camp back in the old days. He was in the uniform of the New Liberty Colony Security Service and was the chief of police for the entire colony. "What happened?"

"Mister Okonwi can explain better," said Almerda.

The African man nodded. When he spoke, the translation systems kicked in for Robert and Julia. "We detected an unscheduled transportation from the premises approximately thirty-eight minutes ago," Okonwi explained. "Officers were dispatched to the scene and found evidence of a struggle in Dr. Sydney's office. We also located the security guard unconscious in a backroom during our search of the premises."

"This was a trap, then." Robert looked to Sydney. "Do you know anything of what happened here?"

"I found a message from Jarod on my device," Sydney explained, "telling me he had almost arrived at the office. Going by the message he believed I had called to meet him here. But I never did."

"Someone lured Commander Jarod into a trap with the false message. Someone aware that he would not be on guard," observed Almerda.

Robert felt a sick feeling in his stomach. The suspect was not too hard to guess. "Miss Parker," he muttered.

"It would make some sense, unfortunately." Sydney shook his head. "Miss Parker was upset in being brought here, and she worries about her father's fate with the Centre. She may have taken Jarod to try and save her father by exchanging him."

"Given what Jarod's told us about these people, I doubt they'll cooperate that well." Robert sighed and clenched his hands into fists. He thought he could actually feel it, feel the emotions Jarod had felt as he was attacked with… overwhelming power?

A cold trickle went up his spine.

Julia noticed the change in his expression. "Are you okay?", she asked.

He looked to her and shook his head. "I feel like there's something… wrong here. Something nasty."

"You are correct."

They all turned. Meridina was walking up to them, wearing the casual robes of her Order. "Commander Meridina," said Almerda. "Thank you for coming."

"You are most welcome. I came as quickly as I could." Meridina looked over the building. "I feel the lingering power even here." A look of deep worry came to her face. "One of the attackers was a _swevyra'kse_."

The term had the familiar root word in Gersallian for Robert's growing knowledge of that language. But he'd never heard of this term before. "A what?"

"A wielder of power from _swevyra_ who has fallen into darkness." Meridina shuddered. "This is what Amaunet turned into when she had control of my body."

"I thought someone like that would be little better than an out-of-control psychopathic killer?", Robert asked.

"That is the eventual end of them all. But some resist quite well, sometimes for years. They are capable of cunning and planning. Some may serve as mercenaries, others put their efforts into growing a personal power base.' Meridina shook her head. "They are not to be underestimated."

"Dammit," Robert breathed. He looked to Almerda. "I can assign officers to assist the investigation, if you'd like."

Almerda nodded and understood. "Of course."

Robert looked to Julia. "I know you're on leave…"

"I'll direct things from here," she said. "We'll look through Miss Parker's things and see if we can find a clue on what her plans are."

"I shall stay and assist," Meridina pledged.

"Keep me informed." Robert sighed. "I'm going to file the official report on what happened." 

* * *

When Robert returned to his quarters, he found Angel waiting for him. And he could feel the angry tension building up within her. "Whatever happens, I want to go," Angel insisted.

"I doubt we'll be launching the rescue mission," Robert said. "I'm not even sure what will happen. The Earth of A4P5 is still on the 'no contact' list."

"We can't just let her get away with this!" Angel clenched her fists. "Dammit, I knew that… that _bitch_ would do something like this. I could see it in her eyes when I saw her the last time."

Robert stopped beside his desk and turned. "What do you mean?"

"After Jarod found her a place to live, he visited her. I went with him." Angel frowned. Her fists were clenching and unclenching over and over. She desperately wanted to hit something. "I even told her that if she did something to Jarod I'd kill her."

Robert sighed. "You would," he noted.

"I want on the mission, Rob," Angel said. "Let me join Julia and Meridina."

"Angel, I don't think I can justify that," he answered. "Two officers is a big enough commitment."

"Dammit, I owe it to him…" Angel crossed her arms. "Rob, please, let me do this. I know people on New Liberty too. And maybe…"

Robert plopped into his desk chair. "Angel… give me a moment."

While she stewed, he thought on it. More accurately, he focused on it, trying to sense what the best course of action was. Whether or not Angel would be needed, if it was best to send her. Hearing her heart beating and his own, hearing the thumps as she paced around his room, was distracting.

Whatever the future was, it wasn't something he could sense. Not this time. He had only his own instinct on the situation, versus the part in his head that said Julia and Meridina were enough for the job.

But his heart said otherwise. Robert sympathized with Angel's sense of responsibility for what happened with Jarod. And what was the harm in giving Julia and Meridina some backup? They weren't going anywhere. So he nodded. "They're probably at Colony Security, going over Miss Parker's things."

A look of relief came to her face. "Thank you," she said. "I'll beam down immediately."

"If they have anything they need computer help with, don't hesitate to call Cat and Lucy," Robert added.

"Of course not." Angel leaned over the side of the desk and gave him a kiss on the lips, which he returned. When their kiss ended after a few seconds, she smiled and said, "We'll find him, don't worry."

"I won't," he promised, and then he watched quietly and with some contemplation on his choice while Angel picked up her bag and went to the door. 

* * *

With nothing much to do and little hope of escape for the moment, Jarod looked at his surroundings. His place of confinement had evidently been built to be the dining area of a vessel. It had been stripped to be turned into his prison, but he could make out the remaining floor braces for heavy kitchen equipment.

As for his captors, one was the the red-furred-and-haired Mi'qote woman with a number of different guns on her main belt and on bands around her upper legs to hold more guns. The Human man beside her was wearing a simple jumpsuit of dark gray and black, with his hair cut close to his head. Quiet, calculating amber eyes were still intent upon Jarod.

"You know I'm an Alliance officer, right?", Jarod asked.

"What of it?", asked the Mi'qote. Y'tala was her name, presumably, given how Miss Parker had spoken. "I'll make my money and sod off to the Unaligned Worlds, same as always."

Wilton, for his part, chuckled. "Pal, I know more boltholes and safe housessafehouses than you can imagine." He was speaking in English, but his accent was unique. "And on Solaris, I'm a drop in the bucket. I do this job and it's back to business as usual for me."

"Are you really so certain of that?", Jarod asked them. "Because if you're…"

He was interrupted by an explosion of pain. Wilton's fist smashed into Jarod's face. It didn't cause much in the way of damage to his body, but it still hurt. "Shut it or I'll get the tape," Wilton declared.

Jarod glared at him and gave no other reply. 

* * *

For most of the Colony, the fall of night had merely heralded the second great run of celebrations, with grand fireworks to be seen and enjoyed by all.

In the Security Headquarters, there was no celebratory mood. It was widely known that Jarod had been one of the "Facility crew", he had been directly involved in rescuing many of the Colony's current citizens - including some of those now with Security - and his abduction rankled them.

Almerda and Okonwi showed Julia, Angel, and Meridina into a meeting room. Bagged belongings were gathered, including personal datapads and a noteputer system. "We've queued the contents of Miss Parker's personal data systems," said Okonwi. With a tap of a button he brought them up.

After several minutes of looking, Julia shook her head. "This all looks legitimate," she said. "Notes and observations on the cases she was helping Security with."

"Perhaps she did not commit any of her plans to electronic data format," mused Meridina. "Although it is interesting how often she accessed the suspicious characters list."

"'Suspicious characters list'?", Angel asked.

"Under Council order, we keep a list of individuals who have come to our attention, either by direct observation, by report from the populace, or reports by other government agencies," explained Almerda. "It gives us a place to start in some investigations."

Okonwi added, "We do not do pre-emptive arrests either."

"I would hope not," murmured Angel.

Julia ignored that comment and continued. "Well, we know she was looking for someone to work with. Maybe she hired people from the list?"

"The issue will be finding out which ones. There are probably dozens, maybe even hundreds, of listed persons that she could have approached." Almerda drew in an irritated sigh. "We'll do what we can, of course."

"Of course." Julia nodded to him and hoped he understood how much his efforts were appreciated.

"I'd like to know if there's a way Miss Parker was in touch with the Centre." Angel looked over one of the noteputers. "I mean, would she go to all of this trouble without having any guarantees?"

"If her goal was to recover her father, perhaps she was willing to take that risk." Meridina looked over another of the noteputers. "We should try to track any vessel they departed on."

"There have been ships coming and going all day," Almerda said. "I will confirm with Traffic Control."

While Meridina and Julia were discussing that with Almerda, Angel was looking over the rest of the evidence. Further along the table, apart from the things found in Miss Parker's home and office, were a few more evidence bags. She looked them over. Most were debris from Jarod's abduction.

But one…

Angel looked to Okonwi, standing nearby. She held up the bag. "You found this on the scene?"

Okonwi looked at her and at the bag. "Yes," he said. "The ash could have come from a number of things."

"Like a cigarette?"

Okonwi considered that. "Possibly."

Angel opened up the baggie and took a sniff. "I recognize this smell," she said.

"You are an expert on cigarette ash?"

"No." Angel shook her head. "But I've smelled it before. Back in the Facility days. Enough that I'll never forget the damned stuff" She looked to Julia and Meridina, who were noticing the conversation now. She offered it to Julia. "Remember?"

Julia took it and sniffed. A frown came to her face. "I think I do."

"It's Cuban," Angel said. "The cigarette was made with Cuban tobacco."

"From which universe, though?", asked Meridina. "Presumably you are looking for a link we can follow from this fact."

"Do we know what Miss Parker's expenditures were like?", Angel asked. "Did she import anything from outside of our universe?"

"I'm not seeing it on these records. But she might have made receipts private."

Angel looked at the ash again. An idea percolated into her head, based off old memories. "Julia, I have an idea," she said softly, softly and lowly that Okonwi couldn't hear from where he was. "I think I know where Miss Parker got her cigarettes."

"Oh? Almerda can probably…"

"No," Angel said. "If we go in with Security, they won't cooperate. But if it's who I think it is, he might just talk to us, personally, without the law involved. But we'll have to go in as civilians, and without our multidevices and sidearms. He won't talk to us if everyone sees we've got Stellar Navy-issue tech."

"A lot of people here would recognize us anyway."

"Not if we go in carefully, without calling attention to ourselves."

"And I can attempt to mentally dissuade recognition," Meridina offered.

Julia frowned pensively over that, They were supposed to be helping Okonwi and Almerda, not hiding things from them. And without their multidevices they had no means of communicating with the _Aurora_ for emergencies. The _Aurora_ wouldn't even be able to track them.

But there was an earnestness in Angel's hazel eyes that Julia couldn't ignore. If it helped them find Jarod faster, they should do it.

"Okay," Julia said. "We'll follow you on this."

* * *

Robert couldn't sleep. Not from nightmares, just from general nervousness and worry and a sense of frustration. Jarod was effectively a member of the family, he had saved their lives, and he had been taken by the same people that Robert and the others swore would never have a chance at him again.

And as things stood, there wasn't a damn thing Robert could do about it. All he could do was hope Julia and the others could find out something they could use to help get Jarod back.

"I shouldn't have laid down early," Robert muttered. He sat back up and crossed his legs. Meridina had shown him this meditative position and explained the value of using it to quiet his mind and self. By clearing his head, he could rest more easily, or be more in tune with the energy within him and its connection to everything else.

The months of training had made it somewhat clear that he lacked the strengths Meridina and Lucy had with this. He wasn't sure he'd ever be capable of bringing a sword to a gunfight and winning. That mostly relieved him, but it did give him a tad bit of disappointment, of feeling inadequate. Meridina had counseled him not to concern himself with those feelings. "The power you wield is meant for you, whatever its comparison to others," she had insisted, and he had accepted.

Gradually he felt like he might yet get to sleep… just to have the comms beep. Lt. Pacetti stated, " _Bridge to Captain Dale. Priority message from Admiral Maran._ "

Robert answered immediately. "I'll get it right now." He went to his desk, put in his code, and accepted the incoming transmission. The dark-haired Gersallian admiral appeared on the screen. Robert thought he looked tense. "Admiral, sir, good to see you."

" _The same, though we have little time for pleasantries. I received your report about Commander Jarod. We'll do what we can to locate him, I assure you. But right now we have another matter._ " Maran's expression was tense, and Robert could tell something big was going on. " _An opportunity has presented itself, Captain, one that we must seize. It may shorten the war._ "

That made Robert pay attention. "Sir?"

" _Ever since the attack on New Austria, the Reich has been dispersing its fleets carefully, ensuring it can respond quickly to another such attack by us_ ," explained Maran. " _This has hobbled them somewhat on the main fronts of the war, but it's prevented us from launching effective raids in their rear areas. But we now have a window of opportunity. The Reich's been forced to adjust after the recent fighting and in their shifting of assets, there will be a small time frame during which we can attack several facilities of strategic importance without risking a confrontation with large numbers of opposing ships. To exploit this attack to the fullest, we're throwing every available ship into the action. That includes your's._ "

Robert swallowed and nodded. If Maran wasn't exaggerating, a large enough attack in Reich rear areas might completely disrupt their front lines. It _would_ shorten the war. "I understand, sir, we'll get underway by your order."

" _You'll be making a rendezvous with the [i]Themistocles_ and her battle group[/i]," Maran said. " _They're gathering in Universe C5O2 as we speak. Coordinates are being transmitted on a subchannel. You must depart immediately, the window is closing steadily and we need literally every minute._ "

"I understand, sir," Robert said. "I'll have our people beamed up from New Liberty immediately." He sighed. "Colony Security should still be able to do what they can for Jarod."

" _I assure you, once this is over I will personally intervene with the President to get approval for his recovery, even if it means sending strike teams to his home Earth. But I need you at that rendezvous immediately, Captain. Command out._ " Maran's image was replaced by a copy of his office seal, a variant on the Presidential one that depicted the Alliance torch insignia on a shining shield.

Robert triggered his comm unit. "Dale to Bridge. All hands to Code Yellow, call up all personnel from New Liberty."

The junior officer didn't ask why. That was good, he wasn't supposed to. " _Ordering the Transporter Stations to begin now, sir_."

"Take the coordinates Admiral Maran sent in the subchannel on his communication, we need to jump there as soon as the drive is spooled."

" _Yes sir._ "

Robert got dressed and replicated some coffee. He had a feeling he would be up for a while. With the coffee in hand he went to the bridge.

When he arrived, Pacetti had vacated the command chair for Locarno, who had arrived before him. "What's going on?", Locarno asked.

"Command's launching a special operation against enemy supply lines," he answered quickly. "We need to jump in the next few minutes just to make the rendezvous, and we have the orders for that. They need every ship." Robert got into his seat. "Have we gotten everyone back?"

"Almost everyone." Locarno returned to the helm. "But the Transporter Stations haven't been able to lock onto Commander Andreys, Commander Meridina, or Lieutenant Delgado."

Robert was confused by that. "What do you mean they can't lock onto them?"

"Their multidevices have been removed," Locarno revealed. "I talked to Chief Almerda and he said they left to pursue a lead on Miss Parker's activities."

"Dammit," Robert grumbled. As much as he wanted the investigation to continue, going into an operation like this without his XO or his Tactical Officer would not look very good, especially if things went wrong. "Is there any way we can track them?"

"Without their multidevices to fix their locations?" At Sensors, Ensign al-Rashad shook her head. "We can't discern their life readings from any others, sir. There are dozens of Gersallians in the Colony."

Robert looked at Locarno. "Lieutenant, we don't have time to wait for them to get in contact with us. For the duration of this operation, you're going to be acting XO."

Locarno nodded. "I understand, sir."

"Jump drive ready, Captain," added Jupap at Operations.

"Jump."

The _Aurora_ generated an interuniversal jump point and flew right into it. 

* * *

Julia and Meridina let Angel give the directions to the cab-driver, who took them from the center of the colony toward its outer fringe. The area they found themselves in was full of modest home and buildings, once storage for colony supplies and now turned into other enterprises.

Angel's address was for one of the smallest of these former storage facilities, which had a sign out front in Spanish. "The Cut Throat?", Julia said, frowning. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Angel went to the door. "This is why I wanted us to ditch the uniforms."

And indeed they had: Angel was in a brown jacket and green-and-white shirt with blue jeans, Julia had opted for a black leather jacket over a red blouse and black trousers. Meridina looked out of place in a matching jacket to Julia's, with a brown shirt underneath and blue pants to match the jacket.

Inside there was a number of small groupings of beings, mostly favoring drinks and muttering quietly with each other. The place had the look of a real dive of a bar, grungy and barely hygienic, the kind of atmosphere Julia would have associated with a biker bar. A low end one.

The man at the bar was heavy set, with a light brown complexion and dark hair. Light brown eyes looked at them with a mix of amusement and wariness. "Ah, my avenging angel," he said. "Come to see me again, eh?"

Angel looked back to Meridina and Julia. "This is Hernan de Corelo. He remembers us more than we'd remember him. He was from our third move on the Cubans."

" _Si_ , yes," Corelo agreed. "I was sweating and starving in that stinking prison until you sprung me."

Angel smirked. "What he's not saying is that he wasn't a political dissident or someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was a black market dealer that the Cubans caught. And he's been putting his experience to work here on New Liberty."

Meridina blinked. "And you know this because?"

"Because two years ago, the Angry Angel here caught me selling," he answered for her. "Told me that if she caught me dealing drugs or weapons she'd tear my arms off and beat me to death with them. And she's one of the few I know who can do it."

"So he learned, after siccing his thugs on me." Angel smiled sweetly. "They don't work thuggery anymore."

"Just business, _amiga_ , just business. I only deal with adult customers, and no weapons or hard drugs."

"I turned him into security, actually," Angel continued. "But Almerda cut him loose. The evidence was skimpy." She approached the bar and leaned over it. "And there were other considerations, weren't there Hernan?"

He could see what she meant. "Since you're here on a special occasion, how about I take you to the back?" Hernan gestured toward a door. A moderately-stout man in a dark suit was standing there quietly.

"It would appear that these kinds of establishments are transcendental among all cultures," Meridina mused philosophically, smiling thinly at Julia.

Julia nodded wordlessly and looked around. She'd always figured there was a dark side to New Liberty, but to go diving into it made her nervous.

Hernan led them to the back area. There were more tables, a larger bar with more liquors on them - including several bottles of bright blue liquid that could only be highly illegal Romulan ale - and a stage.

"Is this a theater, then?"

Hernan smirked back at Meridina. "Of a sort, yes."

Julia was frowning at him. "A sex show. Something like that, right? Because you wouldn't be hiding a strip club."

"That would depend, _Senorita_ ," Hernan said, slipping behind his bar. "Some of the people who live here, they are not very tolerant of the finer pleasures of life, you know? The law may say these things are fine, but they would make trouble. It's better to not make it too obvious, yes?" He looked over to Angel, who was remaining silent but still tense. "So, I hear there was an incident earlier this evening to mar our fine anniversary celebration. I'm betting you're here over that, yes?"

"We are." Angel took a seat at the bar. "I know you've got contacts back home, on our Earth, Hernan. You've been selling Cubans?"

"I have a modest market," he replied.

"Was this woman one of your customers?" Angel held up a picture of Miss Parker.

Hernan studied it. "Hrm. Maybe."

Julia rolled her eyes. "This is when you pull out a roll of bills and start bribing him, isn't it? Jokes about helping him jog his memory?"

Angel chuckled. She gave Hernan a knowing look. "Are we going to be cliche, Hernan?"

"I am being serious," he insisted. "But I do believe I have seen her, yes. She came to me for business."

"Cigarettes?"

Hernan smirked. "Among other things. A very ambitious planner, that woman."

"So we've learned." Julia frowned. "So what else did she want from you besides the means to give herself lung cancer?"

"Contacts. Names. Business arrangements." Hernan smirked. "She knew about my arrangement with Chief Almerda. That _chica_ was cold as ice about it too. Would've ratted me out if I hadn't helped her at a bargain price."

"With?", asked Meridina.

"She was looking for people to hire," Hernan revealed. "And for information about the black market. To tell you the truth, I think she was using me to confirm things. I'm not the best in the Colony on these things, you see, but I've been doing it longer than most. The Mafia, the Bratva, the Orion Syndicate, they all have come through here and there, but I'm the one still here, and anyone who's anyone on this Colony comes here eventually."

"So you're in with all the scumbags," Julia muttered.

"A way of looking at it," Hernan said. "But I've kept my word. No drugs. No kids. No taking our people." He frowned. "Especially that. This is my home too, and nobody messes with my people, _comprende_? We take care of our own."

At that, Angel put two and two together. "So you've been helping Miss Parker make good with Colony Security, feeding her intelligence to help them shut down the nastiest of the organizations and getting the rest to pony up for you and her to leave them alone." She put her arm on the bar. "Is that about right?"

"Always nice to see you've got a brain with those muscles," Hernan replied. "A shame you're wastin' time on a ship, _amiga_ , there are people who would pay big money to see you punch people."

"Heh. So, do you have any idea who she hired?"

Hernan shook his head. "Not my thing. I directed her to some people. Offworlders from other universes."

"And they would be?"

"Bad people, _amiga_. They don't have arrangements with you either. You step into their places, you might not come back out."

"We could get warrants," Julia suggested. "Go in with Colony Security."

Hernan chuckled. "Yeah, and maybe someone in Security is earnin' some spare dinero from them, sends them a little message, you show up and they're gone. Sorry, but you ain't finding out anything from them that directly."

Julia frowned at that. It shouldn't surprise her that even their colony would have corruption. But it rankled regardless.

"I believe we have learned all we can," Meridina noted. "We should return to resume contact with the _Aurora_."

Julia nodded in agreement. She looked to Angel, who slid off the stool. "Thank you, Hernan." She smiled thinly. "Want me to make it look good?"

"I would rather not be punched by you again, Angry Angel," Hernan answered. "But if you ever want to punch people for money, let me know, I'll talk to the organizers."

At that Angel smirked. She turned and followed the others out.

None of them seemed to noticed the hooded, cloaked figure who followed them.


	31. Episode 2-07-2 Family Matters

Jarod had nodded off slightly. When he awoke, his minders had changed. A massive reptilian alien, a Krogan, was now by the door. Nearby, reclining in a chair, was a young woman in a black catsuit that emphasized all of the attractive curves of her very attractive body. Auburn hair was pulled back on her head into a severe bun. At her side was a device that made Jarod think of a cattle prod.

"I don't suppose I could get a bathroom break?", he asked.

The Krogan growled.

"Shush, my dear monster," said the young woman, her voice a lilting accent that Jarod couldn't quite place. She eyed Jarod with eyes that were inhumanly gold, much like the Gersallian from before. A mischievous smirk appeared on her face. "We don't all get what we want, Mister Jarod, or I would have you screaming and begging for mercy by now. Alas, my employer doesn't want you properly broken. I do so miss the chance for playtime, but I must be a professional about these things."

There was a coldness in the air, similar to but not the same as the coldness that radiated from the Gersallian. Between that coldness and the eye color, Jarod could see he was dealing with another powered individual like Meridina and Lucy. "I don't place the accent."

"You wouldn't. Nor would you place this one." The second line was spoken with another strange accent, more gutteral in its sounds. "If you must know, I'm from the universe you call S0T5." She grinned. "I am so enamored with the other universes. To think that Earth still exists in them. I really did quite enjoy the visit to one of the Earths." She frowned. "Alas, the constabulary proved most cross with me. I was only playing with the transients, they really should have thanked me."

"And where are you from specifically?", Jarod asked. He thought back to the materials on S0T5 that he had read. It would explain her strange accents.

"Hush, dear, I musn't tell you, or I would have to kill you in a most wretched manner, and I would thus wind up having to kill my employer. And that simply wouldn't do." She leaned back in her chair. "I suggest you go back to sleep, Mister Jarod. We shan't be much longer, I think."

Jarod went silent. The time wasn't right yet, not with this woman present, nor her hulking Krogan friend. He would have to wait for his opportunity. 

* * *

It was when Julia and the others got back that they found out about the _Aurora_. "He left without us?", Julia asked, horrified. "Then… whatever's going on must be really time-sensitive. I knew we should have brought along our multidevices."

"Hernan would have thrown us out," Angel noted. "Half the room would have recognized Stellar Navy devices."

"And how many recognized us anyway because of who we are?", Julia retorted.

Meridina shook her head. "I suspect Hernan would have been motivated more by those who would not have recognized you."

Almerda sighed upon hearing Hernan's name, but waited until they were done before speaking. "I was wondering if that's who you were going to. If the man wasn't so damned cooperative…"

Meridina, sensing Julia's aggravation, set a calming hand on her shoulder. "It cannot be helped."

"I shouldn't have gone," Julia insisted. "I should be at my post." She looked to them. "We should be at our posts, dammit. They're going into a dangerous situation and we're not there!"

Meridina nodded. "I know, and I understand," she said, her tone gentle and quiet. "But what is done is done, Commander Andreys. You could not have known. Do not let this gnaw at you."

It was clear Julia was not going to feel any better, however. She clenched her fists. "We've got to make the most of this," she said. "We need to find out how Miss Parker left and any clues on what she's doing, then we need to go get Jarod back."

"Thankfully, I've received some help in that department," said Almerda. "Please, follow me."

He led them to a computer lab in Colony Security. At the main station of said lab was a man who looked to be in his thirties, Caucasian with a balding head, wearing a civilian jacket, shirt, and pants. He was busy at work on the computers.

"Broots," Angela said.

The former member of Miss Parker's Jarod-chasing team turned in his chair. "Angela," he said. A soft, friendly smile crossed his face. "It's good to see you again."

She nodded. "Given the situation, at least."

Broots ' friendly smile faded. "Yeah." He shook his head. "I was hoping it was true. That Miss Parker was accepting our new lives here." He turned in his chair. "But she wasn't. And she's been plotting this since last year, going by her records. It took a little doing, and every trick I've learned about your computer systems, but I found hidden data in her personal computer systems. It was masquerading as a system operation file."

"That sounds quite complex," Meridina noted. "Is Miss Parker learned enough in computers to compile such a thing?"

"I doubt it," answered Broots. "I think someone showed her." He tapped a couple of keys and brought up a series of communication logs. "And she's been in contact with the Centre."

"That's not possible." Julia frowned and looked intently at the communication logs. "A4P5 is strictly off limits to us, and we have long-range sensor nets arrayed around the system to prevent anyone from getting there undetected. How could she have done this?"

"If I had to guess, she found a way around it," Broots said. "Starting about four months ago."

"Do we know what they said?", asked Angel.

Broots shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But it's not hard to guess what they were talking about."

"Her father must be alive," Julia said. "Given everything I've heard about her, she can't be dumb enough to do all of this and not be sure of it."

"Knowing the Centre, even if her father's alive, they would have made a hard sell." Broots shuddered involuntarily. "I do not miss working for them."

"They seem quite dark indeed." Meridina moved forward. "Can you tell whom Miss Parker hired to help her? I know she had a _swevyra'kse_ with her."

"A wha…. never mind." Broots started going through the data again.

One by one, images appeared. "It looks like she got most of them from the suspicious persons list," Broots remarked.

Eight images popped up. Most looked Human, with one woman who had eyes hued golden. Julia recognized the odd ones out as a Mi'qote and a Krogan, the former with fiery red fur around the cat-like ears at the top of her head, the latter colored dark green with fiery red eyes.

"I'm putting these people through the records that Colony Security's gotten from the rest of the Multiverse… and these people are bad news." Broots shook his head and read from the list. "Adam Wolff, Universe L2M1, a suspected smuggler and killer with a Rowland Ltd. Light Cargo ship called the _Deadman's Hand_ , suspected stolen. The Krogan is Weyrloc Krel, kicked out of a mercenary group called the Blood Pack for excessive violence and discipline problems. Y'tala is another mercenary known for operating in an area called the Unaligned Worlds in N2S7. There are warrants for her arrest from the Dorei, the Gersallians, and her homeworld Ys'talla. Karl Wilton is from S0T5, a mixed martial-arts fighter who is listed as a bodyguard and mercenary for hire with contacts in the Solarian and Cevaucian underworlds. The woman was known as Denna Reynolds and Una Samson, she's also from S0T5, and is wanted by the Solarians, the Aurigans, the Cascadian Freeworlds, and a couple of other states as a known assassin." Another data point popped up. "And it looks like someone matching her description was involved in a spree of killings on M4P2 Earth. The Systems Alliance has a standing alert listed on the UAS criminal database."

"Christ," Angel swore. "Where the hell did Parker get the money to pay for these people?!"

"I'll look into it," Broots promised. He looked over the last entry. "And the last is for a Gersallian man, Dralan Olati."

Angela blinked and looked to Meridina. "I thought Gersallians didn't have last names?"

"A misconception," Meridina replied. "But they are not commonly used. We use given names and placenames, rarely family names." A pensive look came to her face. "Olati… that is a Kuneli name."

"Kuneli?"

"One of our ethnic groups, from our western hemisphere's tropical island region," replied Meridina. "The Kuneli have maintained a clan-based family structure. The Olati clan are from the island of Wutami and are a leading family. He undoubtedly specifies the name as a badge of pride." Meridina had a frown on her face. "This 'Denna Reynolds' also seems to be a _swevyra'kse_. That would mean two of them. This is most concerning."

"We can't take all of them on," Angel noted. "We'd never stand a chance. We'll need backup."

"That's assuming we can even get to A4P5," Julia noted. "We could be killing our careers or end up imprisoned if we try."

"There is an alternative," Meridina pointed out. "We should take wisdom from our quarry."

"You mean hire people for yourself," Broots said. "I'm not sure with what, though…"

"The right people will not require financial compensation," Meridina said. "And even if we do, the reward for recovering an Alliance officer may suffice."

"I doubt it," Angel grumbled. "But the question is still… where are we going to find people?"

There was silence for a moment. It was broken by a laugh. Everyone turned to face Julia, who continued the laugh for a moment. A wide, brilliant grin was on her face. "We follow Miss Parker's example," Julia said. "Angel, call Hernan. Tell him we're looking for people who can fight. Heavy hitters."

"Do you think we will find someone willing to work with us in that sort of crowd, Julia?", Angel asked, not quite able to eliminate the skepticism from her voice.

"It's a start," Julia answered.

"Indeed," Meridina concurred. 

* * *

It was getting late, and they were all getting tired, when the three women found themselves in an outer commercial area beyond the limits of the initial Colony, still out of uniform. Here the streets, few as they were, were unfamiliar, and Julia felt the hair on her neck stand up at looking over it all. It was profoundly uncomfortable to her to think of how places like this could exist even here, in the Colony they had built for the abused and oppressed.

One such warehouse had an open door on one end. Angel, again, took the lead in approaching the door. A large, sunglass-wearing man looked over them.

"Hernan says hello," Angel said. "I'm his Angry Angel."

"You here to participate?"

"I'm here to find someone," she answered. She held up a bill. Earth Confederacy currency. "Here's the gate for all three of us."

The man frowned and looked over the bill. "Any trouble, and they'll never find you, understand?"

"Understood," Angel replied. She nodded to the others and went inside.

Low voices came from the warehouse as they entered the main part of the building through a hall. Crowds of people, some nicely dressed and some not-so-nicely dressed, were gathered here and there. More men and women in suits glared their way initially before shifting attention away. "They are quite suspicious of us," Meridina noted. "Our identities are known."

"Then don't cause problems," Angel said.

"They're just here to make money, right? Killing us would ruin that."

"So let's not give them a reason to think they should make the attempt." Angel checked her civilian-make multidevice, provided by Hernan with a few names on it. "Hernan's sure our guy is here. A real badass of a mercenary. Keep looking."

As they moved around, in the rough direction of what looked like a betting table, an MC got into the center ring. "And now for our next card!", the man, a Korean man with a decent English accent, declared. Julia ignored him announcing one fighter, a man with a Central Asian-sounding name, and kept looking for their contact.

Nevertheless she was interested to hear the name of the second contestant, dubbed "the Blind Raptor", as an alien sounding name: Kasszas S'szrishin. She glanced back, wondering what species it was, to see that the bronze-skinned human stripped down to boxing shorts was facing a six and a half foot tall feathered reptilian humanoid, lime green scales on his lean raptor-shaped head joined with red and yellow feathers. The reptilian wore a robe-like garment of faint yellow and dark gray. His eyes were dull and unmoving, as if he wasn't seeing what was in front of him as the crowd cheered or booed his name.

"Julia, he's over here."

Angel calling out to her diverted Julia's attention. She turned to face an area beside the makeshift gambling kiosk. A man in a dark brown shirt and black trousers was leaning against the side of the kiosk, looking at the fight. His eyes were not matched; the left one was normal and brown, but the right one looked off-center and had a grayish, almost white coloring to it. His face was worn with age - he was rather clearly middle-aged, at least - and gruff, which was not surprising given what Hernan said about him. And it was, indeed, the face of the man that Hernan had proposed to Angel when asked.

Since she had the superior rank, Julia stepped past Angel and up to the man. "Are you…?"

The older man put a finger to his mouth in a "silence" gesture. "Not now, girl, the match is startin', and I put credits on this one," he said. He had an English accent and a rough tone.

Julia frowned, but she didn't continue for the moment. No use aggravating the man when she was coming for his help. She turned her head to watch the fight.

The Human fighter was tall, large, and muscled. He looked and moved like an MMA fighter, and Julia admired the skill he showed in the martial arts with his movements.

But what she was surprised at was his foe. The Zigonian was clearly blind, but yet the Human couldn't land a single strike on him. Kicks and punches were dodged with deft, agile moves in all directions. The Zigonian nearly slid across the ring in avoiding the man's strikes, punches and kicks and grabs that Julia would never have evaded, even if she'd seen them coming. Nearby people were screaming in frustration at the Human, demanding he land a punch, that he do anything to end the fight with a victory (for both himself and for their wallets).

The misses were making the other fighter frustrated and angry. His attacks were losing the grace and poise Julia had seen before. He was wasting energy in increasingly wild strikes, losing his posture, becoming so easy to read that Julia would have put him on his back by now.

Suddenly he fell. The Zigonian hadn't raised an arm or leg to strike him. It was like he had his legs knocked out from under him… Julia "ahhed". Of course. The Zigonian had a _tail_.

The fighter went to stand up. The Zigonian's foot struck his shoulder and knocked him back over. The Zigonian stood over him and then kneeled to pin the Human in place. The Human struggled, flailed, and then gave up upon seeing he couldn't move or harm his foe.

"The Blind Raptor wins again!", the MC declared.

People nearby threw strips of paper to the floor in disgust, grumbling and growling. The man they'd approached broke out laughing. "Serves you jackasses right," he crowed. "You see someone callin' themselves blind gettin' into a fight, you know they've got somethin' to them!"

The people he shouted at growled further, but none dared approach. And not just from the bouncers that would stop them. Julia could see the killer instinct in the man. He was dangerous, just as Hernan had said.

"Now, girl, you were sayin' something?", the man asked her.

Julia nodded. "You're Zaaed Massani, right?"

That got her a smirk and a look. "Who's askin'?"

"I'm Julia Andreys. I'm with the Stellar Navy."

"So, you God-amned people are finally gettin' around to considerin' my offer?", Zaeed asked. "Because I'm just about ready to head back home. Gettin' tired of this pissant little place."

Julia frowned at that description of the Colony. But she was more interested in what he had said. "What offer?"

Zaeed eyed her over. "Ah dammit," he growled. "So you're not here to talk about my contract offer? It was that little jackass Corelo, wasn't it? Sendin' me another shitty little job that I'm not interested in. No, sweetheart, I'm not here to do bounty huntin', not unless they've got swastikas."

"You came to fight the Nazis?", Angel asked.

"Damned right," Zaeed said. "Hell of a thing, havin' a universe with damned Nazis around. Beats blowing up more bastards in the Terminus Systems, and I figured you people would be payin' good credits. A man's got to eat, after all, even if he's blowin' up God-amned Nazis. But all I bloody hear is shit about God-amned regulations for private military contractors, 'where's your license', and all that shit. I told that little rat Corelo that I was only interested in people who could light a fire under your Alliance arses, and he sends me this?"

"Mister Massani, who else wanted to hire you?", asked Meridina.

"Some broad, long dark hair, name of Parker," Zaeed said. "Said she had a bounty. But I'm not an idiot. I'm a bounty hunter, not some God-amned kidnapper. I told her to take a hike."

"Well, that's a coincidence," Angel said. "Because she's the one we're here about."

Zaeed chuckled. "Ah, she got her team and what, took a friend? Well…" He crossed his arms. "What can you pay? Because it'd better be worth my God-amned time." Around them the crowd was cheering again. Another fight was underway.

"How much are you looking for?", Julia asked.

Zaeed eyed her. And then he shook his head. "Forget it. You ask that instead of offerin' something, I know you don't have it. Piss off."

"We can offer you something better than credits," Angel insisted, stepping up as if to cut him off.

There was steel and irritation in Zaeed's working eye when he looked her way. "I know you probably think you're hot shit, but I've been fightin' since you were in diapers, girlie. Move away or I'll make you move."

Julia stepped up and back into Zaeed's sight. "You say you want a contract with the Alliance for the war. I can get you that."

Zaeed laughed in Julia's face. "You're shittin' me, girl. What are you, some hotshot lieutenant lookin' to impress an admiral without havin' to blow him?"

At that Julia drew closer, matching him eye for steely eye. "I'm not," she said, in a low and forceful tone. "Because I'm _Commander_ Julia Andreys, First Officer of the _Starship Aurora_ , under the direct and _personal_ command of President Morgan and the Chairman of his Defense Staff. I can present your case to Admiral Maran himself with a single call."

Zaeed narrowed his good eye. He didn't flinch away.

Neither did Julia.

"Well," he finally said. "I'll be damned. Looks like I finally got someone's bloody attention." He looked to the others. "So, we're after this Parker lady. Who'd she take?"

"She hired mercenaries like you," Angel said, "and abducted our shipmate."

"Commander Jarod is the Operations Officer on our ship," Julia added. "I'm sure helping with his recovery will go a long way when I talk to Admiral Maran about you."

Zaeed pondered that. "I knew that lady was God-amned trouble," he growled. "Alright. What's your plan? And why do you need me? You've got a ship, and so you've got bloody Marines on it."

"Our ship's been called away on a time-sensitive mission," Julia replied. "We got left behind because we were out of communication. So we're putting together a rescue mission of our own."

"And you're lookin' for professionals to fight Parker's team, right?" Zaeed pondered it for a moment. "Alright, what the hell, I'm bored stiff anyway. I do this job, you present me to Admiral Maran."

"Done," Julia vowed. "I'll personally escort you to Defense Command if I have to."

"I'll bloody well hold you to that, Commander," Zaeed answered. "Got transportation?"

"I've got thoughts on that," she replied. "People I know."

Zaeed nodded. He brought up his left arm. An omnitool came to life, wrapping around the space between the elbow and wrist like a multidevice was. Angel raised her civilian-model multidevice toward him as Zaeed operated the hard-light controls that popped up. "This is my call number," he said. "I'll be back at my rooms, gearin' up. Let me know when and where to meet your ship." Once the data was transferred, he lowered his arm and the omnitool disappeared. "Now excuse me, I've got some credits to collect."

Zaeed walked away from them. "A rather formidable individual," said Meridina. "There is rage burning deep within him that may yet lead him astray."

"Right now, that's not our problem," Julia said. "Let's go."

The next fight was still raging as they went to leave. They walked back into the hall leading to the front door. Only as they got close to it did they watch another guard step out from what looked like the cash office. The hall was narrow enough that he was blocking the exit.

Julia's eyes narrowed. She glanced back and saw that two more of the guards were blocking the hall in the other direction.

"It would appear that they want something," Meridina said.

Another figure stepped out from the cash office, better dressed than the guards flanking him. He was Human-looking, but with dark eyes that were not normal for Humans. _Betazoid_ , Julia thought.

"Commander Andreys," the man said. "A surprise to find such an august presence here."

"And you are?", Julia asked.

"A businessman," was the reply. "I admit I was stunned when I was informed of your conversation with the mercenary. To think you would come here, to my humble little fighting ring?"

Not having time to stretch it out, Julia asked, "Why aren't you letting us leave?"

"As I said, I'm a businessman. And I can imagine how much someone of your rank is worth. As ransom… or not, as the case may be." He smirked. "I've heard there are certain… parties in S4W8 who would pay a Brikar's weight in gold-pressed latinum to get their hands on any member of the _Aurora_ crew. Three of you? Even better."

"They'll tear this place down hunting for us," Angel said. "And I know people who'll kill every Syndicate man on the planet if you try this."

"The Syndicate isn't afraid of a few black marketeers on a two-bit planet, young lady. Now, if you make it worth my while to let you go, perhaps some business arrangements of benefit to…"

Before he could finish speaking there was a shout from behind him. The sounds of flesh being struck, a cry of pain, made it clear someone was being attacked.

Meridina acted next. She extended a hand to the rear and a wave of force slammed into the bodyguards behind them, sending them flying. She reached into her pants belt and pulled out her hidden _lakesh_ , which extended to full length with a sharp metallic shriek. "I will watch from behind!", she shouted.

Angel and Julia dashed forward. The guards to either side of the Syndicate manager moved ahead of him to intercept. One was an Andorian, one of the masculine genders, and the other was a solid-looking Human. They braced themselves for a fight.

Angel attacked first, taking on the Andorian with a low tackle. There was no style to her follow up punch that knocked the Andorian out cold.

The Human snarled at Julia and threw a punch that nearly connected. She pulled to her left at the last moment to avoid it and grabbed the arm in question. The move she used was based on the _mok'bara_ Worf had taught her and Angel during his time on the _Aurora_ , a sequence of muscle movement and weight shifting that allowed her to pull her attacker's arm behind his back and twist until he screamed and went to his knees. Julia kept the pressure up until Angel helpfully punched him across the face and knocked him out.

Pain surged through her head a moment later. Julia screamed, as did Angel, and both put their hands to their temples. _The Betazoid!_ , was the thought that came through the pain.

 _Yes. Now…_

The pain let up, joined by another cry of surprise and pain as something wrapped across the Betazoid's head. He fell over, losing consciousness as he collapsed. Julia and Angel looked to the cloaked figure that stood behind their foe, a large metallic staff in his hand. "This way," he urged in good English, running toward the door.

Behind them the whine of an energy weapon was joined by a cry. Someone had tried to shoot Meridina with a phaser and had the beam directed into his shoulder. Within the warehouse cries of shock and surprise came. People heard the fighting and now heard the gunfire. They would be stampeding for the exit any moment.

"Meridina, come on!", Julia shouted, Angel already running ahead with their rescuer. She delivered a solid punch that put the troublesome door guard out completely, ensuring nobody blocked them.

"Go!", she shouted, deflecting another energy shot at her, this one more of a pulse and from a pistol. "I will follow if I can."

Before Julia could insist, a figure loomed behind the Syndicate bouncers shooting at Meridina. The figure twisted and a flash of green color slammed into the side of one of the bouncers, knocking him into the other.

It took Julia a moment to process what that flash came from. It had come from a tail.

The blind Zigonian who had been fighting in the ring entered the hall. "Go", he said firmly. "I am behind you." He resumed running. Meridina joined him.

Nearby was an aircar, or rather an air-van, with four seats in the back. Their rescuer ran for the driver side and Julia went for the same side, with Angel already getting in the front seat on the passenger side. Meridina retracted the _lakesh_ blade and followed Julia in, prompting her to move over to sit behind Angel. The blind Zigonian found his way into the back door and climbed into the rear.

A crowd of people started rushing out of the front door. The suited bouncers were with them, and they were reaching for weapons.

"Go, go!", Julia urged. The hooded, cloaked figure's hand was already reaching for the wheel. The van tilted toward one side from the weight. The Zigonian used his tail to close the rear door just as a phaser beam scoured it. The van lurched toward one side until its hovering systems compensated for the acceleration and curve, returning to a flat and level bearing by the time they were racing down the road.

"I'm so going to slap Hernan for this," Angel growled.

"I do not think Mister Corelo knew of the danger," the hooded man said. His voice and tone were reserved, quiet, and he seemed very calm for the situation. "Are you hurt?"

"My head's still ringing from that telepathic attack," Angel groaned.

"Mine too." Julia rubbed at her forehead. "He was really going to try and abduct and sell us?"

"Damned slaver," Angel spat. "I wish I'd broken his neck before we left."

"Given the damage he has done to the Syndicate's standing here, I do not think that would prove necessary," the hooded man said.

Julia nodded and looked back to the Zigonian. "Thank you," she said.

"Thanks are not necessary," he said softly in reply. His blind eyes continued to stare at nothingness. "Creation guides us to where we are meant to be, and so I was guided to you." His head nodded. "I am Kasszas S'szrishin and I am a Brother of the Harmonious Val-Drillim."

"Commander Julia Andreys," Julia answered. "Commander Meridina, Lieutenant Angela Delgado."

Meridina bowed her head in respect to Kasszas. She turned to the driver. "You followed us when we left Hernan de Corelo's establishment earlier this evening."

"I believed you would run into danger eventually," the man answered. "It seemed proper to help you."

"Why?", Angel asked.

"Because it was, and still is, the right thing to do. Allow me to remove my hood now, as a gesture of trust." With a free hand he pulled the hood away.

It had seemed high before to Julia, and she realized why upon seeing the bone wrapping around the crown of his head and pointing up toward the rear. "You're a Minbari," she said. She tried to place the bone's appearance and what she knew of what that marked with Minbari. "And born in the religious caste?"

"Yes, Commander Andreys." He nodded. "My name is Lennier. And I wish to help you save your friend." 

* * *

Jarod awoke with the jolt that went through the ship. Nearby his bodyguard, the Asian man with the cybernetics, was sitting quietly. "Turbulence," he said simply. "We're making our way into the atmosphere."

"And lighting up every radar in the hemisphere," Jarod said.

"The ship's got stealth capability," was the reply. "Not that it matters to you."

Jarod tested his restraints again. They were still firm. "How much did she offer you to become a fugitive?"

"That's between me and her." The visor on his face hid his eyes when he turned to face Jarod. "If you ask me, I don't give a damn if you turn around and escape from these people. Just don't do it until we leave. Otherwise, we'll be forced to cripple you, and that'd just be a waste."

"I'll take that under advisement," Jarod replied.

He waited patiently while the turbulence came to an end. Shortly thereafter there was a vibration in the deck plates; they'd landed.

The door slid open moments later. Miss Parker stepped in with the Gersallian man and the Krogan. "It's time," she said.

"You're just going to hand me over to the Centre in exchange for your father?", Jarod asked.

"You're the genius, Jarod, so what do you think?" She nodded to the latter, who with a growl and grunt stepped forward and bodily lifted the chair and Jarod with it. It was a tight fit getting out of the door, with the Krogan growling the whole way about it, from which they walked down what Jarod figured was the main hall of the ship. It certainly appeared to be a cargo vessel.

The rest of Parker's team, save the unseen pilot of the ship, joined them in the cargo bay. A ramp opened up, leading to a cool autumn night. The ship had landed on a private airway stsrip. Jarod looked over the property they were on. It was somewhere in the Cascades, on the inland side in what Washingtonians called "the Inland Empire". The mountains were already blocking the setting sun, casting shadows over everything. It was probably miles to the nearest town.

The structure was a squat, one storey building of concrete and brick. It looked like a small office building, or a station for park rangers. It might have even been the latter at one point. But knowing the Centre, it had been heavily refurbished, perhaps even with an underground level or two (or three, or even four).

Several figures were between them and the structure. Most were in dark suits holding firearms. One was standing behind a wheelchair, in which sat a sickly, balding man that Jarod readily, and unhappily, recognized as Mister Raines.

Another was a man of bronze coloration and Caucasian facial features. He had dark hair and a dark beard, both streaked with white, and cold gray eyes. His suit was the best of those present and his air was that of the man in charge. "Ah, Miss Parker," he said, with an English accent that was refined and hinted at an Arabic origin of the speaker. "So good of you to join us. I was beginning to worry."

"I'm not here to say hello," she said. "Let me see him."

The suited man nodded to someone behind him. Two men stepped up carrying a video monitor. The screen showed a barely-furnished room, more of a prison cell, in which sat an older balding man with a frumpled suit.

"Daddy," Miss Parker breathed.

The figure looked over and up at a screen. " _Angel_ ," the old balding man said. A smile crossed his face. " _I knew you'd come back for me._ "

"Did they hurt you?", she asked.

" _Not much, and that doesn't matter._ "

Miss Parker nodded. And then she glared toward Raines and the suited man. "This wasn't the deal."

"Maybe not, but there's no telling what your people are capable of." The man kept a diplomatic smile. "Understand our point of view, Miss Parker. Last year Jarod and these allies of his came and penetrated the security of the Centre. Mister Lyle told us of what he was capable of in his debriefing, as did our security teams at headquarters who personally witnessed as one of Jarod's associates disappeared in a flash of light. If we brought your father here and confirmed his location to you, you could just as easily snatch him away and leave us holding the bag. And we can't have that, can we?"

Miss Parker frowned. "I suppose I can see the logic," she said. "But you could have shared that with me while we made the deal."

"It was something of a last minute consideration, I assure you," the suited man said, and with just enough conviction that one could almost think he was telling the truth. "I suppose we were so eager to get Jarod back that we failed to properly consider the situation. I assure you, returning your father to you is my honest intention. The Centre has nothing to gain by needlessly antagonizing people with your evident resources. It pains me that you felt it necessary to bring so many interlopers as it is."

"I've found trust is in short supply when it comes to certain people," Parker answered, leveling her eyes squarely on Raines.

"That goes both ways." The sick, vicious old man returned the glare. "I could ask why she brought these people, these _things_." Raines looked to the Krogan, who growled in reply. "I think it was so you could take your father by force."

"Only if you make me," she insisted. "Stick to the deal and you've got nothing to worry about."

 _I'll kill the one in the wheelchair for free_ , a voice said in her head. It was Dralan, of course.

"This can still work, Miss Parker," the suited man insisted. "Your father can be brought to you swiftly. We only need you to cooperate for a little while. Would you hear me out?"

For several tense seconds there was silence. "I'm listening," answered Miss Parker, finally breaking that tension.

"Bring some of your team and enter with us," he said. "Witness while we begin Jarod's debriefing. Once we have completed his debriefing, you walk out with your father. We're guaranteed something for our trouble and you have done your duty as a loyal daughter, free to leave with Mister Parker with the blessing of the Triumvirate. And thus everyone's happy."

Miss Parker frowned. She didn't trust them, and that was quite obvious to everyone. But running the situation in her mind, it was the best solution that didn't risk her father being executed before she could intervene. "Agreed," she said. "But let me make something clear." She used her other hand to bring up her multidevice and tapped the call button. "Wolff? Show them your surprise."

" _With pleasure_ ", replied a man with a strong voice, his accent from the English Midlands.

There was a whirring sound coming from the cargo ship. A false panel slid away and a flat, wide muzzle emerged from it and pointed toward the building. "That's a 200 megawatt plasma cannon," Parker said. "If you betray me, everything here gets atomized. And then Mister Wolff moves on to the rest of the Centre with any of my people left, understand?"

Raines frowned deeply. His superior, however, merely smiled as if he was pleased by Miss Parker's threat. "I'd expect nothing less of the daughter of Mister Parker," he said evenly. "It is a shame you have decided not to remain with the Centre."

"I've had my fill of it."

She looked to her team. "You know what to do."

The Krogan put Jarod down. Miss Parker pulled her gun as Denna unlatched Jarod, winking at him in the process as if to flirt and then putting a pair of shock cuffs on his wrists. The auburn-haired woman's golden eyes flashed with malicious pleasure as she stroked the key on the small remote control in her palm, sending a low level shock that made Jarod gasp from the pain, mostly in surprise at how intense it was.

As this was going on, Miss Parker listened to Wolff over the radio. " _Sorry, luv, but I couldn't get a fix on his location. They're usin' a tight beam signal bouncin' off of satellites. Clever little buggers, aren't they?_ "

"I was expecting that," she said, or rather whispered, so bare a whisper that only Jarod heard her. But it would be picked up by her transmitter regardless, and thus Wolff heard her too.

Miss Parker held the gun to Jarod and motioned toward the men from the Centre. "After you."

The suited man nodded and turned. Mr. Raines' assistant turned his chair. The other armed men remained long enough to cover them before joining the Centre contingent.

"You have excited his curiosity," mumbled Dralan. "He may attempt treachery. And the sick man desires it."

"That's to be expected." Miss Parker narrowed her eyes. "Did you sense anything about who he is?"

"They think of him as 'His Lordship.'"

"He's British," Jarod noted. "And he might have a peerage."

Miss Parker quickly put two and two together. "He's one of the Triumvirate, then." She smirked at Jarod. "You should feel honored."

"Oh, so honored," he responded sarcastically. He turned his head to face Parker. "If you had brought me in on this, I could have gotten your father out by now."

"Maybe, maybe not. Now _move_ , or I'll have Dralan move you."

Jarod sighed and started walking. 

* * *

Inside the building they were brought to a flight of stairs that led underground. "Another underground base," Jarod sighed. "How shocking."

"You should be honored, Mister Jarod," said the suited man. "We built it for you. If you hadn't run, you would have found this place a kind and loving home. Alas, it was not to be."

Jarod said nothing while they went down sterile officer corridors, although there was no mistaking the purpose of the heavy steel security doors with electronic locks. They went to one and opened it. "We don't need him cuffed here," the suited man said to Miss Parker.

Parker nodded and looked wordlessly to Y'tala. The Mi'qote woman nodded back and took out the device to unlock the shock cuffs. She did so without comment, putting them back on her belt.

At this point Jarod was taken by the security men for the Centre, who pulled him inside and then shut the door. Paper and pen were laid out before him, as was a computer system loaded with advanced modeling software.

"This doesn't look like it's meant for a simulation," Jarod said, looking toward the guards.

"That's because we've got something new for you to do, Jarod."

The voice was familiar, and it made Jarod frown deeply. He turned toward a darkened corner of the room, a room evidently more large than he'd realized.

Overhead lights snapped on. Standing on the other side of the room was Mr. Lyle.

And on either side of him were two wooden chairs, each with a figure strapped into it by wire. One chair held a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, perhaps just at thirty, and the other a man now clearly into his late fifties or even sixties, both Caucasian in complexion. The man was in a pair of trousers but otherwise barechested - the brown-haired woman was in a pair of running shorts and a sports bra, scuffed from a struggle. They had duct tape covering their mouths, keeping them from speaking.

Jarod's heart threatened to plunge into his twisting stomach. "Dad," he muttered. "Emily."

Mr. Lyle effected a wipe at his cheek as if to deal with a tear. "I'm so moved by family reunions," he said with full glibness. "They gave us a run, Jarod. You'd be proud. Catching them was a nice little distraction while we waited for you to be brought back." Lyle leaned over Emily. His hand stroked at her cheek and a strand of disheveled hair there. She recoiled from him. Her face was twisted into defiance and fear and anger, joined by the worry in her eyes when she looked at Jarod. "We're still looking for your precious mother," Lyle confirmed. "Although it wouldn't shock me if she's dead by now. But with your dear old Dad and your precious baby sister here, I think we have enough to work with, don't you?"

Jarod clenched his fists. "If you harm them, Lyle, I'll…"

"...watch helplessly, because you're not the one in control here, Jarod. _I_ am." Lyle chuckled, and the chuckle was the kind you'd expect from a man on the cusp of losing control. Even the other guards in the room shifted uncomfortably, but they remained in a position to intercept Jarod if he tried to lunge toward Lyle. "I had so many _fun_ plans for your debriefing, Jarod. A little _taste_ of what I've gone through thanks to you. But His Lordship made it clear; the Centre wants you unspoiled. He's a bit of a prig, between you and me. I had so many ideas… _so many_..." Lyle again ran his hand along Emily's face, causing her to try and pull away in disgust. "...and he said no. Anyway, moving on, because time is money you know." Lyle went into a corner of the room and brought over a device set on wheels. Jarod swallowed at seeing what it was, and knew what Lyle was doing as he pulled leads from the machine and fixed them with clear tape to the bare arms, shoulders, and bellies of his bound captives. "Nothing near the heart, of course," Lyle cooed. "We wouldn't want to give them a heart attack, would we?"

"What are you doing?", Jarod asked in a low, dangerous tone.

"For a genius, you can be slow on the uptake," Lyle laughed. "Here's how it is, Jarod." He plopped into a chair facing Jarod, with the controls of the device in front of him and behind Emily and Charles. "The Centre doesn't care about your simulations now. Oh, maybe one day they will, but they've got more important things to do with you. They want your _technology_. Everything you showed us you can do is something the Centre wants for itself now, and you are going to give it to us. We want you to write out the science, the plans, everything so we can produce this stuff." Lyle held up a hand. "And yes, I'm sure you're about to say you'll never give it to us, the Centre can't have it, blah blah blah, but that's where your family comes in. Because if you don't start cooperating _right now_..."

Jarod shouted "No!" as Lyle's hand went to the dial.

The machine buzzed faintly. His sister and father started to tremor violently in the chairs they were bound to, muffled screams coming from underneath the tape covering their mouths. Their faces twisted into a rictus of savage agony.

" _ **Stop!**_ ", Jarod shouted in desperation.

Lyle grinned devilishly. "I don't see you _writing_...", he said in a sing-song tone.

Wordlessly Jarod grabbed a pen and took a paper to start scribbling. He started with something basic, something that wasn't too dangerous to write about, by laying out the foundations of subspace theory. He glanced up while he scribbled furiously.

Lyle watched him write for several more seconds before turning the dial back to the off position. Emily and Charles were left wheezing, with tears flowing from their eyes.

As Jarod continued to write, his mind raced. He counted the hours since his abduction and considered how long it might have taken before it was detected, and how long for an investigation to confirm Miss Parker was responsible and that he'd been brought here. After that, how long before the President would approve a rescue mission into the exclusion zone around Earth...

Which, in turn, would tell him how long he had to stall Lyle before the _Aurora_ crew arrived to rescue him.


	32. Episode 2-07-3 Family Matters

Chief Almerda accepted the report of the fight club with exasperation. "We have had intelligence of the Syndicate establishing a business operation on New Liberty," he sighed. "How they manage to do so without direct Orion commercial traffic is beyond me."

"I'm sure you're not the only police chief wondering the same," Julia said. She stood with Meridina in Almerda's office while Angel remained with the others.

"And hiring this mercenary, this Zaeed Massani… are you sure that's wise?"

"Given the scale of the threat Miss Parker's team poses, it is reasonable."

A concerned look was on Detective Okonwi's face at that. "I still find it hard to believe she raised the funds to hire such individuals. She was not paid that much as a consultant, and even if she had business arrangements with Corelo, he does not move that much money. I doubt anyone does even in a black market economy, not with the size of our Colony. She must have outside help of some sort."

"I'm afraid I have no answers." This was from Sydney, who had joined them when they returned to Colony Security. His face was withdrawn and stony. "I don't know of anyone who could have assisted Miss Parker financially."

"Whatever happened, our next move is clear. We need a ship."

"I cannot help you in that regard," Almerda said. "Even if I had one, it would violate the Alliance statues to travel to A4P5, and the Colony would be blamed."

"I know. I already have some ideas in that direction," Julia said. "I just wanted to touch base with you one last time before we left. In case anything else was found." She smirked. "And to get our multidevices back." She subconsciously ran her right had over the device returned to her left wrist.

"Of course." Almerda smiled back. "And we will conveniently forget that you stated an intention to violate the exclusion zone around A4P5 Earth."

"Why, sir, whatever do you mean by such a thing?," Julia answered in faux-disbelief, injecting such much-needed levity into the situation. "Hopefully I'll see you again soon enough."

"Go with God," was his reply. Okonwi gave a nod of agreement.

After they left the office and were walking through the halls of the building, Meridina spoke up. "I have two points of concern to address."

"Shoot," Julia replied.

"The first is transportation. Do you have any in mind?"

"I already have a candidate, you might say," Julia said. "Although with our new friends, it might get a bit cramped."

"I see." Meridina nodded. "Not a runabout then?"

"Much smaller than one, I'm afraid."

"I think I see your intention. Hopefully Commander Adama will be able to change his traveling plans. I am somewhat intrigued that you seem ready to trust him on this endeavor, though, I do not recall you two being so cl…" Meridina stopped at sensing the very stray, much-unintended thought that crossed Julia's mind. She gave Julia a curious look. "Truly?"

"What?", Julia asked.

"You and Commander Adama…"

Pink appeared on Julia's cheeks. "We understand each other, let's leave it at that?"

"I see." Meridina nodded. "I believe I understand. I am happy that you found necessary companionship."

"That might be putting it a bit far..." Julia turned a corner, followed by Meridina. They were approaching the main entrance of Colony Security. "And the second thing you were concerned with?"

"Miss Parker has availed herself of the services of two _swevyra'kse_ ," Meridina pointed out. "That is, those with my abilities, but who have fallen to their dark sides. I am unaware of their levels of skill and power, but I am uncertain of my ability to protect you from both."

"So what you're saying is that we need another one of your fellow Knights," Julia said.

"Or someone of similar training. There are several Dorei orders who train much as we do, they may also help."

"We'll talk about it when we get back to the others," Julia said, just as they emerged from the door.

"Wait!"

The voice caused them to turn back just outside the door, which remained open. Behind them came Sydney, winded from the near-jog he had sustained to catch up. "I… would like to go," he said.

"I appreciate the thought, Sydney, but this is going to be dangerous."

"I know. But I want to be there for Jarod." Sydney took a moment to fully regain his breath, and to work up his composure in the process. "Please."

Meridina gave Julia a look. "This may for the best."

"I don't know if there will be room in the Raptor for all of us," she replied. "Even with one of us acting as co-pilot."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not, but we should at least let him have the chance to go."

Julia pondered that. "Is this one of those 'life force' hunches like Robert gets?"

Meridina raised an eyebrow at that terminology. "I suppose it could be said to be such."

"Well." Julia let out a sigh. "Alright. If we have the room, you can come, Doctor Sydney."

The aged man nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, Commander. I will assist you in any way I can."

"Let's go meet back up with the others," Julia said. "I need to see someone about a ship." 

* * *

They found Lee Adama in the dining area of the New Liberty Visitors' Lodge, sitting with Thrace and Anders. "We heard about Commander Jarod," Lee said. "How can we help?"

Julia, Angel, and Meridina were sitting opposite from them. Lennier was off with the van and Kasszas had returned to his own room in the lodge to get things he said he needed. "We need a ship," Julia said immediately. "A way to get to Earth. Getting someone to give us a jump to A4P5 is the easy part, the hard part is a ship that can make the trip."

"You want to use the Raptor," Thrace said.

"Preferably with you along as the pilot," Julia added.

Thrace looked to Lee. "I'm all for it if you say go," she said. "It'll be cramped, especially if you're bringing extra people. Plus there's the other matter."

"Other matter?", Angel asked.

"Fuel," Lee explained. "Your people don't mine or refine tylium. And the Raptor only has enough fuel left for a couple of jumps at most. That was all we would have needed for the final trip home."

Angel frowned at that. "So basically, if we have to make more than one jump either way, we're boned."

 _You just_ had _to use that word, didn't you?_ , Julia thought to herself. She could see a little twinkle in Lee's eye that she knew was mirrored in her own. As much as it had been a one night stand… it was the type that could easily become something more if allowed to develop. Which, of course, was the tricky part, since Julia wasn't entirely sure she wanted something like that, and she didn't think Lee was either..

"Yep," Thrace said, her voice returning Julia to the matter at hand. "Unless you know of any refined tylium we can top the tank off from."

"I'm afraid not," sighed Julia.

"Now if you find us a ship to ride on, that's do-able." Thrace looked again to Lee. "If the Commander agrees."

Lee smiled at that. "Commander Jarod helped get our people off the Colonies," he said. "I think Admiral Adama and President Baltar will agree that he deserves our help. I'll ask Miss Davis to join me in finding passage on another ship. You take the Raptor and help them in any way you can."

"I'm going too," Anders said. "To give you backup."

"If we can all fit in the Raptor… the more, the merrier," Julia agreed.

"So long as we're not going far, I think we can jam quite a few people in." Thrace sipped at her drink. "Now the question is… can you get us a ship?"

"A ship willing to breach the A4P5 perimeter," Angel added sullenly.

"I'll think of something," Julia said. "Let's get to the spaceport."

They stood up to leave, and were doing so when Lee called out to Julia, prompting her to come back to him. "Good luck," he said. "And…"

"Last night was last night," she answered. And she did so with a smile. "It was special. And it was good. Don't doubt that."

"Yeah." He nodded, smiling back. "Do you mind…"

It was clear what he was asking for. "For good luck? Sure."

They leaned in close and their lips met. The kiss had been intended to be a quick one, but it turned into one that lasted for several seconds before she ended it. "It's a shame you'll be gone by the time we're back," Julia lamented with a sigh. "I've still got a few days of leave."

"Maybe we'll catch each other another time?" There was a bit, quite a bit, of hope in that sentence.

"Maybe." Julia held his hand for a moment. "Have a safe trip home, Lee."

"Good luck getting Jarod back, Julia," he answered.

She walked away and to the exit of the eatery. Angel was waiting there, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed and a wide grin on her face. "Well well," she said. "I was wondering about last night. It's about time, if you ask me."

"Pardon me?", Julia asked.

"We all deserve someone," Angel said. "Maybe it doesn't last, maybe it does, but why not enjoy it when it's there?" She smiled with genuine warmth. "I'm happy for you. Rob would be too."

"Thank you," was all that Julia could say in response. "but I think we need to focus on the matter at hand now?"

"Lead the way, O fearless leader," Angel opined with some exaggerated affectation in her voice. 

* * *

The air-van Lennier had acquired was now stuffed to capacity. He sat in the front with Meridina, the second row was for Julia, Angel, and Sydney, and the third row of seats had Thrace, Anders, and Kasszas, who now held a walking stick in his clawed hands. The two Colonials gave careful looks toward the blind Zigonian. To their surprise, he seemed to know the looks he was getting. "It is always best to remember that Creation is a varied existence, made of diversity of all forms of life. Harmony is found in acceptance."

"Uh… works for me, I guess," Thrace said, a lopsided grin coming to her face.

They were driving on to the spaceport when Meridina looked to Lennier. "I believe we have met, have we not?"

"We were not directly introduced," he answered. "But I saw you briefly on _Babylon-5_."

"You had come to join President Sheridan's escort to Minbar," Meridina said. "And now you are here. And no longer an _anla'shok_."

"No, I am not," he answered. A distant look came to his eyes. Meridina felt the shame swelling inside of him. "I am no longer worthy of being an _anla'shok_."

"And yet you have acted in the best traditions of that order," Meridina pointed out. "You came to our aid freely, without offer of compensation or reward."

Lennier glanced her way. "It seemed the right thing to do."

"So it did." Meridina looked away for a moment. She could see this conversation was not going anywhere. She understood it as well; Lennier's past, his feelings of shame and disgrace, were his burden, and he did not wish to discuss it. She needed to respect that.

Julia looked up from her multidevice. "I just sent Zaeed a message to meet us at the spaceport."

"Have you found a ship to take us yet?", Angel asked.

Julia sighed and shook her head. "I was hoping the Shahams could help, but the _Eagle_ is off escorting refugee convoys in S4W8."

"What about our other friends?"

"They're all assigned to Alliance operations." Julia shook her head. "The way things are looking, we'll need to contract a private ship."

"You could call Beth," Angel pointed out. "She might have a ship available."

Julia shook her head. "If I have to. But I don't want to get her in any trouble with the Alliance."

"Creation has guided us together for this purpose," Kasszas stated. "Creation will guide us to a vessel."

Angel looked at the Zigonian with a little confusion on her face. "I thought Zigonians were Catholic?"

To that, Kasszas made a recurring hissing sound that seemed to be chuckling. "As a child I initially thought all Humans were soulless materialists. Creation is made up of individuals, Lieutenant, and individuals create diversity by their very existence. Such is the will of Creation and its Universe."

"A most curious philosophy," said Meridina. She looked back at the Zigonian. "I sense you have a vibrant _swevyra_ of your own."

"We are all bonded to Creation in our own way." Kasszas breathed a little hiss. "The Harmonious Val-Drillim are only one of many beliefs that are in the Conciliation of Tsorra-Mahl Harmonies." The hissing sound in the name "Tsorra-Mahl" was a peculiar one, not repeatable with non-Zigonian tongues.

"Including the Catholic ones?", Angel asked.

"You speak of the Holy Scale Nomads," Kasszas answered. "You have met them and their great tree-ships?"

"Uh… no," answered Angel, sharing a quizzical look with the other Humans in the van. "Never seen a tree-ship."

"We have a Zigonian crewman on our ship," Julia explained. "He is understudying with our chaplain. And is doing good, from what Padre Mann says, except for that incident with the incense…" She shook her head. "Anyway, I need to focus on finding us a ride."

"And I must consult about finding another _swevyra'se_ , if possible," Meridina said. "Miss Parker has hired two mercenaries given into the darkness. I would be remiss to try and fight both."

"I believe I may know of some assistance with that," said Lennier. "I shall leave you at the spaceport and return with further help."

That made Meridina and Julia very curious, but they said nothing on the matter.

Angel looked over at Sydney. "Are you okay?", she asked.

He looked at her, a distant and haunted look in his eyes. "I am, I suppose," he said. "I'm simply concerned for Jarod. The Centre will not be gentle with him. And I'm worried about how we'll find him."

"Knowing Jarod, we may not have to," Angel said. She attempted an encouraging grin. "We'll find him. And we'll get him back."

What she didn't add verbally was the thought that went through her mind, causing Meridina to glance back at her with concern.

 _And when I catch her, Miss Parker is a dead woman._

* * *

Lennier left them as promised, beside the hangar where the Colonial Raptor was being kept. Julia had the feeling that their group had grown large enough that they were approaching the transport limitation for the craft. _Maybe I should just send Starbuck and Anders back to Lee and find another shuttle_ , she thought. But she resisted it; there was no guarantee that any ship she found would have a working transporter of any kind on it. The Raptor might not be able to get to Earth by jumps, but it would provide them a working ride down, and given the sensor upgrades that had been performed on the Colonial Raptor fleet, it might even hide their presence electronically.

 _It's still going to be nearly standing-room only_.

"I'm going to do preflight checks," said Thrace. She looked them over. "Anders will be my ECO for the flight, wherever we end up going."

"I'm leaving it in your capable hands," Julia said. She looked back to the others, who were all looking at the main door, and with good reason.

Zaeed Massani had swapped into a set of battle armor, painted with a light orange, almost yellow color, with a visible grenade pouch on his belt and more grenades strapped to the belts slung over his shoulder. A sidearm was affixed to his hip and two rifles were on his back. "So, that's our ride?", he asked. "Goin' to be a God-amned cramped trip by the look of her."

"That's our ride down from orbit to planetside," Julia answered. "I'm still lining up a ship to get us to Earth."

Zaeed snorted at that. "You're really doin' this by the seat of your pants, aren't you? No prep time. Doesn't look good for our operation." Zaeed looked over the others. He smirked at seeing Kasszas. "Ah, the Blind Raptor is it? I probably owe you a drink. I cleaned up good on your fight tonight."

Kass flicked his tongue. "You need not concern yourself. I was following the path laid by Creation, as we all do."

"Yeah. Works for me, I guess." Zaeed moved on to Sydney. "What do we have here? You don't look like you're along to fight."

"I'm here to help find Jarod in any way we can," Sydney replied. "If that means shooting a man… I've done it before."

Zaeed looked Sydney eye to eye. "You have, haven't you?", the mercenary finally remarked. "Suits me. Just remember the right way to point the gun when the time comes." He looked to Julia again. "Is this it?"

"We have one, maybe two more," she answered. "I'm going to make a call now about our ship. Or rather, she is." Julia looked to Angel.

Angel got what she meant. "Hernan again?" A frown crossed her face. "I don't like relying on him too much, Julia. I…"

The low thrum of an electric-motor bike made everyone turn. A young African woman rode it up to them, wearing a brown leather jacket and black trousers. She looked all business as she slid off the bike. "I've been sent to find you," she said, her voice thick with an accent that Julia thought to be Central African. "Hernan de Corelo wanted you to have this." She reached into her pocket and pulled an object out, which she tossed in an underhanded throw. The object arced in the air and Julia reached out to catch it.

It was small, a sort of dirty white in color, and eminently recognizable. "This is a phaser power pack." She looked at the indicator on the bottom. "The charge has been used up."

"The Syndicate attempted to abduct you tonight," said the woman. "Hernan and several associates didn't take kindly to it. A message has been sent. We thought you should know." She turned back to her electric bike.

"Can you call him?", Julia asked. "We need a ship with an FTL drive that can get us to Earth, Universe A4P5."

"That's a no-contact Earth," the woman noted. "Not many ship captains will risk breaking the Alliance's laws."

"I'll use my personal code when we arrive at the quarantine perimeter," Julia said. "The ship will be logged as having a legitimate reason to be present. It'll be on my responsibility."

For a moment there was silence. "One moment," she said. "I will make the call."

Angel was still frowning. "I don't like this, Julia," she insisted.

"You're the one who went to him first," Julia reminded her.

"For information. But you're accepting favors from him now," Angel pointed out. "And guys like Hernan, they keep tabs on their favors. He'll want to be repaid in the future."

"I'll deal with that when it comes," Julia said. "But the longer we wait, the more likely something happens to Jarod. I can't let that happen."

A minute later the woman came back up to them. "Hernan knows a captain, they owe him a favor. They'll do the job."

"Are they landed here on the port, or do we have to fly up to them?', Julia asked.

"Hanger 8J," the woman answered. She went back to her bike and rode off.

As she did so, the air-van pulled back up and came to a stop. Lennier emerged from the driver side. On the opposite side another figure stepped out and rounded the front of the vehicle.

She was a Dorei, a rich blue skin complexion with light purple spotlines running along her hairline and down her neck. Bright purple eyes looked them over and a self-assured smile crossed dark blue lips. Her face was oval-shaped and pretty in that way Dorei shared with Humans. Her clothes were a black leather jacket over a _tamasa_ , a Dorei tube top-like garment, this one colored bright green with a cyan stripe running horizontally along the middle. The tube top started below the shoulders and stopped just above her waist. Her visible skin at the waist showed a hint of muscular definition beyond simply being flat. On each hip was a hilt pointed downward.

The Dorei looked them over. Julia got the sense she was doing more than looking, which was somewhat confirmed when the Dorei girl nodded politely to Meridina. " _Swevyra'se_ ," she said.

Meridina nodded back. " _Fenari_."

"What's that mean?", Angel asked, bewildered.

"It is 'Gifted' in the English Human tongue," the Dorei girl said, her accent in English sounding like a mishmash of Hawaiian and Spanish. "For many Dorei, the gifts of the _swevyra'se_ of Gersal are seen as derived from the Eternal Goddess, or whatever god or gods they worship, and we are known as the Gifted." The young woman nodded. "I am Druni Jestani."

"Did you belong to an Order?", asked Meridina.

"I was a Sentinel of the Silver Moon," answered Druni. "But I felt my destiny was elsewhere. I am a _Paman_ , though, not a _Laytar_ , I assure you."

"She means she was not cast out, but left her Order in good standing," Meridina explained to the others.

"Whatever," Zaeed said. He waved a hand dismissively. He looked at Julia. "You got that ship we need, right? I'll be stowin' gear on the assault craft, call if things go tits up."

"I will stay as well," replied Kasszas.

"Alright." Julia motioned to the van. "We've got to visit another hanger. A ride is supposed to be waiting for us there. I hope everyone's gotten their things together."

"Of course." Lennier nodded. "I am ready to depart at any time."

"I carry my things with me," Druni added. "So I'm good to go."

"You can come with us to meet this captain, then," said Julia. She looked to Angel and Meridina. "Angel, do you mind staying with the others to prep the Raptor?"

Angel nodded. She could see the look on Julia's face and knew what she really meant: _Stay with the others so you can come after us if this is a trap of some kind._

Without another word Julia climbed into the van, this time taking the passenger seat beside Lennier while Meridina joined Druni in the back seat. They rode off to take the short trip to Hanger 8J. 

* * *

Hours of tension had built up, leaving Jarod feeling mentally and physically strained even as he continued his scribbling. He kept glancing toward his captive father and sister, still bound to chairs and wired up for Lyle to torture at his whim. Lyle still had his hands on the control device, his finger stroking the surface of the dial whenever Jarod looked.

Lyle had always been a sociopathic monster, but the past year had made him much worse. At least before he had been in control of his impulses. Now he looked like a demented monster straining to break from his leash. Every fiber of his being seemed bent upon inflicting pain and indulging in other base emotions.

"I'm starting to run out of patience, Jarod," Lyle remarked. "Maybe you need more incentive…"

"That's not…"

But it was too late. Lyle twisted the dial. Charles and Emily seized up, muffled screams coming through the duct tape placed over their lips. After several seconds Lyle turned the dial again and the shocking ended. Satisfied glee crossed his face. "I hope you've written something worthwhile," he said to Jarod.

"It's the basics of subspace physics," Jarod answered. "Understanding of this science will put the Centre decades ahead of anything on Earth."

Lyle looked at him with a glower. "Oh, isn't that special. Except that's not what I was asking for, was it?"

"But you need to have this knowledge to…"

The dial turned again. Jarod felt sick to his stomach at seeing his father and Emily suffer at Lyle's hands.

As they tried to scream through the duct tape gags, Lyle laughed. "Oh Jarod, are you really going to do this? You're stalling for time, aren't you? Hoping for your friends to come rescue you. But let's face it, they wouldn't know where to look, would they, and even if they did… the _moment_ they show up by that door, I'm turning this thing on full blast. Your dear sister and daddy will be dead in _seconds_. Now…" He turned the dial off again. Emily and Charles were slumped in their chairs, chests heaving as they caught their breath. "...we want the weapons, Jarod. We want the invisibility devices, the rayguns, whatever it is that lets you blip around. And we want them _now_."

Jarod glared at Lyle, his eyes full of hatred and disgust in equal measure. His frown deepened. "Alright," he said. "I can draw plans, but I need to know what materials you have available."

"Why?"

"Because that's how I know what you can actually build." Jarod had forced patience dripping from every word.

"And it's certainly not so you can build a radio or a beacon, right?" Lyle moved his hand back to the dial.

Jarod's hand shot up, palm out and down, as if he could use the motion of his hand to bring Lyle's hand away from the dial. "This won't have any parts that can be used for something like that," Jarod insisted. "You can ask any engineer."

Lyle snarled and was clearly in deep thought, which didn't seem as easy now he was so out of control. He about ground his teeth together before uttering a frustrated " _Fine_." He looked to the guards. "One of you go get the message to His Lordship. A list of all our available electronics."

The guard nearest Lyle nodded and slipped out the door.

Lyle's hand snaked up toward the control. "Just so you don't get any ideas, Jarod…"

Jarod protested with a "No!", but it did nothing. The dial was turned again. Not as far this time, however, although Charles and Emily began to shake and tremble in the chairs again. They were in clear pain.

"One wrong move, it gets turned up," Lyle warned.

" _This isn't necessary!_ ," Jarod shouted. "You don't have to hurt them!"

"Oh, but I do!", Lyle countered. " _Because it hurts you!_ " He smiled widely at that. "And that's all I've wanted to do for years."

Jarod looked to his father and sister. Their eyes were focused on him, pleading with him for help while the electric current continued to run through their bodies.

But there was nothing he could do for them. Nothing to stop this from happening, not right now. Tears of frustration flowed down his cheeks at watching their torment and knowing he was helpless to stop it.

Lyle saw the tears.

And he laughed. 

* * *

One floor up, in a well-furnished conference room that fit more with an urban skyrise than a secretive facility in the middle of the northern Cascades, Miss Parker was with Mister Raines and His Lordship. And they were all watching the live feed of Jarod and Lyle. Miss Parker frowned, finishing a drag on her second cigarette since this had started. "He's gone off the deep end, hasn't he?"

"We felt compelled to give Mister Lyle an… _exhaustive_ debriefing," His Lordship answered, the pause in the line coming like he was trying to find the right euphemism for "prolonged torture". "His claims were outlandish until we could fully confirm them."

"He was always a sick bastard, but now you've made him a rabid dog." Parker shook her head. "You should shoot him and put him out of our misery."

"Perhaps." Mister Raines wheezed for a moment before continuing. "But he still has his uses. His plan for breaking Jarod's spirit is working."

"Poor buggers," Y'tala muttered. "Killin' a man's family to get 'im to talk, I can get behind that if it's business. Torturin' the poor kittens, though? That's low."

Dralan smirked. "On the contrary, I find it… invigorating." The Gersallian's smile was sinister. "I can feel the rage and hatred and pure terror from here."

Not for the first time did Miss Parker regret hiring Dralan, but she said nothing on the matter. She looked over to a second monitor, showing her father sitting on a bed, waiting patiently.

"How much longer until I can take my father and leave?", she asked.

"Soon enough," His Lordship replied.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Parker?", Raines asked. "Perhaps you are concerned Jarod's friends will come for him?"

"It's always possible," she answered. "But you don't need me to tell you that."

"We want our worth from Jarod, then your father can go free, I assure you." His Lordship frowned at Raines. "Whatever some of my _subordinates_ may say to the contrary."

Raines took in a raspy breath and seemed to ignore the comment.

Miss Parker didn't care either way. She frowned at the screen showing Jarod, and hoped that this would be over soon. She'd come too far, burnt too many bridges, to fail now. 

* * *

Hanger 8J was one of the largest for the New Liberty spaceport, big enough that Julia figured the _Koenig_ would easily fit if necessary. It was at the end of a line of similarly-sized hangers that had been built years ago, during the Facility days, to accommodate their growing fleet of cargo transports and large spaceliners.

The main door of the hanger was closed, so they went to a secondary door. Julia hit the door chime, and then a second time before the door opened and a man with a dark complexion answered. "Yes?", he asked, his accent generally Indian in tone. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see your captain. Hernan de Corelo referred me," she answered. Behind her Lennier, Druni, and Meridina stood patiently.

The man remained silent for a moment. "Very well," he finally said. "Come in." He opened the door fully, revealing that he was wearing a black-and-gold suit that looked to be from M4P2.

Julia led the others into the hanger. The vessel present completed the impression created by the man's appearance; it was also clearly an M4P2-derived design, apparently a civilianized equivalent of a Systems Alliance frigate design, but now with warp nacelles affixed to the ends of the drive wings on either side. The hull was gold-and-black like the man's suit, with a configurable support brace holding the ship in place. The cargo ramp was below the main body, facing the front, again like a Systems Alliance frigate.

Standing at the bottom of the ramp was a woman in a black and white suit. The suit was virtually a catsuit, skin tight, and doing nothing to hide her figure. Striking blue eyes looked them over while dark hair cascaded around her shoulders. Her face had been dabbed with some makeup, its features apportioned evenly around a round-shaped face.

A slight tinge of jealousy went through Julia. This woman was stunningly, unbelievably good-looking, like she had been crafted instead of born.

"Hello," she said to them. Her accent was Australian and her tone betrayed confidence. "Mister Corelo said you needed a lift? What specifics are there?"

"Yes. We need to get to Earth, Universe A4P5, and back. We're recovering a friend that was taken there against his will" Julia motioned behind her. "We've got a craft that can go from orbit to the ground, and it should fit in your cargo bay."

"I see." The woman looked them over. "Well, I have a favor owed to the man, so I'd like to discharge it. But A4P5 is a restricted world. There's a United Systems exclusion zone around the system enforced by sensor buoys tied into their local fleet control. The moment they read us going through a starship will be sent in to stop us."

"I'll provide you the necessary code to get in without setting the alarms off," Julia promised. "You don't have to worry about prosecution."

"Well, that does change things," the woman said. She extended a hand. "My name is Yvonne, and I'm the captain of this vessel, the _Tainaron_."

Julia took the hand and shook it.

"That is an interesting name," remarked Meridina.

"It's from Greek, actually. It's another name for Cape Matapan." Yvonne brought her left forearm up. An omnitool flashed to life around it. Her right hand tapped something on the omnitool's controls. "Prep the ship for launch, we're going to leave."

" _Yes ma'am_ ," a voice replied.

"I'll get in contact with the ships in orbit, there has to be someone willing to generate a jump point for us," Yvonne said. "In the meantime, welcome aboard. We'll rendezvous with your craft once we're in orbit."

Julia nodded. She watched Yvonne turn away and go back up the ramp before turning to face the others. "That was easy."

"Perhaps too easy," Lennier mused.

"Perhaps she wishes to clear her debt with Corelo?", Meridina speculated.

"Keep your eyes open, then," Julia said. "But we've got our ship, and I'm going to take what we've been given." She held up her multidevice and keyed Angel. "We've got our ship. M4P2 design, the _Tainaron_. Have Starbuck fly you into orbit for the rendezvous."

" _We're on our way_ ," Angel answered.

The four stepped up into the cargo bay of the ship. They found seats along the side, for workbenches, and used them for the moment.

Meridina looked to Lennier and Druni. "I am curious as to how you met each other?"

"I was exploring in E5B1," Druni replied. "I went to a small border system near the Minbari, Human, and Centauri frontiers. It was a rough place and there was a fight." She nodded to Lennier. "Lennier came to my aid."

"So you're traveling together/"

"In a general sense, yes," Lennier said. "Although I do not believe we have any permanent arrangements to do so."

"I go where it feels right," Drruni said. "Ever since I left the Silver Moon."

Meridina nodded. "I see." She looked to Druni's belt. "Those weapons, they are _runari_?"

"No. These are short-blades. _Tenari_." Druni drew one and flicked the trigger in the hilt. There was a sharp, metallic sound as memory metal flowed up and hardened into a curved blade about fifty centimeters long.

Julia saw that interested Meridina. "I have not seen _tenari_ before," she said. "So you are a practitioner of _Tasa Duria_?"

Druni smiled and nodded. "I am."

"And that is?", Julia asked.

"It is a sword-fighting technique among some of the Dorei nations," Meridina said.

"The rough English translation would be 'Cyclone of Fury'," Druni added. "It is a dual-handed style. From my travels, I believe you Humans have a few styles like it. I recall being on one of your Earths, in a place called Cebu, where I saw men fighting with sticks in a similar way."

"Arnis, or eskrima," Julia said. "It's a Human martial arts style that focuses on training to fight with weapons in both hands."

"I see. Perhaps it is similar to that, but with memory metal blades." Druni caused her _tenari_ blade to retract and fixed it back to her hip.

"It is a very difficult style to master," Meridina noted. "And Lennier told you of our issue?"

"We will face Fallen _Fenari_." Druni nodded. "It sounds like a good challenge."

"A deadly one," Meridina corrected.

A smirk crossed the young Dorei woman's face. "Those are the good ones," she countered.

Meridina's usually-stoic demeanor was broken by the flash of irritation that went through it.

Julia sighed. A rumble in the ship told her the main engines were coming online. They were about to launch. The rescue mission was officially getting underway. _Well, we've got a team. A strange team in a lot of ways, but it's a team. Let's hope it's enough._

* * *

The relative quiet of the conference room in the Centre facility ended when the door opened. Everyone turned to see Kang enter without a word. "We told you only two," Raines rasped at Miss Parker.

"I won't be long, I just need to speak to Miss Parker," Kang said, glancing toward the wheelchair-bound man. His voice was almost toneless, no real emotion coming from it.

"Whatever you feel you need to say to Miss Parker, you can say to us," His Lordship stated.

Kang gave Parker a look. She nodded. "Wolff wants to know the hold-up," Kang said. "He only has so much reactant fuel, and if he runs low on energy he won't be able to keep his stealth system active. Alliance sensor buoys would be able to detect his drives' subspace signature."

"Then have him take the drives offline," Miss Parker replied.

"He's reluctant to do that," Kang answered. "A drive restart could take hours."

"Then tell him it's an _order_ ," Miss Parker hissed, getting close and glaring at Kang.

Kang brought a hand up, his fingers spread out, and he shook his head. "He wants to hear it from you."

Miss Parker narrowed her eyes.

"Problems with the help?", Raines asked.

She turned her head and glared at Raines. "A minor issue. I'll go handle it and be right back."

"It would be an undermining of trust, I think, for you to just… disappear at this juncture," His Lordship insisted.

"And yet you still have my father hidden away." Parker gestured to the relevant screen. "So you've got leverage. And I don't think you want Jarod's friends showing up. They've got a big damn spaceship, a lot of guns, and the technology to track the Centre across the planet. Especially if Jarod's been sharing that data he took from you last year. If that ship shows up in orbit, your only chance of surviving it will be to hand Jarod back politely with an apology and a smile."

"You overestimate them," Raines said.

"No, you underestimate them," Parker retorted. "I've seen the technology the Multiverse has to offer. They could have troops transporting down to every Centre safehouse, warehouse, and office location within minutes of arriving in orbit. They'll find and hack all of your satellites within five minutes, tops, of coming into range. And if you make them hunt for Jarod they're going to make you regret it. These people can and will destroy the core of the Centre in an afternoon if given the chance. I want my father back and I don't want to go to jail, so I don't want to give them that chance, Raines. And don't think they won't haul you off too."

Raines glowered. He looked to His Lordship, who was clearly considering Parker's argument. "Ten minutes," he said. "Then I expect you back here, or we will assume treachery."

"I'll be back before then," she insisted.

With Kang in front, she followed him at a brisk pace out of the facility and over toward the ship. "What's the problem?", she asked once they were well out of earshot of the Centre's guards.

"I just received a message from contacts at New Liberty," Kang said. "Jarod's friends are on the way."

Miss Parker scowled. "Dammit, I was hoping for more time, that they'd have to wait for their President to…"

"It's not the _Aurora_ ," Kang said. "They're gone. Called away on some mission. My contact says it's a small team, not much larger than our own. Commander Andreys from the _Aurora_ is leading it."

"The blonde." Miss Parker pulled out another cigarette and lit it up. "Anything else?"

"She's bringing the Gersallian chief of security with her, and Angel Delgado. Plus help."

"Sydney?"

"The old man? Yes. And others they picked up. My contacts can confirm one of them is Zaeed Massani."

Kang said the name like it meant something. It didn't to Miss Parker, and as she inhaled a drag from her cigarette her eyes made that clear. "Who?"

"A known mercenary and bounty hunter, one of the best from M4P2. We don't know much about the others, though."

"Still…" Miss Parker considered it. "Tell Wolff to fake shutting down his engines. We're going to have to leave in a hurry."

"What's your plan?"

"Find where they're keeping my father, take him, and let the Centre and the Alliance sort themselves out after we leave," she replied.

Kang nodded. "Good plan. I'll see about giving Wolff a fix on the signal for your father's location. It'll take a few hours."

"Just make sure it's done before they get here," Miss Parker insisted. "Now I need to get back in."

"Of course," the man nodded. He watched quietly as Miss Parker re-entered the building. 

* * *

The moment Jarod had the list he'd demanded, he started writing and scribbling again. Making advanced technology with these parts would be just about impossible without the high quality batteries found in things like multidevices and pulse pistols. But he knew he had to give something soon, or Lyle would gleefully start torturing his sister and brother again.

And Jarod couldn't let that happen.

He did manage something. It would provide a reasonable energy shield generator. And if the generator itself died, the power could be diverted to other means. Means that Jarod had intentions for.

But for now the most important thing was survival. And that meant keeping Lyle appeased.

Lyle's intent stare was distracted by a ringing tone in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out a cell phone. "Lyle," he answered.

Jarod intentionally paid no attention as Lyle spoke with a voice on the other end. "Are you sure?", he said. "I'll have to… alright, I understand." Lyle hung up and looked to Jarod. "I want progress on that by the time I get back," he demanded. He looked to the guards and nodded. One produced a pair of handcuffs. Jarod did nothing as the cuffs were used to secure Jarod's ankle to the chair he was sitting in. Lyle grinned and looked back to Charles and Emily. "While I'm gone, let's give you a chance to talk to your family." With rapid movements he ripped the duct tape gags off, eliciting brief cries of shock and pain from his captives. "Don't worry, I've got fresh pieces for later." Lyle brandished, from near his chair, a fresh roll of duct tape. "See you soon." With a chuckle still coming from his throat, Lyle traipsed out of the room.

"Dad. Emily." Jarod looked up from where he was working. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this. It's all my fault for not finding you."

"No. Jarod, no." His father's English accent was now hoarse from his state. The hours of on and off torture had done their terrible work on him most of all. "This is their fault, not your's."

Jarod's face twisted into an expression of pain and shame. The feelings of the last few terrible hours now bubbled to the surface, the feelings of blame over his failure to find his family. He had gotten so devoted to the work on the _Aurora_ , to what they were doing, that he hadn't given his family the attention they deserved. Tears formed in his eyes at the intensity of that thought. "No," he said. "It is mine. I should have done something about this years ago. I should have come and found you."

"And what then?", Charles asked. "The Centre would have found you too."

"No," Jarod said. "No, they couldn't have. I could take you somewhere that the Centre could never follow."

"How?", Emily asked. "And… what's Lyle even talking about? Rayguns, invisibility devices… what's going on, Jarod? Are these things you made for them?"

The bewilderment and worry in his sister's voice was evident. She'd endured the torture better than Charles, but the confusion about what was going on was worse for her.

Jarod looked back to the schematic he was drafting. He started to work on it again. He knew, he damn well knew, that no matter what he did, Lyle would turn the damn machine back on when he got back, just for the fun of it. But he had his own reasons for completing this device as soon as it could be done.

Once he was sure the drawing was accurate, he looked back at Emily. "You won't believe what's going on," he said. "Not until I show you."

"Of course I'd believe you," Emily protested.

"We know you won't lie to us, Jarod," Charles insisted.

Jarod sighed and shook his head as he drew the illustration of where wiring should go on his schematic. Once this vital part was done he looked back up. "For over three years, I haven't even lived on this Earth," he said.

They stared.

"There's a Multiverse out there," he continued. "Earths centuries more advanced than our own. And a group of well-meaning people came to our world looking to help, and ended up saving me after that terrorist attack in Pasadena a few years ago." He stopped, letting them process that information while he did more drawing. "I've been working with them since. Hoping to find a way to find you without the Centre catching on." He let out a sigh. "Granted, I had no idea that the Alliance would forbid traffic to our Earth for not being advanced enough to risk contact. That's made coming back a little complicated."

"You're… you're telling us… you've been living in outer space?"

Hearing the disbelief in Emily's voice, Jarod nodded. "On a ship called the _Aurora_ ," he explained. "I've been serving as the ship's Operations Officer. I even helped build her." A little grin came to his face. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Jarod now."

"You're Pretending, then?", Charles asked.

"No, Dad, I'm not." Jarod shook his head. "I don't Pretend anymore. This is who I am now. What I do." His eyes lowered. "And it's why I'm to blame for this. I got so caught up in my new life that I could never make the time to come back and try to look for you."

"I… I don't blame you," Charles said. "I've been on the run too long to blame you for finding a new life where you didn't have to run."

"But I could have found you given time, and I didn't take it. I didn't insist on it like I should have!", Jarod shouted. "And now you're here at the mercy of a monster. All because of me."

The others were temporarily speechless. So much had been said, and Jarod's claims on where he'd been were so unbelievable, that they were having trouble processing it. He could see Emily even wondering if he had gone mad.

"These friends of yours," she finally said. "They're not going to abandon you, are they?"

The question cut through the guilt and Jarod's attention on his schematic. Even if the truth was so pleasantly evident he didn't need to remark on it. "No," he said. "Never. They're coming, I'm sure of it. They're coming right now."

And so he continued to work, banking on just that.


	33. Episode 2-07-4 Family Matters

A quiet corner of the _Tainaron_ 's crew area served for Meridina's meditation. She sat on the floor, legs crossed and hands in her lab, quietly focused on the universe through her _swevyra_ \- her life force.

But it wasn't like it normally was. The kernel of darkness implanted in her by Amaunet was still there, the lingering remnants of Amaunet's arrogance, rage, and hatred. Meridina kept her attention away from it lest she remember the rampage Amaunet had unleashed. With the fight to come, she couldn't afford to dwell on that right now, to let that shame and doubt enter her and degrade her strength. Not again a _swevyra'kse_.

"Are you okay?"

Meridina looked up upon hearing the accented voice. Druni stood nearby, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Her own energy settled comfortably around her.

"I can feel fear," Druni said. "Doubt. I've… never felt that in a _swevyra'se_ before."

Meridina lowered her eyes in shame. It seemed she wasn't controlling it as much as she would prefer. "I did not feel such things until recently," she admitted.

"What happened?"

"I was possessed by an alien parasite called a Goa'uld," Meridina answered. "It turned my _swevyra_ toward darkness. It felt rage and hatred, and it used me to kill."

The image in her head returned. Of her own _lakesh_ biting into Lucy's neck, the desperate determination on her student's face as she fought to hold the blade back while blood poured from the wound on her head and the cut in her leg. She remembered Lucy's pain, her sorrow, at having to run Meridina through to stop Amaunet.

Druni's eyes reflected her compassion for Meridina's pain. "I have heard stories of my fellow Sisters being turned against us by slavers using neural override implants. I can only imagine the suffering you endured."

"Thank you." Meridina looked up at her. "Why did you leave the Silver Moon?"

"I had a dispute with the Order. A doctrinal issue," Druni said.

"I see." Meridina nodded.

Their conversation might have gone on, but there was a call over the PA. " _Commander Andreys, please report to the command deck_ ," Yvonne said.

"Looks like we're almost there," Druni remarked. She ceased to lean against the wall. "I will go tend to my pre-battle exercises."

Meridina responded with another nod. She turned her attention inward yet again and resumed her meditations. 

* * *

Julia took the elevator and stairs up to the command deck. The initial area, at about the midway point of the deck, was devoted to some of the recreational space. Network communication terminals and computer systems for the crew flanked both sides. Perhaps a bit more than necessary, given the size of the crew. Julia found it all curious.

The front of the ship was dominated by a large holographic galactic map, zoomed in on their local space. Yvonne sat in a chair in front of the map - beyond it were two crewmen. The ship's pilots, Julia figured. Crewmen also held stations to either side for, presumably, sensors and communications.

"We're coming up on the perimeter of the Alliance exclusion zone," Yvonne said. "I need your access code."

Julia nodded and went over to communications, where an Asian woman was seated. She nodded and turned her seat to get out, allowing Julia to sit there. The hard-light controls were similar to those she had used before and it wasn't hard for her to open a communication line to the sensor buoys. She put in her command code.

Moments later the hardlight viewscreen showed a new display. The system had accepted the code.

"We're clear," Julia said, turning the chair and then standing from it. As its former occupant reclaimed her place, Julia stepped up beside Yvonne. Below and in front of her, the pilot continued to monitor their systems as the ship continued on its way, warp engines thrumming through the ship. "Well, you are," she corrected. Seeing Yvonne's curious look, Julia added, "Depending how this goes, I may have just earned myself a court-martial."

"That would be a mistake on the Alliance's part." Yvonne actually looked sympathetic. "Frankly, Commander, if they do something like that, they're just asking you to find superior employment elsewhere. There are all kinds of organizations that could use a woman of your ability."

Julia smiled with some amusement. "You wouldn't happen to be trying to recruit me into whatever sort of underground, sometimes illegal work you normally do, would you Yvonne?"

"You might be surprised at the opportunities out there," she said. "And at what I am normally employed at. No offense was meant, however, merely an observation. I wanted you to know that there are good causes that could use you if the Alliance turns its back on you."

"I'll remember that," Julia said. "I'm going to get the others ready now."

"Of course. I'll let you know when we make orbit." 

* * *

With Julia getting the others together, Angel ended up being the one to rouse Kasszas. She found the Zigonian in a spare room, sitting on the floor in a meditative pose. Remembering what had happened to poor Petty Officer Dougal when he'd entered the holodeck while Crewman Thalaz was using it, Angel had been holding her breath and took a very careful, very short breath.

"I am not burning incense, or any other such thing," Kasszas said.

"Just making sure."

"Of course. I am aware of how Humans are affected by our practices." Kasszas flicked his tongue. "And I sense we are about to arrive at our destination."

"We're about half an hour out," Angel confirmed. "I'm making sure you're ready."

"I am always ready. And I sense your view of such a claim. It is not mere bravado." The Zigonian raised a single, taloned claw. "Through Creation I may sense such things that my eyes do not behold. I am of Creation and Creation is within me."

Angel nearly said something about that, but stopped. Something of it kindled a thought in her. It sounded so much like the things Robert talked about, how his new powers worked.

"Your people can.. do things, right? See things, feel them.. move objects with their minds?"

That rapid hissing chuckle answered. "That is not the way of the Harmonious Val-Drillim, but there are others in the Tsorra-Mahl who have teachings like that." Kasszas seemed to ponder something. "I sense you have a question?"

"Is it…" Angel sighed. She couldn't hold the question back, even though a part of herr wanted to. "...Is it possible for someone with such a… thing, such powers… to get them removed?"

For a moment the Zigonian was silent. "Such a bizarre question. Is is like me asking you if you would like your own eyes to be plucked from your head."

"That's not an answer."

"True." Kasszas put his clawed hands together. "The answer is that I do not now. I have never heard of such a thing being done. I sense this answer displeases you?"

It did, as much as Angel tried to hide it. "I was hoping to hear some way to get rid of it. So someone I care for can be free from it."

"One is never 'free' from Creation. We are all part of it."

"This isn't about your beliefs," Angel shot back, her voice vehement. "It's about the fact that ever since he realized he can do this stuff, it's started to take over his life. And he has enough responsibilities."

Kasszas flicked his tongue again. "I see. And you care for him?"

"I _love_ him," Angel insisted.

"No, you do not."

That brought the Zigonian a harsh glare that he could not see. Angel's nostrils flared. "What?", she asked bluntly, with deceptive calm in the question.

"To love is to accept. But you do not accept." It was clear the Zigonian could feel the flare of anger in her. "Your love is not for a person but a mere phantom. An idea of a person that does not actually exist. This is why you seek to take his link to Creation away, as if it could be done. Your idea of him is of the him that existed before he realized his connection to the whole of Creation. Now he has changed, and you no longer accept what he has become. You no longer love him."

Angry silence filled the air between them. Kasszas, his observations made, simply turned inward again.

Angel snarled and nearly barked a hot denial. It died in her throat, becoming a growl of "Crazy Goddamned lizard" as she stepped away and left Kasszas to himself. 

* * *

Jarod had finished the schematic with seconds to spare.

It hadn't kept Lyle from turning the dial again.

This time he didn't bother with the duct tape. Charles and Emily's cries echoed through the room then, and they were doing so again while Jarod was working with the actual parts, now brought in by Lyle's order. "This takes time!", Jarod shouted, using a soldering gun and trying not to mess up while his family screamed in agony.

The dial turned to the off position again. "Sick bastard," Emily muttered between the deep breaths she was making.

Jarod looked up in time to see Lyle smack her across the face. He turned and smiled at Jarod. "You can go faster than that, Jarod. We know that."

"No, you don't," Jarod growled in response. "Given what I have to work with, this has to be done just right, or it won't work!"

"I'm not an idiot, Jarod!", Lyle screamed, the smile again gone from his face. "I know you're stalling! You're waiting for help! And it's not coming! Now get your ass in gear, do your job, or I'll make this look easy with the things I'll do to them."

Jarod frowned and redoubled his efforts. He still had little firm knowledge of what time it was, or how long it'd been since he was abducted, but he knew it couldn't be long. And he had to be ready. 

* * *

In the Centre conference room, Miss Parker stood with Dralan and Y'tala as they watched Raines and His Lordship watch Jarod and the others. _I sense deception_ , Dralan communicated to Parker, mind-to-mind, a method of communication she frankly hated.

 _Who? Where?_

 _Around us. From you, certainly._

 _Any luck on finding my father?_

Dralan looked slightly toward Y'tala. The Mi'qote mercenary nodded and brought up the multidevice on her wrist. A message was written on it.

 _I just found the beam transmission. It's coming from under us._

Parker frowned. Of course. Her father had always been here. Hidden, right under her nose.

Her mind raced, pondering what her next move would be. She gestured quietly to her own multidevice, prompting Y'tala to nod and begin a transmission to it, her findings and the approximate course of the beam and thus where it might be coming from.

To avoid suspicion Parker put her eyes on the screen. Lyle was torturing Jarod's family again. He kept his eyes on Jarod, mostly, while one of the camera angles set behind Jarod still showed a good view of his face and the sadistic, mad gleam in his eye.

If things went a certain way, Parker realized she would easily, _gladly_ , shoot him between the eyes.

Dralan grabbed her arm. Parker looked at him in irritation. "What?", she demanded.

"I sense them," he said. "They're here. They'll find us if I use my power."

Parker frowned. Time was running out, and she needed to make the next move count. If she left, just up and left, it would send the wrong signal. But if she waited too long…

"Get ready to move," she whispered. 

* * *

The _Tainaron_ was in far orbit of Earth, staying out of direct sight of satellites. Its own sensors were searching about for signs of the _Deadman's Hand_. Julia came to the command deck again to observe with Yvonne. "We can't detect signs of any vessels like your records show," she said. "But they could be hidden from sensors."

"That's likely," she agreed. "So we need a different way of finding them." Julia looked back to where Meridina waited quietly. "Meridina, can you sense Jarod? Or that dark sweveera whatever?"

Meridina shook her head. "I am afraid I sense nothing. Our quarry is hiding himself."

"Well, we can't stay up here forever," Yvonne said. "You should launch your ship and get in closer."

"Agreed." Julia offered a hand. "Thank you for the help."

"Don't mention it, Captain," was the response she got. "And I've had my technicians give you a little extra help, something to deal with that vessel you're looking for. Captain Thrace already knows."

Yvonne's remark prompted a nod from Julia, hiding her own increasing curiosity about this ship and its crew. The way they acted and moved… it wasn't military, precisely, but it wasn't what she'd expect from a band of smugglers either, or any other private cargo ship that would operate with the likes of Corelo. _They almost remind me of us, before the Alliance_ was the thought in her head.

But there was no time for dwelling on these thoughts, not when they had a friend to rescue. Julia and Meridina walked away at a brisk pace toward the rear of the command deck. 

* * *

Several minutes later, the Raptor emerged from the launch deck after pushing through the mass effect-generated atmospheric containment field. Thrace was at the controls and Anders was beside her, looking over the electronics for the Colonial craft. Julia stood behind them, holding a bar along the side to keep herself steady, as the Raptor's inertial dampening systems were barely operative, having never been built to accommodate them.

The passenger area of the Raptor was nearly overloaded. Kasszas took up a disproportionate amount of room, being the big reptile, with his stick in hand; and Zaeed being loaded for bear didn't have a small profile either. Meridina was wedged in with them on a bench. The second bench had Druni, Lennier, Sydney, and Angel. Angel was checking her pulse pistol.

"You do not want to kill her," Kasszas said. A number of eyes looked his way.

"Excuse me?" Angel frowned at him. The last thing she wanted was more prying from the strange blind reptile-man.

"Miss Parker," he said. "You do not want to kill her."

"Like hell I don't. I _promised_ to, in fact."

Julia looked back at Angel, frowning. "What?"

"When Jarod tried to make good with her last year, showing her the new home he'd arranged for her," Angel said. "I came with him, just in case. I could see it in her eyes then, that she wasn't giving up. And I told her I'd kill her if she hurt Jarod."

"We still need to know how she put her team together," Julia reminded Angel. "We need her alive." Seeing the look in Angel's eyes, Julia immediately added, "That's an _order_."

Angel didn't answer. She did glare at Kasszas.

"She still has a role to play," the lizard explained.

"And you know this because… 'Creation' tells you?", Angel asked, disbelief strong in her voice.

All the Zigonian did in reply was make a sad noise. 

* * *

Jarod made the last internal connection on his new device. It looked like a block of metal attached to a metal colander with wires strewn everywhere, but the internals and the way the wire was arranged would create a fairly short-lived energy field.

Lyle looked it over. "Is that _it_?", he asked incredulously.

"You wanted something that works, didn't you?", Jarod asked, frowning. "It was never going to be pretty. Not with the tools you've given me."

"And how do I know it works?"

Jarod responded by flicking a switch. "Now try shooting me."

Lyle chuckled. "Oh, and have it be some bizarre device that sends the bullet back into me? I don't think so." Lyle looked to one of his guards. "Shoot him. In the arm."

The guard nodded, with maybe a little reluctance, and pulled a firearm. Jarod didn't flinch as it came up toward him. The gunshot echoed in the room, hurting his ears.

But no bullet struck him. There was a flicker of energy in front of him and then a very slight sound from the floor. Everyone looked down to see the smashed bullet come to a stop after rolling a little on the floor.

Emily stared, wide-eyed, at this. "That's not possible," she murmured.

Lyle whistled. "Well!", he said. "There we go. Looks like we have a start." Lyle walked over and picked up the schematics and the device from Jarod's work area. "Next up, I want a raygun. I don't care what kind, but it'd better fire lasers or whatever you do instead of bullets."

Jarod narrowed his eyes. "You don't have the materials."

Lyle responded by raising his hand toward the dial.

"Dammit Lyle, you don't have…" It was too late. The dial turned and Charles and Emily were crying out again as electricity surged into their bodies. "...that's not going to change things!", Jarod screamed. "You don't have the materials for me to build a weapon like that!"

"Then list what we need!" Lyle stabbed a finger at the paper stack on Jarod's work area. "Do it now or I turn this up!" He turned it down, but not off, leaving Emily and Charles to suffer.

Jarod started scribbling, trying to think of the things that would be available here, on an Earth at the start of the 21st Century.

He couldn't afford to not cooperate. Not until he knew for sure that his plan had worked. All he could do was write and hope that someone would be in orbit soon, before the oversized battery pack on the shield generator gave out.

Because an energy shield wasn't the _only_ thing it was capable of generating. 

* * *

The Raptor was keeping its distance in far orbit, roughly halfway between the start of the atmosphere and the _Tainaron_. "Still not… wait." Anders looked at his screen. "I've got something."

"What?" Julia looked over at his screen. A ripple was appearing on it, coming from Earth.

Anders looked it over. "It looks like a low-level radio transmission, VHF, being transmitted into orbit on one of the Alliance short-range radio bands."

"What's in it?", Julia asked.

"It looks like a series of pulses… the signal keeps cutting on and off."

Julia looked at the display. "It's not being interfered with. It's doing that on purpose…" She grinned. "It's Morse code. Of course."

"Morse code?", Anders asked. "What's that?"

"It's an old system for transmitting messages as electric pulses down wires," Julia explained. "So many pulses of short and long duration meant a letter in the alphabet. It's why we call ship distress signals SOSes sometimes."

"And do you know this code?"

She nodded. "It's part of officer training. Just in case we need to communicate something discreetly, or without normal communication methods." She watched the pulses start and stop intermittently. "It's Jarod… he's being held somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Mountain area, eastern side. And.." As the next few words came through Julia breathed a sigh. "...they've got hostages. His family."

"Hostage rescue's always a bitch," grumbled Zaeed.

"I don't think we can fit more than two in here, not with everyone we've got," Starbuck said.

"Then why don't we just take their ship too?", Druni asked. "You said the pilot stole it, right? I've never had an issue with stealing from a thief."

"Is that why you left whatever order that was?", asked Angel.

"No," she replied.

"Taking their vessel will be difficult if they raise shields."

"Well, it's a good thing the _Tainaron_ mounted a couple disruptor torpedoes on your bird," Zaeed remarked. "We've got the ordnance if they try that."

Julia should have been happy to hear that. And she was… but it also brought back to mind her inkling that there was more to Yvonne and the _Tainaron_ than she had expected. Angel's warning about getting too deep with Hernan echoed in her head.

"Can you give me a direction?", Thrace asked. Hearing her brought Julia out of her thoughts. She now wanted to smack herself for getting distracted from the matter at hand upon realizing she'd left the conversation behind. "We can't stay out here forever."

"I'm trying," Anders said. The Raptor turned toward Earth. "Wait… I think I… have it." He grinned at Julia. "I've got it. I'm using the visual sensors now…" On his screen, the dawning sun was starting to throw light over the area, although the line of dawn was just starting to reach Spokane. The screen zoomed in on the eastern side of the Cascades until it showed a facility in the middle of the countryside, built along one of the lower mountains. A little marker popped up over it. "It's definitely coming from there."

Julia nodded. She could already see the profile of what looked to be a cargo starship on the tarmac beside the building. "And there's the ship." Julia thought on it. "Starbuck, can you land us nearby? We'll be needing to take that ship."

"Taking us in now. ETA five minutes." At Thrace's command, the Raptor changed its direction again, moving straight for Earth.

"Maybe the _Tainaron_ could land and pick us up instead?" Angel was looking over it too. "Because taking the ship too is probably going to be harder."

"I doubt Yvonne would agree to risking her vessel," said Lennier. "Especially as we already promised we would not need further help, simply transportation."

"So it's a fight, probably against her entire team." Julia patted her hip, where her pulse pistol was holstered. "But we knew that coming in anyway."

"Who do you plan to send into the building to get your friend out?" Kasszas kept his claws on his walking stick.

Julia considered that, and the makeup of the foes they were facing. "Zaeed, you're in charge outside," she said, looking his way. "Meridina will be busy facing their dark life force guy…"

" _Swevyra'kse_ ," Meridina said.

Julia shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm not even going to bother trying to pronounce that. Meridina will take him on. Druni or Kass will be needed for the other one they've got. Zaeed will direct the rest of you while I go with Sydney into the base."

Angel gave Julia an intent look. Julia didn't return it, especially when Angel didn't say anything.

"Good plan, until it goes tits up anyway." Zaeed checked his sidearm pistol for a moment. "If we're takin' their ship, I'll need everyone. Our pilot too."

"Can you secure the Raptor?"

"I'll lock it down," Thrace said. "Just don't let it get wasted. Admiral Adama will have my ass." Nearby Anders secured his own sidearm and checked his ammunition. "And our ETA is now two minutes. We're entering atmosphere."

The Raptor began to shake. Julia's heart picked up its beat and every muscle went tense. Everything that she'd been planning since the previous night was coming down to this. 

* * *

In the conference room, most eyes were still on the screen showing the cameras in the room where Jarod was kept. Parker looked that way as often as she could, but she was more concerned with checking the exits without alerting Raines and the others to what she was doing. A plan was forming in her head now that she knew it was only a matter of time before they were attacked.

A cell phone rang. Raines' attendant handed him a phone, and he rasped, "Yes", into it.

"What is it?", His Lordship asked.

Raines listened for a moment. "I see." He turned his head to face his superior. "Air Traffic Control is picking up an aircraft entering our airspace from orbit. They will be landing within a minute."

His Lordship turned and faced Parker. "They're not yours, are they?"

"No," she said.

Raines looked at her intently. Parker met the look, kept it, and inwardly cursed as she realized what that look meant.

 _Raines knew_. He knew she had been expecting this attack.

But he hadn't said anything. Why?

A sick feeling came to Parker's stomach. But first she had to deal with the situation. She turned to Dralan. "You and Y'tala go out and help the others. If they only have one assault vehicle worth of troops, you should be able to deal with them."

Dralan nodded. Y'tala pulled a particle pulse rifle from its place holstered on her back and smirked. They walked straight out.

Parker activated her multidevice next, opening a link right to Wolff. "Raise your shields. Shoot them out of the sky."

" _With pleasure._ " 

* * *

"Woh there!" Thrace jinked the Raptor to one side. A split second later a pulse of green energy whizzed by them. "We're under fire!"

Anders looked to his screens. "It's that ship. It's got some kind of weapon mounted on it. And… I think it's raised shields."

"It would appear to be a plasma cannon of Earth Alliance design," said Lennier.

"Well, whatever it is, it'll blow us out of the sky. I'm changing our approach vector." Thrace began to maneuver the Raptor around. Another shot lashed out at them and barely missed.

"Don't these things have shields now?", Angel demanded.

"Shields for resisting Cylon raiders, Delgado, not cannons."

"Well, this brings back unpleasant memories," Zaeed grumbled from the back.

Druni looked up. "If you can get us close and remove the shields, I can deal with the cannon."

"What?!", demanded Thrace. "How?"

Meridina gave Druni a quizzical look. Druni smiled gently in response.

"Anders, lock on the torpedoes," Thrace said.

"I'm getting a firing solution now."

Julia forced a calm expression that belied the fear and worry building up within her. Doubt came and was beaten back down by will. Everything she heard was that Kara Thrace was a hell of a pilot, one of the best, and so her life and the lives of her team were in Kara's hands. She would rely on the Colonial pilot to get them safely to the ground, that was it.

The Raptor had several more shots come their way. Many were close. But none hit. The ground rushed up toward them on the cockpit window.

As the squat facility in the middle of nowhere loomed large, so did the _Deadman's Hand_. It was a boxy shape, landing struts extended, and appeared to have an internal warp drive instead of a nacelle-based system. Although Julia couldn't see it, she knew that the ship was surrounded by an energy field that would fry them if they came too close.

"Fox One!", Anders called out.

The torpedoes dropped from the Raptor's hardpoints and flew forwrd, twin bolts of light from their mass effect drive fields. Within seconds they slammed into the the shields around the _Deadman's Hand_ , creating a massive burst of light and an explosion along one end of the ship.

"That did it!", Anders shouted. "Their shield is down!"

Druni stood and opened the hatch on the side, causing a roar of wind to drown almost everything else. She drew in a breath and put her hands together, index and middle fingers extended, in a focusing gesture.

Julia felt the hairs on her neck start to prickle. Meridina actually gasped in surprise, sensing the shifting of energy, the way Druni was using her life force energy. Druni's wound her right arm around, as if dipping her fingers into an invisible pool in the air. Electricity started to crackle and spark at her finger tips as her arms moved in sequence. Meridina could feel Druni's power splitting the air, separating energies and creating an imbalance in forces, then allowing the tremendous discharge that was building to flow around her.

In a quick movement Druni stabbed her right hand, and the fingers there, forward. Power erupted from her in the form of a great bolt of lightning.

The release of energy struck the plasma cannon on the _Deadman's Hand_ directly. It couldn't resist the power Druni had channeled, exploding brilliantly.

Julia could feel her jaw hanging in utter surprise at the act. Everyone was stunned and said nothing as Druni turned back to face them. "It is a difficult technique. We are not allowed to use it in the Silver Moon."

"Lightning drawn from the power comes from darkness," Meridina insisted. "How can you risk…"

"There is none," Druni insisted. "It is not the same." She saw Meridina's frown and lowered her eyes, as if she had expected this reaction.

"Here we go!", shouted Thrace.

Under her control the Raptor swung around and came to a landing beside the _Deadman's Hand_.

Zaeed jumped out of the hatch first, a beaten up old M8 Avenger in his hands. The assault rifle opened up with a roar at the approach of the armed guards for the facility. Quick bursts of fire, expertly aimed, put them down by one one.

The others jumped out quickly. There was no cover to be had in the tarmac all the way to the building, so their only hope was a direct attack on the armed men before they could shoot them all. Julia and Angel hit the ground firing, sending pulse pistol shots that made two more guards drop. Their suppressive fire, meager as it was, provided the extra time for Zaeed to eliminate the men with quick bursts from his rifle.

A loud roar filled the air and made the three turn. Powerful arms lashed out and knocked Julia and Angel out of the way, one to each direction, with such force that Julia's pistol went flying from her grip. The big Krogan caught Zaeed as he tried to dodge out of the way, knocking him several feet away onto the tarmac.

Krel unholstered a shotgun and aimed it toward Zaeed. Kasszas' tail whipped out and gripped the gun as it leveled toward the prone mercenary. The Zigonian flicked his tail away and ripped the weapon of the Krogan's hands. Krel growled and turned toward Kasszas, who held up his stick. Krel took out another gun, this one a large pistol, and began to fire it at Kasszas, who evaded with a series of spins and dodges, whirling his walking stick around and even deflecting several of the mass effect-propelled rounds.

Sydney, a pulse pistol in hand, unloaded on another guard rounding the building. His shots missed at that range, but they made the guard take cover around the corner. He came up to the others and gripped Julia's arm. "We need to hurry!", he urged.

"What's your hurry, old man?"

The question didn't come early enough to give Sydney the time to dodge the punch that sent him flying. Wilton cocked a grin at him before turning his attention to where Julia and Angel were standing. Kang and Denna stepped up beside him. "Well well, looks like you ladies are in for a rough time," the fighter said.

"Poor little kittens," Denna cooed, pulling a prod-like weapon from her belt and raising it.

Wilton charged first, and Julia sprang to intercept him, blocking a punch and ducking a kick before throwing a palm strike that he batted away. He threw a punch at her stomach that nearly connected, causing a brief spasm of pain, but she followed it up with a snap kick to his weak side that caught him in the ribs.

Denna charged forward, a sinister figure in her black combat leathers, and got Julia on the weak side as she evaded Wilton's strikes. The moment her weapon made contact with Julia's ribcage, white-hot agony surged through Julia's torso. She screamed and toppled, stunned by the sheer shock of the pain.

Both of her attackers went flying, courtesy of Druni throwing out a wave of force. With the pain fading Julia was able to look up and see that Kang was now facing Lennier, the two adopting martial arts stances and waiting patiently for the other to strike first. Zaeed was still getting up and exchanging fire with what few Centre guards were left on the outside. The Krogan, Krel, was pursuing Kasszas with dogged determination, the blind Zigonian twisting and moving around his larger foe to evade his attacks. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thrace and Anders going up the cargo ramp for the _Deadman's Hand_ \- they would go after Wolff and secure the ship for everyone to escape on. Angel had gotten back up and was checking on Sydney, who was starting to move.

She took all of this in, their relative positions, and considered what had to be done. This was mostly going with the plan.

Mostly, that is, save for the fact that her position meant that Angel was the better choice to go after Jarod than Julia.

"Angel," Julia said. "You go with him. I'm staying out here."

Angel looked back. Her hazel eyes had that intense look they got whenever Angel's blood was up and her adrenaline was pumping. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go!" Julia heard the footstep behind her and ducked and spun away, barely evading the high kick that Wilton had meant for the back of her skull. She turned and caught his next strike, he caught her counter-attack, and she moved her arm to take a blow to her forearm instead of her shoulder blade, the movement acting to deflect the energy of the blow so that it didn't actually cause as much damage. Wilton backed off for a moment. "You're good," she said to Wilton.

"The best." Wilton smirked. He brought his fists up. "Now hold still, blondie, and maybe I won't mess up that pretty face so much."

Julia smirked and assumed a defensive posture, arms leveled and her hands balled into fists. She awaited his attack and when it came she blocked and deflected and evaded several strikes until Wilton left his side open. She went for it, then immediately whipped about, evading the trap he'd set for her in doing that intentionally, and caught him by surprise with a kick to the jaw that made him twist and fall over. The falling movement continued, Wilton using its inertia to get back to his feet. A snarl now twisted his lips. "Well, you're not half bad," he admitted. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Julia said nothing, resuming her defensive posture. The smirk appeared on her face again and she curled her palm inward, turning the back of her hand toward Wilton and curling her fingers in a "Come here" gesture.

He took the invitation. 

* * *

Angel and Sydney were met by Meridina as they approached the door. "Where are you going?", Angel asked Meridina. "You should be helping the others."

"I felt it more important to help you."

"Why?", Angel asked.

The door ahead of them opened. A man in a dark long-sleeved suit exited, a sword already in his hand. His oval-shaped face was immediately familiar to Angel. It was the Gersallian Parker had hired. "Oh," she said. "That's why."

"Dralan Olati," Meridina said. She raised her _lakesh_ and extended it. "I cannot allow you to harm anyone else."

"It's been a long time since I fought a slave of Swenya," Dralan said. "It'll be fun to kill another one of you sanctimonious drones." His golden eyes glittered with satisfaction. "Although you feel interesting. Is that.. _doubt_ I feel? Maybe a little darkness? My my, you're not a very good slave of that whore Swenya, are you?"

"Insulting the Grand Foundress is a petty attempt to undermine my control, don't you think?", Meridina observed. She glanced over her shoulder at Angel. "Go around. I will hold…"

The blow was meant to take Meridina's head off her shoulders. She saw it coming even as the intention formed in Dralan's mind and had her _lakesh_ in place to intercept the blow. The EM fields of their respective blades interacted and created a loud "whmmm!" sound in the air from the force of the impact.

Dralan pulled his weapon back and brought his hand up. Crackling lightning erupted from it. Meridina intercepted it with her _lakesh_ blade. It snapped at her, as if the lightning could almost on its own will go around the EM field holding it in place.

Finally the lightning stopped. "It was no petty insult," Dralan said. "You and the others are fed lies. You worship that bitch-tyrant Swenya when she ruined our people. She made them weak and soft."

"She gave us purpose, she showed us the Light."

"Light is weakness. It is tyranny. It enslaves souls." Dralan snarled. "And I will never be enslaved again!"

He tried to choke her with his power, but Meridina resisted that. He switched a moment later and lunged with his _lakesh_. Their blades met yet again. 

* * *

While the fighting by the others raged on around them, Kang and Lennier remained a distance from each other after their brief exchange of attempted punches and grabs. Lennier's hands were in a ready self-defense gesture, ready should the other man make a move. "Hrm," Kang finally said. "I've never faced one of your kind before."

Lennier said nothing in reply to that.

An eager smirk finally came to Kang's face. "Not that it matters. You're just another alien to kill." His left hand reached to his back and retrieved the sword that had been fixed there. He held it out, swapping the handhold to hold it in reverse, pommel-up, and assumed a combat stance with the blade parallel to the ground.

"If that is how you wish to proceed." Lennier pulled his _denn'bok_ out and triggered it to extend.

Kang smirked and, with a confident air, charged at Lennier. 

* * *

Zaeed fired another burst from his battered old rifle, good old Jessie, felling another of the dark-suited security men with old chemical-propellant firearms. His breathing had picked up and his muscles burned. _I'm getting too God-amned old to run a fight like this. And no damn cover, too._

It seemed he'd finished the last of them off, though, which was good because it meant he could focus on helping his team put down the mercs guarding the ship. He turned toward the fight and glowered at seeing Julia, not Angel, engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. _So she's still out here, eh? Who's going to be in charge? This is what I get for joining an op this rushed. I don't have time for this crap._ Zaeed brought Jessie up to fire when a sudden shot from the side knocked him over. His personal shield took most of the blast and saved his life.

 _Stupid mistake, God-ammit it, lettin' someone shoot me from the flank._

That someone, it turned out, was the "Mi'qote" woman on Parker's team, Y'tala. She was perched at a window facing his way, a particle rifle up and aimed at him. Zaeed swung Jessie over and fired, full auto, letting his old gun really push her heat capacity with enough suppressive fire to drive the cat-lady back into cover. He moved toward the window, firing all the way, until Jessie grew so hot that she was smoking. Finally her safety kicked in and Jessie stopped firing, going into cooldown.

His quarry recognized her chance and popped back up, rifle raised. Zaeed was ready for her though, and he already had a grenade in mid-air when that gun popped back up. He threw himself to one side, knowing another hit would finish his personal shield and leave him dead, while reaching for his side-arm. He hefted the M-3 Predator and fired off several shots just as Y'tala was shooting at the grenade he tossed. A number of the shots struck her shield and degraded it, forcing her to take cover as the grenade went into the window.

As the grenade went through the window, Y'tala came out of it. She hit the ground rolling and held up a phaser pistol. Amber fire washed over Zaeed's shield. His combat gear let off the tone he hadn't wanted to hear; his shield was completely drained now.

But now Jessie was cooled down. He picked her up from where he had to drop her and fired, full-auto, at the Mi'qote woman. She jumped back to evade but it was too late for her personal shield, as enough rounds slammed into it that it flickered and dissolved.

With no cover and his personal shield overloaded, Zaeed couldn't let her get another bead on him. He dashed forward and, as she stood, fired off another shot. She rolled away from it and pulled a gun. Now he went down, rolling and shooting, but rolling in the right direction.

Y'tala took a gamble; she held her ground to try and get a shot in. But Zaeed, despite his age, was too quick for her to keep a bead on him in short-range. Her shot went wide.

Zaeed twisted Jessie in his grip and brought the stock of the gun crashing into her face. Her nose broke with an audible crack, red blood gushing from it, and a single tooth went flying from her mouth.

The move should have won Zaeed their brief battle. But it didn't; Y'tala's leg shot out and kicked him in the knee from the side. Zaeed's knee came out from under him, causing him to go down onto it. She went for her sidearm again as Zaeed went for his, and simultaneously they each brought a free hand up to grip the other's gun, leaving them locked in place, the loser unlikely to survive the result. 

* * *

Thrace and Anders held their guns ready as they continued on down the main corridor of the _Deadman's Hand_ , working toward the main bridge.

They were barely a quarter of the way when Anders pulled Thrace into cover in one of the doorways, just before a sapphire pulse of energy went past where she had been.

"Think you're hot shite to come after my ship, don't you?!", cried out Wolff, standing in cover near the bridge. "Come on if you think you're hard enough, nobody's taking my ship from me!"

Thrace and Anders looked at each other. Being in a relationship and having fought side by side, they could read one another well enough to agree to a plan without any verbal communication. Thrace gestured and Anders nodded. He poked out slightly and went back into cover as fire came down on his position.

Thrace slipped around the corner and returned fire, driving Wolff into cover. Anders dashed ahead, taking cover at the next door. Just as he got into the cover fire came back their way. Wolff could see the tactic they were using and was ready to take his chances to shoot one of them down.

They would repeat the same, now Anders giving the cover fire while Thrace moved ahead, taking cover opposite from Anders to force Wolff to divide his fire. They exchanged looks that confirmed that each knew what this meant; this was going to take time. Time they might not have. 

* * *

Angel and Sydney made for the opposite end of the building. A fire exit door presented itself as an entry point. It was supposed to be one way, but with a couple shots from her pulse pistol Angel wrecked the door's closing mechanism and was able to kick it open.

It was a stairwell, and they were on the top floor. "Okay, where do we go?", she asked Sydney.

"We might be able to find whoever's in charge nearby. There's no telling how far down the facility is."

"So this way, good.

They went toward the door Just as Sydney started to go through the , the door opened and a man in a dark suit came out. The security man saw them and lifted his gun up.

With Sydney partially in the way, Angel didn't have room to shoot without risking him. Her leg snapped up and caught him in the hand with a kick. She moved in a quick lunge, grabbing the man's gun hand and coming up with a kick that caught him in the throat, forcing him to wheeze and gag out of shock. She followed that with a punch and a throw toward the outer door, clearing him away. "Go, go!", she urged.

Sydney kept going, as fast as his weary old legs could carry him, while Angel took up the rear.


	34. Episode 2-07-5 Family Matters

The air in the conference room was growing more tense by the moment. The Centre Triumvir, "His Lordship", was talking on the phone with someone and frowning. "Send them all… well, how many…" The normally debonair man in his fancy suit was now pacing. "Get more, we have the office in Redmond… yes, by chopper if you must, we need the backup." He turned the phone off. "Can your people stop them?", he asked Parker.

"I hope so," she replied. She looked them over. If she was fast enough that she could shoot them before they sent an alert…

There was a loud banging noise as the door was kicked violently open. Miss Parker turned to face the newcomers as well.

Angel and Sydney entered the room, guns drawn.

Raines' attendant drew his weapon and leveled it at Angel.

Miss Parker reached for her pulse pistol, but didn't draw it yet.

"Sydney," rasped Raines.

"Mister Raines." Sydney covered him, among the others, with a gun. "Where's Jarod?"

Raines quietly turned his eyes to a monitor, where they could see Jarod and Lyle, not to mention Jarod's family. "You clearly aren't as capable as Miss Parker warned," he said. "We'll have this compound reinforced within hours."

"We'll be gone by then," Angel retorted. "You idiots should be praying thanks that our ship's on special assignment, otherwise we would have sicced a company of Marines on you by now."

"You would be the young lady who penetrated Centre security last year." His Lordship took a seat. "I respect bravery and action like that. So let's discuss the matter and find an acceptable accord." He folded his hands and gave every appearance of being the amenable, ready-to-deal English aristocrat. "The Centre fed Jarod for three decades. Clothed him. Protected him. We have a vested interest in his work, you might say. Now, if we had compensation of some sort, I can see the Centre happily permitting Jarod to move on "

"You're nothing more than slavers," Angel spat. "I saw what you did to Angelo. Your man Lyle was holding a little girl hostage. The reason I haven't shot any of you yet," and her eyes turned to Parker with venom, "is because all I care about is getting Jarod and his family out of here."

"Young lady, you are not in the strongest bargaining position," Raines replied. "One of you will be shot if a fight breaks out. And with a single phone call, I can have Lyle kill Jarod's family, or even Jarod himself."

"So what 'compensation' would the Triumvirate want?", Sydney asked.

"Your technology. The chance for the Centre to lead the world into a new era of discovery and expansion." His Lordship put his hands together.

"There are political considerations. Rules."

"Of course. But these things… they are bent all the time, Doctor, as I'm sure you're aware. My colleagues and I have made our careers out of such things."

"The Alliance will never deal with you," Angel swore.

His Lordship sighed. "Young lady, I can only be so hospitable toward such… irrational hostility. Mister Raines is correct, your position is not the best. This is a time for negotiation, before more lives are lost. We can both benefit."

The look on Sydney's face made it clear to Angel that he didn't trust them, but saw no harm in talking for the moment. Angel, however, was pondering if she could shoot the main behind Raines before he fired.

Her eyes wandered onto the monitor screen. She could see the two people strapped to chairs - Jarod's family - quaking and crying out. Her anger stoked. She needed to find them, _now_ , and put an end to it.

For the moment, however, the standoff continued. 

* * *

One floor below, Jarod was hard at work designing the necessary capacitor to use in a particle rifle, part of his "produce something" efforts to placate Lyle while he waited with baited patience to see if anything happened. Or, unfortunately, if his beacon had been found out.

Lyle was agitated. And that meant Emily and Charles were suffering more shocks, as he played with the dial, as if their pain eased his frustrations. "Remember," he said, looking to Jarod, "if anyone outside of the Centre comes through that door, _they die_."

Jarod actually felt relieved by that. He suspected Lyle was remaining in communication with his bosses, and if they had him that upset…

 _You're here. Come on… please hurry._ He gave a nervous look to his suffering family. _Before it's too late._

* * *

The fighting outside continued to rage. Krel was tearing up the tarmac with his gun in his attempts to shoot Kasszas. The slippery Zigonian, always moving away from where the gun was firing, was without a single blow driving Krel toward an outright blood rage.

As Kasszas twisted away from another shot by Krel, he nearly crossed paths with Lennier and Kang. The Minbari's _denn'bok_ continued to clash with harsh metallic ringing whenever it deflected Kang's sword. Kang's attacks were well-aimed and precise, forcing Lennier to use all of his skill to stop them.

A grunt of pain came from Julia. She'd just misjudged Wilton slightly and opened her side up to a punishing punch from the other martial-artist. She grimaced and blocked out the pain, letting him come at her again. He was getting cocky, arrogant, and she let him as she waited for the right opening. Occasional punches and snap kicks kept Wilton somewhat honest, but she remained on the defensive waiting for the best opening.

Gunfire continued to sound from the corner of the field where Zaeed and Y'tala were locked into hand-to-hand combat, each trying to keep the other from getting a clear shot. Y'tala delivered a wicked kick that that left a bruise growing on Zaeed's face, and Zaeed returned the favor ten seconds later with a punch that may have cracked one of her collarbones. He grabbed at her arm and twisted her weapon away. Her hand shot out and took his wrist, twisting as well, and in the mutual movement Zaeed's Predator fell away.

Now at a disadvantage, Zaeed pulled the combat knife from his belt. Y'tala went for it and he met her movement with one of his own, bringing his knee up and smashing it into her wrist with enough force to knock the phaser pistol from her hand. Y'tala hissed in frustration while her elbow shot in at his throat. The blow was strung, nearly crushing his windpipe, and the surge of pain and reflexive panic gave Y'tala the moment she needed to go for her weapon. With a burst of will the old mercenary forced the pain out and went after her. Just as Y'tala's hand started bringing the phaser over, he drove the knife into her leg, just above the knee. The limb buckled and she cried out, red blood oozing from the wound. His hand came up and took her wrist, twisting and twisting until she dropped her weapon. Her free hand came up and slashed across the right side of his face, along the scar and near his fake eye, leaving five bloody furrows in his flesh.

A harsh laugh came from the other side of the battlefield. The dark-clad woman known as Denna continued to try to hit Druni with her blunt weapons, each promising a world of agony if it made contact with Druni in any way. Druni's _tenari_ swords met her blow for blow, stopping any such contact from impacting her. Occasionally Denna would mix it up, throwing a kick or a punch, that Druni would have to block as well. She launched counter-attacks of her own, resembling a whirling dynamo of sharp death once she hit her stride. Denna snarled as the tip of Druni's blade cut into her combat leather and took some of her skin off. She stabbed at Druni's ribs and barely made contact. Her weapon sent a wave of pain into Druni's body that nearly knocked her down. In desperation Druni's arm swept out and raw power forced the assassin away. Denna absorbed some of that with her own abilities, but it gave Druni a few feet of distance that gave her time to recover before Denna went at her again.

On the _Deadman's Hand_ , Thrace and Anders were continuing to creep forward ever so slowly, having made it halfway now to the door where Wolff was trying to hold his ship under his own power. "I could use some help here," Wolff snarled into his comm.

" _I'll be with you shortly_ ," Kang answered.

Outside Kang was still locked into combat with Lennier. He'd swapped his hold on his sword to pommel-down, giving him better control for meeting Lennier's attacks with the _denn'bok_. He kept his blade moving with swift, precise attacks that Lennier met with his weapon, then backed off to avoid the counter-attacks that Lennier gave with the opposite end. A part of him was supremely annoyed at his opponent: Lennier had not one drop of sweat on him, as if this took no effort on his part at all. Kang snarled and unleashed a flurry of attacks, strong swings of his sword to try and push the Minbari off-balance. Lennier met the furious offense with a series of blocks, bringing the ends of his staff to deflect Kang no matter how fast his sword moved.

With his energy ebbing for the moment, Kang backed off, holding his sword level and ready to meet an attack from Lennier. Lennier moved his _denn'bok_ into a similar defensive position. "You are quite strong," Lennier noted.

Kang said nothing, letting his frustration and anger stew, waiting for an opening. 

* * *

Nearer to the building, there was more clanging of metal and EM fields in the fight between Meridina and Dralan. She could feel Dralan's rage and hatred, his sheer loathing of her and everything she believed in, and it made Meridina's resolve harden.

"That darkness is part of you," Dralan said. "You should embrace it. It has the power to give you anything you want."

"I am sworn to the Code," she replied. "That is what I want."

Dralan snarled and tried to lash out with his power, a wave of energy to throw her back. Meridina met it with her own and resisted the strike. He followed it up with a series of cuts with his _lakesh_. She dodged and parried them, keeping her sword moving and letting her instincts, the conduit for her life force, guide her arms to reflect his attacks.

"The Light is weakness, it is tyranny!", Dralan shouted as he battered away at Meridina, forcing her back and away from the others.

Meridina let him. She would maneuver back when it was time, but for now she needed to get distance between Dralan and the others. With a _swevyra'kse_ , there was no telling what they would or wouldn't do to get at their foes, and she didn't want the others falling to him.

The question was whether she could hold him back long enough to wear him down or get an opening. The darkness was a terrifying force in its corruption, certainly, but the dark feelings that fueled it granted tremendous power, power like Meridina had rarely seen. Amaunet, in control of her, hadn't been this powerful as she could not fully command Meridina's life energies. Dralan could command his own, immersed in darkness as it was, and did so.

Ultimately, her goal was to buy time. Time for Angel to get Jarod, time for the others to prevail in their battle, and she had to trust they would not be too late. 

* * *

The stand-off in the conference room had everyone remaining in place. Angel felt the sweat gathering on her forehead as she kept her pulse pistol leveled toward Raines' attendant, who had his gun on Sydney. If she pulled the trigger and didn't get the shot right, Sydney would be shot in turn. Would she be able to stop Raines or the British man in the suit from ordering Jarod and his family to be killed?

Was she willing to risk that?

It got to the point where she almost was. But in the end, it wasn't Angel who broke the stalemate.

Angel was worried about the timing, but so was Parker. Moreso, as her only hope for escape with her father was the _Deadman's Hand_ , and her ear receiver was picking up Wolff's calls for help as he faced attackers moving on his bridge. If they didn't hurry, they'd lose control of the ship.

And so it was Parker who took the gamble. She leveled her pulse pistol and fired.

The shot hit Raines' man square in the head. A moment later Angel's gun fired as well, mostly from reflex, and it hit the man's hand. He fired a half-second later.

Sydney cried out as the bullet struck, grazing his neck. A spurt of blood followed its course across his flesh. He dropped his gun from shock and reached up to the wound.

Parker was already in motion. Angel nearly moved to stop her, but went to Sydney first. He waved her off. "It's not as bad as it looks," he insisted.

Angel scanned it. "It grazed you. You'll need medical attention."

"We have to get Jarod first!", Sydney insisted. He pulled his bloody hand from his neck and reached for his gun with the other hand. He held the gun, one-handed, toward Raines just as Raines was reaching for his phone. "Don't!"

Angel stepped up and ripped the phone from the wheelchair-bound man's grasp. "That won't do you any good," Raines said. "I'm supposed to remain in contact with Lyle. I haven't been, and he knows something is wrong."

"Then where is he?"

"Why should I tell you?", Raines asked.

"Because if you don't…" Angel put her pulse pistol up against Raines' shoulder. Her thumb set the power level to a non-stun setting, but not powerful enough to kill. "...I'll starting shooting the crap out of you."

"Oh. Torture." Raines smirked. "You don't have it in…"

Angel pulled the trigger.

A cry of pain erupted from Raines' damaged lungs. He sucked in air after it, as if by itself he had almost lost all the breath in his body.

"Angela," Sydney began.

"Your elbow's next, you sick old bastard!", Angel shouted. " _Where is he?!_ "

Raines' nostrils flared. A snarl came to his face.

"Angel, this isn't necessary," Sydney insisted.

The fury burning inside Angel didn't want to heed that. These bastards had attacked Jarod and his family. Jarod, who was effectively a member of _her_ family too. And they wanted to act smug about it? She was going to wipe the smug smiles off their damned faces, and anything else necessary to get Jarod back.

Sydney, meanwhile, was reaching for the multidevice he had picked up. "Look," he said. "I can check the monitor's signal, I think this will let me track where he is."

Angel narrowed her eyes at Raines before looking to Sydney. "If you think it will work."

"Yes, I'm…"

Before he could finish, the suited man dashed for the door. They turned and Angel fired at him, but the shot was a half-inch off and he got out unscathed. "Dammit!", Angel cursed. She ran after him, leaving Sydney with Raines.

"You… look well," Raines said.

"And you look terrible," Sydney answered.

"It's not quite like old times, is it?" Raines smirked. "Tell me, Sydney. How much of this is guilt? You profited from Jarod as much as we did."

"I know," Sydney said. "And I'll take that guilt with me to my deathbed." He turned his head and eyed Raines. "How much guilt will you carry, Raines?"

"Guilt is overrated," was the rasped reply. 

* * *

Miss Parker went for the stairs. Her destination was not the first level but the second, where secure rooms were kept. Only a single guard stood in her way, and she shot him down before he could react to her arrival at the bottom of the stairwell. _Sloppy. I suppose all of the competent ones went upstairs._

Her multidevice displayed the location of her father as straight ahead. She ran past the empty rooms, storage compartments, and to a single gray door. She grabbed the handle and pulled it open. The inside was the comfortable room she'd seen her father in. Ahead of her, as if in a hotel room, was a dresser drawer set, on which sat a television and a camera assembly.

After she stepped in, a terrible smell hit her, the smell of human waste. As if the toilet hadn't been flushed. She took the final steps in to clear the corner and look to the bed…

...where her father laid, arms at his side.

There was a hole in his forehead. He'd been dead for a while.

For a moment denial surged strongly. She'd seen him alive just minutes ago, on the video screen. This couldn't be…

She looked to the camera again and saw it, the recording device the camera was hooked into. Seeing it, that was when Parker knew she'd been tricked.

The pain was almost overwhelming. "Daddy," she said, her voice hoarse with horror, rage, and guilt. She stepped up beside the bed and leaned over her father's corpse. His eyes stared back at her, empty. Miss Parker's lip quivered as she tried to close his eyes. They wouldn't close; rigor mortis had set in.

Miss Parker started to weep. She couldn't help it. Everything, every deal she'd made, every thing she'd sacrificed, had been for _nothing_. They'd killed her father… why? To punish her, even though she'd brought Jarod as she'd promised?

She almost couldn't breathe. The pain was starting to suffocate. They'd killed her father. The Centre had _murdered him_. They'd tricked her _and she fell for it_.

The pain gave way to rage. She stormed back out of the room, just as footsteps started to come from the stairs. She made her way there, gun raised, and looked up to see His Lordship rushing down the stairs. " _You killed him!_ ," she screamed in rage.

He looked at her. Bewildered surprise came to his expression. "What?", he asked. "Wait…"

" _You murdered my father, you bastard!_ "

"No, I…"

She didn't hear what he started to say. She didn't care. Her finger pulled the trigger. Again and again. Energy pulses of white-blue fury slammed repeatedly into his torso and neck. His death cry was drowned out by the barrage.

With her face twisted into fury, Miss Parker ventured toward the stairs. She got up the first one, gun raised, when Angel appeared on the next flight, her weapon lowered toward Parker. Angel's eyes narrowed at her. She glanced toward His Lordship's corpse and back to Parker. "Your father's dead?", she asked.

Parker glared up her way. "I'm going to kill Lyle," she said. "And Raines. And every other sonofabitch in the Centre." There was no smirk, no emotion, when she met Angel eye-to-eye. "Unless you want to settle this now? You're here to kill me, after all."

Angel frowned at that. It was true... Mostly. She _was_ planning on killing Miss Parker.

Nevertheless, she raised the gun a little. "That can wait," she said. "Jarod's more important."

Parker nodded. "First subbasement. I'll show you." 

* * *

The dawn light was shining on the combatants outside of the building. Wilton and Julia exchanged punches, Kang and Lennier's duel had carried them toward the building, while Druni was forcing back Denna and Kasszas continued to fluster the Krogan.

"We're runnin' out of time, God-ammit!", Zaeed shouted, locked in ferocious combat with Y'tala. She bit at his neck, sinking her pointed teeth into his old Blue Suns tattoo. Zaeed growled in pain and brought his left arm up to elbow her across the face. Some of his flesh went with her and blood covered that side of his neck. "Bitch!"

Y'tala spun away from him. Zaeed lunged and grabbed on just as she started to pull the phaser pistol up. Without his weapons at hand, she had the advantage, and Y'tala knew it. She brought the phaser up and nearly had it pointed at him when he got a hand on her wrist. The maneuver cost him leverage though, giving Y'tala the advantage and allowing her to shift her weight and pin him for the moment, keeping his other arm out of the way and his legs trapped. She nearly had the phaser on him, and her thumb had already set it to high. A single shot and he'd be gone. "No hard feelin's," she gasped, her voice distorted by the broken nose. The phaser drew centimeters closer, in a moment the emitter would be on him and it'd be over. "It's business."

A moment before she could fire, Zaeed's head shot up and slammed into her face. Her broken nose broke further. The shock of the impact caused Y'tala's head to snap back.

It also disrupted her balance. Now Zaeed could put his superior body mass to use, forcing her off of her position. His hands both gripped at the hand with the phaser and ripped it free. A look of fear crossed her green feline eyes as she felt the emitter come up against her stomach, and Zaeed knew that fear. He'd seen it a thousand times before, the fear he saw in his nightmares and in his dreams, the fear he hoped to see one day in the eyes of Vido Santiago.

He pulled the trigger.

There was a whine from the weapon he was gripping. Y'tala had no time to scream as amber energy consumed her body, every inch of it, until there was nothing left.

"No hard feelings," Zaeed said, his breath hoarse. "It's business."

It seemed like the right thing to say.

Zaeed went over and picked up his Predator, his knife, and most importantly, Jessie. His shitty old rifle was intact and looked fine. He brought it up and sought out a target.

Before he could fire on the assassin in the catsuit, a solid "whomp whomp whomp" came to his ears. Zaeed turned and faced the source; helicopters coming up over the mountains. "Company," he growled. They were running out of time.

He put Jessie up. For this, he needed the other weapon on his back. The Mantis sniper rifle extended to full length by the time he brought it up. He crouched down to a knee and raised it toward the lead of the incoming helicopters. The crosshairs lined up on the pilot. Wordlessly, Zaeed pulled the trigger.

The shot wasn't quite on, though, as he wasn't in the optimal firing position. Instead of a headshot, the bullet went low. Granted, he could still watch with satisfaction as blood erupted from the throat of the pilot, who reached for his savaged throat and was clearly gagging. The helicopter began to spin wildly out of control, nearly hitting the others.

The other pilots weren't idiots. They began to maneuver more wildly as they approached, throwing off his aim. Zaeed put the rifle back and pulled out Jessie again. He turned back to the fight. "Put them down, dammit!" He watched the Krogan, Krel, nearly catch Kasszas in a charge. The Zigonian whirled away, his tail whipping across Krel's face and snapping it in one direction like it was a slap.

Krel roared furiously and looked away. Not toward Kasszas, but toward Zaeed again. And Zaeed knew he was in trouble. The Krogan's eyes said everything; Krel was entering a blood rage. Even with his gun gone, that would make him the most dangerous foe on the tarmac. Zaeed began to pour fire into him with Jessie, but the Avenger didn't have nearly enough stopping power for a Krogan in the middle of a blood rage.

Zaeed jumped clear and rolled over to a crouch. As he did so, Kasszas jumped behind him and landed on the Krogan's head. His clawed feet raked over Krel's face and left eye, which came free in a geyser of blood. Krel didn't seem to note the pain. His hand came up and grabbed at the Zigonian, who jumped free.

Except Krel got lucky. His flailing hand caught Kasszas' tail and gripped it. Kasszas let out an involuntary hiss and, from the shock, dropped his walking stick onto the ground. An angry roar came from Krel as he pulled Kasszas back by the tail and threw him.

Right into Zaeed.

The impact knocked the air out of the mercenary's lungs. "Dammit," he wheezed. He looked at Krel, now preparing to stomp them.

Druni had sensed her comrades' danger. She waited for Denna to make a lunge and, instead of cutting at her, slid to the side and then brought her foot up in a kick to Denna's throat. The assassin gasped in shock and fell over for the moment. Druni had a second with which to kill or incapacitate her, but that second would mean Krel getting to Zaeed and Kasszas. So she turned away and ran up, jumping up and landing on the Krogan's back. She drove her _tenari_ blades into his neck and head, again and again, but the tough Krogan hide deflected the blows. Blood was everywhere, but she wasn't hitting anything critical.

What she was doing was keeping Krel from finishing her allies off. He stumbled to the side, roaring in rage, and his arms flailed upward trying to reach at her. Druni jumped off and landed on the tarmac, blades held out and dripping with Krogan blood.

"Go for the headplate, girl!", Zaeed shouted. He was nearly out from under Kasszas, who was still recovering his bearings. "There's a spot near the front plate, get your blade in there and you can pry the bastard's head half off!"

Druni almost asked where, but she didn't need to. She could sense where Zaeed was thinking of. She nodded to him and returned her attention to the Krogan, now charging for her. Instead of jumping clear she ducked low, gathering her energy in with her. She released it as Krel was nearly on top of her, enough kinetic force drawn from her Gift to cause even a blood-raged Krogan to stagger. With that, she had her opening, and she used it to drive her blades into the spot. She jumped upward and pulled.

The response was horrific. There was a terrible sucking noise, joined by a shrill scream from Krel as the top part of his head peeled up and off, leaving bloody inner flesh. Even in his blood rage Krel felt the full force of this loss. Druni could feel his pain, a pain so savage that she knew she had but one option left.

She drove her blades into his head.

The blow was fatal, instantly so, with the armor plate no longer protecting his skull and brain. Krel fell over and Druni skipped clear of him as he did.

Denna struck. The assassin came in, both of her weapons forward, and pushed them both to Druni's back. The pain consumed Druni's conscious thoughts. A shrill scream expelled all of the air from her lungs.

"Exquisite," the assassin cooed. "The pain is so…"

Kasszas' tail whipped out and wrapped around Denna's wrists. With a yank that helped bring him to his feet, he pulled her back from Druni, who toppled to the ground, barely conscious and utterly paralyzed. Denna kicked out with her leg and sent out a wave of force that knocked the Zigonian backward, forcing him to let go of her wrists. Now the Zigonian and the assassin stood facing each other. "I've always wondered how much pain one of your kind can take," Denna said. "Although I imagine your brains are so addled by the drugs you inhale, it might not be the same."

"I know your kind," Kasszas said. "You, who twist the gifts of Creation to selfish ends."

"If you're talking about the Ministry of Fate, I don't particularly care for them either. It's so much more fun being on my own." Denna brought her weapons up. "Let's see how these agiels work on you, reptile."

Kasszas extended a hand. His walking stick flew to it like metal to a magnet. The stick swept in and blocked her first blow. Her follow-up swing went high, and he deftly moved away from it.

Zaeed pulled up Jessie just as the helicopters began to land. He opened fire on the nearest one, claiming a man with an assault rifle just before he could jump down. Quick bursts of fire from Jessie, deadly and accurate, brought down another, while the others remained in cover on their chopper.

Zaeed reached down and jostled Druni. "Get up!", he insisted. "I can't cover you, dammit! Get up!" 

* * *

The twin martial arts fights - Julia versus Wilton and Lennier versus Kang - were still raging near the ship. The two combats were drawing closer and closer as metal continued to meet metal and blows were being dodged and parried.

Julia was feeling the duration of the fight, but she was certain Wilton was too. His style was aggressive, forceful, and her reliance on _t'ai chi_ had balanced that, letting him expend his energies against her defense. She could sense he had some idea what she was doing, but evidently her combat style was not one he was familiar with (although he had the same advantage; she wasn't sure if he was using kung fu, karate, or savate, or some weird mish-mash of them all.

It was a _mok'bara_ move that really gained her the advantage, though, or rather tying one that Worf had shown her with her other style. Finally, Wilton had extended himself, a powerful punch that Julia's relative slowing had made too tempting to pass up. She had to admit that a half second separated her from a blow that might have turned the battle against her, but it would instead work the other way, as in one fluid movement she grabbed the outstretched arm and pulled it with her. She kept turning, throwing Wilton off his balance, and twisted around until she was at his back and his arm was locked painfully behind his back. Wilton screamed in pain and anger.

It became more pain when Julia finished her move by breaking his wrist.

With that surge of pain taking fight out of him, Julia wrapped her arms around his throat and took him into a sleeper hold. Her legs came up and wrapped around his arms to pin them in place, his lack of balance and her weight driving him belly-down to the ground. He wheezed, gasped, and started to go silent as the lack of oxygen sent him into unconsciousness.

Julia could hold on longer, guaranteeing he went unconscious, or until he was dead. But killing wasn't something she thought of doing when it wasn't necessary, especially not with the martial arts skilled she valued as a discipline. She let go and pulled herself away from Wilton. Her eyes quickly found her lost pulse pistol, and she went for it.

Kang moved with the speed of a snake lunging at its foe. One moment he had been driving Lennier back, the next he was twisting around and getting into a position that would have taken Julia's head off clean. At the last moment she spun away. The weapon didn't cut across her neck, but it did slice along her belly, cutting away the cloth of her shirt and undershirt and nicking a bit of her jacket as well. Blood flew along with the blade, just as it began pouring down the wound in her belly and side.

It brought back memories. She'd been wounded there by a blade before. Over a year ago, when the Jem'Hadar had boarded the _Aurora_. She briefly remembered nearly bleeding out.

There was no time to worry about that, though.

While she fell in the wrong direction to go for her pistol, she'd also kept Kang from killing her immediately as he'd intended. He turned back to Lennier just before the Minbari's _denn'bok_ could find his head, parrying the blow and nearly getting Lennier's entire arm with a blow at the shoulder that barely missed.

With Kang's attention diverted again, Julia forced herself back up, ignoring the pain and wet blood from her wound, and got to her pistol again. She swung it over at Kang and fired a wild shot.

It didn't hit him directly, but it did graze his leg. The leg buckled under him and he dropped to a knee. Lennier's _denn'bok_ struck him across the face, knocking two teeth out in a spurt of blood that came from Kang's mouth. He went spinning over and landed on the ground, belly-first. As he tried to stand, Julia shot him in the back with her pistol, putting him down for good.

Lennier turned his attention to Julia. "Are you alright?" His eyes focused on the blood pouring from Julia's side.

"I'll live," she said. She looked back at the fighting. Zaeed was desperately trying to keep the arriving Centre reinforcements suppressed. Druni was beside him, still prone on the ground. "Do what you can for her," she said. "I'm going to help Starbuck and Anders."

"Of course."

They split up. 

* * *

Trust only went so far, and so Angel kept her pistol ready while following Parker into the first subbasement level.

Sydney's voice came over her multidevice, " _The Centre has reinforcements landing by helicopter. We're almost out of time._ "

"Parker's taking me to Jarod," Angel said.

" _I'm tracking you and I'll be with you shortly._ "

"What about Raines?", Angel asked.

" _I just shot the spokes of his wheelchair. He's not going anywhere._ "

"Good," Parker said. "I know where to find him."

Angel didn't answer that. She understood what Parker was going to do, and she didn't care for the moment.

The door they were looking for wasn't hard to spot, with the electronic security lock and the heavy steel construction. Angel brought up her multidevice and had it scan the lock, then access it. The system was purely dawn of 21st Century in sophistication, nothing to even her tactical-standard multidevice. It quickly cracked the security and undid the lock. 

* * *

Lyle and Jarod looked to the door when it opened. The appearance of Miss Parker was a surprise, and not pleasant for Jarod.

He would have reason to reconsider that later.

That reason, of course, was that it gave Lyle a half-second of pause before he realized what was happening and went for the dial. Just as his fingers wrapped around it to twist, Parker's gun fired. The pulse shot slammed into his chest, right on the sternum, and he fell back.

Parker turned and elbowed one of the guards. The door opened wide enough for Angel to come in, and she caught the second guard across the face with a punch that sent him down.

Seeing Angel made Jarod's day. He grinned with relief at her. "There you are."

"Jarod!" Angel looked down to where his foot was chained to the chair. She knelt down and pressed the pulse pistol to the chain. A single shot delivered enough energy to break the chain in two.

Jarod went immediately to Charles and Emily. His first act was to disconnect the device, ensuring there was no chance of an electrical shock. By that time Angel was already freeing Emily's wrists. Jarod went to work on his father's bindings.

"Your friends came," Charles said weakly, grinning.

"They did."

"So your Dad's English?" Angel started removing the wrist shackles while Emily pulled off the wires that had been tormenting her.

"His name is Charles. My sister is Emily." Jarod motioned to Angel. "This is Angel Delgado, she works with me."

"And who's the lady…" Emily stopped.

Jarod and Angel looked to the door.

Parker was gone.

Jarod quickly put it together. "They killed her father, didn't they?"

"Yeah," Angel said. "It's why she's still breathing. She brought me to you."

"Where are the others?" Jarod looked to the door. "Shouldn't you have a Marine team?"

"Nope." Angel shook her head. The last of Emily's electrodes were off and she was pulling off the last on her father. "The _Aurora_ was called away on a time sensitive mission. Angel, Meridina, and I were left behind because we were incommunicado hunting for Parker's trail. We had to put together a team of allies. They're outside fighting off Parker's people right now."

"How are we going to get off-world?"

"We brought a Raptor, and we're stealing Parker's ride. Now let's…"

The door swung open and Sydney entered. "Jarod?", he asked. "Jarod, are you…"

"I'm here," Jarod answered.

Sydney wasted no time in embracing Jarod, who accepted it.

" _Andreys to Delgado_ ," a voice said over the multi-device. " _Please come in._ "

Angela tapped her multidevice. "Julia? I'm here."

" _Have you gotten to Jarod?_ "

"He's here." Angel nodded. "I got to him and to his family."

" _Then get out of there. They've got reinforcements coming, and we're still trying to take that ship._ "

"Major Charles." Sydney looked over Jarod's father. "Allow me." He took Charles by the arm and hefted him on his shoulder.

Jarod did the same with his sister. Angel pulled her gun and led the way for them. 

* * *

Julia had to take cover when she spotted the corridor to the _Deadman's Hand_ bridge. Wolff was firing at where Thrace was in cover. She and Anders were at the last set of doors before the bridge, a quarter of the way down the hall. But they could go no further with so much remaining space, giving Wolff time to poke out of cover. "Starbuck! Anders!" Julia grimaced. Her side still hurt from where that Chinese cyborg had cut her. Blood was soaking into her pants leg. _I need stitches, soon._ "I'll add to your cover fire."

"Any of you gits come any closer, you die, get it?!", Wolff shouted.

"Wolff, I've got two life force-wielders, maybe three, behind me," Julia retorted. "We're taking that bridge. Your choice is whether you surrender or we have to shoot you."

"I'm not goin' back to the cells, you hear me?! You'll get my ship _over my dead body_."

"Suits me," Thrace retorted. She looked down the corridor to Julia, who nodded. She made a hand gesture in acceptance, and another one, presumably to Anders.

Anders' gun began to bark. As it did, Julia stepped into the corridor and got onto one knee. She raised her pistol up, both hands level, and sighted the gun on the doorway while Thrace approached it, gun at the ready.

Right before Thrace got beside the door, Wolff popped out, his gun raised and ready to shoot the Colonial pilot.

Julia fired first.

Her accuracy wasn't bad. She trained for it, even if she rarely used it, and some of the edge from her days in the Facility was still there. The shot, meant for Wolff's chest, was a little high. But it got his throat, and that was a shot she'd take.

Thrace made it to the bridge. Julia saw her kick at something, presumably Wolff's gun, and there was a shout of "Clear!"

Julia got back to her feet and walked up to the bridge. The pain in her side felt like it was growing worse. The wound was being aggravated by her constant movement and fighting. _I'll get it checked, soon. But I've got to finish this first._

She entered the bridge, where Thrace was securing Wolff's body. Her eyes moved over the bloody wound on Julia's left side. "Damn, Commander. We'd better get you bandaged."

"We will when we're out of here." Julia pulled herself into the pilot seat. The controls weren't ones she normally used, but they were familiar enough. She started to run the pre-flight protocols, primarily systems checks. "Looks like Wolff didn't lock down his systems. He wanted to be able to leave in a hurry."

"So do we." Thrace stood up and looked to Anders. "The cargo bay looks just big enough for the Raptor. I'll fly her in now."

Julia nodded. "Go."

"Anders, stay with her," Thrace ordered. He nodded in agreement.

"If you can find something to bandage me with, I'd love to stop bleeding everywhere,' Julia remarked, the drollness in her voice evident.

Anders went to work on that. 

* * *

With Lennier's help, Zaeed got Druni back to the safety of a building corner. From there he could direct fire on the men coming from the choppers, trying to keep them suppressed.

Druni was starting to stir. "Urh."

"We need you on your feet, girl," Zaeed insisted. "Come along, get up."

"Where did that pain come from?", Druni asked.

"I believe your foe attacked you from behind."

"I've never felt so much raw pain before," Druni said. She looked back to the ship. "Look, they've done it."

Everyone could turn and see that Thrace was coming down the cargo ramp and making for her ship.

"But we have yet to get the ones we came for…"

"We need to buy 'em time." Zaeed looked Druni over. "Think you can help me deal with those choppers? I can give you some cover if you can blast 'em out with that lightning."

"I'll need several seconds."

"You'll get 'em." Zaeed held up Jessie. "Ready?"

"I will go to assist Commander Andreys with her injuries," Lennier said to them. "As the Humans I've known would say, 'Good luck'."

Zaeed nodded.

When he rolled out of the corner to one knee - thus providing a smaller target - there were at least a dozen security men advancing, all armed with the same kind of rifles. Zaeed popped off a burst that claimed one, then another burst that took the legs out from another. The rest of them scattered and went prone, looking to avoid getting shot and to then shoot back.

Behind him Druni was already at work. She reached into the energy in the air with her gift, with the warm energy she had long felt within herself. Her arms wheeled around, splitting the energy in the air as they went, creating more and more of an imbalance between the latent positive and negative energies that existed around her.. She did so quickly, with less care than she normally managed, because she had only a second or two before she would be hit by gunfire.

She thrust her right hand forward just as one of the gunmen turned his weapon toward her. The charges she'd split crashed back together, following the channel her power laid for it. The resulting bolt of lightning shot through the air, crackling outward as it did and shocking at least two of the gunmen.

But the main bolt hit home: one of the helicopters, just as it was going to take off. The electricity blasted through the frame of the craft, warping and breaking it.

It also found the fuel tank.

A split second later, the helicopter exploded in a massive fireball that knocked down most of the remaining Centre gunmen. Some, hit by shrapnel, didn't get back up.

More importantly, flaming debris started hitting the third and last of the choppers, and it started to back away even with two more gunmen inside.

Zaeed followed up the attack with quick and deadly bursts from his rifle. Jessie's rounds hit home, and the attacking reinforcements were no longer a problem. "That's a God-amned impressive trick," he said, turning to Druni.

She was frowning, though. "Not everyone sees it that way," she said. "Knowing how to do this, and being willing to use it, cost me everyone I ever cared about."

"Their loss," Zaeed answered. "You ever want to go into merc work, I can set you up. You'll be a rich woman in months."

Druni didn't answer that.

Before she could act further, the door facing the _Deadman's Hand_ opened. Angel came out and held the door open, allowing Jarod and Sydney to carry Major Charles and Emily out of the building. Emily was starting to walk more on her own power, but it was clear Charles was having trouble. "Take him," Emily insisted.

Jarod nodded. He took Charles' other arm to bring his dad to safety.

"Alright, let's get to the God-amned ship," Zaeed growled. "I'm not doin' this for creds, so no billin' by the hour."

Angel nodded. Druni pulled her _tenari_ back out. "I'll catch up with you," she said. "I'm going to help Kasszas."

"After we get them to the ship," Zaeed said. "He's handlin' himself." Zaeed tilted his head toward the fight in question. 

* * *

Kasszas' stick effortlessly batted away another jab by Denna with one of her weapons, with a twist of the stick knocking the other hand and weapon away from him. He spun around and smacked her with his tail, sending her rolling over the tarmac until she came to a crouch. A vicious snarl crossed her face.

"Strange how I am the blind one, but it is you who has not landed a blow," Kasszas remarked, keeping his staff level.

"Was that a _taunt_ ," Denna challenged.

"I thought that rather obvious." Kasszas brought his stick to a vertical position and held it. "Perhaps I should stand still for a moment and make the fight fair for you?"

The frustrated growl that left Denna's thrown caused the rapid hissing that amounted for a chuckle from her reptilian opponent. "Your attempts to provoke me are not humorous and not at all working!"

"But you see, I am not just trying to provoke you. I'm seeing you for what you really are, dark one." Kasszas' tail swished quietly behind him. The dawn light was now bringing some color to his light yellow and gray robes, but his dull eyes remained still and unmoving. "A spoiled child living only for transitory pleasures. No higher cause, no greater being, nothing but the moment for you, with the darkness in your heart the only way to fill the emptiness inside." Kasszas' reptilian voice took on a stronger, more hostile tone. "And I see those you have harmed. Your delight in torment and pain, all feeble efforts to fill that void. I should despise you, but I can't help but pity you."

"Pity?" Denna snarled. " _Pity?! Pity is nothing! I don't need it! You can have the pity for what I'm going to do to you, you miserable lizard!_ " Denna gathered her strength and reached forward. Lightning crackled at her fingertips and lashed out at Kasszas.

But Kasszas was no longer there. The lightning struck the trees far behind him, setting them ablaze.

Kasszas moved with the grace of a predator. In seconds he crossed the distance from where he had been to where Denna was realizing her strike missed. His stick was a blur in her vision before it slammed into her forehead. The force knocked her unconscious immediately and she was sent flying, going through the air for several feet until she hit the ground, rolled, and came to a stop. Blood started to pool from her head from the force of the blow he'd struck

Kasszas lowered his head at the sight. "I am of Creation, and Creation is within me," he hissed, and then, with a sad sound, he turned away to rejoin the others. 

* * *

At this same time, Meridina and Dralan were still off in their side of the property, near the barbed wire fence, continuing their duel. Meridina was meeting her foe blow for blow, giving ground but no openings. She could feel his rage and anger being stoked by frustration. He wanted her dead, as painfully as possible, and by not giving him that his frustration was becoming all-consuming.

Among those things being consumed was his control. Meridina watched his strikes lose their focus. The _lakesh_ in his hands continued to batter at her blade, but as if it were a club and not a blade in of itself. His eyes remained locked onto her. His lips seemed to be permanently twisted into a snarl. This state gave him more power, but it cost him something more dear than power; it cost him control of the fight.

Meridina was in control, but it didn't mean she could win whenever she wanted. It meant she was in a position to dictate its pace if she acted accordingly. She opened herself up fully to the power around her, allowing her life force to sense everything and guide her thoughts to the solution.

"The things I'll do to you, whore of Swenya," Dralan roared. "The ways I'll make you scream, you slave of the Light!"

"A slave?" Meridina deflected another blow and parried a second. She gathered her strength and used it to stop his power when Dralan threw it at her wildly, attempting to knock her over. "Look at yourself, Dralan. You are a slave yourself. A slave to the darkness festering inside you."

"The dark is my strength!", Dralan shouted.

"It is your master," Meridina retorted. She took a step back while he continued to tremble with fury, giving herself maneuvering room. "It has enslaved you completely and totally. You have no will beyond it."

"I _need_ no will with the darkness!"

And with that, Dralan took a step back and then lunged forward.

Meridina moved swiftly. She spun on her left foot, moving away and then toward Dralan just as his blade entered the space she had occupied. Her _lakesh_ swung out with her, guided by both hands, and accompanying her spin until it found its target.

The blade passed cleanly through Dralan Olati's neck.

Head and body, no longer joined, toppled onto the ground. Meridina retracted her _lakesh_ and summoned his blade to her hand with her power. She looked over his remains with contemplation, a little sorrow…

...and disgust. Disgust, which came a second later, because in that first second one emotion surged up from a terrible place inside her.

 _Joy_.

She had felt _joy_ , immense and gleeful satisfaction, or the taking of a life. At felling a dangerous foe who sought to kill her and people she cared for.

She secured her hilt to her waist belt and put the hand to her mouth in horror. How could she let such a dark thought come through?

The realization was a feeling that she was still tainted, and her doubts and fears resurfaced. If she had felt like this around others, they would see her as a _swevyra'kse_ in the making. Her judgement would be swift and complete, and it would humiliate everyone she cared for.

Her multidevice chimed. Julia's voice came through it. " _The ship's ready. And I've got more helicopters on sensors and approaching vehicles. We need to go._ "

After a moment, Angel said, " _We're on our way. Don't bother waiting for Miss Parker, she's not coming._ "

" _Angel, did you…_ "

" _She didn't, Commander_." The voice was Jarod's. " _Miss Parker has unfinished business with the Centre. It's all she has left. And she saved my family's life._

" _I see. Get on board, then, and watch out for Starbuck, she's going to be bringing the Raptor in._ " After a moment Julia added, " _Meridina? Are your receiving_?"

Meridina drew in a breath and looked back at Dralan's body. She considered his _lakesh_ , the design on the hilt and the iconography engraved on it. The characters looked Gersallian, but she didn't recognize them precisely.

She pocketed it before tapping her own multidevice. "I am coming." And she turned, heart still heavy, to walk toward the commandeered smuggler's ship. 

* * *

On the bridge of the ship, Lennier was checking over the secondary console. "The engines are ready," he said. "This vessel's anti-matter fuel is running low, but it should be sufficient for us to return to New Liberty."

"Yeah." Julia checked her life sensors. "It looks like everyone's aboard. I'm going to fire the thrusters." She turned her head and noticed Lennier staring at her. "Yes?"

"I believe you should let someone else pilot this vessel," he said. "You are wounded and need medical attention."

"I know," she replied. "But we've got to lift off now." She pressed a key. The ship lurched under them slightly and began to lift off. She grimaced and glanced down at her wound. It wasn't bleeding as profusely, but her clothes would have to go straight into the replicator for re-processing. There would be no getting those bloodstains out.

Once they reached the appropriate height Julia increased power to thrusters. She swapped to impulse drives as they reached the upper atmosphere, putting in a course to leave Earth's orbital space as quickly as possible. _No cloaking device, just this emissions stealth. Dammit, there's no way the locals haven't seen us. Although I doubt they missed the ship landing too. Admiral Maran is going to be really irritated._

Once she was sure they were home free, Julia hit a button that was labeled for the ship intercom. "I need a ship pilot up here, I'd like to get patched up before I bleed out."

"Commander, I am getting a signal from the _Tainaron_."

Julia nodded at Lennier. "Put them on."

Yvonne's voice came over. " _I see you made it._ "

"Complete success," Julia said.

" _Are you okay? You sound like you've been hurt._ "

"I had a cyborg try to cut my head off. I was lucky and only had him slice me below the ribs." Julia smirked. "I'll live."

" _Ah. Well, that's good. My best to you, Commander. Despite everything, it was a pleasure to meet you. Please do remember what I said, should the Alliance hold this against you._ "

Julia responded with a diplomatic "I'll keep that in mind. Andreys out."

By the time she finished saying so, the door to the bridge opened. Angel stepped in. She looked over Angel and shook her head. "So much for leave. You go off, get in a kung fu fight, and get yourself nearly sliced in half by a cyborg ninja or something."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, Starbuck said something about flying big bricks, Anders doesn't know a damn thing, and Druni is busy helping Jarod and Meridina tend to the wounded, i.e. _you_." Angel walked up to the piloting chair and gestured toward the door. "So I'm going to take over as ship's pilot. You go get that treated. I don't want to be the one to tell Robert that you bled out from being a stubborn jackass."

Julia sighed and chuckled. "Well, I'd hate to make you do that…" She got up, still favoring her wounded side, and walked to the back of the bridge. "Do we have any prisoners to watch? Besides Wilton?"

Angel shook her head. "No. Parker stayed behind, and aside from Wilton her team was dead."

"Right." Julia nodded and walked out.

Angel sighed and shook her head before taking the chair Julia had vacated. She looked over the console with something of a quizzical expression. "Okay, let's see…"

"Perhaps I should…?"

Angel turned her head and glowered at Lennier. "I know how to pilot a ship, okay? We all learned it."

"Ah. Well, if you insist," Lennier said. "Please do ensure our course will not involve our vessel plowing into something at warp speed."

Angel narrowed her eyes at the Minbari. "Are you trying to be funny?"

Lennier kept a plain look on his face. "Of course not. I'm sure you are aware that Minbari do not generally have a sense of humor."

"Because that sounded like you were razzing me about my ship piloting."

"I would never call attention to any alleged lack of competence on your part."

Now Angel was certain the Minbari was enjoying a laugh at her expense. "You know I can kick your ass, right?"

"I'm quite sure you are capable of kicking me on the backside."

With a look of comic exasperation on her face, Angel turned and directed her attention to plotting their course. The stolen ship jumped to warp a moment later. 

* * *

The woman who called herself Yvonne stepped into her office. She reached out and hit a key. A circular holo-display built into the wall activated. Hernan de Corelo appeared on it. " _So, they did it?_ "

"They did," Yvonne replied. She smiled at him. "Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Mister Corelo."

" _You're welcome, Miss Lawson_ ," was Hernan's reply. " _I trust your superior will consider my offer?_ "

Miranda Lawson nodded. "Cerberus is in need of contacts in this bright new Multiverse that your people have linked us to. You'll hear from us again, Mister Corelo." She terminated the connection. The Illusive Man would indeed be pleased with the success of the operation, and of the opportunities it had presented.

With a press of a key on her desk Miranda activated her intercom. The _Tainaron_ had other places to be, after all, and there was more work to do, always more work to do, to protect and improve Humanity. 

* * *

Mister Raines watched sullenly as the smuggler starship lifted off, carrying Jarod and the Centre's leverage against him with it. The Centre had nothing to show for the operation now, nothing but dead sweepers, lost vehicles, and damage to the facility.

"Hello Raines."

Mister Raines turned the one functioning wheel on his wheelchair, allowing him to spin around and face Miss Parker. She held her gun toward him. "Ah." He put his hands together on his lap. "This is about your father, of course?"

"Why?", Parker demanded. "Why did you kill him? _I gave you Jarod!_ "

"And yet you hid from us the knowledge that his friends were coming," Raines pointed out coolly. He smirked. "I know you have lived in a futuristic space age society for some time, so I suppose you forgot about directional microphones." He cackled at the look on her face. "Yes. We overheard your little conversation with your friend Kang. So I made the decision to put your father out of our misery. I decided His Lordship didn't need to know. After all, Mister Lyle was happy to do the deed."

"I'm glad I shot the son of a bitch dead, then."

"Did you?", Raines asked.

Parker frowned at that, and she followed Raines' eyes to the monitor on the screen showing the room Jarod had been confined in.

Lyle was gone.

That moment was when pain shot through Parker. She felt the pressure in her back, the pain within her, and only then noticed the metal blade sticking out of her belly. A sucking sound accompanied the blade's disappearance. With her strength failing she tilted over and propped herself up against the conference room table. This let her turn and face her attacker. "Y… you?", she asked in confusion. "Why?"

Kang was flicking the blood on his sword off. He looked down at her, his eyes obscured by his visor, and a slight grin crossed his face. "I couldn't let you kill Mister Raines. We have business to discuss."

Pain and fury crossed her face. "But I… we…"

"You've served your usefulness, Miss Parker."

"What are…."

Before she could finish, Kang slugged her in the jaw with enough force to break it, let alone knock her unconscious. She fell with a thump, blood still pouring from the deadly wound.

"She might have proven useful," Raines remarked. "Although I do not mind her being dead."

"You'd be surprised how much use a dead person can be." Kang put his sword up.

"And this business you've mentioned?"

Kang responded by pulling a device out of one of his pouches. A mass effect field generated around it, holding it in mid-air while a graphic displayed a bar filling up from 0% to 100% with the caption "Establishing Link".

When it hit 100% the proper communication channels were opened. Data surged through the ether between universes and the domain of subspace, forming into a real-time and life-size image seated just five feet in front of Raines. Raines looked at the man in the chair, noting the cigarette burning in between his fingers and the look of his business suit.

But what Raines noticed most were his eyes, his unnatural, mechanical-looking blue eyes.

" _Hello, Mister Raines._ " The figure set his cigarette down. " _Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Illusive Man. I believe you've already met my operative, Kai Leng?_ "

The man who had called himself Kang nodded slightly.

"I'm listening," Raines said.

" _I've been aware of your organization for some time, Mister Raines,_ " the Illusive Man continued. " _I represent an organization called Cerberus. I believe that the Centre and Cerberus can be of great benefit to each other._ "

Raines narrowed his eyes. "I find that hard to believe given our… technological limitations."

" _Technology isn't the only thing Cerberus looks for in picking partners, Mister Raines,_ " the Illusive Man said. " _The Centre has its own advantages. Your people can provide us with manpower, and most importantly, due to the state of your native Earth you could provide a certain degree of obscurity for special projects. And we are prepared to reward the Centre handsomely for its partnership._ "

There was silence in the conference room for several seconds. Raines thought the issue through. And what it meant for him if this went somewhere.

A small smile crossed the sickly man's face. "I believe I can say that we would be interested in your offer, Illusive Man," Raines rasped. "Very interested…"


	35. Episode 2-07-6 Family Matters

**Tag**

The ship was still several hours out from New Liberty's counterpart in A4P5. Julia, exhausted and tired, was napping away in one of the quarters. A door chime drew her attention. Having stripped her bloodied clothes off, Julia had to settle for a shirt stolen from the captain's things that, due to Wolff's smaller height and other differences, only went down to the end of her ribcage. This meant the bloody bandage over her wound was visible.

When she got to the door, she found herself facing Zaeed. "Mister Massani?", she asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Just checkin' in on you. Wanted to see how well you were healin'. I don't get to meet tough as nails lady Commanders every day."

"Well, I'm glad I could fill that void for you," she replied. "I've already written up a quick report for Admiral Maran. I made sure to note your contributions and my recommendation that the Alliance Defense Command give you a contract for the war. I'll share it with Admiral Maran as soon as we return to the _Aurora_."

"That's what I was hopin' to hear. You wouldn't like how I deal with broken contracts."

"Yeah, I can imagine that. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Nothin'. I'm goin' to take some Zs now. Best if I take the last room, ever since I broke my nose my snorin' can wake up a hungover Salarian."

"Rest well, Mister Massani."

In the rear cargo bay, Meridina was staring at the _lakesh_ she recovered from Dralan. The characters engraved on the hilt intrigued her. But she would have to consult with databases before she could figure out if they were some form of Gersallian writing or not.

"Meridina."

She looked up as Kasszas and Druni sat across from her. "I can sense your turmoil from across the ship," the Zigonian said. "What troubles you?"

"I killed a man."

"So did we," Druni said. "I killed several. It's not supposed to be easy, but it feels like this deeply effects you. You've never killed before?"

"No. I have." Meridina couldn't keep the shame from her face. "But this is the first time I felt joy in the act."

Druni nodded. "I see. Yes, I can understand that."

"The darkness within me… it lingers. Why? Why can't I purge myself of it, why can't I rid myself of Amaunet's taint?"

"Darkness comes from many sources, dear Sister," Kasszas said. "Perhaps you must look inward to see where this comes from, to truly understand it, and thus to deal with it."

"If I can't beat this darkness, I cannot be a _swevyra'se_ any longer," Meridina said. "And I would have nothing."

"That may be where you are going wrong. Darkness is best dealt with by understanding, not suppression."

"My order does not feel that way."

"Nor did mine," Druni added.

"I see." Kasszas nodded. "And I know others who feel the same. And perhaps their ways are the best for you. I can only wish you well, Meridina, and that you find the harmony within that you seek. Should you wish it, my brothers in the Harmonious Val-Drellim will aid you in this purpose. You need only ask."

Meridina let a small smile come to her face. "My thanks, Kasszas." She looked to them. "What shall you do when we return to New Liberty?"

"I will do as always, and follow where Creation leads," Kasszas said.

Druni nodded. "I'm not sure. I really like New Liberty, but I imagine I'll move on before long." She glanced toward Kasszas. "Perhaps I'll visit Kasszas' universe and his homeworld. I'm not sure if Lennier will go too, but we're not technically traveling together, and I've no idea what he intends to do in the long-term."

"You would be welcome. Although, perhaps, you should also be careful. The ways of the Harmonies of Tsorra-Mahl can be difficult for other species to understand, or to deal with."

"I'll keep that in mind." Druni looked to Meridina. "And you? I've never heard of a _swevyra'se_ holding military rank before. Are you going to stay with your ship?"

"I am," Meridina replied. "I have people who count on me. It is for their sake that I must deal with this darkness within me."

"Then I look forward to seeing you again in the future. May the Eternal Goddess forever cast her light upon your path, both of you."

"May Creation keep us on our intended paths," Kasszas replied. "And may they cross again."

Meridina smiled gently at them both. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Kasszas, Druni."

Julia and Angel met in the center hall and went to the bridge. Lennier was still sitting at the support station, watching over the ship's systems, and it made Julia wonder if the Minbari ever had to sleep.

Jarod was piloting the ship now, and doing so in the company of his family. Charles and Emily had found clothing in Wolff's belongings to make use of and, given their ordeal, looked rather well. Meridina's healing abilities had apparently helped them greatly, just as they'd helped to reduce the depth of the cut in Julia's side.

"I'm still not sure… I mean, look at this," Emily said. "I feel like I'm in a dream."

"I felt the same way last year." Sydney was sitting at an auxiliary station in the corner. "It's hard to believe all of this is possible. But you'll get used to it."

"Over time, it even starts to get a little mundane," Angel remarked. She leaned against the door to the bridge with her arms crossed. "And I still sometimes can't imagine how we started all of this."

Charles nodded and looked to them. "I want to thank you for taking care of Jarod," he said. "All of you." He looked toward Sydney.

Sydney lowered his eyes. "I don't think I deserve your thanks, Charles. I was complicit in the Centre's crimes."

"And you've made up for them," Charles insisted. He turned his head back to Julia and Angel. "And you two. Commander, Lieutenant…"

"We don't have to stand on ranks here." Julia smiled at him. "I'm Julia and she's Angel."

"Well then, Julia, Angel." Charles smiled and nodded. "Thank you both very much, not just for saving us, but for giving Jarod a home. For being his family when we couldn't be with him."

Julia nodded. She accepted the hug that the older man gave her. "We were lucky to have him." She looked past to where Jarod was looking over his instruments. There were tears in his eyes.

"Family's important for all of us," Angel added, accepting the hug. Emily gave them hugs too. "And that goes for you two as well."

"Thank you," Emily said. She breathed in a sigh. "Well… I guess I'm going to have to find something to do when we get to this colony of yours. Or do you have reporters in your space age civilization?"

"Oh yes," Julia said, nodding and grinning. "We've got reporters."

"There are two newspapers in New Liberty Colony that do live broadcasts over the planetary data net," Sydney remarked. "I'm friends with an editor of the _Herald_ , I could get you an interview within a week or so."

"Well, at least I'll be doing what I love," Emily remarked.

"And I'll find something as well," Charles said. "It's going to be strange, though. I'm going to have to get used to not being on the run."

"I can tell you that it's a great feeling," Jarod said. He turned in his chair and faced them. His expression was thoughtful. "Dad, about Mom…"

"She's safe," Charles said. "I made sure of that. The Centre can't find her."

"I'd still like to find her and bring her with us," Jarod said. "We can't bring back Kyle, but…" He stopped and lowered his eyes in thought. "I don't want to have her go through what you did. I don't want to abandon her."

"You haven't. We haven't," Charles insisted. "And when we get the chance, we'll go back for her. But don't worry, son, she's completely safe where she is."

"I can talk with President Morgan and Admiral Maran and try to see if they can get an exception made," Julia said. "Assuming I'm not court-martialed over this."

Angel rolled her eyes. "The mission succeeded, we brought Jarod back safe and sound, and we even recovered the ship Miss Parker took to A4P5 Earth so there's no risk of the technology falling into the wrong hands. So tell me, worry wart, why would they court-martial you?"

Julia leveled a look at Angel. Before she could speak on the matter, a tone came from Jarod's console. He turned back. "We're arriving at Harvest. Taking us out of warp."

The cargo ship dropped out of warp near the planet Harvest, the A4P5 version of New Liberty's planet. "There's a couple of ships in orbit." Jarod looked to Lennier.

Lennier was already activating the communications system. "I'm requesting a jump point to H1E4, set for New Liberty." After a moment he nodded. The interuniversal transport _Van Sickle_ is preparing to open one for us. They state that the _Aurora_ is already waiting for you on the other end."

"Send them our thanks," Julia requested, and Lennier did so.

"We're really going to change what _universe_ we're in," Emily stated, almost questioned, with clear wonder and disbelief in her voice.

"Yes, we are," Jarod said. "And then you'll get to see our ship."

Ahead of them the jump point opened, an emerald vortex in the void of space. Jarod accelerated the _Deadman's Hand_ and entered the point. There was that customary tremor through the ship as it made the jump and transitioned between universes. On the other side they got an immediate view of New Liberty, where night had fallen on the main colony and turned it into a small collection of bright light on the surface. "Welcome to your new home, Dad, Emily," Jarod said.

Julia was enjoying the looks on their faces as Jarod turned the ship. "And there she is," Jarod began, "our ship, the _Star…_ "

Jarod stopped, as if stunned into silence. Bewildered looks appeared on the faces of Charles, Emily, and even Sydney.

Confused, Julia turned to face the bridge window.

The sight she saw wiped the grin off her face.

"Mother of God…", gasped Angel.

The _Aurora_ hung in space before them, as they had expected.

Her great azure hull was covered, simply covered, in blackened and charred hull armor, with the scoring of weapons impacts having obliterated parts of the green and white stripes along her starboard side. Her deflector dish, a circle of brilliant blue and gold, was charred by battle damage. Wispy clouds of plasma were still seeping from both of the starboard warp nacelles, which flickered from power failures. A great, massive gouge had been ripped from the lower primary hull, now covered in replicated armor patching.

Nearby, equally visible, was the _Koenig_ , blackened and battered, a visible hole toward the rear of the ship not far from the engineering spaces.

Julia finally found her voice. "What the hell…?", she asked.

For the moment, nobody was answering.


	36. Episode 2-08-1 The Wages of Fear

**Teaser**

 **6 May 2642**

 **2 Hours Ago**

The system was a forgettable one, with no habitable worlds, terraformable worlds, or even asteroids or spatial bodies with valuable resources. On maps it was usually only identified as a system with a string of letters and/or numbers, regardless of the map-maker.

But the reports had made it clear. For the last four months, the Nazi Reich had been using System S4W8-452TD as the location of a supply depot for the _Raumkriegsmarine_. It was one of many targets that were supporting the Reich's war effort. Its elimination would complicate Reich logistics and undermine the advantages of the Reich's shorter supply lines.

That was why the _Starship Aurora_ and a complete battle group of the Alliance Stellar Navy had jumped into the system, the way prepared by jump probes dropped by the _Starship Albacore_.

The plan, explained to Robert by Admiral Martino on the Earth Confederacy carrier _Themistocles_ , was a raid in the purest since. They would jump in via the probes and launch a full assault on the supply base, a space station in orbit around a planetoid-sized object along the main plane of 452TD's asteroid belt. The nearest enemy fleet unit was at least four hours away at even maximum warp, giving time to destroy even a heavily-shielded base.

As it turned out, there was no supply base. Instead, within a pocket of local space that dampened sensor returns, there was a large Reich naval battle group waiting to commence a pre-planned warp jump to intercept them.

On the bridge of the _Aurora_ , Robert could do nothing as the battle swiftly turned against them. The Nazis had numbers, and more than that, they had not one but _two_ _Aryan_ -class dreadnoughts, as well as one of the older _Lutzow_ -class battlecruisers, which were slamming their forces with super-disruptor fire. Sitting nearby, Locarno was reading off the incoming tactical reports. "We've just lost the _Umikaze_ and the _Ramage_."

"Status on the _Themistocles_ ," Robert said. "We've got to get them free if we can."

Locarno shook his head. "Their impulse drives are down. Warp systems not responding."

On the screen, the _Aurora_ 's main weapons were busy hammering one of the dreadnoughts. Through concentration of fire, they'd managed to get its shields low enough that their heaviest weapons, the pulse plasma cannons, were blasting holes into its armored hide.

But that left the battlecruiser and the second dreadnought to come after them and the _Themistocles_ , all while the swarms of _Z-2500s_ and the dozen plus _Dresden_ -class light cruisers decimated their supporting ships. And to make matters worse, without impulse drives, the _Themistocles_ couldn't jump. It wouldn't be able to enter a jump point under fire without impulse power.

That thought crossed Robert's mind in regards to his own ship as it rocked steadily again. At the helm, filling in for Locarno, Ensign Violeta Arterria was busy maneuvering the kilometer-long _Aurora_ to minimize the effect of enemy fire, but even the most experienced ship pilot would have problems throwing off fire against a target as big as the _Aurora_. "Sir, we're losing impulse power!", she reported.

Lucy was at Ops, filling in for Jarod, and added, "Primary and secondary shield generators are overwhelmed, tertiary generators are failing! Armor self-repair systems operating at seventy percent capacity."

Robert keyed the intercom with his chair control. "Scotty, we're going to be sitting ducks!"

" _I'm doin' all I can about it, sir!_ ," replied the experienced engineer. " _But we're takin' tae much fire, th' shields cannae keep up!_ "

On the screen a Reich cruiser exploded, courtesy of the _Aurora_ 's main battery and a torpedo run from the _Koenig_. Zack's ship, with the _Trigger_ -class ships _Albacore_ and _Wahoo_ , moved on to attacking another target.

"I'm picking up more ships coming out of warp!", Caterina cried out from the Science station. "Reich warships. Multiple cruisers and destroyers, attack ships… and one dreadnought." She swallowed. "Going by their profiles and ID codes… I think they're SS."

Robert's stomach threatened to twist into the proverbial Gordian knot. "We can't win this," he muttered.

"Command message from the _Themistocles_ , audio only," Locarno said.

Admiral Martino's accented voice boomed over the speaker. " _All ships, break free and jump! The_ Themistocles _is lost!_ "

Robert tapped a key on his chair to open the tactical communications line to Martino. "Admiral, we can try to tractor you into a jump point."

The Italian man's response was immediate. " _Negative, Captain, you're out of position. If you come in to assist, the_ Aurora _will be lost as well. You must go!_ "

Robert hated it, but Martino was right. The carrier was a lost cause. "Acknowledged. I'm sorry, Admiral."

" _Godspeed, Captain._ "

Even after the line cut, Robert wasn't quite done. "Can we beam anyone off of our crippled ships?", he asked Lucy. "Or out of our side's escape pods?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not many. I've got all transporter stations working on it, though."

That would have to be enough. Every survivor beamed away was one less survivor left to whatever torments the Reich had in store for them. Robert turned to face tactical. With Angel gone, Lieutenant Syrandi Luneri was manning the post. The purple-skinned, teal-spotted Dorei woman was proficient at tactical and had done what she could, but there were so many targets that she couldn't do much more. "Lieutenant, direct firepower forward. We're going to punch our way out."

"Aye sir," Syrandi answered.

"Nick, signal _Koenig_ , I want Zack at our side. Recall all fighters and signal any ship in range to follow us."

"Sending signal now," Locarno said.

"We'd better hurry," Cat added. "Those SS ships… they're not going after the _Themistocles_. They're after _us_." 

* * *

The bridge of the _Koenig_ had much the same atmosphere as the _Aurora_. Zack was focused on the tactical picture on his display and in his head as his ship, and its two half-sister ships ( _Cousin ships?_ , he mused), maneuvered closer to _Aurora_. A Nazi heavy cruiser moved to intercept them. "Get them out of the way, April!", he shouted.

Lieutenant April Sherlily, his tactical officer, gave him an "Aye sir" as her first response. Her second response was a furious barrage of pulse phaser cannon fire that raked across the side of the heavy cruiser. Solar torpedoes rushed to join her shots.

Other torpedoes and pulse cannon fire converged on the cruiser. Three attack ships might yet have failed to cut her side open like Zack had wanted, but the _Aurora_ sent several phaser beams into the cruiser as well. Its shields degraded from the barrage and his torpedoes, and those from other ships, hit home. The explosions flowered along the port side of the cruiser. At least one hit was a lucky one, as the enemy cruiser was clearly losing main power.

It made its mark before dying, though. The cruiser's disruptors lashed out at the _Aurora_. Her navigational deflector sputtered and flickered as emerald beams stabbed away at it. Another beam, one of the last before the cruiser's guns went quiet, stabbed into the _Aurora_ 's lower starboard nacelle. Flame erupted from the wound, joined by wispy plasma leaking through the injury as the nacelle itself began to flicker from power loss.

Zack checked his tactical display. Other ships were trying to break out with them. Some weren't making it.

But something worse loomed over his tactical display. More enemy ships had entered the system, and they were heading right for the _Aurora_.

"Those aren't _A-1700s_ ," Lt. Magda Navaez observed from ops. "It looks like a new assault ship design. I'm reading larger disruptor emitters. And their shield strength is stronger."

"A new challenge, then," Zack announced, hoping that the confidence would ease the worry he knew the others had. "Ap, don't let them get too close to the _Aurora_. We need to make sure they break out."

"Aye sir," Apley said.

Within a minute combat was rejoined. Dark-hulled SS ships loomed ahead and turned the space around them into a flurry of emerald beams and bursts. Missiles streaked out and met the _Aurora_ 's point-defense phaser banks, strobing out as thin amber lines from the ship to meet the incoming missiles. But not every missile was stopped, and those that got through blasted through the _Aurora_ 's failing shields and scoured her armor and hull.

Apley kept them moving, evading the incoming missile fire, while Sherlily maintained phaser fire on any target that presented itself.

This changed at the approach of the enemy assault ships. They had previously been referred to as gunboats, reflecting that they were little more than flying cannon batteries easily smashed by the _Koenig_. But these ships were anything but. Sherlily's phaser barrages did a number on their shields, but they did not remove them with the speed or ease they might normally enjoy. And the enemy disruptor cannons and missile fire was tremendous. The _Koenig_ endured several hits that reduced its shields. The other ships with them were faring similarly, even as they sought to give as good as they got it.

"We're losing dorsal shields," Magda warned.

"Divert emergency power to shields and engines," Zack ordered.

As he made the order, a Nazi dreadnought loomed ahead of them. The _Aryan_ -class ship was painted black as night, save for the swastika emblem of the Reich - the _Hakenkreuz_ of black on a white circle in a red field - and, as an SS ship, twin thunderbolts that looked like the letter "S". The ship had that same slanted look as most Reich ships, with the drive hull slanting upward to meet the blocky primary hull area.

This ship was the most dangerous of the ones in their path because it had the largest "super-disruptors", large spinal mount disruptor cannons that could blast through even the toughest shields, along with smaller versions of the same that were multi-directional banks. If one of the spinal models hit the _Koenig_ , even their armor wouldn't save them. It would likely be a one-hit kill.

But they weren't aiming at the _Koenig_ , but the _Aurora_.

And Zack could do nothing as it fired. 

* * *

The entire bridge of the _Aurora_ felt like it was going to shake to pieces. "Direct hit!", Lucy reported. "Forward shields are down! They just…" She swallowed. "They just shot a hole clear through the primary hull! All primary hull decks have taken damage, multiple sections…"

Robert looked to Lt. Tom Barnes, Scotty's main assistant, manning the engineering station on the side of the bridge. "Divert all power to shields and impulsor drives, now!"

"I'm on it!", Barnes answered.

The _Aurora_ 's shields, taking in power from the rest of the ship, strengthened partially. It wouldn't last, not with the shield generators overwhelmed, but it might get them clear.

 _Might_.

The weapons fire from the _Aurora_ ceased as the weapons were denied the energies they needed, everything devoted to the _Aurora_ 's escape from the deadly Nazi trap. Disruptor shots continued to strike the hull, missiles joining them as point-defensive fire couldn't keep up with the barrage. Syrandi wisely diverted the PD weapons' fire to the much deadlier shield-disrupting torpedoes that the enemy destroyers were chucking toward them.

It was tense and close. Robert started to feel his breath come back to him as open space cleared on the monitor. They were doing it. They were almost out.

"Sir, we don't have any warp power," Violeta reported. "We've got three damaged nacelles."

"Forget about the warp drive. Send to all ships, jump as soon as they're clear!" 

* * *

Main Engineering on the _Koenig_ was in a state of surprising control, and that was mostly from the leadership of Lieutenant Karen Derbely, the ship's Chief Engineer, who had long made clear to her personnel what she expected of them in a crisis situation. "Lutal, Krrit, make sure those power conduits aren't overloading, we can't afford a short!", she cried out, looking over the Master Systems Display in the middle of Engineering. Into her communication line she added, "Hajar, I need you and a damage control team on Deck 3, Section D, the primary engine coupling is showing too much stress."

" _On our way._ "

Derbely stepped away from the display and went over toward the plasma coolant conduit with a scanner. With the rest of her team already busy dealing with the increasing damage, she was the only one who could ensure the vital piece of machinery was working, keeping the power conduits handling the tremendous energy being generated by the ship's naqia reactors from melting down. Her scan confirmed her fear, that the pounding they were taking was causing stress damage to the coolant lines. _I'm going to have to get a team on this_ , she thought, turning away from the coolant.

Just as she was walking away, the ship rocked so violently Derbely was thrown to the floor. The intensity of the shock told her what the MSD would have if she looked toward it. The _Koenig_ had just suffered a direct hit, not just any direct hit, but one that had blasted through the armor and…

There was a shriek of metal and a horrible slushing noise. Derbely's heart froze in fear the moment her mind realized what it was.

The plasma coolant line had ruptured.

Right beside her.

In the end, she couldn't turn in time before the coolant struck her. All she could do was scream in agony until everything went dark. 

* * *

The _Koenig_ 's bridge had rocked just as violently at the impact. Their harnesses kept them in their seats, of course, but that meant Zack was sure he'd have a bruise over his chest. "Report!"

"Direct hit on dorsal hull, we've been hulled!", Magda answered. "Damage to Decks 1 through 3, Sections C and D!" Magda noticed the blinking warning light. "We've got a plasma coolant link in Main Engineering!"

Zack took that news with horror. Depending on which plasma line linked… if it was the post-cycle coolant, carrying heat away to the heat exchangers… that plasma would melt anything and everything down to the _bone_ if it hit them.

Even worse, the ship's safety systems would kick in, shutting down any broken coolant lines to prevent further leakage, and in the process force the ship's power systems and drives to reduce output to prevent overheating.

"I'm losing impulsor power!", Apley said.

" _Bridge, this is Engineer Lang_ ," a man with a German accent said over the comms. " _The feeding coolant lines ruptured, we have lost one-third of our coolant capacity. Automatic systems are reducing power._ "

"Override them!", Zack insisted, even as the thought _Where is Karen?_ went through his head. "We need every bit of power we can get to keep up!"

" _Engaging overrides, sir. At our current rate of power usage, we have an estimated five minutes until the power systems overheat!_ "

"Understood." Zack frowned. He was worried about Derbely, but that had to wait until his ship was clear. _In five minutes we'll either be safe or dead anyway._

"Impulsor power back to enhanced level," Apley reported. "We're starting to clear them!"

"Sir, the jump drive won't engage," Magda said. "That direct hit damaged it."

"Signal the _Aurora_ and get us beside her, then," Zack urged. "We'll jump out with them."

"Yes sir," Apley and Magda said simultaneously. 

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge, Robert watched with tentative relief as they seemed to clear the enemy squadron. "Engage jump drive on my mark!"

On the screen they could already see green jump points forming around them. Individual ships, mostly the destroyers and attack ships that had evaded the overwhelming enemy fire,

"Captain, the _Koenig_ just signaled." Locarno looked at Robert. "Their jump drive is down. They're moving to jump alongside us."

"How long until they're in range to enter our jump point?"

"Fifteen seconds!"

"Jump when they're in position."

The ship shook again. "That dreadnought's targeting our engines," Lucy said. "I'm not sure we have fifteen seconds."

Barnes didn't have to be asked, considering it was the _Koenig_. "I'm diverting all available power to the aft shield generators!"

The aft shields of the _Aurora_ strengthened as more disruptor fire and missiles crashed into them. With the dreadnought firing on them, it was a question of how much more they could take.

"Aft shields at twenty-five percent," Lucy reported. The ship shuddered again. "Twenty-two… twenty… eighteen…"

"The dreadnought is firing!", Cat added, seeking the power spike on her screens. She drew in a breath out of sheer terror at what that meant.

The three spinal mount super-disruptors on the SS dreadnought fired at once. A last second roll of the ship by Violeta kept two from hitting the _Aurora_. The middle blast, however, could not be evaded.

It speared the back of the primary hull, striking the docking port for the _Koenig_ directly. Flame and debris erupted from the wound now carved into the _Aurora_ as the shot carried into the hull areas adjacent to the dock and, above, to the primary shuttle bay. Further explosions went off, relatively minor, as several craft in the bay were damaged and destroyed by the blast.

One of the misses also struck home, but not on the _Aurora_. Robert could only watch in horror as the _Albacore_ , just about fly into its jump point, was hit in the rear section by the disruptor beam. With the attack ship's shields battered to near-nothingness, its armor alone couldn't resist the blast. The _Trigger_ -class attack ship disintegrated until it was nothing but a cloud of debris. The jump point it generated closed as nothing kept it open any longer.

A second later, _Koenig_ was alongside the _Aurora_. "Activating jump drive!", Lucy shouted.

Ahead of them space was pulled open by an emerald flash that expanded into a swirling vortex. Violeta, and Apley on the _Koenig_ , put everything into their impulsor drives. Robert forced himself not to gulp as they came close, to within seconds, of escape, as it felt that any moment the Nazis might yet stop them, might shoot the jump point and de-stabilize it…

Then the ship lurched below him, a familiar lurch, as it flew through the point. _Koenig_ surged ahead, entering a split second later.

Ahead of them, the carnage of 452 TD had disappeared from the viewscreen. Instead it was New Liberty, spinning quietly as the Colony moved toward night.

"We made it," Cat squeaked.

Robert nodded and swallowed. "Nick, I want damage reports and casualty reports. Lucy…" Robert drew in a breath. "Get me Admiral Maran, highest priority."

"Yes sir."

"How did they know we were coming?", Cat asked. "I mean, were they expecting us? Was this a trap from the start?"

"I don't know," Robert said. "But someone's going to have to find out." 

* * *

**Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"The Wages of Fear"_**

* * *

**Now**

The tension on the bridge had mostly given way to post-battle exhaustion and relief when the word came that Julia and the others had arrived at Harvest in A4P5. Robert had Jupap, now manning Operations with Lucy and Tom Barnes off helping with the repairs, relay the message to the _Van Sickle_ to please provide the jump point, and the vessel's captain swiftly signaled agreement.

The squad cargo ship that came out of the jump point moved toward them for several moments before Jupap confirmed they were being hailed. "Put them on."

The screen shifted. Julia dominated the middle of it, but he could also see Angel and a Minbari in the background. " _Robert,_ what happened?", she asked.

"A disaster," he answered quietly. "Did you find Jarod?"

Julia nodded. " _He's right here. We got his family out too._ "

"At least something went right around here," mumbled Locarno, who was still in Julia's chair.

Julia noticed that too. " _I'll be right over with Angel and Meridina. We'll transfer the ship over to our allies._ "

" _I'm coming too,_ " Jarod added. " _You'll need everyone to start getting the ship fixed up._ "

Robert nodded. "It's good to see you're safe, Jarod. I just wish you didn't have to come home to this."

He nodded. " _It certainly wasn't the homecoming I expected._ "

"I imagine you'll want to spend time with your family…"

Jarod looked offscreen. A male voice with an English accent said, " _It's fine, Jarod. Emily and I will be here when you have time._ "

At that Jarod looked back to Robert and shook his head. " _I'll be over with the others._ "

"Alright. We'll beam you aboard as soon as you signal. _Aurora_ out."

The image disappeared from the screen. Once it was gone, Robert stood from his chair. "Nick, you've got the bridge. I want to go finish my full report to Admiral Maran." He looked to Jupap as he walked past, stopping briefly to face the Alakin Operations Officer. "If we get any signals from Command, let me know. Maybe… maybe the other attacks went off better."

Jupap nodded. "Yes sir," he chirped.

Robert nodded back, knowing his expressed optimism was sorely misplaced, and went into his office and straight to his desk. 

* * *

With the _Deadman's Hand_ left to Lennier to land on the planet and turn over to the New Liberty police, Julia and the others made quick stops by their quarters to change into uniforms before they went on duty. Angel went off to take over Tactical, Meridina to her Security office, and Jarod was off to join up with the repair teams. That left Julia to head straight to the bridge.

When she got there, Locarno was in the command chair. He nodded at her and gestured toward Robert's bridge office. "He's waiting for you."

Julia nodded. "Who did we lose?"

Locarno sighed. "Most of the crew in and around the main shuttle bay. We took casualties on most of the decks, especially in the primary hull from that shot that went straight through. Right now we're looking at about a hundred and fifty casualties confirmed. At least forty dead." Locarno looked toward the viewscreen, where the _Koenig_ was visible. "Carrey's got eighteen casualties and at least six dead."

Julia felt her fists clench. A sudden thought seized her. _You were supposed to be here for this. If you'd been here, you could have made a difference._ She brushed it off, as much as she could, and asked, "What happened?"

"It was a trap," he replied. "Robert will fill you in."

Julia nodded. She turned away and went for the ready room door. As she did so her wound started to sting. Whether from something wrong with her bandaging or a psychosomatic response to her feelings on the situation… she couldn't tell.

Robert was at his desk, working the hard-light keyboard on the office's desk while looking at his screen. He looked up as she entered and stood to attention. "Julie," he said, signaling an intention to be informal. "It's good to see you. When Chief Almerda said you had left to rescue Jarod… well, given what he said about Parker's team I was a little worried."

"I understand." She went to a chair and sat down. The suddenness of the move did more to make her wound hurt, enough that an involuntary wince came across her face.

Robert noticed it immediately. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

"I'll live," Julia answered, although she was visible favoring the side that had been cut.

Robert could have actively sensed for her wound and known how much it had hurt, and what damage it'd done. As it was, between the fatigue in her features and the clear pain she felt, he knew Julia's wound was not insubstantial. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. It felt like it would be a violation of Julia's privacy.

"What happened?", she asked. "Nick said it was a trap."

"Admiral Maran had reports that the Reich's fleet movements were opening a window that would let us jump into their rear areas and hit their supply system before their fleets could respond. He threw every available ship he had into the mission, including the _Aurora_ , and we had to leave right away." Robert frowned and set his hands on the table. "But instead of an undefended supply base, we found a Reich attack fleet waiting in ambush." Robert put a hand on his chin and shook his head. "They went right after us and the _Themistocles_. They crippled her, and we couldn't stop it. We were lucky to escape in the end given the beating we took."

"Why didn't you jump to a repair yard?"

"Lucy just used our last jump coordinate to get us out quickly." Robert shook his head. "And with the damage to our impulsors and power systems, Scotty wants a few hours to complete some repairs before we jump again." Robert gestured to his computer. "So I'm passing the time getting a report filed." He sighed. "And worrying."

"About?"

"it's been two hours, and no word from Portland about what's going on," Robert said. "I'm worried about what happened, and… I'm worried that Admiral Maran was leading one of the task forces. If we lost him…"

The thought was a chilling one. Maran had become one of the most respected leaders in the Alliance. His loss would be a massive blow to Alliance morale, especially if it came with the losses this operation had caused.

Moreso, for them personally, it would mean losing one of their biggest supporters in the Alliance military command structure. And even if President Morgan selected someone else to head his Defense Staff, Admiral Davies would gain in authority and influence, and he had made it clear he intended to strip the _Aurora_ from them as part of his fears about the Gersallian Order of Swenya.

"I think we would have heard something if Admiral Maran as captured or dead," Julia said. "He's probably just busy trying to deal with what happened."

Robert frowned. "This was supposed to shorten the war. Now we might have prolonged it. We've lost the initiative we've been picking up. There's no telling how the Nazis are going to react."

"What's more important is how we react. We can't give up over a single setback, no matter how large."

"I hope enough people see it your way." Robert's thoughts about the politics were dark enough. Some of the Alliance states were still avoiding full application of their strength to the effort, forcing Morgan to burn political capital to cajole them into greater efforts. Now those states would be even more reluctant to expend their efforts.

Robert looked Julia over. "There's nothing more you can do, Julie. You should go see Leo about getting that fixed." His head nodded toward forward and slightly to the side.

"I can take over the bridge for Nick."

"Pacetti is already on his way to do that. Right now, you need medical attention." He could have ordered her, but Robert instead added, "Please."

Julia had a frustrated look on her face. But seeing the concerned look on Robert's and the pain still stinging in her side, she sighed and nodded. "I'll go down there right away."

"Thank you." Robert checked his screen. "Get some rest. I know you need to be in your own bed for a night of sleep. We'll talk again in the morning."

Julia nodded and stood from her chair. She left the room and returned to the bridge. Angela had relieved Lieutenant Luneri at Tactical and was looking over things. She caught Julia's eye, and the look they shared said it all.

 _Could we have made a difference?_

* * *

The medbay was busy when Julia came on. Numerous crew were on the biobeds or stretchers, waiting for their turn to be treated for injuries sustained in the fight. Julia found it was standing room only.

"Commander." Nasri's voiced carried over the din of moans, ponderings, and quiet conversations. She walked up, looking tired herself. "What's wrong?"

"A cyborg with a sword tried to cut my head off," she replied. "I dodged and he cut below my ribs instead."

"A deep cut?"

"I figured it would need stitches. And Meridina was too tired to do anything for it."

"Come this way." Nasri led Julia beyond some of the patients and to her examination area, now vacant. "Let me see."

Julia pulled off her uniform jacket and the undershirt she wore beneath it, down to her undergarment. The bloodstain on the bandage had grown a little since Julia changed clothes. Julia waited for Nasri to look it over. She felt her pull the bandages back and examine the wound, which stung like hell. The bandage went back on. "It's not too deep of a cut, but deep enough that you would have needed stitches if we didn't have dermal regenerators." Nasri frowned. "But this will call for a heavy regenerator. I'll need to get you to a biobed and you'll have to wait for a unit to open up."

"Nick told me we had a hundred and fifty casualties."

"Closer to two hundred now," Nasri replied.

 _Over a tenth of the crew,_ Julia thought.

Nasri handed Julia a gown. "Put this on and bring your uniform." With the gown on and her uniform and undershirt under her left arm, Julia followed Nasri through the medbay to a group of biobeds with larger bits of medical equipment around them. The non-urgent operation ward was adjacent to the critical care ward and she could see worse cases inside.

"You'll be seen in order," Nasri said. "It's standard procedure, you understand."

"Yeah." Julia nodded. "I'll be fine."

Nasri nodded and guided her to one of the unused biobeds, beside the entrance to the critical ward. Julia sat on the biobed, which immediately began displaying general physical information regarding her on its main display.

She had only a few minutes of quiet before she saw Zack work his way in. He was in his uniform and looked much like Robert had. His eyes were focused on the door to the critical ward so much that he didn't notice her until she called out to him. "Zack." When he turned and looked her way, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"No," he admitted. "I lost too many people."

Julia nodded. Proportionally speaking, his casualties had been worse, eighteen in a crew of about fifty being over a third of his crew. The _Aurora_ was just starting to approach the ten percent loss mark in contrast. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Zack answered, his eyes still distant. "We were betrayed. Or tricked. They were waiting for us and had us outnumbered and outgunned from the first shot." Zack shook his head. "Whoever screwed this up needs to be fired."

"I'm sure there will be an investigation." Julia chuckled bitterly. "Hell, I'm probably going to be investigated for everything I did to get Jarod back."

"Whatever you did, Julia, you actually _succeeded_. This was a complete fiasco, and it got good people killed."

"Who are you here to see?"

"Karen." Zack glanced in the direction of the critical ward. "When we took that direct hit that blew through our armor, the shock blew a coolant line in main engineering. The only reason she's alive is because it was the pre-cycle line."

Julia nodded. "I'll come with you, if you want."

The appreciation was visible on Zack's face. He accepted and they walked, together, into critical care.

The cases here were the worst of those who had a chance to survive. Missing limbs, burns, all sorts of injuries and damage were treated here.

There were fifty beds in this particular ward, arranged into rows of ten beds, with various pieces of medical equipment out for the use of the patients. Julia and Zack went over to one in the corner. If the name at the base of the bed hadn't read "K. Derbely", Julia would have never known it was her.

Virtually the entirety of Derbely's head was covered in bandages. What little was visible around her closed eyes showed signs of hideous burning. Aside from the gown she had heavy bandaging visible on every other portion of her body.

"It's a miracle she survived," Julia murmured.

"Yeah. A miracle," Zack said. There was a bitter tone in his voice. He looked over his unconscious chief engineer with a deep frown that contrasted heavily with the smiles he'd had just a couple of days ago. "My ship's been shot up, the Nazis kicked our asses… the way things are going, we _need_ miracles."

"Zack." Julia touched his hand. "You look exhausted. Maybe you should get some rest."

He turned his head and faced her. There was a look in his brown eyes, one of frustration and pain. Had he been in a better mood, he would have reacted to her clear need for rest. "I can't," he said. "I've got responsibilities."

Julia opened her mouth to speak further, but stopped herself. If their positions were reversed, she'd be feeling terrible too.

A treacherous voice in her head added, _And at least Zack was here for them, I can't say the same can I?_

"Zack, Julia."

Both turned to face an exhausted Leo, wearing his medical blues with a white lab coat. "We've done all we can for her now, Zack," Leo said. "Lieutenant Derbely will be transferred to a full medical station as soon as possible."

"Will she make it?', Zack asked. His voice was hollow.

Leo sighed and nodded slightly. "I'd give her good odds. Seventy percent for at least a partial recovery. We just have to keep the damaged tissues clean of infection until the specialists can begin a full dermal restoration on her. There may be other damage she'll need therapy for."

Zack showed relief at that. "At least we have that." Zack looked at Julia. "Any word on how long we have until we can dock again?" When she froze for the moment, Zack caught himself. "Oh, sorry," he said. "I forgot you didn't know." His words were calm and withdrawn, as if they hadn't just unintentionally acted as a means of brutally declaring "You wouldn't know because you weren't here".

Julia bit into her lip. Her eyes looked away from him.

Zack was still looking at Derbely and didn't notice the reaction. Nevertheless he sighed. "Well, I'd better get back to the ship. My crew needs me."

"Hopefully they'll have your dock fixed soon," Leo offered. "Your people need your quarters here on the _Aurora_ to get a proper rest."

Zack smirked at that. "Yeah, I know. So does my crew." He looked over to them and forced a smile to his face. "Thanks, Julie."

"What for?", she asked.

"For saving Jarod. We've lost enough friends and colleagues as it is." Zack walked past them. "I'll see you later."

They watched him leave the ward. Leo looked back to Julia. "Alright, let's get you back to the non-urgent ward." They walked out of the critical care ward and to the bed where Julia had left her uniform. Leo looked around and stepped away long enough to pull up a large dermal regenerator unit. "Lay down and let me see that wound."

Julia laid on her back on the bed. She raised the gown up past her belly to expose the bandaged wound. Leo pulled the bloodied bandages off and threw them in a biohazard receptacle. "Hrm. Not too deep. But deep enough. You're lucky you didn't lose more blood than you did." He scanned it. "No sign of infection. What happened anyway?"

For several moments Julia didn't answer. She was staring at the lights above on the ceiling. Her thoughts were entirely with the circumstances of what had happened. What had been done to her ship, her crew, while she was gone.

" _Julia_ ," Leo repeated, his voice now forceful. It snapped her out of her thoughts. "What happened?"

"A cyborg man, some ninja or something, tried to cut my head off," she answered. "I dodged and he just got me in the side."

"I'll say. The cut was precise. I'm surprised a sword managed such a clean cut, actually." Leo picked up a wand from the dermal regenerator unit. He pressed it around the wound. "I need to clean the wound out first, just to be on the safe side. I want to make sure you don't have any particles of your clothing left in that could lead to an infection later. Does it feel numb now?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Give me a little bit…"

Julia remained still as he worked. She ended up deep in thought again, even as her eyelids tugged downward until her eyes were closed. She fell asleep without intending to.

"Alright, all better," Leo declared.

That jolted her awake again. Julia sat up and looked down to where she'd been cut. There was just healthy light skin there now, a little pinkish in its color.

"You need some rest." Leo put away the dermal regenerator gear. Around them several of the people had changed.

"Leo…" She sat up. "You didn't skip me ahead in the line, did you?"

Leo smirked and shook his head. "No. I did defy Doctor Singh's insistence that I go get some sleep now that our immediate crisis cases are all handled. Technically I'm not supposed to be here."

"Well, I won't tell if you won't," Julia said, smiling as she did.

"You can change in my office," Leo offered. "And then I insist you get some rest. You lost some blood and you pushed yourself pretty hard, you need a couple of days to recuperate."

"I've got a ship that needs fixing, Leo," Julia reminded him. Her smile seemed more brittle now. "A couple of days is too much. But I'll give you tonight."

Leo shook his head. "I expected as much. Just take it easy."

"As much as I can. I promise."

Both knew that she wouldn't, that she couldn't. Not as things were. But Leo pretended to accept the promise and they walked away together, heading toward his office.

* * *

It was running late when Robert emerged from his bridge office, all reports written and filed. The damage report from Scotty had made for sobering reading. The main shuttle bay had taken severe damage and would need reconstruction. Half of the ship's shuttles were completely destroyed or so damaged that they would have to be written off, and most of the rest would need extensive repair work. The runabouts were in similar shape: the _Susquehanna_ , _Vistula_ , and _Rhine_ were utterly trashed and would have to be scrapped; every other runabout had taken major damage. Adjacent to the main shuttle bay, the docking bay for the _Koenig_ was wrecked and would have to be rebuilt.

The primary hull would also need weeks worth of reconstruction work at the L2M1 Earth Fleet Base, especially given the hole that had been blasted into it. Dozens of crew had lost their quarters to the blast and were being re-billeted in spare quarters or, where necessary, the holodecks. Robert had nearly even ordered that the senior staff officer quarters be opened up to them, just for Locarno to point out that it was unnecessary given the other available room on the ship.

 _Six weeks repair time, minimum_ , Robert mused quietly. He walked toward the central chair, where a much-fatigued Locarno was still sitting. "You're relieved Lieutenant," he said.

Locarno stood up. "Yes sir." He examined Robert's own state of post-battle exhaustion and added, "I suggest you stand down for relief as well, Captain. You need your rest."

"I'll head down soon," Robert promised. "I'm just waiting for a call from Portland before I can rest."

"I'll send Pacetti up," Locarno said. "So that you can stand relieved when you're ready to sleep."

"Thank you, Nick."

Locarno gave him a final nod and, with barely-disguised relief, went to the bridge lift. Robert settled into his command chair and watched the New Liberty Colony's lights on the screen. If he wasn't careful, he would nod off right here in his chair.

He nearly did, in fact, and he jolted to full wakefulness when he heard the chirp from Operations that confirmed an incoming signal. Jupap turned his feathered head back enough that Robert could see his beak move. "Captain, priority call from Defense Command. Admiral Maran is on for you."

"Put him through." Robert stood as the screen flashed. Seeing the dark-haired Gersallian admiral appear, wolfish gray along his hairline as always, was a relief. Robert had been terrified that he'd been with the attack and was lost. "Admiral."

" _Captain._ " Maran nodded quietly. " _My apologies for taking so long. I've been in Defense Staff meetings for hours. You don't know how grateful I was to get confirmation of your survival. The President was relieved when your signal came in to Portland._ "

"Thank you, sir." Robert swallowed. "How bad was it?"

" _It was a disaster, Captain, make no mistake about that. Our losses in ships went over the fifty percent mark. Three quarters of the capital ships we assigned, carriers and dreadnoughts, were lost._ " Maran's tone was somber. And Robert could see that, stoic as he always was, something was weighing heavily on him, in a way that it hadn't even during the dark days of the prior July when the war had just begun and the Nazis were pummeling their way through Alliance space. " _Our gamble was turned against us._ "

"The Nazis dangled the bait and we went for it," Robert said.

" _That is one theory. There is another one, however, and it is far more terrifying._ "

Robert blinked at that. "Which is…?"

Maran's expression turned grim. " _The Defense Committee has decided to order an investigation, Captain, into the operation. We have reason to believe that this wasn't simply a random trap set by our enemies._ "

"What do you mean…?"

Maran's voice took on a hard edge to it. " _I'm not at liberty to discuss the issue over a communication. Not even over a priority encrypted line. How soon can you jump again?_ "

"Mister Scott needs to shore up several elements of our power systems, the battle damage and our last jump overloaded some of our systems. He's due to give me an update in the morning sometime around 0600."

Maran nodded stiffly. " _Very well. As soon as you can jump, I want_ Aurora _back at the Fleet Base, I have a dock already set aside for her and a berth for the_ Koenig _. Preferably I want you and a contingent of officers that you trust in Portland by 1000._ "

"Yes sir," Robert replied, and he refrained from giving any voice to his immense worry over Maran's words. "We'll be there."

" _I'll be expecting you, Captain, at Defense Command. Maran out._ "

The transmission ended and the view shifted back to the planet. Robert immediately wondered what Maran meant by the trap not being random.

But first things first. He did need to get some sleep.


	37. Episode 2-08-2 The Wages of Fear

It was nearly 2400 ship time when Meridina returned to her quarters. It had taken some time to go through all the reports from security, many of whom were now working to help with some of the repairs. Meridina was pleased with how well the work went without her immediate presence.

Now that she was alone, she had time to look into her own curiosity. She went to her table and to the item she'd left there upon her return to the _Aurora_. Dralan Olati's _lakesh_ waited for her scrutiny.

It was a competently-crafted _lakesh_ , good handiwork. The type that came from a trained _swevyra'se_ like her, and therefore indicated training in the Order. "Computer," she said, "please connect to the Order of Swenya database on Gersal."

" _Connecting._ "

As she waited for the connection to finalize, Meridina examined the rest of the weapon. Engraved on the hilt were a series of characters. An inscription, a phrase or sentence, that she did not understand. The characters did look like they were related to High Gersallian, but yet they meant nothing even if she assumed specific letters to be similar letters in HIgh Gersallian. Clearly this mysterious inscription was written in something entirely different.

A cold feeling came to her. Dralan Olati had been a killer, driven entirely by his dark impulses with no real freedom to decide his course. She had never seen someone like him before. Not someone with a developed set of life force power.

But she had that in her too. The darkness she had felt within her since the Goa'uld Amaunet had infested her and used her to hurt, kill, and torment. She meditated on it, she focused herself on the light, on her highest emotions or simply upon the wholesome light within… but the dark wouldn't go away. It started to feel as if had always been there and had only chosen now to come out.

That thought was perhaps the one that scared her most of all.

" _Connection established_ ," the computer said.

"Search the temple archives for a man named Dralan Olati."

" _Accessing. Accessing._ " For several moments nothing came. Finally… " _Search complete. No records found._ "

Meridina frowned at that. "Computer, are you sure?"

" _All records have been scanned. There is no indication of Dralan Olati._

 _That makes no sense. HoW could he have made such a [i]lakesh_ without training from our Order[/i] "Computer, there are two things I wish to process tonight. First, expand the search for Dralan Olani to public Interdependency records. Authorization code _Kul-ta-ta-je-omal te_."

" _Authorization code processed. Accepted. Beginning search. Awaiting second input._ "

Meridina laid the _lakesh_ on the table and accessed her multidevice. With a few key strokes she took images of the weapon. Another two keystrokes and the images now appeared on her computer display. "Computer, cross-reference these markings. They appear to be a form of Gersallian. Please check for any Gersallian dialect that uses them."

" _Beginning search._ "

"How long until the searches are complete?", Meridina asked.

" _Estimated time to completion at current data transfer rate: 16 hours thirty-five minutes._ "

So that was that. There was no point staying up any longer, not when there would be a staff meeting in the morning. "Thank you," she said, rising from her chair. She began to pull off the duty uniform as she made her way to the bedroom section of her quarters.

* * *

At 0630 the following morning, a thoroughly exhausted _Aurora_ command staff were in their conference room, as was an equally exhausted _Koenig_ staff.

The most exhausted of all were those who had been involved in the repairs. Scotty looked like he was about to fall asleep at the table. Jarod, Barnes, and Lucy all had varying degrees of deep fatigue written on their expressions, fatigue that even Hargert's best coffee was having trouble dispelling. The others on the command crew were better off in appearance, but it was clear that their morale was low and everyone was tired and upset.

Robert started the meeting with a look toward Scotty. "Mister Scott, Admiral Maran has a repair dock waiting for us at the L2M1 Earth Fleet Base. Can we jump yet?"

"I'll need a few more hours, sir," he said. "Lt. Nesay is busy finishin' repairs on the warp nacelle struts, an' we cannae jump safely until th' power supply systems have been checked. That's goin' tae take a few hours."

"You have until 0900," Robert replied. "We're due in Portland at 1000."

Scotty started to protest but stopped. "I'll see what I can do, sir."

Knowing Scotty would do just that, Robert turned his attention to Zack. "Has the _Koenig_ regained its jump capability?"

Zack shook his head. "The blast damaged the primary particle feed for the drive, so we can't generate a jump point until its fixed. And with our reduced Engineering staff, Ensign Hajar estimates another day worth of repairs to handle it. Half a day with every member of my crew on repair duties."

"Hajar?", Julia asked.

"She's the senior surviving officer assigned to engineering," Zack answered. "With Karen gone and Lieutenant Trelit dead."

"Right. Sorry." Julia looked away, with her face showing she was deep in thought.

"We'll jump you with us then," Robert said. "Admiral Maran has a repair berth ready for your ship too."

"Good. With a full dock team, _Koenig_ should be ready for duty in a couple of weeks."

Robert looked to his digital notepad. His last item, and worst, was now up. "Do we have a final casualty count?"

"Three hundred and seventy-six casualties of all kinds have been accounted for by the medbay staff," Leo revealed. "Sixty-one dead."

The news hung over the room. It was stifling in its depressive strength.

"We still have about forty-six cases in the critical care ward that I'll want to offload to fleet hospitals as soon as possible, for the best possible care," Leo continued. He glanced Zack's way; one of those forty-six was Karen Derbely. "Another thirty of the critical cases we've got are not so critical we need them taken off our hands. Most of the rest are injuries we've been able to treat. I have a listing of who is fit for full duty or must be restricted in duty. I'll forward it to Julia when we're done."

She nodded. "I'll make sure all department heads and shift officers are made aware of who is available. Although given how long we'll be in the dockyard this time, I imagine we're going to have a lot of crew changing anyway."

"I'll let you deal with the issue as you see fit," Robert replied. He put the notepad down. "Okay everyone, this meeting is dismissed."

As everyone stepped out, Robert found he was looking at Julia. She hadn't slept well - then again, few of them had - and she seemed distracted. "Are you okay?", he asked.

Julia looked at him. She remained silent for several moments before shaking her head. "No. No, I'm just thinking about things."

"Chief Almerda sent a report last night. They finished clearing evidence from the _Deadman's Hand_. The people you worked with put in their statements and were free to go. Apparently Captain Thrace and Anders got a jump to N2S7 late last night, so they're already gone." Robert used his notepad to check a part of the message. "Almerda's going to turn the ship over to FedStar authorities. He found out there's an active case against the ship's former controller. By taking him down and bringing her in, you're going to be liable to part of the reward once the FedStar admiralty courts finish dealing with it."

"I guess Zaeed will get some cash out of it after all," Julia murmured, but she still had that distant look in her eyes.

"Julie? Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," she said. "Anyway, I need to get to my office and start going over the personnel reviews for the battle."

"Nick should have filed his report by now, so you don't have to worry about that."

Immediately Robert could tell something was wrong, given the surge of shame and frustration that flared inside of Julia . "Yeah, he would be the right one to do that, wouldn't he?" She stood up. "I'll be in my office, let me know if you need anything."

"As soon as we get to L2M1, I need to go down to Portland to see Admiral Maran," Robert said.

"Then I'll take over repair command duties while you do. Until then." Without another word, she was gone, leaving Robert to sit, alone, to ponder Maran's message.

Whatever was going on, he knew he wouldn't like it.

* * *

In the end, Scotty got them jump-capable at 0842.

The _Aurora_ locked onto the jump anchor for Earth L2M1 and jumped through, arriving a few kilometers off of the Fleet Base's repair yards section. Numerous ships were already taking up much of the berths, some survivors of the disaster, others here due to other causes. As promised Maran had berths ready for them, in two dry-dock sections in the various wings for their appropriate sizes. He also had a shuttle waiting for Robert.

Robert had heard the "contingent of officers you trust" and decided it meant Maran wanted people who could help with whatever was going on, presumably an investigation. With dock repair teams now present to help Scotty's engineers, he decided that meant Meridina, Jarod, and Lucy.

The shuttle, a Gersallian-built one simply designated in Gersallian letters and numbers - roughly something like LRT-3924 - flew them down to Defense Command. The pilot was a young man, a Human with clear mixed-ethnic backgrounds who identified himself as Ensign Cloudrunner.

Defense Command was built just west of where the Willamette River flowed into the Columbia, near Lake Vancouver, on what was once (on L2M1 anyway) the Washington State bank of the river. The six azure structures towered over the river, the five outer ones arranged in the form of a five-point star and linked to the central one by enclosed foot bridges. For Robert, who grew up with news reports about "the Pentagon" - even his father's stories of visiting there during his time in the US Navy - this towering structure was clearly the Allied Systems' equivalent of that building.

Once they'd landed, they went off to the floors in the central building with the main offices. Admiral Maran's office was toward the middle of the 11th floor as a privilege of rank; the offices there were closer to the officer's club, the large fifth floor food court, and the eighth floor's air-car bays. The latter was a real luxury as there were no transporter stations in the Defense Command structure, and all travel to and from Command was tightly secured. More tightly, in fact, than they'd seen the last time they were nearly a year prior.

 _The last time we were here, Defense Minister Hawthorne and Admiral Davies were trying to railroad us and kick us off our ship_ , Robert thought sullenly. Finding out later that the two had initially _won_ , that they had convinced the Defense Committee, or at least a majority of it, to vote against Robert and the others, had been a real sting.

Finding out that the Gersallians and several other states had threatened to leave the Alliance if the vote wasn't reversed? That had actually scared him. More than anything, Robert wanted the Alliance to succeed and to thrive. He certainly didn't want to be the cause of it being ripped apart.

At Admiral Maran's office they were met by a young man with a dark brown complexion. "I am Commander Kanelas," he said, with an accent Robert had not heard before. Kanelas looked to Meridina and gave her a respectful bow of the head. " _Swevyra'se, kima iso tuna._ "

Meridina answered with a head bow of her own. " _Kima iso tuna. Mi rake sa swevyra iso._ "

They exchanged a few more lines before Kanelas looked to them. "My apologies, I have forgotten myself. Admiral Maran is currently in a teleconference with Admiral Relini. I will inform him you've arrived." Kanelas nodded again and walked into the next room.

Robert turned his head to mumble, "Do you understand…?" at Jarod.

"I don't think they're talking about tuna," Jarod replied, cutting off the question.

"I figured you'd have learned Gersallian by now, being a Pretender and all."

Jarod snorted. "I'm the Operations Officer of a kilometer-long starship with two thousand people always on board. I'm not going through my list of 'learn this thing' as fast as I used to. Learning Gersallian is still in the mid-40s, and I probably won't get to that for another eighteen months."

A bemused little smile was clear on Meridina's face at their exchange. "I would be happy to assist you with such, Commander Jarod," she said. "My apologies for not translating. Commander Kanelas is from Otapil on our main southern continent. The Otapin are among the Order's strongest supporters. Their people consider it proper to show immediate reverence to a Knight of Swenya."

"Ah." Robert nodded. "Well, as long as you're not talking about us behind our back."

"Perish the thought." Meridina turned away, satisfied with the exchange.

"Shouldn't you have learned this language yourself?", Jarod inquired quietly. "She's teaching you, after all."

"I know. But while I can pronounce German well enough that I've met Germans who think I've been in America too long instead of realizing I'm actually American, I can't even say ' _swevyra_ ' without my tongue going thick."

"It's because you try too hard," Lucy said.

The door opened again. Kanelis emerged partially. "Admiral Maran is ready for you."

Robert and the others stepped into the office, where Maran was standing behind his desk. The torch-and-tetracolor flag of the Allied Systems was beside his desk, as was one showing the Seal of Defense Command and it's quartered shield under the Alliance torch insignia. His work area had several digital pads upon it, presumably each secured and only containing specific and isolated classified data. A hard-light keyboard was still visible. He had been typing only moments ago.

"Admiral, sir. I've brought Commander Jarod, Commander Meridina, and Lieutenant Lucero. I trust all of my officers, but I considered they would be the ones you wanted to have in this situation."

"Your consideration was accurate, Captain." Maran's expression was grave. He'd clearly been up much of the night. "I'm going to make the facts plain. We were deceived. Most of the systems did not, in fact, have the sort of supply targets we had been led to expect. Instead it would appear that the enemy used electronic warfare to deceive our scouts. The apparent opening in their deployment schedule was clearly feigned to provoke an attack by us that could be ambushed."

"How bad is it?", Robert asked.

"Our last estimates are in. We launched four hundred and twelve ships into that attack. Only two hundred and seven returned, all damaged to varying extents. Out of twenty dreadnought-class warships, only six returned, and only ten of eighteen carriers. We also lost two-thirds of our cruisers."

Robert couldn't help but swallow. The _Aurora_ had been one of those lucky third to escape. "What does this mean for the war?"

"It will not cost us the war, at least not militarily. But it has set back our time-tables for further military operations. Admiral Relini has been forced to call off her planned offensive and is preparing defensive positions."

Robert caught that first sentence, especially its uncertain ending. " _...at least not militarily_." "There's more to this, isn't there?"

Maran nodded. "There is. And I didn't dare mention it over a channel, not even one that's encrypted." Maran reached for his desk drawer and pulled out an electronic device of some sort, a small curved shape with a light on the end that he brought on with a squeeze of his fingers. The green light blinked several times before a second green light activated. "There," Maran said. "We're secure."

"You're afraid of electronic bugs," Jarod said.

"I have to be." Maran sat down. With a hand gesture he invited Robert and his officers to take seats in the nearby chairs and couch. "I must be blunt. The Intelligence Office has discovered signs that some of our operational planning, including the proposals for the raid we just attempted, has been compromised."

The implications were clear. Robert's jaw fell slightly as he processed the thought. "You mean they say we've got a spy in Defense Command. That someone leaked this stuff to the Nazis and they planned the ambushes from that?"

"I do. So does the President, and the Defense Committee, and several members of the Senate." Maran put his hands on his desk. "We need to find out the truth of this, and now. Otherwise we may be facing the end of the political willingness to continue the war."

"You can't be serious," Lucy gasped. "They'd try to make a deal with _Nazis_?"

Maran shook his head. "When people are desperate enough for peace? I can see them doing anything. Councilman Pensley has gone as far as to threaten to encourage his government to withdraw from the Alliance if we don't change how the war is prosecuted or offer peace to the Reich."

"Pensley would be the one who is convinced that I instigated the war on purpose," Robert recalled.

"Yes. He's argued repeatedly for your court-martial, in fact. Even Admiral Davies has grown tired of the man."

"And here I thought Davies would back that," Lucy muttered.

"Admiral Davies is a complicated man. But he does know the scope of the threat we're facing, and he has no illusions that any peace with the Nazi Reich is possible. He and Pensley are not allies."

"He tried to bribe Zack into turning against us during the hearings last year," Lucy retorted. Robert winced at the surge of anger he felt within her. "He sent Commander King to _spy_ on us, and he's using Naval Intelligence to spy on your people! Complicated, hell, he's as much a threat to the Alliance as Pensley is!"

"Lieutenant, calm down," Maran ordered. His tone was still quiet and patient, but there was an edge to it when he said that, an edge that told Lucy (and Robert) that in this he damn well expected to be obeyed.

Meridina gave Lucy a worried look. The angry snarl on Lucy's face faded. "I'm sorry, Admiral," she said. "I was out of line."

"Yes, you were," was Maran's quiet reply. It was a rebuke, and Lucy took it as such. "The reason I summoned you here is that I'm compiling a task force of officers to investigate the matter and report on it to the Defense Committee. Officers who are not assigned to Defense Command and who have extensive combat experience against the Reich."

"And who couldn't have been in a position to be the leak," Jarod noted.

"Yes." Maran looked at Robert. "The _Aurora_ will be spending over a month in drydock for repairs, Captain, so for the time being, I'm assigning you to oversee the investigation."

Robert blinked at that. "Me? But… I don't have counter-intelligence experience, or investigative experience."

"No. But I'm aware you have other potential talents to help give you insight into evidence that is discovered."

"Admiral, is this wise?" Meridina kept her voice respectful. "Knowing how certain factions in the Alliance government feel about the Order, and anything that seems linked to them, the fact that Captain Dale has our abilities will mean that those opposed to the Order will be suspicious of his findings."

"You are correct. That's why I'm assigning another officer to be his second in the investigation and to sign off on the final report. Someone that the Defense Minister and his supporters cannot so easily overlook."

"Who?", Robert asked.

Before Maran could answer, a tone came from his desk. He pressed a key on his hardlight keyboard. "Commander?"

" _The Commander has arrived as instructed,_ " said Kanelis.

"Excellent timing. I'm waiting with Captain Dale now."

Moments later, the door opened. Robert and the others turned to face the new arrival. Clad in the black-with-burgundy-red trim of a command officer, and with the expected three gold strips on the collar to denote Commander rank, the new arrival cut a prim and proper figure with her brown hair pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head. She immediately stood at attention and giving a disciplined, "Reporting as ordered, Admiral," in a crisp English accent.

"Excellent. You're just in time to meet the rest of the team."

Robert looked back at Maran with surprise. "This is who we're working with?"

Maran nodded.

"Captain Dale." Commander Elizabeth King nodded her head respectfully. "Commander Meridina, Commander Jarod, Lieutenant Lucero. It's an honor to see you again."

* * *

Julia took a working lunch into the Lookout, where she spent more time with the "working" part than the "lunch" part. The normal views one could find from the windows were replaced by the drab gray interior of the drydock. Outside dock workers would already be zipping around in zero G to inspect the damage on the _Aurora_ 's hull. It would likely be a day or two of inspections before the dockmaster certified a comprehensive repair plan for her to sign off on, after which work would commence.

"Your stew is getting cold," a voice admonished.

Julia looked up from her digital reader. Hargert was standing beside her, a cup of coffee already in his hand and moving to replace her empty cup. "Oh, Hargert," she said.

"I wanted to give you my thanks for rescuing Mister Jarod," Hargert said. "I feared the worst."

"You're welcome," she replied.

She went back to her work, just to realize the elderly German man hadn't moved. "You are not well, Commander."

"My cut is healed," she replied. "I'm fine."

"I am not speaking of wounds to the body. I fear for the other wound."

"I'm not hurt, and I'm not mentally troubled if that's what you're implying," Julia insisted. "I wasn't here, but I had a reasonable excuse for it and it can't be held against me. I'm not responsible for what happened to the ship."

"Indeed not."

"I couldn't have done anything to stop it," Julia continued. "If I'd been here, nothing would have changed. We'd still have gotten our asses kicked and I'd still be here going over battle reports and reading about all the people we lost."

Hargert nodded in agreement.

Julia felt a sensation in her hand. She looked toward it and saw she was clenching the cup so tightly her hand was shifting color from the intensity. She forced herself to relax.

"When you are ready, Commander, please talk. With me, with your friends, with someone." Hargert gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "But we are here for you."

With that said, he walked away, leaving Julia to the feelings roiling inside of her.

* * *

Admiral Maran took the time to escort Robert and the others, including Commander King, to the twenty-fifth level of Tower 3, the tower that pointed toward the southeast. There they found a vacant planning room with secured control stations and datapads waiting. "Inform Commander Kanelis if you have any needs and yeomen will be sent to meet them," he said upon their entry. "I've arranged for the appropriate logs to be provided to you. The Intelligence Office is overseeing the interviews of possible suspects. Transcripts and recordings will also be provided."

"We'll get on this right away, sir," Robert pledged.

"I'll be back in two hours," Maran said. "Then you and Commander King are due at a Defense Committee session."

Something about that did not make Robert feel more comfortable. "That quickly?"

Maran nodded. "A delegation from the Senate will be attending as well. They voted this morning on the matter."

"I thought that the Defense Committee's Senators simply reported findings to the Senate?"

"Normally. But in this situation, the Senate decided to take more active steps. Members of the Senate Committees on External Affairs and Security are going to join. Not as voters, but as observers, and Defense Minister Hawthorne will give them limited questioning privileges." Maran was evidently not happy with the decision. He hid it as well as always, butt Robert could feel his aggravation with it. "I know you won't have anything to directly show them within two hours. Your presence is merely to establish that the task force has been set up."

"I understand," Robert answered. "I'll see you soon, sir."

He nodded and walked out.

"Translation: The Senate wants to do its own investigations," Jarod said. "And that only complicates things more."

"Indeed." King found a seat. "Especially when you consider that the compromised plans were shared with both Senate Committees."

The others looked toward her. Lucy crossed her arms. "Well, I guess you'd know something about spying, wouldn't you Commander?'

"Indeed, Lieutenant, I served as an intelligence analyst for a time before committing to the command track." King's reaction was nonplussed, as if she didn't care about the remark one way or the other. She had spent over a month the prior year spying on the _Aurora_ crew on behalf of Admiral Davies.

Meridina sensed the subtle and unsubtle animosity toward King. The others were still clearly bitter about King's true purpose when she was assigned with the _Sladen_ to the _Aurora_. "How is your ship, Commander?", Meridina asked.

King looked to her. Meridina could sense the sadness that came from within. "We survived the raid. Barely. Half of my crew is dead. I wouldn't be here right now if we hadn't blown our drives with a warp jump. The _Sladen_ will be spending a month in drydock."

Hearing that, Robert looked to her and nodded. "You have my condolences, Commander."

"And you have mine, Captain, for the losses you sustained. Thankfully you and I are here to find out what caused them. Not all of our colleagues were so fortunate."

Robert could sense Lucy's severe discontent. Jarod wasn't happy either. But when he met Robert's eye, Robert could sense his feelings of acceptance on the matter. They were working with King and had a job to do, and that was that.

"We should get started," Robert said. "In case hard questions are asked."

"As I suspect they will be." King started to frown. "Some of this is irregular, most irregular. The Senate's rapid action implies…" She stopped.

Robert considered her thought and finished it. "It implies they were ready for this in some way. They had delegations from those committees picked and ready."

"It's possible that those committees have already been gunning for the Defense Committee and were ready for the opportunity," Jarod pointed out, already reading a digital pad.

"That is the most likely explanation. Even in wartime, legislative politics can be nasty." King picked up another digital pad and looked it over. "The chambers of the Council fighting one another, and the committees of both fighting all sides, all for the control they feel they need to push their take on the war."

That didn't surprise Robert. Even in the days of the Facility, there had been occasional fights for influence between the governing council on Liberty and the Facility Council, over things such as authority over the transport ships or the mining colonies and stations. The larger the organization, the more possible centers of power that could come into conflict with each other.

But there was still something about it he didn't like. Something they were missing, hidden and ready to cause harm if it wasn't found.

And there was King's presence. And that meant everything they did, everything they said, would get reported to a man who wanted to take everything from them. Mistrust was already built into this team. Lucy's constant bewilderment and anger directed toward King was proof of that.

But if they had a spy working for the Nazis, or just looking to harm the Alliance, they had to find that spy. The war couldn't be won if a source from the top kept telling the Nazis what they had planned. Finding whether there was a spy or not and neutralizing that spy had to come before anything.

"Commander King."

She looked over at him. "Yes?"

"Whatever happened last year, whatever your thoughts about the Gersallians, we can't let that get in the way of this job. The Nazis are the enemy and we have to focus on that."

King nodded. "I concur, Captain."

Robert looked to the others. "That goes to all of us," he said. "We can't let any animosity toward Commander King or Admiral Davies get in the way. This is a threat to the Alliance and the war effort."

"Agreed," said Meridina.

Jarod nodded as well.

That left Lucy. She was looking at a pad partially, but her eyes came up and met them. Finally she nodded. "Agreed."

"Then let's get started on this." Robert took a seat and picked up a blank pad. "Give me what you find and Commander King and I will put it together to inform the committee."

* * *

Two hours later Robert and King walked together, and otherwise unescorted, into the Defense Committee chambers. The Committee met near the middle of the building, in a chamber of red and amber-colored wood-paneled surfaces. The Committee Members themselves sat in a semi-circle facing the middle table, where those giving evidence or testimony would sit, while behind this table were seats for observers or future participants. The room had not changed any since Robert had last been here, when he faced losing the _Aurora_. This time, however, he sat toward the rear of the room, and was grateful he wasn't the focus of this session.

Not yet, anyway.

As before, ahead of him was the seat where the Defense Minister sat. Gerald Hawthorne was a thin man with a hawkish nose and a conspiratorial look about him. How he had enough of a grip on his post that President Morgan couldn't dare fire him was something Robert wasn't sure.

Seated nearby were Admiral Maran and Admiral Davies, in their positions as Chairman of the Defense Staff and Vice Chief of Naval Operations. General Gulinev, representing the Army, was also present. The crusty old Russian had lost hair since Robert last saw him. The stresses of war planning were clear on his weathered expression.

A glare came his way. Councilman Pensley was not as thin as Hawthorne, and his hair still showed some dark brown color. He sat to one side of the semi-circle. Councilman Palas was nearby, wearing standard Gersallian-style robes, and the third Councilman was an African woman in a suit.

Opposite them were the three Senators of the committee. Sriroj of the Sol Systems Republic was one he recognized immediately. The Dorei Senator was new, a man with a pale purple complexion and blue eyes that wore his long light teal hair in an elaborate series of ringlets and braids. _I will never taunt Angel about her hair again_ , Robert thought upon seeing that. The third Senator was an Alakin, with green and yellow plumage around the neck of what Robert was sure was a female Alakin. She was in a suit of pale yellow and green trim that struck Robert as more masculine looking, at least for what he thought of such things.

The final member of the Committee was the Intelligence Director, now General Hatcher.

Now Robert could see the further additions, though. Tables along the sides had been set up and a number of other figures were seated. Dorei, Alakin, Gersallians, Humans of various ethnic origins. They would be the Senators Maran mentioned, from the Senate External Affairs and Security Committees. Robert scanned them for faces he knew, most of which he only knew through those news reports he actually managed to watch.

Hawthorne, in his place, rapped his gavel. "I call this meeting of the Defense Committee to order. These are tough times for us all, so I thank you for your prompt response to the summons. And my greetings to the esteemed Senators joining us today from the External Affairs and Security Committees. This situation is one we must all get involved with solving." Hawthorne looked over everyone. "As you all know by now, our attempted rear area attack on the Reich became a fiasco. All indications is that the Reich lured us into an ambush. The Intelligence Office believes that they were made aware of our standing plans for a quick raid by a spy, or some other security leak. Regardless of whether this is true or not, we must investigate the situation thoroughly, and ensure that our war effort does not become derailed by poor leadership. Councilman Pensley?"

Pensley had glared toward Robert again, stood to show he wanted to speak. When Hawthorne's permission came and he spoke, briefly turning to address Hawthorne, it was with a voice not quite strong enough for the ferocity behind the words. "I would argue that the real question is if we should have a war effort at all, Minister. The German Reich was clearly provoked by a certain radical clique within the Alliance government and military." He looked back toward Robert. "A clique, I am sad to say, that has won the ear of the President, and which even today shows its strength by its presence before the Committee."

Robert said nothing. He knew he had no standing to speak as it was, not being officially called as a witness yet.

It was Senator Sriroj who responded to Pensley. "The good Councilman's known hostility toward some of the leading lights of our Alliance are well known to all of us," the Thai woman said, some acid in her accented tone. "The fact that he persists in this ridiculous course of appeasement of one of the most vile regimes in the history of Human civilizations is ludicrous in itself."

"The Senator ignores the fact that the Reich was clearly provoked by an incursion of their territory and the destruction of its ships by Alliance vessels," Pensley shot back. "And while I will not ignore the crimes of the Reich, the deaths caused during their invasion of our colonies in S4W8 can be laid at the feet of the radicals responsible for provoking a war we were not ready to fight."

"And so you would have us make _peace_ with the fascist butchers?!", Gulinev demanded. "The same fascist butchers who have slaughtered _hundreds of thousands_ of Alliance citizens?!"

"They no longer pose a threat to us," Pensley replied. "Their fleets have been driven back. We have liberated many worlds from them and the Darglan Facility of their universe has been destroyed. We've already broken the foundation of their empire. All we have to do is make peace and let their warped little system crash down around their ears. We don't need to lose more to finish off an enemy that time will beat. The only reason we're doing it now is because of small-mindedness being led about by crazed political radicalism."

"You make presumptions about the sustainability of the Reich that are unproven," Palas stated, rising to his feet. "And I do not believe this is rel…"

"And this, right here, is what I speak of!", Pensley thundered. "The Gersallians and their need to judge everyone else and throw their weight around! Clearly I'm not the only one who's seen it! They've amassed undue control over…"

"Councilmen, you are out of order!", Hawthorne cried, slamming his gavel. "Both of you are to be seated at once!"

Palas nodded in deference and did so.

Pensley did not at first. He glared at Hawthorne, who glared back, until finally the man sat with an audible thump.

"The purpose of this meeting is not to discuss peace feelers. It is to examine the issue we are faced with on a possible security breach," Hawthorne declared. His eyes scanned the room until they locked onto Robert. "Captain Dale, Commander King, I am informed that Admiral Maran has placed you in charge of the investigation. Please share with the Committee what you have learned so far."

Robert and King stood and took the central table. King nodded to Robert, signaling he would be the one speaking for them, so he brought up his digital reader. "Honored Members of the Committee, Honored Senators, we have looked over the preliminary information from the Intelligence Office." Robert drew in a breath. "It appears that at some point around five weeks ago, several anomalous access requests were logged into the Main Defense Planning Database. The database in question, for those who aren't aware, is where the secured operational plans drawn up by Defense Command planners are kept for review and alteration. Among the plans was the list of potential targets for the recent operation, or rather the list for the types of targets the raid in question was meant to eliminate."

"You say anomalous access requests, Captain." Councilman Zoral, of the Sirian League, leaned forward. His sandy brown hair was combed back and the middle-aged man kept a business expression on his face. "Can you explain what precisely you mean?"

"The system is designed to log all access requests by access point and personal code. Nobody is supposed to be able to look at this data anonymously," Robert explained. "These access requests had no such information. No access point was logged. No personal code. In short, we can't tell who accessed the data, or even if they managed to. All we know for sure is that someone tried without their location or identity being logged."

"Wouldn't a failure to put in a proper access code lead to an alarm?", the Alakin Senator asked.

"It logs the failure and alerts Defense Command security to the access attempt, yes. But we have no matching failures logged. In fact, throughout the year we only have five failures logged at all, and those have all been identified as user error by personnel with access authority." Robert looked over the notes that Jarod had compiled for him again. "The best explanation is that someone found a way to tap into the database without using a known access point. Someone physically tapped the computer cores themselves."

"That sounds dubious," Davies said. "Those cores are kept under the highest security regime. There are multiple access restrictions that have to be bypassed just to get to them."

"I understand that sir," Robert said. "But that is our best explanation for the moment. We'll investigate the possibility immediately."

Maran leaned forward. "Then the question is, if someone did get our planning data, how did they deliver it to the Reich? We have no standing channels with them, and no state we know of has regular diplomatic communications that could be used for that form of covert communication."

"They may be using long-range subspace radio keyed to specific high frequencies," Robert replied. "Or they're using another form of communication we haven't consdiered yet. We're going to look into this as well."

"Commander King, do you concur with Captain Dale's testimony to this Committee?", Hawthorne asked.

"I do, sir," King said. "Captain Dale and I have examined the evidence and come to these conclusions jointly."

"Then I leave this investigation in your hands…"

Pensley jumped to his feet. "I lodge an official protest! Captain Dale is not qualified for this sort of investigation."

"He commands officers who _are_."

"Nor can he be trusted with the conclusions, not when he is responsible for this war in the first place!", Pensley insisted. "This will become a mere cover for him to further promote the radical agenda that has already brought us war!"

"Councilman, you are out of order," Hawthorne ruled, slamming his gavel. The defense minister turned his glared toward Robert. "Captain, the Committee concurs with Admiral Maran's decision to place you and Commander King in joint investigation of this affair. We expect immediate results. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir." Robert stood. King stood beside him and nodded as well. The two walked briskly to the exit door.

Once the Sergeant-at-Arms let them out into the receiving area, Robert looked to King. "So Pensley is leading the peace movement?"

"He is." King gave Robert a look. "Although that's hardly a secret, Captain."

"I spend so much time doing other things that I can't keep up with all of the politics around the Council, honestly."

"I see." King consulted her multidevice. "It is past 1500 local time now. I could use a lunch, can't you?"

"I didn't get to enjoy the officer's club the last time I was here," Robert said. "I hear they make a mean steak."

King smiled at that. "Captain, you have _no idea_."

* * *

The job of overseeing the repairs on the _Aurora_ was divided in responsibility. As Chief Engineer, Scotty was responsible for the immediate portion of it. He was the one that would be working with the dockmaster on a repair schedule and providing the list on what was necessary.

But the administrative side of it was all on Julia. She had to liaise with the dockmaster, with the quartermaster for both the ship and the Fleet Base, and she had to sign off on the necessary crew scheduling changes that came with shipping out crewmembers to other medical facilities.

Looking over the latter was the hardest. The casualties the _Aurora_ had taken were severe. Knowing she hadn't been here to fight by their side… that made it worse.

The door chime for her office sounded. "Come in," she called out.

Angel was the one who walked in. "Well, hello workaholic," she said. "You do know that we're in drydock, right?"

"I do. I have the paperwork to prove it."

"Isn't that mostly _Scotty_ 's paperwork?"

"I told him I'd process it for him," Julia said. "That way he can focus on getting our ship fixed."

"I don't think you saved him much time." Angel crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "So, I was thinking we could do something. When you're done and off-duty."

"I had a pretty tight martial arts fight yesterday, Angel, I don't need to worry about honing my skills right now."

"I'm not thinking of a bout this time. In your mood that would be begging for bruises." Angel smirked. "I was thinking you, me, maybe Cat and her new girlfriend, going down to Portland and doing something, I dunno, girly. Shopping or something."

Julia leveled an intrigued stare at Angel. "Angel, you have _never_ been a girly type girl. Never. That includes shopping."

"Well, maybe it's something to try?"

"You mean it's…" Julia stopped and blinked. "Wait. Cat and _who_?"

"That purple-haired helmswoman, Ensign Arterria."

"And she and Cat are… together?"

Angel shrugged. "I dunno. They're playing some game on the holodecks. Well, they were, I'm not sure what they're doing now. But I know Cat's interested in her and would love to go visit the city with her."

"Well, I'm sure you'll all have fun," Julia said. "But I've got reports to file and repairs to check on and…"

"Yes, because that's going to make up for us not being here for the attack," Angel remarked.

Julia stopped. She looked up and glared at Angel.

"I'm not dumb. I wish I'd been here too," Angel said. "But we didn't know this would happen, did we? And Jarod needed us."

"So did the others," Julia said, her voice harsh. "Our ship went into a dangerous, important operation _without_ three of its senior officers, _including_ its _Executive Officer_. That is, _me_."

"We couldn't have known that would happen!"

"We shouldn't have had to think about it! We should have stayed in communication and…"

Angel stepped forward from the door and slammed a palm on the desk. "And where would Jarod be if we'd done that, huh?!"

The retort brought silence to the room. "I know," Julia murmured. "But it doesn't change the fact that we weren't here when they needed us."

"I know. But we can't do anything about that right now." A grunt of frustration came from Angel. She turned to the door. "I get it, though. No to the trip. Alright."

"Maybe later," Julia said. "Once we've got the repairs going."

"Yeah, maybe," Angel said, frowning. She went through the opened door and out into the hall beyond.

* * *

In Tower 3, Jarod and Lucy were looking over the designs of the secured computer core for the Defense Planning Database. Meridina observed quietly. By her estimation, unless a _swevyra'se_ or a disciplined _swevyra'kse_ was responsible, the task of surreptitiously adding a device to tap the core's data seemed impossible. The security measures were simply too complex.

Meridina quietly checked the time on her multidevice. Seeing what time it was, she stepped away from the table and tapped her device. It only took a couple moments to open a channel to the _Aurora_ , where the results of her search awaited her.

The search for the hilt was incomplete. Some of the symbols were simply unidentifiable. The others, however, seemed to be from a pre-Swenya dialect. And not just any, but the dialect of the Kuneli and their neighbors. The dialect and language were considered dead and forgotten by Gersallian authorities, swept away by the Rising of Kohbal after Swenya's death.

As for Dralan Olati… that was the most surprising. The profile was from the Olati clan-family public database. Dralan was the second son of the _Mastesh_ of the Olati's third daughter. That meant he was not of a particularly high ranking within the family. And the image was fairly accurate to what she remembered.

But the complication was that the system claimed he was _dead_.

Meridina murmured, 'how?" and continued her search. She looked back in time to see Jarod and Lucy staring at her somewhat. "Sorry," she said. "Simply an investigation I have started relating to Jarod's abduction."

"You mean that Gersallian with the yellow eyes?", Jarod asked.

"Yes," Meridina replied. "I killed him during our fight. I am investigating where he came from. I have… questions, you might say."

"Yeah." Jarod rubbed at his throat. "I bet."

"It must be hard," Lucy remarked. "I mean, he had a _lakesh_ too, right?"

"He did."

"And only the Order knows how to make them. So he was one of yours."

Meridina looked back to the image. "That is what I thought as well," she said. "But the records don't show that. By the records he was never involved with the Order."

"Huh." Lucy's brow furrowed. "That's kind of disturbing, isn't it?"

"Tremendously," Meridina said. Because if Dralan hadn't been in the Order, that meant terrible questions had to be considered.

Where did he get his training? And where or how did he get his _lakesh_?

"A mystery for later," she said, turning. "We should focus on the security of the Alliance first. Have you found anything?"

"Nothing yet, we're still looking everything over," Lucy said.

"Hrm." Meridina approached them again. "Well, allow me to continue with you, then. Perhaps there is something to find."


	38. Episode 2-08-3 The Wages of Fear

The officer's club was essentially a bar with a large eating area. Alcoholic drinks from across the Multiverse were present, although Robert asked for a soda. King, however, called for a brandy. "I wouldn't see you for the kind to drink while we're on duty," Robert said to King as she took a drink of the amber liquid.

"There are such things as detoxicants, Captain," King reminded him. "But I've found there is truth to an argument of Winston Churchill, that one drink is good for bolstering the senses."

"Wasn't that 'courage'?"

"Perhaps." King smiled thinly. "You are rather closer to Sir Winston chronologically than I am. Or rather to the versions of him from our respective histories." King took another sip and took on an introspective look. "I've always wondered what it'd be like to meet the man. If we could find a world where he still lived."

"If we did, it'd be illegal unfortunately," Robert said. "The Alliance Contact Limitations would keep us from contacting anyone on that world, short of an accident."

"I know." King took another drink, and Robert did the same. As he pondered his soda, she went on. "Of course, one could question the morality of that statute. Imagine the good we could do if we were to encounter an Earth in the 1930s, or 1940s. With our technology, the fascist powers would be crushed in days of paltry effort. All of those millions of lives saved."

Robert set his hands on the table. "I find it interesting to hear you say that, Commander. I used to be in that business before the Alliance. And I've learned it's not always so cut and dried."

"No, I suppose not. But then again, you didn't have the benefit of the training and organization you do now."

"Does Admiral Davies share these thoughts?", Robert inquired, feeling curious.

"I rather doubt it. I'm not even sure I do." King shook her head. "I believe in the chain of command and in the order of law, not your cowboy Yank heroics."

That elicited a chuckle from Robert. "Cowboy? That's a new one. I usually get called a White Knight first."

"Perhaps. But the point remains." King took another drink and swallowed it. "But then I think of the Nazis, those bloody bastards, and I think of worlds where their ilk still thrive, and I begin to wonder if it isn't worth it to ride in and crush them before they hurt anyone else." King looked into her glass, deep in thought. "If my ship were on patrol near such an Earth, and I picked up the radio signals from a place like Auschwitz, or the calls for help during the Warsaw Uprising or the Rape of Nanking…"

"I understand," Robert said. "I mean, I understand where you're coming from."

"I imagine you do." King set the glass down. "Of course, that's where the Honourable Councilman from the Tetzelian Republic would give you the dirty look like before."

"Pensley." Robert nodded. "I'm not too familiar with L4R2, actually. Ba handled our negotiations with the Tetzelians and other governments."

"I don't think they ever liked you, honestly. They blame your kind of politics for the destruction of Earth's biosphere in their history."

"So that's three universes with a trashed Earth," Robert said.

"That is true." King sighed. "Most people know bloody well what peace with Nazis means. That it's just a breather before the next round. The Tetzelians, though, they don't see that. To them history started with the evacuation of Earth, so they don't worry about Nazis the same way we would." King shook her head. "They joined the Alliance for economic benefits."

"And now we're in a war."

"Yes. A war that you have been blamed for. I would suggest that you avoid any vacations to Tetzel any time soon, Captain."

Robert nodded and grinned. "Is that the famous British understatement I've heard so much about?"

"Well, we must all keep up appearances."

A moment later a civilian waiter came in, bearing plates that had made-to-order ribeye steaks fresh from the kitchen grills. Potatoes and carrots were on King's plate. Robert had rice and green beans with his steak.

"Now we eat," King said. "And then we find out how much your super-savant and your mind-readers have discovered since we left them." 

* * *

Before they left, Robert - feeling guilty - secured three plates to go for Jarod, Lucy, and Meridina. King waited patiently for him to get the boxed meals before walking back to Tower 3.

When they arrived, the three were all looking over materials. "I've brought dinner," Robert said. "Straight from the officer's club."

"You're a lifesaver," Jarod sighed. He took the offered box. Inside was a steak, sides, and utensils all prepared. "It's been a couple days since I had a proper meal."

"A couple of very tiring days, I imagine," Robert answered, offering Lucy her meal. He came to Meridina last. "It's a Gersallian meal. I was assured it was Maran's favorite."

Meridina nodded and opened the container. A slight smile came to her face. "Spiced _rutapi_ with _ganaral_ sauce. This is quite a handsome meal." She looked to Robert, still smiling. "Thank you for this, Captain."

"You're welcome."

King took a seat. "Do we have anything new?"

"The only method we can think of for gaining physical access is if someone has abilities," Jarod said. "As in the ones that the Gersallians call _swevyra_."

"Ah." King looked thoughtful at that. "I see. Do you concur, Commander?"

"Yes. It was my suggestion." Meridina gestured to the layout of the core and its protected approach. "A _swevyra'se_ or _swevyra'kse_ could have implanted suggestions within the guards on duty. They would have the guards open all of the access doors. Once in the core room, access could have been tapped by any number of devices attached to the main control console."

"The console would be secured against that," King said.

"If they're smart, they had something along to put it into a test mode," Jarod said. "Like any technician would."

"How often do the cores get tested?", Robert asked.

Lucy checked the schedule. "Once every ten weeks. More often if it's been called for due to technical problems."

"Check the logs, see when the last test came," Robert said.

"I'm doing that now," Lucy replied. She examined a log. "Looks like the last test was around April 4th."

"That's definitely within our targeted time period. Now we need to know if the technician was behind it or if someone slipped in around that time to trick the guards."

"Let me check the logs," Jarod said. He began operating one of the workstations. "Isolating…"

A holographic 2D image appeared on the wall facing them. It depicted a woman in an Alliance Army duty BDU walking up to them. For a moment there was nothing between them. And then she started to wave a hand.

At that point, the video abruptly cut out.

"Jarod?", Robert asked.

"Someone deleted the visual data from the file," he said.

"At least here," King said. "Those files are backed up offsite automatically by way of a one-way data transmission. The saboteur may not have known this."

Jarod nodded. "I'm checking the backed up record now." He looked back to the screen.

It was the same image again, and played on from there. The woman waved her hand. The soldier led her through.

"He didn't check her ID," Lucy said.

"And they're not supposed to escort anyone," King added. "The doors between the checkpoints are meant to be unlocked by the technician."

They watched as the woman went through the following layers of security with the guard at her side. At the middle checkpoint, another hand wave seemed to placate the guards there. The same at the last checkpoint, after which the young woman entered the core room.

The core was a hexagon, at least sixty feet wide, which meant the image only showed a part of it around the central control console and the door to leave. While the guard remained, the woman went to work on the system. For some time she worked under the core's central control console, including removing the panels below it and working on the wires within.

"Computer, freeze frame," King barked. When the video stopped, she said, "Zoom in on the subject's right hand. Lower right quadrant, upper left."

The computer analyzed King's order and obeyed. The video zoomed in. Without an order it began to enhance the image. The technician was pulling an object out of her bag. It was small, with a clear section meant for splicing wiring together.

"I've never seen anything like it," Jarod said.

"I have."

All of the eyes in the room turned toward Meridina.

A sad look filled her blue eyes. She was struck with disbelief. "It is a device manufactured by the Interdependency Defense Forces," she said. "It is intended for making entry into secured computer systems."

"So you're saying that Gersallian military intelligence did this?", King asked.

"Unlikely," Meridina said. She shook her head and was clearly struggling with what she had just seen. "However, the Defense Forces work closely with the Order, and provide us with access to such devices for our own work."

"Meridina, think about what you're saying," Lucy said.

"I know precisely what I am saying," Meridina answered. Both Robert and Lucy could feel the growing emotional turmoil within her, the sheer disbelief that this had actually happened. "But there has been trouble on Gersal for months now. Anti-Alliance sentiment has created a faction called the Dissenters who oppose our participation in the Alliance. So it is possible that even one of my fellows has gotten mixed up in this."

Commander King observed Meridina make this admission. She nodded stiffly. "Well, that leaves our duty clear. We should report this to the Committee."

Robert sighed and nodded. "Agreed." He had no choice, and he knew that, but he also knew he was handing a loaded gun to Hawthorne and Davies. Whatever was going on here, there was no telling how far it would take their anti-Gersallian, or at least anti-Order of Swenya, agenda. "We'll send a message to the Committee and then go check to see if this device is still active."

"I shall call for the technical staff," King said, bringing her left arm up to look at her multidevice. "We'll need their support."

"Secure the work stations and our materials," Robert said. "Let's get to the core." 

* * *

The Main Defense Planning Database was in Tower 4, facing to the southwest, located on the highest levels of the complex (lower levels held less-critical computer cores). The five officers had called up a transport car to speed them across the walkway spanning Towers 3 and 4. The blue-skinned Dorei Private driving the craft still looked intimidated as all hell by the five officers after they left him on the other end of the walking bridge. From there it was another ten floors up to the entrance to the Planning Database.

By the time they arrived, Defense Command Security had already answered King's summons. An Army Captain, an African woman with a slight build and reserved demeanor, was waiting for them at the first checkpoint. "Commander King. Captain Dale." Her voice sounded East African to Robert. He almost wanted to say one of the Somali accents, but he'd heard many during the Facility days and wasn't sure of them all. "I am Captain Joan Orombi, of the Security Detachment. I already have technicians inside investigating this device."

"So it is still there?", Meridina asked.

Orombi nodded. "Yes, Commander, it is."

"These devices have an identification code that is placed within the hardware, it cannot be removed without disabling the device," Meridina said. "If I get the number, I should be able to verify where the device came from."

"You already know its origins?", Orombi asked.

"Yes."

"We watched the video of the device being planted," Robert explained. "Meridina was able to identify it."

"Ah." Orombi could tell that there was more to it, but she went back to business. "Follow me."

They went to the first checkpoint, where they were waved in. "We still need to figure out how they erased the on-site security footage," Lucy said.

"We will investigate thoroughly, Lieutenant."

Robert nodded. "It should help us narrow down…"

He stopped as every fiber of his being sensed the impending threat. There were only seconds to react.

"Get down!", Meridina shouted. She jumped and pulled Orombi to the wall and down. Lucy got Jarod and pulled him to the other end and Robert did the same with Commander King, who shouted "What the devil!?..." in shock as he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her.

The entire tower seemed to quake beneath their feet. A thunderous roar sounded beyond them and a plume of flame erupted from the next set of checkpoint doors. Along the walls they were safe from immediate burning, but the blast wave caught them with enough strength to knock them all over.

For several seconds Robert thought he was going to black out. His head was spinning wildly and his body ached. He could faintly hear something over the roar that had overwhelmed his ears and left them ringing. Only as his vision cleared could he see Meridina looking at him, calling his name. _Robert!_ , she shouted in his mind.

 _I'm alive_. He checked on King. The blast had knocked her out cold for the moment, but he could feel the life within her, and there was no sense that she was wounded. _So is King._

 _Jarod and I are fine_ , Lucy added mentally.

 _Orombi is as well_.

With that confirmed, they all looked toward the direction of the core. Fire suppression systems were kicking in and the distant drizzling sound of flame-retardant foam being sprayed over the core's access area was audible.

Robert swallowed. "This has gone beyond spying," he said. "Someone with links to the Gersallian government just set off a bomb in Defense Command."

"Yes." King was frowning. "Clearly to prevent us from gaining access to their data hacking device." King gave him a somber look before looking to Meridina. "I'm sorry Commander. But the way things are going, we may very well be looking at the end of your species' membership in the Alliance."

Meridina reacted to that news mutely, and only Robert and Lucy could feel the raw frustration surging within her. Everything she'd fought and sacrificed for was at risking of falling apart before her very eyes. 

* * *

Across the Columbia and along the west bank of the Willamette, the city of Portland shined like a jewel in the lengthening sunset. Holographic signs advertised and announced everything from products to news; in the streets and in pre-programmed aerial lanes vehicles moved, carrying people from work to home or from home to work or any other location.

In the old Northwest Quarter, one dwelling in particular had quite a number of residents. On all relevant records, the home had been rented by the Gersallian Interdependency's Interspecies Cultural Exchange Directorate. The neighbors had little to say of the occupants; they were friendly to neighbors, but seemed distant, which would have been strange indeed if the neighbors knew which organization that rented the house.

Inside there were a dozen Gersallians. A few had military backgrounds. All had been training for some time for what was to come, and all were dedicated to the cause of the Interdependency… or rather, the Interdependency as they saw it. A Gersallian Interdependency that was free and independent of the quarrelling, unbalanced Human societies it had mistakenly bound itself to.

Most of those in the home were in the basement. Sound-proofing and passive jamming fields ensured privacy for the training they underwent there. At some expense, a holographic chamber had been placed into the basement, so large that it nearly took up the entire floor. Reassembling it had been the work of a week for the occupants.

On the inside, they had completed another practice run using the information given. This one had ended like many of those in the recent couple of weeks; victory, with the armed men and women standing among the carnage and destruction of what had been a holographic recreation of the Alliance Senate chamber. The holographic visages of dead Senators and officials abounded everywhere.

One of the leaders pulled off his combat helmet. "The attack was a success. End simulation."

"Kalnat." Another of his men pulled off a helmet. "Should we not practice extraction?"

"Extraction will come in one of two ways, my friends." Kalnat looked at them in one sweep of his head. "We will either be capable of activating the transporters, or we will not. That is the truth of the matter. By the time we finish this work, there will be no escape if the transporters fail."

The second man nodded. So too did the others.

"We will make one more…"

Before Kalnat could finish, a door appeared in the nearby wall. A woman in a blue robe over light purple vest and dark blue leggings stepped in. She was shaved bald, and her blue eyes looked to Kalnat intensely. "Our time has come," she said.

Kalnat looked to her. "What has happened?"

"The device was found. Our source in the Senate says we can delay no longer." The bald woman looked over them all. "We must now show our devotion to our people. A Senate meeting will be called for tomorrow morning to discuss what has happened. That is when we will strike."

"If the device was found, then security will be…"

"Our source will deal with security," the woman said. "We will do the rest."

"Yes, we will. May Swenya and our ancestors forgive us for what we must do," Kalnat answered.

"Indeed." She turned and left.

The woman walked up to the ground floor, then to her small, spartanly-furnished second floor. Her computer systems turned on and she immediately accessed the communications links that had been so carefully established in the prior months.

Within minutes a face appeared on the screen, with a moderately-sized beard and a bald head like her own. " _You caught me in a meeting_ ," said _Mastrash_ Goras, of the Order of Swenya. " _What is it, Italarai?_ "

"Our listening device was found. The charge went off as planned, but our source says we must hurry. We launch the operation tomorrow."

" _I see_." Goras nodded stiffly. " _Then I can only wish the best to you. You and the Dissenters carry the hopes of our future with you, Italarai. Know that, even if your conscious is troubled by your duty._ "

"I know," Italarai answered. She nodded. " _Mi rake sa sweyvra iso, Mastrash_. I could not have asked for a finer teacher."

" _You have been a devoted and marvelous student, Italarai. I hope to see you again._ Mi rake sa swevyra iso." 

* * *

The tension in the Defense Committee was undeniable. Robert left it to King to give the report on their findings, including the offsite video backups. His ears were still ringing from the blast. But it wasn't just that which made him feel like he had to sit down.

The bomb had killed Orombi's team. The guards at the midway checkpoint had been critically injured. The damage to the core had been substantial as well and Tower 4 had been abandoned for the time being while experts analyzed the damage and made sure that the structure was sound.

And now he was presenting evidence that this had been done by one of their own. An investigation into whether the Nazis had expectations of the Alliance's raiding plans had led them straight to findings that could rip the Alliance apart.

"And you are certain of this?", asked Minister Hawthorne.

"We are, sir," King replied. "Captain Dale and I have signed off on the findings. While we cannot be sure what data was leaked due to the destruction of the spying device, it is clear that a major security breach could have easily leaked our plans to the Reich. The method by which this communication could have been made is still undetermined."

"And it was agents of the Gersallian Interdependency who committed this act?", Pensley asked.

"I object to that!" The male Dorei Senator - Hipathi - stood to his feet with his pale purple skin turning dark purple around his cheeks. "This is not proof that the Gersallian government has done anything!"

Pensley smirked with immense self-satisfaction. "I hear the voice of the Dorei Senator, but I hear the words of the Gersallians who are his puppet-masters."

Hipathi's face turned an even deeper purple. Before he could bark out a retort, Hawthorne's gavel rapped. "You are both out of order!", Hawthorne shouted. When both sat, still glaring at each other, Hawthorne returned his attention to King and Robert. "The device, you say that the video record shows it as a Gersallian one?"

"It does, sir," King said.

"How did you make this identification, Commander?", asked Councilman Palas. The Gersallian legislature's voice was hoarse. His expression was drawn and pale.

"Commander Meridina provided the identification, Honored Councilman." King turned to face him. "She stated that it is a device made by the Interdependency Defense Forces, and that it has been provided in the past to members of the Order of Swenya for use in the field."

Palas looked at Meridina. She seemed almost in her own world. Robert could feel the anguish and uncertainty she felt, and now horror that her own people might have caused the deaths of Alliance personnel.

Hawthorne and Davies exchanged intrigued looks. Robert kept himself from scowling.

"These are grave accusations," Sriroj said. The Thai woman's eyes went to the Defense Minister. "I would move that an investigation be ordered into the possible Gersallian involvement."

"Assuming this isn't some false flag." Zoral sat up in his chair and triggered his own recorder and microphone with the movement. "There are factions that would attempt such a thing to turn us against each other."

"And yet the investigators' own video proof shows that the saboteur used mental powers, just as the Order of Swenya does," Davies retorted. "All of this evidence is pointing in that direction."

"We both know that the Gersallian Order of Swenya is not the only source of such beings, Admiral," Zoral retorted. "The intruder could have been a Betazed. But you don't see me rushing to accuse the Federation, do you?"

"How would a Federation officer have gotten their hands on such sensitive Gersallian equipment, Councilman?" Pensley shook his head. "I know how much you Sirians love the Gersallians, but this is really too much. In time you'll be as beholden to them as the Dorei are. And before the honored Defense Minister calls us to order, I have my own proposal to add to the Honorable Senator Sriroj's." Pensley looked over the others, and especially at the Senators assembled from the External Affairs Committee. "I move that the Defense Committee formally endorse resuming the peace initiative with the Reich. It's clear we have to clean up our own house before we can even begin to consider a permanent arrangement in S4W8."

"I object!", General Gulinev snarled. "We cannot make peace with fascists!"

"It is not your place to object to a _political_ consideration, General!", Pensley shot back.

" _Order!_ " Hawthorne slammed his gavel. "There will be order in the Committee!" With swiftness the voices and shouts died down.

As the voices died down, the Sergeant-at-Arms approached Hawthorne and whispered into his ear. "Very well," he said. "Bring her in."

Robert and the others looked back to see the doors open to admit a new arrival. The Chinese woman in question was reserved in her attire, a full-sleeved gray suit and loose gray trousers with gold-colored embroidery on the sleeves and cuffs. Her dark hair was pulled back into an austere bun, the temples already graying, and her face was thin.

A very bad feeling came over him at seeing her.

"Senator Kiang," said Minister Hawthorne. "Thank you for joining us."

"Minister." Kiang nodded. "I have come to inform you that the Senate has voted to hold a full session in the morning on this situation."

Sriroj gave her peer a look of irritation. "I was not aware the Senate was voting on the subject."

"Nor were any others here," Kiang said. "But Senate President Akreet agreed to the session and held a virtual meeting of the majority of the Senators. The vote for a session was approved. And the Defense Committee has been requested to observe and participate as is deemed necessary."

"Very well." Sriroj was clearly unhappy.

"Then I take it the Senate is assuming control over the investigation?", Hawthorne asked.

"Oversight, yes. But I believe it acceptable for your team to continue their work," Kiang said. "Although some considerations may be necessary given the evidence. Among the legislation being proposed would be a ban on permitting members of certain 'orders' from serving in the Alliance services."

Robert could sense Lucy's surge of anger at that. He knew she could feel his. Within a second he was on his feet, looking at Kiang. "You're talking about banning Commander Meridina and her peers," he said.

"Captain, you have no place to join this conversation!", Hawthorne barked.

Robert bit down on his lip at that.

"I would be happy to help direct such legislation through the Council," said Pensley, who was almost purring with delight. "I have long waited for the Senate to realize the dangers facing the Alliance from the inside."

"Do not mistake our purpose," Kiang said. "We have many considerations for how to deal with the recent difficulties. The investigation into Gersallian responsibility for the security breach, and for this bombing, is just one element. That is why we wish the Defense Committee's presence."

Robert could feel the satisfaction oozing from Hawthorne and Davies. Maran's face remained a stone mask.

"Then, in light of this, I will adjourn the Committee for the evening. We will reconvene tomorrow morning. Before we adjourn, however…" Hawthorne looked back to Robert. The pleasure was eminent in his face. "It is clear, Captain Dale, that your services with this investigation are no longer necessary. Nor are they desired. You and your officers are hereby relieved from those duties and you are dismissed. Commander King, you may assign a new team as you like."

Maran frowned at Hawthorne. But he did nothing. Given the way things had gone, he could do nothing.

"We are all hereby adjourned." With a last rap of the gavel, the session ended and the Committee began to file out the nearby doors. With a gesture, Davies summoned Commander King. She took one last look at them before joining him through a side door.

"Robert, you can't let them do this," Lucy said. Beside her, Meridina looked and felt miserable. "This is the opening they've been waiting for!"

"There's not anything we can do," Jarod replied on Robert's behalf. "Maran's known for cooperation with the Order of Swenya, so this makes it impossible for him to act."

"So Meridina's going to be kicked out of the Stellar Navy over this?" Lucy shook her head. "That's ridiculous! And that device doesn't prove anything. There are other life force users out there, they could have swiped it!"

"It's not about what is true," Robert mumbled. "It's about what fits everyone's expectations." As he said that he looked to Kiang, who was exiting with other Senators from the two observing delegations. "And you heard Pensley. There are probably more like him. They have it out for the Gersallians. Maybe over last year, or maybe over other things. This gives them a chance to vent about it."

"There has to be something we can do," Lucy insisted. "Because look at them. Hawthorne and Davies are so paranoid about Meridina they don't care about anything else."

Robert considered that. "There's only one thing I can do." He stood up a the room finished clearing. "I'll meet you at the shuttle bay. If nothing comes of this we'll just have to get a flight back to the _Aurora_."

The others nodded in reply as they stood, even Meridina. They left together. 

* * *

When they got to the shuttle bay, at the very top of the central building, Jarod went off to find a flight officer and a shuttle that would be available. Lucy and Meridina waited outside of the chamber. "Maybe it's what Zoral said." Lucy put a hand on Meridina's arm while she stared blankly at the window. Night was falling in Portland and the red and orange rays of sunset were coming over the hills to the west, on the opposite side of the Columbia River. It was a lovely sight, but it was also not the focus of Lucy's attention.

Lucy felt the fear and despair inside of her mentor and it made her heart sink. Those emotions would only make things worse for Meridina and her struggles with the darkness that Amaunet's possession had left her with.

"I wish it were true," Meridina said. "But a part of me… it is as if my _swevyra_ itself can feel that it is true. That one of my own was responsible."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite." Meridina shook her head. "I… I can't understand it. Why would any of them do something like that? Even my father, even Goras, would not…"

"There might be another explanation. Maybe one of your Knights went rogue and fell to darkness? They could be working for the Nazis, or whoever is spying for them."

"If so, then they have done us a great harm, Lucy. Great harm indeed." Meridina shook her head. Tears had appeared in her eyes. "They are destroying everything that we have aspired to build. The future itself is at threat because of them, the victory of Light, everything I've sacrificed for…"

"The what?", Lucy asked. "What are you talking about?"

Meridina bowed her head. "There are some things I have not told you, Lucy, because it was not the right time. Perhaps, now, it shall never be."

Lucy's curiosity piqued. But she also trusted Meridina enough to let the curiosity pass. "It's up to you on how much you tell me. I would like to know."

"Perhaps… in time. When this is over."

"Now all we can do is hope Robert comes up with something."

"Indeed." 

* * *

Robert made a beeline toward Admiral Maran's office. But he did not stop there.

A couple of turns down further corridors brought him to his destination. Beside the door was the sign with the name of the office's occupant.

 **Admiral William Davies - Vice CNO**

Robert keyed the door and opened. An older woman, of about forty with a Mediterranean complexion and dark hair, was sitting in the next room at one desk, her rank insignia that of a Captain, while a younger Caucasian woman in her early twenties with a yeoman's rating insignia on her collar was at the desk beside the door. Both looked up. "Sir?", the yeoman asked. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Captain Robert Dale and I need to speak to Admiral Davies," he said.

"He is currently occupied in a meeting," the yeoman replied. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"No, yeoman, he will not," said the Captain. Her accent was Spanish, or maybe Portuguese. "I'm Captain Benedita Soveral, the Admiral's senior aide. And I can tell you that he is not interested in speaking with you."

"I need to talk with him about the investigation," Robert said.

"You have been removed from that investigation, Captain Dale." The way she spoke made it clear she didn't think he deserved the equal rank to her. "Commander King will share anything of interest. Now, the Admiral has had a very long day and isn't up to whatever complaint you wish to subject him to."

"I'll let him decide that."

"It's my job to decide," Captain Soveral declared. "And if you don't leave I will call…"

The door to the inner office opened. Commander King stepped out with Admiral Davies at the door behind her. Both looked at Robert. King nodded to him, gave him a polite, "Captain Dale", and went on out.

Davies and Robert exchanged looks. "I can give you a few minutes, Captain," he said, withdrawing into the office. Robert followed before the door closed.

Davies' office was more furnished than Maran. Old holopics and normal 2D print pictures adorned shelves. A large model of an Earth Confederacy dreadnought was prominent on one wall.

"Well, Captain, I don't have a lot of time with the Senate session coming in the morning." Davies took his chair behind his desk and looked to him. Even as he did, he was typing something onto his systems. Behind Davies and through the secured window Robert could make out the city lights of Portland in the distance, a lovely view if not for the circumstances before him. "What do you want?"

"Admiral, I'd like to continue being part of the investigation."

"That is not possible, Captain," Davies announced. "And given what Commander King's debriefing stated, you know why."

"She told us about what happened last year, yes. The Gersallians threatened to leave the Alliance if the Defense Committee removed us from the _Aurora_."

"And the Senate knows it, as does everyone on the Committee," Davies said. "They know you're not an unbiased observer in this, Captain. You have strong reason, very strong reason, to see the Gersallian involvement in this scandal hushed up."

"But that's not what I want," Robert insisted. "Whoever did the crime has to face punishment, regardless of their species."

"What you want, Captain, is irrelevant. You're off the investigation. As far as I'm concerned, you should be going back to that starship that you can't seem to keep out of the repair yards." Davies put his hands on the table. "If things play out the way they're going, hopefully that won't be happening again either."

Robert ignored the remark, even as he sensed what it entailed. He had another card to play. "You don't think it's suspicious that Senator Kiang is the one who's initiating this Senate meeting? That she's the one who just so happens to be ready to put this entire thing in the open?"

:"Suspicious? No, I'm damn grateful. She was working with the Gersallians last year. It seems it only took thousands of dead Alliance personnel to make her see that mistake."

"And you didn't read the report from DS9?", Robert asked. "We had Dominion sabotage completely shut down the station, and we never found out why. The summit had to be the target."

"Your own report said that Commander Kane secured the Senator."

"After several minutes of blackout, sir," Robert said. "That's more than enough time for a Changeling to act."

Davies met him eye to eye. "I see. So that's what you're going to argue. That Senator Kiang is doing this because it's not her, she's been replaced by a Changeling."

"I think we need to look into it," Robert said. "We still don't know how any defense plans could be sent to the Nazis."

"Commander King will undoubtedly turn up the cause," Davies said. "As for the failed summit, I have indeed read the report, and my conclusion is that the incident is far more easily explained by the presence of a centuries-old Asari serial killer being able to hack into the atrocious computer security of that decrepit old Cardassian station. Calling it a Dominion operation when we had no indication of Dominion involvement in the situation is foolish."

"Jarod's report on the virus used on DS9 says otherwise."

"Commander Jarod's report simply specified that the attack vectors were similar. Not that they were the same." Davies put his hands together on the desk. The gesture briefly dismissed his hardlight keyboard. "This seems to me to be nothing more than the desperate flailing of a partisan for the Gersallians and the Order of Swenya. Frankly, you should have followed your mentor's example, Captain, and kept you mouth shut, because there's nothing that you can do or say to cover up the fact that your Gersallian friends have been caught red-handed engaging in espionage against the Alliance military. And if I have my way, the Gersallians are going to outlaw that damn Order or be driven out of this Alliance. And if that costs us a third of our memberships, that's fine by me, because we'll be a better and safer organization without them."

Robert looked across the desk at Davies with near-incomprehension. He understood that Davies had suspicions of the Gersallians, but this was taking that even further. "Can't you see what you're doing, Admiral?", he asked. "All of this paranoia and suspicion is going to destroy the Alliance!"

"I'm well aware of what can or can't destroy this Alliance, Captain," Davies retorted. He started typing again. "And it seems to me that you've already picked your side on that matter with what you've become." Before Robert could ask what he meant, Davies smirked at him. "Oh, I know what you are, Captain. I read the report on Gamma Piratus. You've become one of _them_."

"If you mean I found out I've got these life force powers, yes," Robert said. "It let me save the lives of my colleagues and stop the Nazis from taking over the Facility."

"Oh, I'm sure it did," Davies said. There was a dangerous glistening in his dark blue eyes. "But that's the problem. Powers, things like that, are a threat to the liberties of the Alliance and its people. That blast tonight proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt in my mind. One saboteur, _one_ , waltzed right through all of our security by mentally dominating our people. I shudder to think of what entire organizations of them can do. Because when you think about the number of people they can dominate and the power they can wield, and how many of them there are, you realize that nobody is safe from them. They could seize control of our government with ease. They've already done it with the Gersallians and the Dorei. And when you realize that, a good man comes to only one conclusion." Davies stood and leaned across his desk, drawing closer to Robert. "The Order of Swenya, and the Crimson Brotherhood and the Silver Moon and all of those other Dorei organizations, are grave and terrible threats to the citizenry of the Alliance. And I am going to neutralize those threats to preserve the sacred liberties of every member of this Alliance."

The sheer vitriol and disgust coming off of Davies was almost putrid. There was no disguising what was within him: fear, and with that and being driven by it, was hate. Hate for anyone who could wield power over him. Who could turn his mind against him. The sheer horror of that thought of violation had hardened Davies' opinions on the matter.

It was with frustration that Robert brought his hands up in a gesture of disbelief. "How can you be so close-minded… this is what the Nazis want! And the Dominion, and the Batarians, and all the other tyrants and dictatorships that stand to benefit from the Alliance collapsing! They want us at each other's throats!"

"The meta-powered beings of the Multiverse are greater threats to this Alliance than any of those forces you just mentioned," Davies retorted. "I want the Nazi Reich gone too, but not at the cost of my freedom of thought. If I had to choose, I'd gladly be supporting Pensley's peace broadcasts if it meant saving the Alliance from your friends.""

"People with these abilities aren't threats to you," Robert insisted. "It doesn't work that way!"

"So you say. But I have little reason to trust you." Davies was still oozing vitriol, and it was joined by intense satisfaction. He took his seat again and resumed typing. "Now, you've said your peace, Captain, and I have work to do. I suggest you return to your ship. Your part is done and you are dismissed."

Robert's first desire was to plead for time, to persuade Davies he was wrong. But there was no mistaking that oily, dark feeling he was getting from Davies. There would be no persuading him with talk. Davies was convinced of a threat, and now he had evidence that his suspicions were correct. And that was all there was to it. Dejected, Robert began to walk toward the door to leave.

One last thought came to him. He turned briefly. "Admiral, if you're so worried about people with life force powers being able to take over minds, why did you let me come in here alone?"

Davies looked up from his desk and smirked. "Captain Soveral has been monitoring us. I've been keeping in touch with her the whole time. At the first sign of you using your powers against me, she was going to fry your brains out with a microwave pulse rifle. Now, as I said, you are dismissed."

Robert blinked and opened the door. Captain Soveral was indeed standing on the other end. A black-painted rifle with an emitter at the firing end was in her arms. She smirked at him. "The yeomen has a weapon as well."

She did indeed. Also pointed at Robert.

"I've also alerted security to send a sweep our way. So I don't suggest you try anything, Captain, if you want to live." Soveral tilted her head to the door. "You may go."

Robert nodded. The paranoia and fear oozing from Soveral was just as bad as that from Davies. He almost got the sense that she _wanted_ him to "try" something, just so she would have an excuse to shoot him.

He didn't give her the chance. He went for the door. 

* * *

When he arrived at the shuttle bay, Robert found the others waiting. "How did it go?", Lucy asked.

"Davies thinks he's won," Robert sighed. "He's… poisoned by hate and fear about us. He thinks we're out to use our powers to dominate the minds of the government and rule the Alliance like.. I don't know, some clique of super-powered beings."

"He thinks we are like the Brotherhood of Kohbal," Meridina said. "Darkness does manifest as desire to rule and to dominate."

"Either way, he's enthusiastic about tomorrow. He's convinced that he's got the smoking gun he was looking for. And he doesn't care at all about the issue with Kiang."

"Is there anything more we can do?", Jarod asked.

"I… I don't know," Robert said. "Admiral Maran's helpless. Depending on how things go tomorrow, President Morgan might even be forced to re-assign him. And I'm not sure the President can do anything. Not with the bomb, I mean."

"Then it may be over," Meridina said quietly. "Maybe it has been for nothing…"

Lucy gave Meridina a worried look. "We should go back," she said. "We're all exhausted."

"I have a shuttle ready," Jarod said.

"And a pilot?"

"Oh, no pilot." Jarod smirked. "I gave some advice that was helpful and the assigned pilot signed off for the day. The flight control officer's agreed to let me pilot the shuttle back. I'll have a couple of the flight crew fly it back in the morning."

"Then let's go," Robert sighed. "After the day we've had, I just want to collapse in bed." 

* * *

"It's that device, isn't it?", Lucy asked, as she approached Meridina's quarters alongside her mentor. "That's what's bothering you."

"It is more than the device," Meridina said. "I cannot get the feeling out of my being that everything is going wrong. Something is going to happen. And because of the darkness infesting Admiral Davies, we can do nothing about it."

Lucy had to admit she felt apprehensive too. Like something terrible was about to happen. But she couldn't place it, not exactly. "What do you think will happen?"

"Destruction. Death. Slaughter. And from it more." Meridina's blue eyes hazed with doubt. "But the darkness within me… I can't be sure if what I'm seeing will come to pass or if it is a reflection of what is inside. If I'm distorting my sight with the darkness within me."

"Maybe not, but we can't take that chance." Lucy frowned. "Let's get some sleep first? Then maybe in the morning we can figure something out." 

* * *

The day had been a blur of paperwork and quick meeting for Julia. That had been a benefit, if only to keep her from facing the twisted up feelings inside.

But once she was trying to sleep, that benefit went away. She couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed while her mind continued to run the images in her head. The tactical reports that Robert and Locarno had filed, and Zack's, had made the progress of the battle clear. She kept thinking of the things she would have done had she been there, advising Robert, and how that might have changed the battle. Maybe they could have saved more ships… no, certainly they would have. Maybe even the _Themistocles_.

It seemed like she had finally settled into sleep.

Suddenly her multi-device went off. She sat up and opened her eyes. The drydock was gone, replaced by burning ships and energy weapons fire raining down on the ship. Her eyes widened and Julia sprinted off to the bridge, still in her nightgown. The cyan-toned garment was hardly fitting for duty, but she had to get to the bridge, she had to be there! They needed her!

She about jumped into the lift and shouted "Bridge!" It started lifting her up while the ship rocked beneath her. The journey kept going. Far longer than it should have. "Go faster!", she demanded. "Faster!"

" _Unable to comply. Lift car already at maximum safe velocity._ "

A long growl of frustration answered it. "Get me there you stupid…!"

Finally, after even more time, the door opened. Julia rushed out onto the burning bridge as the vessel rocked around her. On the viewscreen a Nazi dreadnought was pumping super-disruptor blasts into the _Aurora_. "I'm here! What's happening?"

"You abandoned us."

The voice was Cat's. But off. Julia turned toward Sensors.

Cat's blackened corpse was laid against it. Her head lolled, lifeless, to the side. But the mouth still moved. "You abandoned us, Julia."

"Why?", another voice asked. Angela was sprawled out on the floor nearby, half of her body ablaze and her eyes staring dully upward. "Why weren't you here?"

Julia's breath quickened. She looked around in a panic. Barnes stared at her, a blackened corpse at Engineering. "You should've been here!", he accused.

"You left us to die," agreed the slumped corpse of Nicholas Locarno. He was in her chair.

"We needed you and you abandoned us." That was from Robert. Julia, trembling in disbelief and fear, rounded the side of the command area to go toward her seat and his. He was laid back in it, arms dangling to either side, a disruptor burn between his lifeless eyes.

Leo was on the ground nearby, a medical case in his hand opened and its contents strewn about. Even as he didn't look toward her, his mouth moved. "You weren't here."

"You weren't here!"

"Ye weren't at yer post!"

After the accusations from Zack and Scotty, Julia started to turn, trying to follow the voices, until she found herself in engineering. Not on the _Aurora_ , but on the _Koenig_.

Karen Derbely, in hospital gown and wrapped in bandages, was standing beside the plasma coolant conduit. "Look at what happened to me," she said, her voice scratchy and strange. "Because you weren't here, because _you weren't here!_ "

Behind Derbely the conduit splintered. Julia screamed as the coolant rushed like an ocean wave and washed over her, cooking her to…

Julia sat up, a scream still in her throat, and again was in the quiet darkness of her quarters. Once the scream stopped the only sound was the heaving of her breath. She looked out the window and saw nothing. She'd set her windows to tint mode.

It was a dream. It was all a dream.

The time said 0250. That made Julia groan as she slid out of bed. Her blue sleeping gown had a coat of sweat now. And her mind… her mind was in such agitation that she knew she wouldn't be falling asleep soon.

Her first act was to assume a ready stance and to begin the slow movements of a _t'ai chi_ routine. If it worked she'd be able to get some sleep soon. All she had to do was let her mind calm down.

It didn't. 

* * *

The dreams came back for Robert that night. The broken, twisted remnants of a city stretched before him, shadowy figures dancing just out of range of the light, and beyond a single light pierced the sky. A loud noise, like a trumpet horn sounded through the Devil's synthesizer, rattled his bones.

And then there was a scream. He turned. Julia was strapped into a chair of some sort, with something braced around her head while her bare wrists were covered in straps, while SS men stood nearby at controls. Her face contorted into agony and she cried out. Fassbinder, the SS man killed at the Gamma Piratus Facility, was standing beside her smirking as he looked to Robert. He started to open his mouth.

But then he was gone. Robert stood in a room with men in SS uniforms strewn everywhere, already dead or unconscious. Winds whipped around him like he was standing near a tornado. He looked up and saw a young woman in a tattered vest and suit, both red with gold or yellow trim, standing on a raised dais. The winds whipped around her. When she opened her eyes, they glowed with pure energy. Robert raised his arms in self-defense…

...and then he was somewhere new. To his surprise, it was the Senate chamber of the Alliance. And it looked like a war zone, with work stations still sparking while the dead bodies of gunmen and Senators and others were strewn about. "This is all your fault!", screamed a voice. Robert turned and found Admiral Davies over the dead body of Commander King. "I'm going to destroy everything you cherish!", he vowed. "I will not let you win!"

And he could imagine it, in a flurry of horrible images, a host of Alliance fleets destroying one another accompanied by the Alliance flag being torn in half. When the destruction ended he looked up.

It was New Liberty that was burning. Beth and her wife were among the dead at his feet, and on the Government Building, a Nazi swastika fluttered triumphantly in the flame-swept winds consuming the Colony. A wolf howled in the background. And then he heard the door chime and…

….and Robert was awake, sitting up in bed, while the door chime went off in the main living area. He looked over and saw he was alone. Angela had gone to bed in her quarters when he hadn't returned. He took the time to pull on a pair of knee-length shorts before stumbling to the door and opening it.

Julia was standing in the doorway with reddened eyes. She'd pulled a baby blue bathrobe over the emerald nightgown she'd changed into. "Hey," she said. "Are you…?"

"Angel's not here," he replied. His eyes felt heavy, but after that dream he knew he'd be awake for a while. "Come in."

Julia stepped into his quarters. "Do you want to have a coffee?", she asked. "It looks like we're not getting any sleep."

"Let's give it half an hour, the last thing I need is for the caffeine to keep me up when I could fall asleep again." He went to his replicator. "You?"

"If you're not having any, I won't."

"Okay then. I'll get us some tea then." He looked back to his machine. "Brown tea, unsweetened, warm. Two mugs, standard servings." Light coalesced as the atoms were moved about, forming the requested containers and beverages. He picked them up and brought them over to the couch, where he handed one to Julia. He stepped beside her and sat to her right, at the edge of the couch. "So, here we are," he said.

"Looking like two insomniacs fresh out of bed," Julia added, smirking.

Robert looked down, as if just noticing he was shirtless. "Ah, yeah."

"At least it's an enjoyable view," Julia added in a teasing tone.

"Right." Robert sipped at the tea. It wouldn't wake him up like coffee. If anything, he hoped that it would soothe enough that he would go back to sleep. "So… bad dreams?"

"You've got those life force powers, that's cheating," Julia answered. She took another sip.

"Too true." Robert sighed. "And they're part of the problem. I take it you heard?"

"I did." Julia shook her head. "Someone's already let it slip that a Gersallian was behind it, and that it might be the Order."

"Davies. Preparing the way for his grand plan to crush the Orders or drive the Gersallians and Dorei out of the Alliance." Robert shook his head. "The man was ready to have me shot tonight over these powers."

"You're joking."

"I'm not." Robert sipped at his tea again. "And what about you? What caused your bad dream?"

Julia took a quiet sip first. "I… it's probably this… twistiness I feel inside."

"From not being there?"

"Yeah."

Robert shook his head. "But you can't blame yourself…"

" _I know_ , Rob." Julia's voice was laced with irritation. "I know that. Rationally. Nobody can blame me for not being there. You don't, Zack doesn't, Maran doesn't…"

"But you do."

"Yes." She nodded. "Yes, I do, and I shouldn't, but I Goddamned do." She put her left arm on her left thigh and used the hand to prop her head up, half covering her face in the process. "It's like there's this part of me that refuses to accept any reason for it. It's mad as hell I wasn't there and it's making me suffer for it."

"Sometimes our head and our heart aren't in the same place," Robert sighed. "I'm sorry that it's making you feel that way."

"Well, nothing you can do about my psyche." Julia moved her head to take another drink. "So is this it? I mean… is this thing going to blow up?"

"Senator Kiang called for a Senate session tomorrow. The Defense Committee will produce the relevant evidence." Robert shook his head. "Maran's helpless. Morgan can't do anything about it. Whoever did this, whether they're Gersallian or not, made a mess of things. We lost lives tonight."

"Right." Julia nodded, but her eyes were dark. "You think this will go that far?"

"I think the Alliance is about to fall apart." Robert's expression was dark. "And I think that it might be the Dominion's fault."

"Kiang." Julia nodded. "Kane did say he didn't get in to see her right away."

"Could be nothing."

"Or it could be that she was replaced by a Changeling."

"Right." Robert pondered that. "So, how do we convince anyone? After tomorrow it'll be too late. The news will go out what happened and the Gersallians' role in the Alliance will be destroyed."

"Except the evidence isn't one hundred percent," Julia noted. "So all of the people who like the Gersallians will see it as Hawthorne and Davies stretching the evidence to justify a bigoted agenda."

"And all the while, Pensley will be in the Council, pushing the anti-war agenda."

"As if the Nazis will make peace and keep it." Julia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but that's not stopping him. And he'll get Tetzel's Senator to agree with him, and they'll push to resume their peace proposal broadcasts to…"

After a moment, Julia looked at Robert, who stared dully ahead. "Robby?"

" _Resume_ peace broadcasts," Robert murmured. "He said he wanted to _resume_ them."

"Okay?"

"Which means that they've already been made before," Robert said.

"Right." Julia shook her head. "But what…" She stopped. Her eyes widened.

"The broadcasts. That's how." Robert sat up and went over to his desk. "Computer, open priority channel, full encryption, authorization code Dale Juliet Zulu Romeo Three Five Six."

" _Please specify recipient._ "

Robert leaned over it. Julia stepped up beside him. "Commander Elizabeth King."

" _Locating specified recipient. Standby._ "

"Why King?", Julia asked.

"Because Maran can't do anything about it now, and Davies would literally take the Devil's word over mine right now."

"And King won't? She's his spy, remember?"

Robert shook his head. "True, but she puts her duty before her prejudices."

"Ah." Julia sighed. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

Robert stopped leaning over his desk and looked over to Julia. "Hey, Julie?" He put a hand on her arm as a gesture of support. "I know that this isn't something you just get over. All I can say is… I trust you. I trust you more than I trust myself, and if you're not here for a crisis, I'll always know it's for a good reason. I know you won't abandon us, okay?"

Julia responded with a faint smile. "Thanks," she said. "I'm hoping that helps."

"Me too." Robert looked back to his desk monitor.

A moment later King appeared. The background seemed to be that of an apartment bedroom. The call had roused her from bed, so King was in a conservatively-made night-robe. A bright, shiny pink robe, but a normal one still.

"I guess she doesn't sleep in her uniform," Julia mumbled to herself, so low even Robert barely made out what she said.

" _Captain._ " King was clearly irritated, and just as clearly dedicated to hiding it. " _I suppose you have a good reason for waking me at this ungodly hour_?"

"Commander, Pensley talked about _resuming_ peace broadcasts to the Reich," Robert said. "So there have already been broadcasts, right?"

" _I believe so. I'll have to check the logs._ "

"I think that's how our plans were passed on to the enemy."

King frowned at that. " _How? Those messages were vetted by the Intelligence Office and the Command Staff._ "

"Maybe not in the actual message. But someone, our spy for instance, may have been able to add the data if they got access. A subchannel or something. Something most people wouldn't see unless they knew what to look for."

King considered that. " _It's possible. Although if true, the consequences are horrifying._ "

"What do you mean?"

" _As I said, those messages were carefully vetted up to the moment of transmission. For any additional data to be included in the package would have required the highest accesses. I'm not even sure the technicians themselves could do it and not be noticed, only someone with access to the actual message and related data before its transmission._ "

"Like?"

King thought for a moment. " _The Senators on the External Affairs Committee_."

Robert frowned. "Kiang."

King's jaw clenched. " _I'll make inquiries. Please meet me tomorrow morning in the Rose Garden. Go ahead and bring the others._ "

"We'll be there," Robert pledged. "Dale out."


	39. Episode 2-08-4 The Wages of Fear

Italarai and Kalnat had roused everyone that morning for a final layout of the plan. One of their number, Seqen, was doing his part already by preparing their transportation. Infiltration would mean staying out of sight; the day was warm and it would be impossible to justify wearing the heavy clothing that might have obscured their weapons to the eyes of others. Instead they would carry them in packs and duffelbags, made so that they would look like tourists if spotted inside the Senate.

With one careful look Italarai noted their nervousness. She could feel their fear. That deep down, despite their devotion, they still did not want to die. She understood it, and indeed, she didn't feel bad about it either. To follow a cause to the final end was always difficult.

"We will not die if it can be avoided," she stated. "The Interdependency will need us in the coming days. Our attack may very well provoke war. But without it, our people will be conquered from within, and we will become nothing but puppets to the Humans and their Alliance."

The heads at the table nodded grimly.

The door opened. Seqen stepped in. "The truck is ready," he said.

"Then we leave immediately," Kalnat said. "For the people of Gersal."

"For the people of Gersal," the others echoed. 

* * *

With the light of the sun and the growing warmth of the day, the Rose Garden looked particularly tranquil when they arrived to meet King. She was near a public meal replicator kiosk with a mostly-finished breakfast before her. "I was afraid you wouldn't arrive," she said as Robert sat down. Lucy, Meridina, and Jarod all brought up seats.

"We had a few difficulties getting the carpool at Command to let me use a vehicle," Robert said. "I had to go to General Gulinev's chief of staff to get them to cooperate."

"Yes, that would be Admiral Davies," she said. "He contacted me this morning with the suspicion you would try to intervene."

"He's taking this way too far."

"He is frightened of the powers you wield. I admit I'm not pleased with the prospect either." King sipped at her coffee. "The difference is, I know that you're not the kind of man to use them just to get your own way. And if you and Meridina were committed to covering up this incident, you wouldn't have identified the device in question so readily. Davies and his inner circle know you only as a brash radical assigned to a command above your station and with the power to compel them mentally."

"I don't think I could compel a cat to bat yarn with these powers, honestly. But that's not what we're here for."

"Indeed not." King frowned. "I've been up all night attempting to decipher the peace initiative broadcasts that were sent."

"You didn't find anything?"

"No. But that's not surprising, as my access has been restricted by Senate order. All I could access was a basic copy of the planned message and the raw data on the transmission itself, since it was sent through Stellar Navy channels." King held up one of the digital pads in front of her. "But I can't see what was actually sent."

"I would think Davies would back you in getting to review them."

"He can't on his authority. The President can, but without probable cause I can't go to him. The Senate would be in an uproar." King shook her head. "Hypothesis aside, we have no actual _proof_ that the plans were transmitted inside of the peace offers. Without that proof, nobody will let us have the access we need."

"Maybe we don't need the actual transmission," Jarod said. "May I?"

King nodded and handed him the digital pad. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm examining the transmission data. How much raw data was used, for instance. A simple message, even as an official communication, wouldn't be above a certain size." Jarod examined the contents of the screen. Robert could only imagine the way that his mind was running, quickly analyzing what was before him in such a way that he was nearly putting himself into the shoes of the saboteur. "So I'm comparing the message that was planned to the volume of data that was actually sent." After a few more seconds Jarod smirked. "There you are," he murmured.

"Commander?" King looked at him intently.

"Each transmission is at least three percent larger than it should be with this message."

"What if someone made last minute alterations?", Lucy asked.

"Then they would be defying the Senate's explicit instructions," King answered. "What could be sent within that margin? The size of the message isn't that great, there's no way the plans could be mixed in."

"Not in one message." Jarod showed a pleased smirk. "But what if each specific transmission had a different piece? I mean, presumably the message was transmitted repeatedly over a few days, right?"

"Correct."

"Then maybe the system was set to transmit the data piece by piece with every individual transmission of the peace message," Jarod said. "The Nazis, by analyzing the message, realize it contains something extra, and after several transmissions our spy has introduced himself, or herself, and sent them the plans they took."

"A plausible explanation," King said. "I might be able to present this to the Senate."

Robert nodded. But he was already thinking of something else. "We need to be in the Senate."

King gave him a look. "I'm already putting my career at risk talking to you, Captain, I lack any authority to get you into the Senate. And why would you want to be there?"

"Because I think something's going to happen today," Robert said. "I don't have any physical evidence for this, just my instinct and my power. I think whoever was behind that spying device is going to strike again. And maybe at the Senate itself."

King pondered that. "You sound convinced, Captain. But should you be so certain of it?"

"I'm as certain of it as I was certain that I needed to go down to the Facility at Gamma Piratus," he replied.

For a moment King said nothing. She was weighing that thought in her head. "If you hadn't gone down, the SS would have taken control of the Facility."

Robert nodded but said nothing. The others remained quiet as well.

After another period of thought King sighed. "I'm going to get court-martialed for this, I suspect," she muttered. "But I think I can get you in." She checked her multidevice. "And we'd better hurry, the session will start soon."

"We won't be able to take weapons into the Senate," Robert noted.

"No, we won't." King frowned. "And we will be scanned for weapons before we go in."

"So we'll have to be unarmed?", Lucy asked. "What good will that do if there's an attack?"

"We will manage, Lieutenant."

King heard Meridina's words, but she was clearly suspicious of them. She said nothing, however. Robert got the feeling she knew what Meridina was getting at and didn't want to even _think_ what she was thinking. "Alright, let's get going," she said. "I'll meet you at the aircar garage beside the Senate."

Only after King walked away did Robert give Meridina a leery look. "The _lakesh_ won't show up on a scanner, will it?"

"No. We craft them to evade the sort of scanning that finds weapons."

"Right." Jarod sighed. "So we're going to smuggle two swords into the Senate Chamber. And to think I just got out of a cell."

"Hopefully we will not need them," Meridina said.

Robert frowned at the thought. This was the kind of thing that would further set off Davies' paranoia. But they needed to be ready to fight off anyone attacking the Senate, and that meant having at least something for self-defense. It was a risk he would need to take. "I don't want to keep Commander King waiting," he said. "Let's get going." 

* * *

Long ago, the area had been a residential neighborhood joined by the railroads that connected Portland to the rest of North America. Eventually the area had torn away by the conflicts and social dislocations that the Earth of the Federated Stars had known in the time between the 21st and 27th Centuries, becoming open land.

Then the Alliance had been formed, and at the proposal of various authorities, the regions of the Northern half of Portland that had undergone this change had been handed over to the new United Alliance of Systems to be their capitol complex. The various government offices were to be housed in structures that, with 27th Century industrial technology, were ready within months of the announcement. The former Portland International Airport had been converted into a Spaceport for the increased off-planet traffic of the Alliance. Defense Command had, over the course of ten months, arisen in its place between the Columbia and Lake Vancouver.

Council Hall was another such structure. It was two buildings joined by a central covered courtyard area, the northern building belonging to the Alliance Council and the southern building belonging to the Alliance Senate. The flag of the Alliance flew over both structures, each designed with elegant square marble columns along the exterior and in the light shades that all of the contributing cultures agreed would work. To a Human eye there was something slightly off about the structure. The dome over the covered courtyard was carved in the Gersallian style, a polished and gleaming glass exterior with a smooth, pyramidal-shape at the top, while the layers beneath it contained eaves that gave it the appearance of a pagoda, but with strong upward slants at the ends of the eaves as favored by the Alakin. The Dorei had contributed the internal halls and how they were laid out, made to resemble the Legislative Hall of the Dorei Federation in the capital city of Darnis on Doreia. The marble exterior reflected Western architecture while the Eastern influences showed in the eave overhang. The smaller domes above each structure were done in the styles prominent in the Indian subcontinent, the internal courtyard was adorned on the inside and outside by Arabic art (the designers had even worked calligraphy, denoting Arabic phrases about the strength of alliance, into the art itself).

As with most bicameral systems, the lower house was truly representative (albeit at a rate of about twenty _billion_ citizens per Council Representative) with a large chamber that would house up to seven hundred legislators if the time came, while the upper house held three members per Alliance member state. One Senator was elected democratically by the citizens of a member state, one elected by the national legislature, or equivalent body, of the state in question, and the final Senator appointed by the Head of State of the member state. These representative policies left the Alliance Council, currently, with three hundred and seventy Councilmembers and eighty-seven Senators, all to represent the roughly seven and a half trillion beings that resided in the Allied Systems.

And Robert knew that he was about to possibly decide the fates of those seven trillion something people. Their livelihoods, freedoms and liberties, their very _lives_ , could be lost if this went bad.

 _This is when Julie would remind me that this is why we get paid the big bucks now_ , he mused as King led them through one of the non-public entrances to the Senate, located along the north side of the building. _Not that we're millionaires…_

They were met by security almost immediately. "They're with me," King said.

The Human guard who accepted her identification nodded in reply. He was Caucasian, with pale blond hair barely visible under his protective cap and dark brown eyes. When he spoke to say, "Please come forward for the security scan," it was with a Norwegian accent. Nearby his companion, a man with a dark complexion and features that Robert thought looked Indian, remained at the ready with his pulse pistol holstered.

Robert was scanned and cleared. Jarod came next. That left Meridina and Lucy. Robert forced his face to become a mask of non-emotion as they were scanned. It seemed for a moment like the man was taking an overlong interest in Lucy. He waved the scanner over her again, as if looking for something…

Lucy scowled. And Robert, for his part, felt guilty at the relief as he sensed what was in the Norwegian's head. It was a petty abuse of power, but he was doing the second scan just to have an excuse to look over Lucy again. He waved her through. Meridina didn't get quite the same scrutiny and went through as well. King led them down the hall.

Once they were out of earshot, Robert looked to King. "That guard should probably get talked to."

"Unfortunately, Captain, I have no standing for it," she answered. "Otherwise I would have already reported his conduct. Perhaps I'll have to go to Colonel Agarwal, she will be most interested I'm sure. But that is a matter for another time." King looked to her multidevice. "The session should be starting any moment. I will be called in shortly."

"Jarod and I can present the evidence with you and answer questions," Robert said. "It might be best of Lucy and Meridina remained outside the Chamber at first."

"Agreed." For a moment King was in thought. "I take it that Senator Kiang is at the top of the suspect list?"

"You read the report from DS9?"

"I did." King nodded. "I also find it more likely that the Asari was responsible. It doesn't pay to underestimate beings who have lived for so long, I think. But I won't dismiss your concern out of hand. 33LA has already proven the destruction a Changeling can cause and the extent to which it can hide from us. The prospect of the Chairwoman of the Senate External Affairs Committee being replaced by one…" King shook her head. "It is possible Admiral Davies has identified the wrong existential threat to our way of life."

"I don't blame him for being worried about mental powers," Robert said. "Honestly I'm scared of what they can do too."

"I've already been on the receiving end of them," Jarod added.

"We both were, I recall," King noted. "Venir was an eye-opener."

"Let's just hope Davies understands he's worried about the wrong threat, then," Robert sighed.

At that moment King's multidevice went off. She breathed in as if to steel herself. "I've been summoned," she said. "Let's go."

As they continued on, Robert contemplated the feelings he was sensing from her. King was afraid. Not of him or Meridina so much as she was her own "side" in this. Admiral Davies and Minister Hawthorne would, indeed, be furious at her for involving him again. She was putting a lifetime of work on the line for this. It was humbling to realize he'd won that much trust from her.

Robert also felt guilty. He'd been brusque with her when she left the _Aurora_ with her ship. Indeed, his entire crew had been more than ready to see her go and to never see her again. Now he saw how unfair that was. He hadn't quite forgiven the spying, no, but as they marched on to the moment of decision before the Senate, he found he respected King more than he ever had before.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sense of uncertainty from Meridina. He looked back to her. "Are you okay?"

"I am," she said. "I thought I sensed something, that's all."

"It felt like a presence to me," Lucy said. "But maybe it was just my nervousness."

"Maybe, or maybe not."

They nodded at his remark. "We shall be prepared either way," Meridina pledged. 

* * *

The Dissenters' cargo truck was moving toward the Council Hall loading entrance, along the eastern side of the building, when Italarai felt it. The presences were vibrant and active to the senses of her _swevyra_ , three in total, although one was not so strong as to feel like a threat. Knowing that such presences meant those who were capable with their life energies, it meant a complication for Italarai in that they might sense her use of her powers. "There are _swevyra'se_ present in the area. I will be sensed," she murmured to Kalnat.

"Then we go to the alternative," he murmured back. He went to the front of the cargo area and pulled open the slide to speak to Seqen. "Are we ready?"

"I'm pulling up now," Seqen said.

"Italarai cannot help us. It will have to be you."

He could hear the uncertainty in Seqen's voice when the reply came. "For Gersal."

The truck pulled up to the forcefield gate at the building exterior. A Human man, light-skinned with a bit of a tan, met them, wearing the green and black uniform of a Council Hall Security Officer. "ID and authorization," he said. "What's your purpose?"

"I am picking up items at the request of Senator Gilnatan." Seqen handed him the ID, provided by the Interspecies Cultural Exchange Directorate, and the authorization order provided by their Senate contact. He forced his nervousness down into his belly, knowing the slightest suspicion would force him to use lethal means. And out here, in broad daylight, anyone could spot them. The entire mission could fail at this moment.

When the guard handed him back both items, Seqen breathed a sigh of relief that a last moment constricting of his throat made into an apparent grunt of acceptance. The guard pressed a key and the forcefield disappeared. Seqen gently tapped the accelerator pedal and moved the truck into the gate. A ramp down led them into the basement level loading docks.

They were now on the clock. Their logged arrival wouldn't immediately engender suspicion - at least not if their source had been accurate - but given enough time, their failure to depart would be noticed. Transport vehicles weren't supposed to stay for long after all, and they still had to deal with the mandatory security inspection. And Italarai could not manipulate their minds now, so he would have to deal with them quietly.

The truck came to a stop near one of the loading areas. Seqen stepped out of his truck while, in the back, Kalran looked to his technician, Laras. The bearded, tan-skinned Gersallian was looking over a display. "I've used the codes provided to patch into the feed for Senate security," he said. "Our contact came through. The security grid in the Senate Chamber is stuck into a loop. As far as their minders are concerned, everything is reading fine."

Kalran nodded. As he did, he heard Seqen speaking with the inspectors. "Activate personal cloaks," he instructed. Everyone, within a second of one another, triggered the personal cloaks they were carrying on their belts. The cloaks only had a few minutes' worth of charge given their power demands - the superior Darglan-technology personal cloaks had not been available for use when the operation was planned - and this was to be their main use in the plan; get them into the Senate.

Once the inspectors opened the back, they reached for their scanners as they climbed in. Kalran waited patiently and quietly to see if they detected the hidden transporter pad under the sensor-absorbent material laid into the truck's rear bed. If they found it, then he would have to kill them here and now, and it made their escape even more complicated. Perhaps even impossible. But if they didn't…

After several tense moments, the two seemed satisfied by the results and left the back of the truck. Seqen thanked them. Behind Seqen, the others moved to the rear doors and quietly lowered themselves to the asphalt of the loading dock. "Swenya be with you," Seqen muttered, knowing Kalran and the others would hear. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso._ "

The strike team, with the batteries on their personal cloaks winding down, moved swiftly to the stairwell door. Their contact's authorization code let them into the stairwell and they ascended it, as rapidly as possible, as they bore down on their target.

They just had to get to the Senate Chamber undetected. Then surprise would be theirs. 

* * *

The entrance King chose to enter was the southern one. They came through the door into a space between the raised seating area of the Senate. The carpet was emerald bordered by blue, and the wood paneling was done in one of the Dorei styles - Robert wasn't familiar with it - while ahead the overhead lights were made out as electric light chandeliers. Multiple desks were laid out and a Senator sat in each, although they only became visible as the party got to the end of the entrance way and to what proved to be the middle tier of the seating area. Above them were seats, and below them were more.

Down, in the "pit" at the middle of the Senate, space had been set aside for the Defense Committee to sit. The quarters for them were cramped, with little room between each seat due to the confined space of the pit area. At the south end of the pit was a podium, presumably for any guests to address the Senate if requested.

While the Senate was a circular chamber, the northern quarter of it was taken up by a series of raised platforms. The lowest platform had the Party Leaders. There were six recognizable political parties of Alliance-wide popularity, and from what Robert had learned of Senate practice, these six parties were recognized at this platform level by having their leaders in the Senate sit there. Given there were only 29 member states of the Alliance, Robert found it odd that there were that many political factions of that size. _I guess I'm used to Republicans and Democrats being it_ , he used. Sometimes it was odd that there were still bits and pieces of his pre-Facility life that persisted in this age.

The second tier was for the President of the Senate, currently an Alakin Senator named Akreet, with green and yellow feathering around his head. The Sergeant-at-Arms had a place there as well, as did the Secretary of the Senate.

The uppermost tier was where President Morgan was sitting, flanked by a couple of his staff. None of the Cabinet were present today save Hawthorne.

Heads turned toward them as they approached the back of the middle tier. By the time they reached the lower tier and King was facing the Defense Committee, standing at attention beside the podium - she had openly avoided standing there - everyone in the Senate was looking their way. Robert glanced toward one of the lower tier seats to find that was where Senator Kiang was sitting. He still felt nothing quite out of the ordinary about her, but with all of the other emotions in the room - and they were starting to run high - he couldn't focus on her with any accuracy.

Robert could feel Davies' disbelief and anger. Hawthorne had clearer control of his emotions. He was more curious than anything. And Maran… Robert tried not to give even the slightest grin at the flicker of hope he felt within his mentor's being. Or at Zoral's clear amusement.

"If it pleases the Senate," Hawthorne began, "this is Commander Elizabeth King, tasked by the Defense Committee to look into the Gersallian attack and the security breach at Defense Command."

Akreet gave a tilt of his head, an Alakin head gesture indicating acceptance. "You may proceed." At that, King went to the podium facing northward. Robert and Jarod took up positions beside her.

"Commander." Hawthorne smiled, but it was brittle. "I see you have brought Captain Dale and Commander Jarod with you. I trust they are relevant to your report?"

"Yes," she said. "In keeping with your orders from last night, I requested they attend to my investigation as members of my team."

"This is outrageous conduct!", Pensley shouted. "Captain Dale and his officers were expressly removed from…"

From the Senate desks came a roar of indignation and a babble of voices in various languages and accents. "Order!", was the usual shout, along with a few "Sit down!"s and one "The Councilman has no leave to speak!"

"The Senate calls the Honored Councilman to order," Akreet declared. He smacked a gavel to his podium. "He may only speak when prompted by myself or the Defense Committee Chairman, as he is _well aware_."

Pensley's face was going purple by the end of the rebuke, but he obeyed.

"And what prompted you to make this decision despite the clear wishes of the Defense Committee, Commander?", Hawthorne asked. There was a dangerous tone to his voice.

"Captain Dale was kind enough to share his insights into the security breach investigation," King explained. "He proposed a method for our war plans to be transmitted to the Nazi Reich that I thought credible. Upon further investigation, I have determined that his proposal was not just credible, but accurate."

Hawthorne nodded his head once. "And that method would be?"

Commander King held up her digital pad. "The data was transmitted in installments within the peace initiative broadcasts the Senate sent to the Nazi German Reich at the end of March."

Several voices in the Senate broke out in a furor. Pensley's anger and disbelief overwhelmed Robert's feelings of the others. He stood and glared to Hawthorne, who nodded. "This is a travesty!", he shouted. "This is a fraud. Commander King, either by her own will or at the will of another, has aligned herself with the militant radicals who dragged us into the war in the first place! This is nothing more than an attempt to block all prospects of peace!"

"I'm afraid not, Councilman," King answered. "The evidence speaks for itself. The transmissions sent to the Reich contained at least three percent more data than the message approved by the Senate mandated. That is above the margins of a few simple edits."

Some Senators cried out in disbelief, others in anger. Pensley looked to one of their number, who was identified by the holographic nameplate as Kita Marswell, Senator of the Tetzelian Republic. The dark-haired woman stood. "I move that the Senate declare this line of questioning out of order. This claimed proof has no weight to it. A few percentage points of an error?"

"The Tetzelian Senator displays her ignorance on behalf of her dear Councilman Pensley," one accented voice proclaimed. It was a Human Senator in the middle tier, Senator Benjamin Hadley of the Procyon Association. "Those of us who understand subspace communications are well aware that the claimed percentage is peculiar. I move that the Senate President order the release of transmitted data. Then we can judge for ourselves."

Senator Kiang rose. "The Senator from Procyon has a point, but this is a matter for the External Affairs Committee. I move that we adjourn and allow the Committee to deliberate this evidence in the presence of the Defense Committee. After all…" Kiang eyed King and Robert together. "...only a Senator of the Committee could have changed the data between its approval and transmission."

If Kiang was a Changeling spy… Robert felt she was a _damn good one_.

Because if so, her words had a calculated effect. More and more Senators were shouting, furious or disbelieving or mortified at the idea that one of the ten Senators assigned to External Affairs could be a traitor.

As the turmoil reached its fifth second, Pensley was glaring hatred at Robert. "This is a conspiracy!", he screamed. He pointed his finger at them. "A conspiracy against peace and against the Alliance by radicals and their Gersallian masters!" Robert could hear the enraged man's screamed words, but he wondered if many others could given the Senate was devolving into a heated argument. The rapping of a gavel told him Akreet was trying to restore order. Given the disbelief and fury in the room, this clearly wouldn't come immediately.

"Oh no," he breathed, looking to Jarod.

Jarod looked back. "What?"

"This is what she wanted," he said back. "The Changeling _wants_ this disorder."

"Why?"

"To delay the Senate. To keep it deliberating, and in turmoil," Robert said, even as Akreet's gavel pounding grew louder. Above him, President Morgan gazed at the disorder that had gripped the Alliance Senate with eyes full of shame. This was supposed to be the orderly body that debated with calm, but the tempers and emotions that the crisis had spurred was taking hold even here.

"Whatever's going to happen, it's going to happen at any…"

The gunfire erupted before Robert could finish his sentence.


	40. Episode 2-08-5 The Wages of Fear

Meridina and Lucy remained outside of the Senate Chamber's southern entrance, listening intently as the shouting within grew. Lucy gave a glance toward Meridina and held back a sigh. Months ago, Meridina had been this figure of supreme, calm confidence in Lucy's life. Now she looked like a monster might jump from the corner at any moment. Much of the quiet confidence had given way to clear worry and doubt, and those were not qualities to people with their abilities.

Whatever she was suffering internally, however, Meridina was still quite skilled, and Lucy could feel her become more alert. _Lucy, do you feel that?_

Lucy focused for a moment. At first she felt nothing, at least nothing that stood out against the growing emotional agitation coming from the Senate chamber. But as the seconds passed she felt it. Nervousness, tension, but defiant intent mixed within.

And violent thinking. Someone was steeling themselves for imminent killing. Intentional, unrelenting, and brutal killing.

Lucy felt under her uniform jacket and to the space at her waist where her _lakesh_ was hidden.

Meridina's body had tensed. She made no similar movement. But yet, within seconds she was moving. Her hand swept out and energy lashed out. A sharp impact sounded against the far wall. Another thump came from the floor.

Out of nothingness appeared a dark-clad man, Human-lookingg, with a weapon in his arms.

Lucy had her _lakesh_ out and swinging just in time. Her blade moved at the commands of arms that Lucy was not really controlling. Her instinct, her bond with the universe, were guiding her blade to deflect the shots that came roaring out of nothingness. One shot deflected back into the unseen attacker caused a sudden explosion of sparks. A ripple in the air appeared and became another dark-clad figure, with a mean-looking automatic weapon in his hands.

Said figure still had the gun pointing toward Lucy, and indeed was still firing, but Lucy didn't have to hold back his fire for long. Meridina lunged to his side and swung her _lakesh_ in a clean cut at his forearms. The slice lopped his hands and the lower third of his forearms off completely. Crimson blood spurted out and onto the normally-immaculate carpet. The man screamed in pain and shock at the damage.

Lucy looked to their fallen enemies. Both were just starting to stir. Her first thought was to disarm them before they could recover.

And then a sense of immediate danger filled her being. Lucy stopped and tried to focus on it. She felt her power instinctively move her body, turning her to the side.

A _lakesh_ blade swung through the air she had just vacated. A single figure shimmered into view a moment later. Her attacker was a woman, bald, with haunting blue eyes focused entirely on Lucy. Some surprised briefly flickered in them when Lucy brought her _lakesh_ up and nearly cut her along the cheek.

Italarai was stunned at what she saw. The Human had a _lakesh_. More importantly, she'd _trained_ with it. Italarai wasn't just facing one possible threat now. She would have to eliminate this one too.

With a single movement of her hand, Italarai's power lashed out and slammed into Lucy. Lucy didn't get her defense up in time. The blast of pure energy struck like the blast wave of an explosive, hurtling Lucy through the doors and into the Senate Chamber.

A Senate Chamber in which the earlier shouts of anger were now those of fear and terror.

* * *

The gunfire had jolted the Senate's attention with swift and terrible efficiency. Senate President Akreet's calls to order halted as the sound echoed for a moment and stopped. "Sergeant-At-Arms," he said, "contact sec…"

The east and west doors exploded at almost the same moment. Since each door had two security officers watching it, this had the side benefit to the attackers of eliminating four of the security staff, leaving only the two at the south door, the Sergeant-At-Arms himself, and a security man among President Morgan's staffers.

As the explosions were still echoing in their ears, dark-clad figures came in with assault rifles. The lead one coming in from the east raised his weapon to spray the top tier with blue energy bolts. Morgan's people had already pulled him down into cover.

The lead shooter from the west opened up, as did the fellow behind him. The Sergeant-at-Arms was too slow to avoid being hit, taking shots to the right shoulder and arm that brought him down.

Further shots struck Akreet square in the chest. Robert was certain the Alakin was dead before he hit the ground.

King rounded the podium and dashed for the Defense Committee chair. The incoming shots soon moved down toward them. She plowed into Admiral Davies and dragged him to cover. Maran and Gulinev had already secured Minister Hawthorne. The other members of the Committee were taking cover.

So were many of the Senators. But cover wouldn't help those in the lower tier. More gunmen were pouring into the Senate from both east and west, and while fire continued to converge on the President's location and the Party Leaders, the other shooters were firing into the pit.

By this point Robert and Jarod were moving. Jarod moved into cover toward the southern door, the only one not breached, where the armed guards there were already moving up to try and shoot at the incoming shooters. But they only had sidearms available, not rifles. One of their number, a male Dorei, took a blast to the chest and fell down right beside Jarod, dead. Jarod picked up his gun and went back to the corner. When no suppressive fire came Jarod leaned out and lined up his pistol with one of the shooters coming in on the west side. His weapon barked, two shots in succession. One was slightly off and the other struck a shooter in the shoulder, knocking him back into cover.

Robert went into the pit as well. He could feel the attention of a couple of the shooters on him and jumped just as they fired where he was, sending shots that just missed him and hit a desk behind which one of the senators was cowering.

He put everything into the jump, just as Meridina taught him, and it cleared him straight to the second tier. He landed between Akreet and the Sergeant-at-Arms. He sensed nothing from them; they were dead, and there was nothing he could do about that. But he could still save the others.

A cry came from the Senate floor. He looked in time to see Senator Marswell struck again by a shot. She fell to the ground, clearly dead.

Looking to the west, Robert saw the man Jarod shot helped into cover by a compatriot. A third figure, a woman, was tracking him with her gun. He had only moments.

Robert extended a hand toward the Sergeant-at-Arms' fallen body. The pulse pistol he had been carrying zipped through the air and into Robert's hand. He swung it over, diving to the side as he did, and barely evaded the first burst of shots from the dark-suited woman's rifle. He let his instincts, directed by the power within him, take the aim and fire.

The shot nailed the attacker in the throat. She went wide-eyed and gagged as she fell over.

He hit the floor, on his side, and adjusted his gun and aim to the remaining uninjured gunman on the west side. Again he pulled the trigger, squeezing it several times.

Initially his shots were a little off, missing to either side. But as the gunman turned, Robert pulled the trigger one more time. This time, whether it was luck or his abilities finally synching like they should, he got the hit he was looking for, a shot right in the forehead. The figure slumped over beside his wounded friend, the back of his head smoking. "The west door is clear!", Robert shouted. "West is clear, get everyone out!"

The surviving security man beside Jarod heard Robert and shouted the same. "West door, evacuate now!" Jarod nodded in agreement.

As he turned to begin giving covering fire on the east side, the southern door exploded inward. Lucy landed on the ground beside him and rolled until she reached the steps leading down to the lower tier. She grunted and, with effort, picked herself up. There was no mistaking the gleam of the _lakesh_ now in her hand.

She brought it up as a blur zipped past Jarod. Another woman - Italarai - swung her own _lakesh_ toward Lucy's neck. The blow was parried. Lucy grunted and, in a move that was surprising enough the Gersallian never saw it coming, threw her head forward hard enough to smash her forehead into the nose and mouth of her attacker. An audible crunch came and blood gushed from the broken nose that resulted from the impact.

Jarod brought his pistol into place to shoot the woman from behind. Lucy noticed first and sent him a quick mental message, more of a sensation: _No_. He turned his attention to the gunmen along the eastern door to aid Robert and the last remaining Senate security guard.

Robert was staying behind cover. Bursts of energy flew over his head with enough frequency that he knew it would be impossible to leave cover and not get shot. Mentally he reached out for the others. _Meridina?_

 _I am occupied_ , was her return thought. _There are three more attackers attempting to come in by the south entrance._ For a moment their connection lapsed. _Two now._

 _Jarod? Lucy?_

 _Busy!_ That thought was definitely Lucy's, and Robert heard another clang and electric buzz as _lakesh_ blades slammed together.

 _I'm helping to get the Senators out the west door_ , Jarod thought. _And for the record, I hate telepathic communication._

Robert smirked at that. _Be that as it may, I could use some cover fire_. He reached out mentally for King and sensed her approaching. _Commander King?_

 _Get out of my head!_ was the sole reply, a powerful thought that actually made Robert's head hurt.

A burst of fire from overhead came from the other side of the room, forcing the other gunmen into cover before they could shoot at Robert again. He heard footsteps thumping on the floor and turned his head to see King rushing up to join him. She'd claimed a weapon from one of the fallen attackers to the west door. Upon closer examination Robert recognized it as a MP-10 Particle Rifle, a common enough model initially built in the Colonial Confederation of D3R1.

With King giving him cover fire, Robert rose over the desk of the dead Sergeant-at-Arms and squeezed off several shots. The gunmen on that door had taken cover at the nearest desks. One started to change cover, with King's weapon literally ripping the desk up, and Robert fired a shot that got the gunman in the leg. A cry echoed in the Senate chamber.

The other two gunmen were trying to shift between suppressing the opposition and shooting at the Senators as they fled. One wild shot did take a Senator in the arm, sending him down his knees. Jarod quickly bolted out of cover and grabbed that Senator, helping him up long enough for two others to grab their colleague and help him along. Over by the west door Senator Sriroj and Admiral Davies were directing the evacuation. Davies had retrieved a weapon from the other fallen gunmen along that side and occasionally squeezed off a shot toward the fighting.

The fight between Lucy and the swordswoman Italarai had moved toward the pit. Lucy was giving ground, using her _lakesh_ defensively and buying time for Meridina to finish off the attackers outside the south doors so they could work together. And it was clear Italarai knew it. Robert felt her surprise and frustration at how well Lucy was fighting. "You've been trained as a _swevyra'se_ ," the woman said in a harsh tone. "How?"

"That's my little secret," Lucy retorted, catching another swipe of the blade.

It was at that moment she felt the risk. A shot not just coming for her, but going toward one of the Senators. Lucy backed away from Italarai and then jumped backward, opening the range with Italarai, and using the break from the attack to swing her _lakesh_ to intercept the bolts that came toward her.

Bolts, it would later be said, that would have struck Senator Sriroj directly had they landed.

Indeed, said Senator noticed this and called out thanks, while above them the bolts flew upward and hit the electric chandelier. Sparks flew from blasted lights and rained down upon everyone.

Italarai charged toward Lucy as she moved to adjust. Robert could feel the future of that move with crystal, horrible clarity. Lucy's blade temporarily out of position, an awkward posture to stop the first blow, a fist or foot to knock it away, and then… Lucy would die.

So Robert, with King providing ample cover fire, turned and opened fire on Italarai as she got up to Lucy. Lucy did indeed make the awkward block, but Italarai couldn't take advantage of it. She felt Robert's shots coming and she twisted her blade to reflect them. One pulse deflected, then a second, and the third, deflected right toward the fleeing Senators…

…where it struck Senator Kiang square in the side of the head.

A number of people noticed it. They couldn't help it. And so it was with great shock that the pulse in question did not send her to the ground, dead. It did cause Kiang to stop and falter, yes, but it also caused the entire side of her head to briefly turn amber in color and began to lose shape.

Robert's horror turned to an almost satisfied realization. Kiang was indeed what he thought she was. "Changeling!", he shouted. "Everyone down!"

The shout, and other considerations, caused Senators near where "Kiang" had stumbled to fall back from her as she picked herself up from the ground. A bitter expression crossed the Changeling's face. Her entire body turned into amber and she flowed through the Senators toward the exit. Robert didn't care let the Changeling escape and moved his firearm over to engage her. But she was too fast and he couldn't risk shooting one of the fleeing Senators.

It was King who opened fire. _WOM, WOM, WOM_ , one after the other, shots that nearly hit the Changeling each time and didn't hit a Senator. Robert wondered what she was doing. He almost asked until the feeling within him made him turn and face the other direction again. One of the last gunmen was trying to get a shot at their backs. He went for cover the moment Robert's gun started barking.

The Changeling continued toward the door, but not directly, not with King's shots forcing her to dodge and evade away from the door. Further shots descended around her from the pistol in Jarod's hands. The infiltrator was shapeless, nothing but a flowing mass of amber fluid that evaded their shots. She had been stymied in her immediate escape attempt, so she changed tactics and started moving to the middle platform where Robert and King were. As she rushed them, dodging and weaving around King's shots, the amber began to coalesce. A hiss filled the air as she became an alien serpent of some kind, like a boa constrictor with the agility of a rattlesnake. Crimson scales covered the head, turning into brown and yellow further down the form.

Robert felt the strike coming just in time. He jumped and knocked King over, causing the Changeling's strike to miss. Only after they were down did he realize that the Changeling had _wanted_ him to do that, as she continued on toward the east door.

Ironically enough, it was one of the attacking gunmen who stopped her for the moment. Whether he knew what the Changeling was or not, he opened fire. Particle bolts filled the space in the Changeling's line of advance and forced her back for the moment.

King and Robert wheeled around and opened fire on her. Being fired on from three guns and two directions had pushed the Changeling's evasive abilities to their limits. Several shots grazed the serpentine Changeling. Amber appeared over its scaly body as the hits caused the Changeling to lose form. A couple of direct shots brought it down into a formless amber puddle.

With the common enemy disposed of, Robert and King had to take cover as the gunmen started shooting at them again. Robert heard one calling out in Gersallian and the fire on their position became relentless. The particle blasts were destroying the desks; they had to scramble down to the Secretary of the Senate's desk as those of the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Senate President became so battered they were no longer effective cover. The two gunmen shifted back toward the east door, firing as they went, and soon King and Robert would have no cover unless they fell back to the west side of the platform.

Lucy could sense their danger. She parried another blow from her attacker and twisted her _lakesh_ around to catch the next. This gave her the position to force the wielder toward the Defense Committee table. With an instant to gather her focus, Lucy lashed out with her force powers. Raw, unseen energy sent her foe flying off into the abandoned desks of the middle tier. This gave her the opening to go the distance to the enemy gunmen as they retreated. They saw her coming and turned their particle rifles on her. Lucy's power guided her arms to block the incoming fire with her _lakesh_ blade.

Robert and King slipped out of cover and brought their firearms to bear. Each sighted down on one of the gunmen and pulled their triggers. The pulse and particle fire caught their foes, as did one shot deflected by Lucy, and there was nothing the two gunmen could have done to save themselves at that point.

* * *

Italarai got back to her feet in time to see Kanral and the last of his fighters go down. The mission was a failure. This displeased her.

But displeasure could wait. She wasn't done yet. She had only moments with which to escape. Her hand went within her robe to the secret control there and her finger found the button to activate the beacon. She felt a surge of warning go through her as the device activated.

At that moment Meridina whirled into sight. Her _lakesh_ slashed toward Italarai's, a disarming move she could never have stopped.

It never connected.

Italarai materialized in the transport truck down in the Council Hall loading dock. Seqen watched her materialize, and materialize alone. He frowned. "The mission failed?"

"It did," she said simply. "Our window is almost closed."

"Then we should…"

Seqen stood, and the moment he was on his feet Italarai's free arm made a pulling gesture. She yanked him toward her in a burst of her power… just as she brought her _lakesh_ up toward his chest.

Betrayal and shock flashed over his expression as Seqen felt the blade go through his heart. "Why…?", he asked weakly.

"It is better this way," Italarai answered. Sensing he was already mere moments from death, she brought the beacon out and pressed a key along its side. This changed the system it was locked onto. With another press of the button, she was whisked away by a transporter.

She materialized on a space vessel in orbit of Earth. The small personal shuttle had no IU drive, but it did have a solid warp drive for its size, and best of all, a second set of hardwired ID codes that she could use. In just five seconds of transporting she was in the cockpit seat activating her warp drive. The small shuttle shot off toward Proxima Centauri, where a ship would be waiting for her in interstellar space.

Once she was secure, Italarai activated her backup comm line. She sent a single message to _Mastrash_ Goras.

 _The operation failed to achieve optimal results. Suspect we were manipulated by Changeling from S5T3 Dominion. But it wasn't a total loss. The video from the Senate will make for interesting viewing and may provide opportunity for you._

After that, there was nothing to do but sit and wait for shuttle to arrive at its rendezvous.

* * *

The last of the attackers disappeared in a burst of white light a moment before Meridina would have knocked her blade away. She frowned and looked out at the Senate, and most importantly, at the dead bodies around the floor.

The carnage was not as bad as it might have been. Still… all of this death. And all done by her people. _Her people!_ Shame and horror filled Meridina at the thought of it.

This.. this was supposed to be a time of greatness. A time of hope, prophesied by Swenya herself. _This was not supposed to have happened._

"Meridina!", Lucy shouted. "A little help?!"

Meridina reacted immediately, jumping down to the main walkway between the middle and lower tier and running over to the east door entrance. Robert and Lucy had their arms up and hands out. Their power was flowing outward, binding the Changeling as she - or he, or it - writhed about on the floor. The amber fluid of the Changeling seemed to be trying to take shape. "We have to hold it," Robert gasped. "We have to keep it in place until security gets here with a container."

"I understand." Meridina raised her arms and added her power to her students'. Together the three held the Changeling in place.

King kept her commandeered assault rifle on the creature. Nearby Admiral Davies and Jarod walked up, weapons raised. "Security across the entire building is down," Davis said. "Someone scrambled all of the systems."

"Someone using Senatorial access codes, I bet," Robert said. He kept his focus on the Changeling while talking; even with Meridina and Lucy helping and doing most of the work in holding the thing down, he didn't want to risk it getting up.

"I doubt they'll be Kiang's," King said. "This entire incident has the feel of a false flag operation."

"Your meaning, Commander?", Davies asked.

"We were manipulated, sir," King said. "And so were the Gersallian radicals who launched this attack."

"We'll see if the evidence backs your _theory_ , Commander," Davies responded harshly. He looked over at Robert and then Meridina and Lucy.

For a moment, real fear struck Robert. Davies had them dead to rights. He could kill them all with a single sweep of the rifle on automatic fire… _No!_ Robert forced the thought down. Davies was paranoid, but he wasn't suicidal. Even he couldn't ignore a Changeling that had been masquerading as a Senator, and if he gunned them down nothing would hold the creature back. He'd read the reports from 33LA. The Changeling would kill him, King, and Jarod in seconds, and that was assuming Jarod didn't gun him down first.

While King and Davies kept the rifles taken from the killed radicals trained on the Changeling, Jarod was busy operating his multidevice. "I'm gaining access to the Council Hall security system," he said. "And I just got a message through to the _Aurora_. They're relaying my reports straight to Defense Command."

"Who did we lose?", Robert asked. "I saw Senator Akreet go down."

"Djalis, Rawlinson, Marswell…" King's voice was firm, but Robert could feel her own horror at what happened. "I counted at least eight dead Senators."

"Ten," Jarod corrected. "And Councilman Palas didn't make it."

"Dammit," Robert muttered. He looked to Davies, but his biting remark died in his throat. Now wasn't the time. And right now, all he wanted to do was collapse as soon as the Changeling was secured.

* * *

 _Mastrash_ Goras had called upon all of his discipline to force the surprise to come out when _Mastrash_ Maklir's junior apprentice informed the Council of the news over the interuniversal networks. The attack on the Alliance Senate was on all of the major news sites and networks. Goras waited patiently for confirmation that there was little information as to the extent of it. How many Senators had died, how many got away, and most importantly, if any of Italarai's people had gotten out.

Karesl made it clear he wished to speak. Maklir nodded assent. "I move that the Council adjourn for now," Karesl said, his voice somber. "We must extend official condolences to the Alliance Senate for its losses on this tragic day, and offer the services of our Knights to find those guilty and bring them to Justice."

Ledosh nodded. "I second the motion."

"Let all vote as their _swevyra_ requires," Maklir intoned. The old man registered his vote last, as he always did. It was a unanimous outcome. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh, you will send the message."

"It shall be done at once."

The Council split up and went their separate ways. Karesl stepped up beside Goras. "A terrible tragedy." Karesl shook his head. He could sense Goras' intense thoughts. "Do you think it could be the Dissenters?"

"If so, they have gone too far," Goras insisted. "We should continue to monitor this. We may yet find the opening we need."

"If only it had not come with such bloodshed," Karesl sighed. He nodded to Goras and stepped into his office.

Goras went into his own office. He found Italarai's message waiting for him. _Whatever did she mean?_ , he pondered. It would be hours before they could speak with any security. In the meantime, he would have to monitor communications.

Night was starting to fall when more video reports came. As Italarai reported, it was a failure.

It was only after seeing leaked videos of the fighting in the Senate that Goras realized what Italarai meant… as he watched Italarai duel with a Human woman with dark curly hair. Goras smiled at recognizing Lucilla Lucero, Meridina's student who had turned down the Order… and yet was here dueling with an Order _lakesh_ in her hand.

 _Oh you foolish girl_ , he thought. _I have you. You have overreached, and now you and your entire cause are mine to crush._

* * *

 _Ship's Log: 10 May 2642; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. The news of the attack on the Senate, and the outing of Senator Kiang as a Changeling infiltrator, have sent shockwaves across the Alliance. That the attack was instigated by Gersallian extremists, the anti-Alliance "Dissenters", has caused a lot of shouting and anger. If not for the unfortunate death of Palas and for Commander Meridina's prominent place in the defense of the Senate, it might have caused irreparable damage to the Gersallians' participation within the Alliance._

 _Thankfully, with the Changeling a captive and Kiang's systems exposed to scrutiny, Commander King is ready to issue a report to the Senate with Commander Jarod. Commander Meridina, Lieutenant Lucero, and myself have been asked to attend as well._

The damage to the Senate chamber hadn't been fixed. Eleven desks, mostly on the east side of the chamber, were vacant and covered by wreaths. The Council had sent their Sergeant-at-Arms, an Alakin female, to stand in the place of her fallen colleague. The various Senators looked on in quiet dignity, far from the state they had been in when violence had broken out, and all awaited for the new Senate President to call the session to order.

The prior day the Senators had made their vote, and now Senator Sriroj Thiang stood as Akreet's successor. The appointed Senator of the Sol System Republic was as stoic as Robert had usually seen her. Above and behind her, President Morgan was again in place. More of his Security Service guards were flanking him. And the Council Hall security forces had been tripled. There would be no chances taken.

Sriroj looked down at the pit, where the Defense Committee was together. They were short two members. The Council had yet to appoint a delegate to replace the slain Palas, and as Senate President Sriroj would no longer sit on the body, and again no delegate had been appointed yet to replace her. "Minister Hawthorne, the Senate is prepared to hear your findings."

Hawthorne nodded and looked across the table to the witness podium, where King stood with Robert, Jarod, Meridina, and Lucy flanking her. Up in the visitor's gallery the command crews of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were in attendance. "If it pleases the Senate, Commander King has finished her preliminary investigation into this terrible attack." Hawthorne nodded to her. "Please, proceed."

"Yes sir." King looked to her datapad. "My investigation, with the help of the Planetary Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Portland Police Department, has determined that the attackers were Gersallian extremists known as Dissenters. They oppose Gersal's place in the Alliance." King looked up at Sriroj and Morgan. "It appears that they gained entry to the Senate using command codes that were officially assigned to Senator Yantanaran."

Heads started to turn to the tan-skinned Gersallian woman sitting in the upper tier. Her face was pale with disbelief.

"However, evidence recovered from the computers of the Changeling masquerading as Senator Kiang indicate these codes were duplicated." With that King defused the growing tension. "It appears that the Changeling was seeking to instigate a political crisis to split the Alliance over apparent Gersallian government terrorism."

"There is nothing 'apparent' about Gersallian terrorism!", thundered Pensley from his seat. "The wreaths we see here are proof of that." By the time he finished, cries of "Order!" were starting to drown him out.

"Sit down, you are out of order!", ruled Sriroj, and her glare told everyone she would not humor Pensley today. The irate Councilman obeyed.

"Was this Changeling also responsible for the leaking of our plans to the Nazi Reich?", asked Davies.

"It would appear so, sir, yes," King said. "By the Senate's decree, Commander Jarod and I examined the broadcasts sent to the Reich to offer peace. They did indeed have fragmented data parts that, when compiled, provided several of our war plans to the Reich. This includes the proposed raids on their supply lines."

"And the Gersallian involvement in the data theft from Defense Command?", asked Maran.

"Our records from the other day confirm a ninety-nine percent probability that the force-endowed Gersallian who escaped by transporter is the same woman who planted the data hacking device into Defense Command," King stated. "Communication logs indicate this woman and the Changeling had been in contact for at least a month beforehand."

"Do we know who she is?" The question was from Senator Hipathi.

"We do not yet, sir. We merely know she was trained in the arts of the Order of Swenya."

"A good thing we had two defenders with similar training," noted General Gulinev.

"Is there anything else you believe the Committee and the Senate should hear, Commander?", Hawthorne asked.

"Only that our initial concerns about the Gersallian Order of Swenya appear overstated," King answered. "I can't rule out rogue elements in their organization, of course, and I will continue my investigation into the attack with the Committee's blessing. But it is clear that a blanket condemnation of the organization is, at this time, premature. Furthermore, this unprecedented security breach indicates we may need to consider our own organization of such talented individuals to answer to the Alliance Government. It is my recommendation that the Senate and Council launch an investigation of this." King looked to her side before facing Hawthorne again. "I would also say that this tragedy would have been far, far worse if not for the conduct of Captain Dale and his officers. With the security and future of the Alliance at stake, Captain Dale and his people showed impeccable virtue. They acted with intelligence, decisiveness, and valor in support of my investigation. And I needn't point out their conduct during the attack." King nodded her head. "That is all, Minister."

"You may step down." Hawthorne nodded. "Do any on the Committee wish to issue a statement before we vote on Commander King's report?"

Pensley stood. "I will only say that I am mortified that the peace initiative was abused so callously by this outsider, and that I plead with the Committee and the Senate to not let this incident bias them against the possibility of peace."

Robert wouldn't let himself smirk. He was amused to see that General Gulinev had no such scruples, rolling his eyes at Pensley.

"Anyone else?"

Davies stood. "I have a statement," he said. As he did so, he eyed Robert and the others. "While Commander King's recommendation for an Alliance organization of… talented individuals has its merits, we must remember that such powers pose grave threats to the liberties our systems and nations cherish. The powers we have seen would allow these beings to crush us under a tyranny that we might never escape. I would move that aside from looking into our own organization to protect the Government from these threats, we also begin research into ways to suppress these abilities and to deal with those who abuse them. Such a precaution is manifestly necessary to our posterity. Otherwise we are risk from all sorts of organizations, be they the Order of Swenya or the Earth Alliance Psi Corps of E5B1. I ask the Committee and the Senate to please begin considering these measures while we still have time. That is all." Davies sat.

Admiral Maran didn't react to that. But he showed Robert and the others a grin even as he ignored Hawthorne's last request for statements. When none came, the minister turned and looked up to the Senate President. "Senator Sriroj, the Committee has finalized its report into these incidents, and we have nothing further to add."

"Thank you, Defense Minister." Sriroj looked down to the podium. "Commander King, Captain Dale, Commander Jarod, Commander Meridina, Lieutenant Lucero. Please, approach."

Robert wondered what was going on, but he said nothing while joining the others in walking around the pit, up the steps, and to where Sriroj was standing. "It is my position, and that of the Senate, that we have you to thank for our very lives. The citizens of the Alliance can rest easy knowing that they have such valiant defenders standing watch over them. Your courage and commitment saved many lives and thwarted an attack that might have torn the Alliance asunder, and your boldness in the face of an unexpected threat ended the grave risk that the Changeling infiltrator posed." Sriroj looked up to Morgan. "The Alliance President and Stellar Navy may yet reward you in any manner they deem fit, but here and now, the Senate of the United Alliance of Systems awards you the Senate Order of Merit."

The Sergeant-at-Arms stepped up and provided Sriroj with her first case. The medal was a metal disc of silver with the Alliance torch insignia set into the middle. Robert didn't move, didn't dare to, as it was pinned to his chest by the Senate President, who went on to do the same to the others.

As Sriroj did so, applause came from the Senate and from the Gallery. Robert peeked momentarily to see Julia, Angel, and the others clapping with proud grins. His heart felt lightened by it. Despite everything that had happened, the Alliance had been preserved, and the Changeling threat dealt with.

There would be battles in the future, of course, and he knew in his heart they would be vicious and dangerous and painful. But for the moment, that was still in the future, and here in the present, he could smile and enjoy the moment.

* * *

 **Tag**

After the ceremony and an attendant dinner, the crews returned to the _Aurora_. It was clear even on the trip back up that Meridina was not in the festive mood, indeed, that she had been forcing cheer for the benefit of her comrades.

None felt that more acutely than Lucy and Robert. Robert gave Lucy a nod as they all left the shuttle bay, acknowledging her intent to check up on Meridina.

Meridina had been swift in heading to her quarters. By the time Lucy got there she was already inside. Lucy stood at the door and leaned against it. "I'm here if you need me," she said simply.

A moment later, the door opened.

Meridina was sitting alone, staring at the book Lucy had always seen her looking at. The book that contained Swenya's writings. "It wasn't supposed to be this way," Meridina sighed.

"What wasn't?"

"I am lost," Meridina murmured. "I have had such faith in this. Such faith that this was the hour, this the time, but now…"

"Meridina?"

She wasn't supposed to say these things. But Meridina didn't care at the moment. She'd alienated her father for this cause. She'd risked her position in the Order for it. She'd _believed_ that the time had come, that this was the prophesied day that Swenya had promised millennia ago.

But the Alliance wasn't becoming the shield of Light. It was falling into the darkness of fear. Men like Hawthorne and Davies were poisoning it from within, the Dissenters had committed _murder_ to alienate her people from the Alliance, and dark forces from without were constantly battering away at it, causing pain and suffering to increase.

Meridina got up and moved through her living area. Her mind was in turmoil.

Had her father been right? Had she, had Ledosh, been _wrong_?

 _Was it all for nothing?_

The dark thoughts within her stirred. She felt the cold doubt, the biting fear that none of it had mattered, nothing she had done. That all of her dreams were going to die.

"Meridina, please, talk to me," Lucy urged. She took up a chair and sat beside her teacher. "Whoever these people were… I mean, there are always going to be people who are extremist, and who go too far. But we're not going to let them drive us apart. We've already stopped them once!"

"I thought you were the ones," Meridina murmured, as if nothing Lucy said had registered. "I thought this was the time." The Gersallian, sniffling, stumbled over and landed on the floor beside her couch.

"Meridina, it's not over." Lucy walked over to her and helped her onto the couch. "We'll figure this out."

"Lucy, I am so sorry." Meridina shook her head. "I thought I was making things better, that I was helping you find a potential, but… it was my own ego. I wanted you to be the ones…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're supposed to be them," Meridina continued. "You're supposed to be the Dawn Bearers! You're supposed to forge a shield of Light and bring us Hope and Victory! But that's not happening. Everything is going wrong, my people are going mad with fear and anger, and this darkness...it is _clawing inside of me_ , all of the doubt and fear that I… I have never felt like this before! The Goa'uld is gone, the mark should be gone, I should have healed by now! But I haven't! The darkness inside of me is still there and I can't make it leave!" Meridina finished her tirade by breaking down into tears.

It was hard for Lucy to see Meridina like this. Amaunet had been bad enough, and she sensed the confrontation with the " _swevyra'kse_ " while rescuing Jarod had been troublesome in its own right… but now it was like she had been stripped bare of all expectations, all hopes, by seeing her people engage in such pointless killing. Indeed, to see one of her own Order helping in that slaughter.

At this point in time, a despairing fear long buried under layers and layers of mental blocks, conditioning, and sheer willpower was surging through to the surface. Lucy could sense that in her. Meridina had truly become completely, deathly afraid that everything she had done had been for nothing, and everything she had believed had turned out wrong.

"Whatever you're talking about, the darkness isn't going to take you, I promise," Lucy insisted. "I'll help you. Robert will too. We all will. You're one of _us_ , Meridina, you're a part of this family!"

Meridina gave Lucy a sad look. "But I will not be much longer. Everything is ruined now. My errors have seen to that. And I am so, so sorry I didn't tell you before, about what I knew, about what I felt."

Lucy blinked. She couldn't make out what Meridina was talking about. "Is it this 'Dawn Bearer' stuff you talked about? You can tell me, Meridina!"

Meridina shook her head. "It's too late. I can sense it."

"What? How is it too late? What is…"

Meridina stood suddenly, as if she sensed something. She sighed and nodded. "Of course," she murmured. "They know."

Wordlessly, Meridina began to strip her uniform off. Lucy watched in bewilderment as Meridina took a simple sleeveless linen robe of blue and white and pulled it on, covering her down to the ankle. She affixed her _lakesh_ to the linen belt that held the robe in place and walked to the door. "You don't need to see this," Meridina said. "But… I would feel better if you came."

"Where are you going?", Lucy asked.

Meridina did not answer. And Lucy could tell she wouldn't.

But she still followed.

* * *

Robert had been about to pull his uniform off, much to the delight of a waiting and smiling Angel, when he received the alert from the bridge. " _Sir, there's someone at the starboard airlock. Several people in fact. They're refusing to leave and are demanding to be let aboard._ " Lieutenant Pacetti sounded as professional as ever.

"Have they identified themselves?", Robert asked.

" _No, but they say they must speak to you. And they have government clearances._ "

Angel was frowning at him over that, although he knew he wasn't the focus of said frown. "Let's find out what's going on," Robert said. Into his multidevice he said, "Tell them I'm on my way, Pacetti."

" _Yes sir._."

Together they started the journey to the lift. When they got to it, Julia was already stepping in. "Pacetti called you too?", Robert asked.

"Yeah," she said. "He must think we'll both need to face this. I wonder who it is?"

"Knowing our usual luck?" Robert sighed. "Admiral Davies coming to give us a surprise inspection."

"But we're in repair dock undergoing heavy repairs…" Julia sighed and rolled her eyes. "So yeah, of course."

Once on Deck 10 they made their way to the starboard side of the primary hull. The airlock door was still secure when they got there. An Alakin female, Lieutenant Charrip, was present with a small security detachment. "The airlock officer summoned me, sir," she said. "Just in case."

Robert nodded and stepped up to the airlock door. At that point he knew who was on the other side. He couldn't help but feel the sheer power. "Bridge, ready the emergency airlock security protocol," he said into his multidevice. "If you see anyone force their way onboard, trigger it. Hell, if I don't give you the clearance signal and I start to let them aboard anyway, trigger it."

Pacetti showed no hesitation. He responded immediately with an, " _Aye Captain._ "

Julia gave him a look. "That's a bit excessive."

"After the other day, I'm not taking chances," Robert answered as he opened the airlock door. He stepped into the airlock as the other end opened as well.

Seven figures stepped in. All were in red Gersallian robes, and all wore the same purple body armor Meridina favored. The lead among them was a bald man with tanned skin. He looked at Robert through alert eyes and, Robert could feel, a supremely tuned _swevyra_ /life force. "I am Hajamar, a _swevyra'se_ of Gersal and Knight-Sergeant-At-Arms of the Order of Swenya. My Knights and I have come to seek justice."

"If you're after the crazy lady who got away from the Senate attack, you're wasting your time here," Robert replied.

"That is not our duty," Hajamar answered. "You are Captain Robert Dale?"

"I am."

Hajamar handed him a Gersallian datapad. It held text in Gersallian and an English translation beside it. Robert read over it, but Hajamar made sure to pronounce its contents. "By order of the Council of the Order of Swenya, I have come to arrest the Knight Meridina, daughter of Karesl of the Family of Lumantala."

Robert's jaw dropped in surprise. "... _what_?", he finally managed.

"Knight Meridina is wanted for treason against the Council and its commands, and of the Code of Swenya," Hajamar continued. "And we will take her into custody, Captain Dale."

"Like hell," Robert snarled. Behind him, Julia and Angel crossed their arms and stepped closer, as if to support him against the long odds. "This is _my_ ship, and a starship of the Alliance Stellar Navy. We don't answer to your Order. If they want Meridina, they can go through the proper channels."

Hajamar narrowed his eyes. "I see she has trained you as well," he said. "Another proof of her treason."

"She's been teaching me control of this power, nothing more," Robert asserted. "Now, I suggest you leave and go through the Admiralty and Defense Command or even the courts, but I'm not handing Meridina over on your say so."

"We won't let the traitor escape us," Hajamar warned.

"Then camp out there for all I care," Robert retorted. "But if you step one foot on my ship, my crew has orders to blow the airlock and seal it behind us. And I know you're powerful, but I wonder if even you people can resist explosive decompression."

Hajamar seemed to consider it. "You are deceiving us," he said. "You would be taken too, as would your officers."

"Yeah," Robert said. "But my crew will probably beam me and my people back before we hit the wall of the drydock. Depending on how fast the safety people respond, well, do you think you'll be that lucky?" He went eye to eye with the Knight, glaring into his brown eyes. " _Are you willing to take that chance?_ "

And he was clearly considering it. Robert could see that. Hajamar and his Knights weren't pushovers, and they knew their thing, and the fact was Robert was more outmatched here than he'd ever been in this sort of situation. Not even being cornered by Fassbinder and his SS at the Gamma Piratus Facility was this bad.

"Please, stop."

Robert turned. Meridina and Lucy were entering the airlock. Lucy looked bewildered, but Meridina had a sort of strange calm, even if it was covering immense doubt and… even despair, Robert thought.

"Knight Meridina," Hajamar said.

"Knight Hajamar." Meridina nodded respectfully to him. She reached to her belt and pulled out her _lakesh_ hilt.

Hajamar's Knights all went for their blades. A chorus of metallic shrieks accompanied the extension of a half dozen _lakesh_ es.

Lucy almost reached for hers, and Angel was clenching her fists for a fight. But Meridina looked to her and shook her head. She looked back to Hajamar and held her right palm up, the hilt laid on the palm. Robert felt her power grip it and levitate the hilt. It moved slowly through the air toward Hajamar.

Hajamar opened his palm. The weapon accelerated, too fast for Robert to intercept it, and landed square in his palm.

Meridina stepped up beside them and looked to the four. "I am honored to have known you all," she said. "Thank you for making me feel as if we were family. I am humbled by your generosity of spirit and your courage. _Mi rake sa swevyra iso._ " She turned back to Hajamar. She put her wrists together and extended them forward. "Knight Hajamar, I surrender myself to the Knights of the Temple. I am ready for judgement."

Hajamar's expression softened. His eyes showed a glimmer of compassion. His reply was a wordless nod. From his own belt came a set of metal shackles.

"You can't do this!", Lucy screamed. She looked to Robert. "Stop them! _Stop her!_ "

Robert swallowed and looked to Lucy, who looked like she was about to cry. "I can't, Lucy," he said. "She's going with them of her own free will."

"There has to be a regulation about this!" Lucy looked to Julia next. "Isn't there? She's an officer of the ship! They can't just march her off!"

"Maybe if we were on active duty, we could order her to not surrender," Julia said. "But we're in drydock, Lucy. The entire crew is in stand down. I mean, if she wanted me to I could fight this…"

By now Hajamar had fixed the shackles to Meridina's ankles as well. Lengths of tritanium chain, starship hull grade, now bound Meridina's limbs to a ring of the same material. The chain rattled as Meridina took her first steps, now standing between the seven Knights in red. She looked back to Lucy with tears in her blue eyes. "Goodbye, Lucy," she said. "You will find your way. I believe in you."

Hajamar gave a blunt, but not hostile, order in Gersallian. Meridina turned away and began to walk in time with her jailers.

Robert could feel Lucy's _swevyra_ crackle with power. She was going to attack. Before she could he grabbed her by the arms. "No!", he hissed. "Not here, not this way!"

"This isn't right!", Lucy shouted. "She didn't do anything wrong! She's the purest, most noble woman I've ever met!"

"Yes, she is," Julia said. "But starting a fight here won't help her. We've got to fight this another way."

"How?", Lucy demanded.

"I don't know yet." Robert looked back down the airlock tube. The far airlock door slid to a shit, cutting off their view of Meridina. "But this isn't over." A look of grim determination crossed his face.

Upon seeing it, the same crossed Lucy's face as well. Angel and Julia both nodded in agreement.

"Meridina is family. And we're going to help her any way we can," Robert vowed.


	41. Episode 2-09-1 Whispers of Destiny

**Teaser**

 _Captain Robert Dale Personal Log; 13 May 2642. I have spent the last two days trying to get in touch with_ Mastrash _Ledosh to find out what is going on with the Council of the Order of Swenya, and why they arrested Meridina on charges of "treason". Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to get in contact with him._

 _The news from Gersal is not good. Reports of Meridina's arrest, and that the charges against her related to her service in the Alliance, have sparked widespread protests between the Dissenters and those in favor of continued membership in the Alliance. The Gersallian government is in turmoil. The Dissenters are demanding a reconsideration of Alliance membership. Meridina's charges are apparently the 'proof' they've needed that the Alliance is corrupting Gersal._

 _I'm also concerned with Lucy. Since Meridina was arrested she's become… angry. She's taking this harder than I thought she would._

Robert finished writing his log and looked over to his half-eaten lunch. He picked up a ham sandwich and started to wolf it down.

Nearby Angel plopped into a chair. "You know, if we were out there," she said, "at least I'd have tactical watches to take my mind off this."

"I know." Robert rubbed at his forehead. "But we're not. Scotty and the dock manager have virtually taken over the ship for now."

"Except for Little Miss Workaholic, who still can't get out of her office for all the paperwork she insists on doing herself," Angel pointed out, smirking as she did. "You need to make her take a break, Rob."

Robert smiled at that. "I already tried that. Then Jarod got abducted."

"Ugh. This last week has been one non-stop headache." Angel considered her unfinished lunch for a moment. "So, when do we go to Gersal to kick some ass and take names?"

Robert leveled a curious stare at her. "You mean breaking into a secure temple controlled by people who could bat us across the room with a wave of their hand? All to pull out a prisoner who doesn't want to be freed?"

The reply was a frustrated glare at nothing. "And there's nothing anyone can do to stop them?"

"The Gersallian government considers it an internal Order matter," Robert said. "And there's no provisions in the Alliance government for intervening."

"She's an officer of the Stellar Navy, isn't that enough?"

Robert shook his head. "She transmitted her resignation before surrendering. And since this is a private organization passing judgement on one of its members the other authorities can't do anything."

"But we're not going to leave it at that, are we?"

Robert shook his head. "No, we're not. I'm going to go there myself if necessary."

"If you go, I go."

Robert felt a warm feeling in his heart. He didn't think Angel would care so much for this, not when she already detested the influence and time sink that the entire issue was for him. But he could feel her sincerity. Whatever her feelings about Meridina training Robert, Angel considered Meridina a member of the family, and she was ready to raise hell to save her.

"I've got one last card to play on the issue," he said. "But with things so hectic in Portland right now, I can't be sure when I'll get the call." Robert let out a sigh. "I'm also worried about Lucy."

"I didn't realize how close she was to Meridina." Angel picked at a small glob of mashed potato on her plate. "The longer this takes, the more angry she's going to become."

"Which is why I'm hoping the call I'm expecting comes sooner rather than later," Robert said. He took up the last bit of his sandwich. "Until then, all I can do is wait and hope."

* * *

In the _Aurora_ gymnasium, heads were turning at the sound of a series of furious punches against a gym bag. Some half-expected to see Angel there, familiar with the tactical officer's affinity for "beat the crap out of something to relieve stress", but they would have been surprised to see Lucy Lucero there as well.

These days she didn't go with the standard exercise wear of shorts and sports bra, or at least she didn't normally. With Meridina it was usually training vests and trousers. But today she wore something that fit the environment better. She wasn't muscular like Angela, she didn't even have Julia's build with defined, if not bulked, muscle. Her arms and stomach were solid and flat, with some slight muscular definition on her exposed belly.

The crew in charge of the gym's equipment had spent a year quietly shoring up their equipment. The joke around the ship was that Angel had destroyed every punching bag not reinforced with tritanium. She hadn't, but the gym staff had toughened them after she had wrecked two.

But those reinforcements were against Human strength. As Lucy's frustration grew that strength tapped onto the power of her life energies, the _swevyra_ that Meridina had taught her to tap. She hit the bag hard enough to break it entirely, causing sand to erupt from the wound. She pulled her fist out and watched the sand fall, giving a frustrated cry in the process. Wordlessly she went for the broom and bucket that the crew had left nearby for such eventualities.

She had just finished the sweeping up when a voice called out, "And I thought Angel could be rough on those things."

Commander Julia Andreys was standing nearby. In contrast to the more conventional workout clothing Lucy had, she was wearing a white martial arts gi with a black belt around the waist. Her long blond hair was the kind of rich color most blondes wished they were. She had pulled it into a bun at the back of her head. "How are you feeling?", she asked.

"I'm upset and angry and trying like hell to hold it back," Lucy answered. "Meridina's done everything they've ever asked her to do. She's stood up for everything they're supposed to believe. And this is how they repay her."

"Maybe there's more to this than we thought," Julia offered.

"They wanted me to leave the _Aurora_ and join their damned Order, you know," Lucy continued. She took the bucket of sand and the broom and put it against the wall. The punching bag was rolled to keep the hole in its surface upward and dragged over to join them. Lucy looked up after doing this and said, "Now I'm glad I said no. These people aren't half as good as Meridina thinks they are."

"That may be part of the problem," Julia murmured. "Robert's trying everything he can. He hopes to have a response to a couple of calls he made by tonight."

"Good." Lucy crossed her arms. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. I wanted to help you."

"How?"

Julia grinned. "Well, I can't teach you how to pick things up with your life energy or whatever, but I think I can teach you something to help focus your mind and body. Maybe it'll help you deal with this situation over Meridina. You've heard of _t'ai chi_?"

"Slowly swinging your arms around."

"Not just that. It's about focus. Learning the movements and how to do them and keeping it all in your head." Julia assumed a starting stance. "And it's a pretty useful martial art. It's about flexibility instead of power." She moved her arms and shifted her posture in an initial movement. "The point is to meet strength with fluidity."

"So, judo?"

"Judo is more about turning an enemy's size against them, this is more 'go with the flow'. Let your enemy punch and kick, but instead of trying to block everything and meet your strength against theirs, you let their strength go to waste. And then, when the moment is right, you strike." Julia made a motion that, if done at a quick speed, would have been an effective counter-attack against a foe. Julia chuckled. "How else do you think I spar with Angel? She's got the advantage in muscle, after all."

"I just figured you made her insanely jealous with that tall, statuesque figure you've got going for you."

Julia laughed at that. "Angel's not the type to feel jealousy over that. She's proud of those muscles. If she had it her way, we'd all be wearing sleeveless uniforms."

Lucy stepped up beside her. Julia kept her gentle smile at noticing that she was assuming the same stance Julia had shifted into. "Okay, let me show you one of the first forms my teacher showed me."

They began. As they worked through the series of moves together, Lucy realized what Julia was talking about, how the precision helped to instill focus even as the movements made her feel limber.

It still didn't keep her from worrying about Meridina, but maybe she wouldn't explode into anger at their continued inability to do anything for her.

* * *

The Great Temple of the Order of Swenya had been built as a place of learning and contemplation. It had never been meant to be a jail. But experience had taught those who ran the Order that sometimes, such things would be necessary.

The dungeon of the Temple was buried within the mountain rock under the main structures. There were only a few because there was never any anticipated need for many of them. _Swevyra'kse_ \- those who gave into the darkness - were more often killed than captured, and many of those captured were turned over to state authorities for criminal trial. for members of the Order accused of crimes within Order law and rules, confinement was usually house arrest, and punishment much the same.

Now the cells of iron and steel had a single occupant. Meridina was in the plain linen robe she had worn upon her arrest. She sat in the damp cold, far from the sun, with the only sources of light being the electric lights strung along the cavern ceiling. Her trintanium chains kept her locked to the middle of the room, just within range of the toilet and the sleeping pallet. And here she stayed, kept company only by a roving patrol of the Temple Knights and by the feelings in her own heart. The feelings of darkness festering there, of fear and pain and despair.

Meridina had believed so strongly that the time Swenya prophesied was at hand. Now… now she felt doubt. And thanks to Amaunet possessing her, and using her power for darkness, she felt that evil power within her as well.

"It pains me to see you like this."

The voice made her look up. _Mastrash_ Ledosh was standing quietly in front of the cell. "I will tell them I instructed you," he said. "Then your punishment will be reduced."

"No, _Mastrash_. You did nothing wrong. I did all."

"Meridina, the world is shuddering from this news. A Human, trained as a _swevyra'se_ without the Council's approval. The Senate attack, now this… " Ledosh stopped. He could see that wasn't reaching her. "Captain Dale sends messages almost hourly. I dare not reply right now, not even to warn him to stop. I think he may come here."

"That is his right," Meridina murmured.

"Meridina, we must do something I do not know what Goras has planned, but the meeting is tomorrow…"

"I will face my judgement."

"Even if it means expulsion? Or even worse?"

Meridina's heart quailed at the word "expulsion". Her entire life was devoted to the Order. She had done what she had done in the name of its future health. "I am guilty," she said. "Let the people have me as their sacrifice for this crisis."

"And if your friends come? If they come to defend you?"

"There is little they can do. But…" She lowered her head. "I _would_ feel better if they were here," she confessed. "I feel, even now, that our destinies are intertwined."

"The whispers of destiny can be misheard," Ledosh said. "Please, do not sacrifice yourself needlessly over your interpretation of them."

Meridina did not answer that. She kept her head bowed and focused again on the darkness she felt within, trying to come to grips with it and send it out of her.

Ledosh recognized there was no more to talk about. He bowed his head and departed, leaving Meridina to her thoughts.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Whispers of Destiny"_**

As soon as Robert got the notification, he summoned Julia, Angela, and Lucy to join him in the bridge-side conference room. This way everyone relevant to the thoughts he had in his mind on the situation were there when Admiral Maran arrived. The dark-haired Gersallian looked no worse than he had a few days prior at the Senate, but Robert could feel his fatigue and worry. "Captain, Commander, Lieutenants." He nodded. "I received your calls. I thought it best to meet you here on the _Aurora_."

"Thank you, sir. I know your schedule lately has been hectic."

Maran didn't quite sigh at that. "You could say so." Maran took a seat beside Julia, to Robert's left. "The video files from the Senate Chamber have already been spread across the multiversal public networks." He looked to Lucy. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you were trained in the arts, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir."

"Unfortunately for Meridina, this has Gersal in an uproar. Meridina training you two as she has been is against long-standing traditions and laws for our people."

"Then why did she do it?", Julia asked.

"I can't tell you." Maran shook his head. "I've known Meridina since she was _Mastrash_ Ledosh's star pupil. She's always been deeply committed to the Order. I don't understand why she would break its rules like that."

"I think I do," Lucy said. When everyone looked toward her, she went on. "Before the Knights came for her, she was talking about something, she was upset over it. Something about how we were supposed to be… " Lucy went through her memories for a moment. "She said we were supposed to be 'the Dawn Bearers'. Something about a shield of Light."

Everyone noticed the surprised look on Maran's face. The Gersallian admiral was clearly thinking about what had been said. "She said those words? Those exact words?", he asked.

Lucy nodded.

After taking several breaths and recovering from surprise, Maran had a look of someone who just had a slight epiphany. "I… I think I can see that point, actually."

"What was she talking about?", Robert asked.

Maran leaned back in his chair. "It is said that before she died, Swenya laid out a vision she had of the future. That the Bearers of the Dawn would come and herald a new age of peace and prosperity." Maran shook his head. "I always thought it was metaphor, or perhaps some half-remembered text that was recovered after the defeat of the Brotherhood of Kohbal twenty-nine centuries ago."

"Meridina believes this," Lucy said. "Or, at least she did. Everything that's happened lately has, well, I think it broke her faith."

"Perhaps. If she thought that you were the Dawn Bearers… then I can understand her conduct. It does make sense."

"This is all well and good, but we're not getting to the real issue," Julia said. "We need a way to get her back. They shouldn't be allowed to keep her locked up."

"The Order has no authority to imprison," Maran said. "They can only hold one of their own for a few days before a trial is necessary. And their sentences are binding only if their charge remains in the Order, and most sentences culminate in expulsion as it is. The only cases where they will act further is if internal corruption is involved."

"You mean if they argue the person has given into their darkness," Lucy said. "Which they might do to Meridina. What happens then?"

"Then they are tested. And if they fail, then the Order has leave of the Interdependency Government to kill the offender."

Lucy paled at that..

"They can actually invoke the _death penalty_?", Julia asked. The admission shocked her. "But they don't have state authority."

"On this matter, they do," Maran explained. "The Gersallian Knights of the Temple are recognized as having the right and duty to execute those proven to be tainted by darkness." Maran put his hands on the table. "As for getting the Commander back, we have no power to compel her return at the moment. The Order and Interdependency have laws regulating their affairs going back millennia. If the government tried to intervene, then it would cause a fracturing of our entire society that could lead to civil war."

"And if the Alliance Government got involved…"

Maran frowned at that. "The Gersallian people would turn against it. You would see Gersal withdraw from the Alliance. The Dorei might or might not follow suit."

"And other member states that like the Gersallians would be against it," Julia added. "And any state that opposed Alliance Government intervention in their internal affairs."

"But Meridina has rights!", Lucy shouted. "Under the Alliance laws too! We can't just let them kill her!"

"Could we give testimony?", Robert asked.

"Or better yet, deny her resignation," Julia added.

Maran shook his head. "I'm not sure the Order would accept that. At best, if they are only interested in her training of you, then they will expedite her trial and likely expel her. And if they believe Meridina's current problems make her a threat of falling, they'll defy any approach like that on the grounds of protecting others from the threat she poses."

"This is the kind of thing Hawthorne and Davies are waiting for," Robert grumbled. "Having the Navy and the Order butting heads would justify their entire line of argument.

"I agree." Maran nodded. A contemplative look came to him. "But there is another way. Not to get her out of the trial, but to be there to support her, and perhaps to show the Council that the two of you are not a threat."

"What's that?", Angel asked.

"It is permissible for a limited number of close friends to attend such events, by invitation of the Order or of the family," Maran replied. "By being present you could allow Meridina's advocate to call you forth as witnesses. If the rest of the Order observes you and decides you've been taught well, they might be willing to accept a defense of Meridina helping you to establish a Human discipline."

Lucy and Robert looked at each other. They got the gist of what Maran was referring to, and understood what it meant. After a moment they nodded. "We're ready to say that's what we're up to," Robert said.

"It will be not be easy to persuade them," Maran said. "My people try to be tolerant of many things, but we have a long cultural memory. Alternative approaches to _swevyra_ led to the Brotherhood of Kohbal and its horrors. They're still watching the Dorei Orders for corruption and they were formed centuries ago. I expect they will keep a similar eye on you regardless of the trial's outcome."

"Let them. The important thing is helping Meridina."

Lucy nodded. "All we need is a jump and we can fly the _Rio Grande_ there."

"I can arrange that," Maran said. "I'm sending the _Drunal_ to bring Councilman Palas' remains back to his family. They live on Tanatal, but the _Drunal_ will be jumping at Gersal. You can jump with them."

"Sounds good to me," Robert said. "When do they leave?"

"In two hours," Maran said. "And you'll need every minute of your time. Meridina's trial begins tomorrow."

"Let's go pack," Angel said.

Julia nodded. "Jarod and Scotty can oversee the repair work while we're gone."

"Commander, wait." Maran shook his head. "As I said before, the number of who can join the proceedings is limited. Only three may do so."

"So one of us has to stay behind," Lucy said.

"You and Robert must go," Maran answered. "But yes. You can only take one other with you."

Julia and Angel exchanged looks. Each could see the desire, and the intent, in the other. It was Julia who nodded. "Okay. I'll stay then."

"We'll let Meridina know you wanted to go," Robert assured her. "Admiral, may we?"

Maran nodded. "I'm not here as your commanding officer, so there's no need for formality. You needn't have asked… and yes, you may. You'll need the time."

Everyone stood up to head toward the doors. Robert, Lucy, and Angel were heading straight for the lift on the near side of the conference room, Julia was heading toward the far door leading to the bridge. As she got to it, Maran called out, "Commander, a moment?"

She turned. "Yes sir?"

"I would like you to join me at the Fleet Base tomorrow morning," Maran said. "I'll be at the main dock terminal at 1130 hours. Please meet me there. It is important."

Julia's look was carefully neutral. "Yes sir, I will."

Maran nodded and went the other way, leaving Julia to wonder what was going on when she returned to the bridge.

* * *

The three met up at the lift. For the moment they were still in uniform, with civilian clothes packed away for when they got to Gersal. "Deck 10," Robert said, and it sped its way to the ordered deck, where they filed out and headed toward the front airlock. Leaving the ship was necessary; with _Aurora_ in drydock, and her main shuttlebay a wreck, they couldn't launch from her at the moment. The _Rio Grande_ and their other surviving craft had been transferred for the moment to the Fleet Base pool, held as reserve craft until the _Aurora_ was ready to depart with them aboard again.

When they came up to the hall leading to the airlock, they stopped.

Between them and the airlock, their comrades were standing lined up, Julia at the head of the line. "They wanted to wish you goodbye," she said. "And good luck."

"Thanks," Robert answered. "I know that all of you wishes you could be with us. We'll tell Meridina for you."

"Bring our lass home, sir," Scotty said. "This is where she belongs."

"She's one of us," Locarno said. Kane nodded in agreement.

"She's family," Jarod said.

"Yeah, and we can't let them take her from us." Caterina hugged her sister closely. Beside her, Violeta was nodding. She'd never seen the command crew together like this before and Cat had insisted she come too.

"We'll be waiting," Leo promised.

"Right. Don't worry, we're bringing her home," Robert promised.

"An' we'll be workin' t' get our lass back in shape while ye're gone."

Robert smiled at that. "I'll hold you to that, Mister Scott. They're telling me we've got at least another five weeks in drydock."

"Won't take more than a month, sir," Scotty pledged. "I'll see t' that."

" _We'll_ see to that," Barnes corrected. Beside him Zack nodded in agreement.

"We'd better get going," Lucy said. "The _Drunal_ is waiting for us."

* * *

The _Drunal_ was waiting for them above the North Pole. Lucy brought the _Rio Grande_ in at three quarters impulse. They only had a few minutes to enjoy the sight of the newest _Discovery_ -class starship in the Alliance fleet. She looked every much like her sisters, including the _Challenger_ , who were essentially built like as the _Aurora_ 's small cousins. With only two warp nacelles, angled upward, and a smaller hull altogether, it was clearly a different ship, but the layouts of the launch and recovery deck for the small fighter wing aboard, the main shuttle bay, and the proportions of the primary and drive hulls and how they flowed together were evocative of the _Aurora_ herself.

"I wonder if they'll ever build a ship like the _Aurora_ ," Angel said from the side seat behind Robert. Technically she could manage the _Rio Grande_ 's communications and defensive systems there, if it were necessary..

"Oh, I'm sure they will," Robert replied. He was beside Lucy as the co-pilot, but that effectively meant monitoring everything else while she did the flying. "In time."

Angel nodded. Herr console let off a beep. "The _Drunal_ is preparing to generate a jump point. Five, four…"

"We're in position now," Lucy assured them all.

As soon as Angel reached "One" space split up ahead of them. An emerald-colored vortex opened in space. The _Drunal_ let them go first and Lucy quickly made use of that opening.

After the usual experience of transitioning to another universe, they found themselves in near orbit over Gersal. "I'm asking for landing permission now." After a moment Angel nodded. "We've gotten it. They're vectoring us in to land at Jantarihal Spaceport."

"It's been awhile since we were on Gersal,"' Robert mused.

"Somehow I don't think the reception we get will be the same as we did before," Robert sighed. "Let's put in and get a ride to the Great Temple. I'd like to see Ledosh turn down my calls now."

* * *

After Robert and the others had left, everyone dispersed to go back to whatever work they chose to do while the ship was under repair. Zack followed Julia to her office. "What can i do for you Zack?", she asked.

"Well, to put it simply… I need a Chief Engineer on the _Koenig_."

Julia gave him a concerned look. "Karen?"

"Derbely is going to be out for the next three months. At least." Zack frowned. "It's going to take her that long to heal."

"I see." Julia sighed. "Well, do you have anyone in mind?"

"Tom knows those systems inside and out," Zack said.

"Tom's also helping to get our repairs done," Julia pointed out. "Still, if he's willing to do the temporary transfer, I'll see if Scotty can let him go."

"Thanks," Zack answered. He remained seated in front of her. "How are you doing, by the way?"

"Well, I'm alive," she said. "That's better than some. And I'm…" She thought of the word she wanted to use. "I'm bette rthan I was a ocuple of days ago, how about that?"

"Okay. I just know how you felt about not being at 425TD."

"I had to work through it," she confessed. "And I did."

"Right." More silence filled the room for the moment. "Do you think they can do it?", Zack asked.

"Those three? There's not much they can't do." Julia gave Zack a reassuring smile. "They'll get it done. Don't worry."

"Yeah." Zack nodded. "I know I've got to think positive. I just wish we could all be there. That we could show those robed jerks what we think of them treating Meridina like this."

"Oh, I know the feeling." Julia looked to her computer. "Now I've got to get to work finalizing more leave requests and going over crew replacement."

"Yeah, I've got to do the same," Zack said. "I'll be in my quarters on-ship if you need me."

* * *

Admiral Maran's arrangements hadn't stopped with the berth at the spaceport. As soon as Robert and the others secured their things, a Gersallian air-car pulled up. The vehicle was winged near the back, with space for five or six riders aside from the driver. An older man was in the driver's seat, gray-haired and bearded in a way that reminded Robert of some of his grandfather's war buddies that had come during reunions when he was just a child. "Captain Dale and others, yes?", he asked.

Robert nodded. "Here."

"The Admiral asked me to give you a ride," the older man said. "Things in the capital are tense right now. You might not get a ride if people figure you're Alliance."

"We can change out of uniform if it'll help."

"Willing to put away your multidevices? Everyone knows the military model ones."

"Got any good replacements?", Lucy asked.

"Afraid not," was the reply.

"Then it's better that we don't." Lucy looked to Robert. "I've got things set up in case we need an emergency beam-out."

He nodded. "Alright. We'll go in uniform for now, but we should probably change if we meet Meridina's family." Robert looked at the driver. "And you are?"

"I'm Haklir," he answered. "I was a rate in the fleet for ages. I've known the Admiral since he was a ship commander. Man's saved my life a dozen times, easy. I'm one of many who'll come calling if the Admiral gives the call."

"Well, Haklir, I'm Robert, and this is Angel and Lucy." Robert gestured to the others. "I know you're doing this for the Admiral, but thank you anyway."

"You're welcome. Whenever you're ready."

They settled into the vehicle. Haklir drove it out of the hanger area where the _Rio Grande_ would remain. Lucy's multidevice let her remotely close the hanger behind them.

Away from the spaceport, the car gained altitude and joined the thick aerial traffic over the city. Below Robert could see crowded streets. His senses helped him feel what was going on below. He could feel the anger of the crowds. They felt betrayed, angered, by a breaking of the ways that three thousand years of experience had turned into accepted tradition.

"Is everyone joining the protests?", Angel asked.

"A lot of people are, but not all are against you," Haklir said. "Some of them like the Alliance. And they think it's time that we accept not everyone's going to want to use their gifts the way we do." Haklir shook his head. "It's going to be worse tomorrow. The Order's agreed to a request from the Directorate. They're going to allow a holo-broadcast of the entire trial."

"So the entire planet will see it live?"

"The entire planet? The entire _Interdependency_. The Dorei too, probably. And I wouldn't be surprised if someone put it on the IU network."

"Huh." Angel crossed her arms. "No pressure then, huh?"

The vehicle flew onward, over the tall and majestic curved buildings that were shining like crystals in the light of Gersal's sun and over the pristine green parks outside the city center, bordered by towering residential arcologies. Haklir increased power to the anti-gravity field below the vehicle to increase its altitude, bringing them higher along with the winding road and pathways below. A winding river joined said roads, guiding them up toward the mountains.

It was visible for minutes before they arrived. The Great Temple of the Order was a large circular structure, joined by similar smaller ones. The architecture was like nothing you could see on Earth. The circular buildings had elegant, beautiful designs engraved into their round surfaces. Light colors dominated their color scheme, and the roofs were a nice brownish-red, like stucco in some Human architectural styles.

"The offices for the Council are this way," Haklir said, bringing them toward one of the vehicle parks. "I imagine you'll want to speak to _Mastrash_ Ledosh. Good luck getting in with the way things are right now, but I'll be here reading over some things while you're busy."

"Thank you, Haklir," Robert said.

"You can thank the Admiral when this is over," the old man answered. "Now get going before those red robes get antsy about us."

They climbed out of the vehicle together. Robert gave them both a look that they returned, as if to say "Here we go", before they walked together toward the main door ahead. There were door guards present with weapons already in hand, but not activated. The man and woman, with tanned complexions of similar shade, were clad in the red robes of the Temple Knights. It was the woman who said, "These are the private chambers of the _Mastrasham_ of the Order and are restricted. Do you have business here?" Her eyes narrowed. Robert felt himself being scrutinized and knew they would feel the energy he held within, as they would Lucy. Indeed, the two seemed to be getting a little more tense.

"You can say that." Robert looked to the others, who nodded. "I am Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance, commander of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_. I've come to see _Mastrash_ Ledosh and to look into the treatment of one of my crew, Commander Meridina."

The two never looked at each other, but Robert could sense they were communicating mentally. "Your presence is not desired, offworlder," the man said. "This is an affair of the Order, not your Alliance."

"I'm not here to intervene as an Alliance officer. I'm here as Meridina's friend and student in the ways of _swevyra_ ," he answered. "I believe I have rights under your Code, correct?"

They clearly didn't quite like that either. Finally the woman tilted her head in that way Meridina usually would when accepting a point. "You are correct. I will inform _Mastrash_ Ledosh you have come." The woman closed her eyes.

For seconds nothing happened. Angel gave Robert a pensive look. He could see why. Other red robes, and blue robes, and even a purple robe were all looking their way from around the Temple. They'd made an impression.

The woman's eyes opened. "He is coming to escort you."

"Thank you," Robert said, and he put a diplomatic smile on his face. It never hurt to be diplomatic, after all.


	42. Episode 2-09-2 Whispers of Destiny

Ledosh said nothing on the way in. It was plain to see from the haggard expression on his clean-shaven face, the worry in his eyes, that the situation was taxing him.

The silence of the trip let the three examine the cream-white halls of the building, the art and calligraphy hanging from the walls, and the general ambience of the Order of Swenya's headquarters. It looked pre-industrial, almost, save for the electrical lighting set into the walls and the ceiling. The floor was fine wood tile with a repeating series of purple-hued carpets laid down, a few feet between each carpet. Doors on either side were marked with engraved tablets. Robert didn't bother using his multidevice to get the translations, they were too busy keeping up with Ledosh.

He brought them to an office near the center of the building and opened the door with a wave of his hand. Inside the waiting area of the office was a blond woman. They recognized her within seconds. "Gina Invieve?", Robert asked.

The humaniform Cylon nodded and smiled. She was wearing her blond hair in a large bun at the back of her head. A blue robe over a cream-white vest and loose pants were her clothing choice, and that made her purpose here obvious. "Meridina told me you had joined the Order," Lucy said.

"Yes." Gina nodded. It was easy to feel the peace within her, mingled with joy. She was as happy as she could be. "I've found a place here that I'd never have anywhere else. Peace."

"Gina is a fine student and apprentice," Ledosh noted. He continued on to the second door.

The inner office had a high, curved desk, an example of fine wood carving. A computer display and flat keyboard were set into the top of it. For Robert it was a reminder that the Order was hardly ignorant of technology, even if a part of him couldn't help but think such technology out of place. _Too many movies with warrior monks,_ he decided.

The thought briefly brought further ones. Painful, but heartwarming, memories of sitting at the family TV and watching kung fu movies with his parents and sister and Julia. Sometimes Zack too, when he was around. He remembered teasing Julia about her martial arts fixation and it coming from all the movies they had been watching (he also remembered the grin on her face after she'd flipped him for the seventh time, proving it wasn't just silly movements). A tear started to form in his eye and Robert pushed it away.

If Ledosh or Gina had felt that brief distraction, they said nothing. Ledosh did not take his desk but approached the wall and stopped. "You've come to help Meridina?", he asked.

"We're here for her."

"I see. She has truly won your loyalty." Ledosh's voice was sad. "If only she would put the blame on me. She should. I have always encouraged her with my views of the times we're in." He sighed. "This is my fault."

"You didn't give us these powers," Lucy said. "And you didn't order her to train us."

"I could have counseled her not to," Ledosh said. "Instead I let her, because I believed. And now it may be for nothing. I fear there is no helping her, and your presence may only serve to further condemn her. It is evident to all that you've been trained in your _swevyra_ , and trained far beyond what simple control training would provide you."

"Admiral Maran suggested that we might persuade the Council that Meridina showed us more to form our own, Human equivalent of the Order," Robert said.

Ledosh's face curled into a half smile. "Maran has always been a thinker. It makes him a great commander. That is, perhaps, the only approach that has a hope of working. But you'll need Meridina's support."

"Can we see her?", Lucy asked.

"She's down in the dungeons right now. Access is restricted to myself and those of my rank only. It is a common procedure."

"To throw someone in the dungeons?", Angel asked, a sarcastic look on her face. "Because I didn't peg your people for doing the dungeons and ye olde torture chamber thing."

"It is more of a jail, I suppose, but the word in Gersallian translates to your 'dungeon' more accurately," Ledosh admitted. "And it's not common for someone accused of the violations Meridina stands accused of. It is, however, common for those we fear have fallen, or may fall, into darkness."

"Right." Lucy breathed out in frustration. "She still hasn't shaken off what Amaunet did to her."

"Correct. And that may condemn her tomorrow. And she seems ready for it. I fear recent events have broken her spirit."

"Then we need to give her hope. Let us see her!", Lucy insisted.

"I cannot," Ledosh insisted. "It would make things worse. Our relations with your Alliance are in jeopardy."

"Meridina's in jeopardy too!"

"Lucy, calm down," Angel insisted. "Remember, we can be there for her."

"The Order will never vote to permit it," Ledosh said. "Even if I were to submit the vote to the Council, Goras and Karesl would crush it given the sentiments right now."

"Then we'll go to the family," Lucy declared.

"You would drag them into this?" Ledosh shook his head. "Her father is against you. Even if her mother and siblings rule for you, that may tear at the foundations of their family."

"It seems to me that if they want us there and he resists, he'll be the one at fault," Lucy said.

"Where can we find the Lumantala?", Robert asked.

Ledosh drew in a breath of exasperation. "You will not accomplish anything by being here," he insisted.

"Maybe, maybe not, but we have to try," Robert insisted. "We'll be respectful of your traditions, we're not here to cause a fuss. But we will support our friend…"

"Our family," Angel insisted.

Ledosh was quiet for several seconds. "Gina, you have seen where they are to go, yes?"

"I have, _Mastrash_."

"Take them to the Lumantala home, then. I will let Drentiya know you are coming."

A sound came from the inner office. It was a polite knock against the door. Robert opened his senses that way, tried to feel what was there with his energy, and stopped when it felt like he was shining a flashlight against a flood lamp. The two powers there were great, as powerful as Ledosh's if not moreso.

Gina stepped up and opened the door. Two men entered, wearing the same purple robe with blue trim as Ledosh's. Robert and the others recognized one as _Mastrash_ Karesl. _Meridina's father_ , was his thought.

The other was a bald man, with a prominent beard of dark gray color. His dark brown eyes focused on Robert and then on Lucy. Robert thought he felt bewilderment and then a calm, pleased feeling come over the man.

" _Mastrash_ Karesl, _Mastrash_ Goras." Ledosh nodded. "Interesting timing."

"We heard that outsiders from the Alliance had come, and with developed _swevyra_." Karesl looked them over. "You have come on behalf of Meridina, then?"

"We have," Robert confirmed. "We're here to support her."

A sad look came over the man's face. "Your support may have been better applied at a distance."

"Indeed." The bald man, Goras, looked satisfied at the situation. "You have no place here anyway. No standing. The Council will deny any request by the Alliance to involve itself in our affairs."

'We're not here to do that," Robert said. "We're here as Meridina's comrades and friends to stand with her in her moment of need. Just as she's stood at our side when we've needed it."

"So you say. But what can you offer her, truly? Your presence confirms the charges, undeniable as they already are. Your very presence will appear to our people to be Alliance snooping." Goras shook his head. "The Order Council must maintain its position on these matters. We must prevent even an iota of visible Alliance influence in our proceeding. The answer is no, and will always be no. Meridina will face our justice without you at her side."

"This isn't about justice and you damn well know it," Lucy said. "This is about politics. You're against her because you're against the Alliance."

Goras looked at Lucy with amusement. "Another of her students? Ah.. I see. You were the one with the _lakesh_. A weapon you are not fit to wield." There was clear heat in his tone on that last sentence. "If you were carrying it now I would strip you of it myself."

 _Thank God she left it on the_ Rio, Robert thought.

"Undoubtedly my daughter believed she was doing the right thing in training you," Karesl said. "I only wish she had encouraged you to come to us, and to be accepted into the Order. None of this would be necessary."

"There are other causes in life than the Order," Robert said.

"But none safer for a wielder of the _swevyra_ ," Karesl countered. "You are even now risking a fall to darkness. Especially you, Lucilla Lucero." He looked to Lucy, who was clearly angry. "I sense your anger now. Anger inevitably leads to hatred. Hatred is the source of suffering, and the wellspring of darkness. My daughter did you no favors when she failed to compel you to come to us."

"I go where _I_ decide."

"And that is why you will one day need to be hunted down, like any other _swevyra'kse_ ," Goras said.

"You know, you don't seem the 'no anger' type yourself, Goras," Angel noted. "I don't have mumbo jumbo mind powers, but I can tell when someone's letting a little too much get to him."

"You mock our ways with every word you speak of them," he retorted.

"If that's what you want to call it." Angel smirked. "So, does this thing with your Order's leadership have anything to do with us being the Bearers of the Dawn?"

Robert felt Ledosh's surge of incredulity. And it was clear that Karesl and Goras were stunned to hear the phrase. "A delusion," Goras finally spat. "A fantasy. One that should not have been shared with you!"

"Meridina didn't tell us anything about it," Angel retorted. "We found that out ourselves. Apparently we might be some prophesied heroes?"

"It is a fiction!" Goras roared. "The Prophecy of the Dawn is nothing but some invention of the merchants looking to capitalize off of reputed writings found after the Fall!"

"Well, hey, if it's a fiction, no need to be angry about it, right?" Angel smirked at him.

"This is a waste of time with needless provocation," Karesl remarked. He looked to Ledosh. "I hope to see you in the morning. These three, I do not. They have no place at the trial."

"Indeed," Goras hissed.

The two men stomped out.

Ledosh sighed and went to his desk, where he slumped into the chair. "I have work to do. Gina, if you would please?"

"I'll go with them," Gina said. Left unspoken was the term _and protect them_.

* * *

Haklir nodded at the extra passenger. Gina provided him the directions for their trip back into Jantarihal and to one of the arcology districts. The return trip was quiet at first, until Robert decided to say, "No, Lucy, we're not going back for your weapon."

Lucy looked over at him, frowning. "What?"

"I felt it in your head," he said. "Hell, I'm sure the entire Order did."

"I don't like being unarmed, especially not around that creep Goras." Lucy frowned. "I wish someone would wipe that smug look off his face."

" _Mastrash_ Goras is one of the best duelists in the Order," Gina said from the front seat. "You wouldn't last more than ten seconds against him unless he let you."

Lucy grunted in reply. But she didn't defy Gina's assessment.

"I don't want to fight Goras, I just want Meridina out of this situation."

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's possible," Gina said. "She's… upset a lot of people, and it's bringing all of the recent arguing about the Alliance to the forefront. Ledosh is afraid that if the Council acquitted her, it would cause a civil uprising by the Dissenters."

"You mean a civil war," Angel said.

"It probably wouldn't go that far." But there was something in the way Gina said it that made Robert think that no, it probably _would_.

Haklir brought them in back to ground level in front of an arcology door. "Here you are," he said. "No need for thanks, like I said, courtesy of the Admiral."

"I understand," Robert said.

"But thanks anyways," Angel added, smiling at the older Gersallian man. "That's just how we roll."

Haklir didn't quite seem to get the reference to "rolling", but he understood enough to smile back with a little nod before driving off.

Gina led them into the arcology. The first floor was a beautiful inside courtyard with sculptures, flowers, and other things that made Robert think of a grand hotel lobby. They went to a lift that brought them to the 12th floor, where they crossed through a garden placed in the middle square-shaped section of the structure. "It's beautiful," Lucy said.

"It's a common thing for arcologies," Gina replied. "The residents work together to keep their gardens and home spaces maintained." She brought them up to a door and triggered the chime.

" _Hello?_ ," said a voice from inside via a speaker. A young woman, more of a girl who was probably around the age of seventeen or so by equivalence. " _Who is it?_ "

"Leniraya? I am Gina Invieve, and _Mastrash_ Ledosh asked me to lead these people here."

After a moment the door opened. A woman with short brown hair and the same blue eyes as Meridina stood there, wearing a simple sleeveless ponch-like top garment and what looked like slacks down to her ankles. She looked from Gina to the others. "You're… you're Meridina's crew, aren't you?"

Robert nodded. "I'm Robert Dale."

"Angela Delgado."

"Lucy Lucero."

"Come in," Leniraya said. She led them into an outer room, a parlor for greeting guests. The furnishings were comfortable enough. A number of people emerged from an inner room. One looked like a sister to Leniraya and Meridina, midway between them in age. A young man a little younger than Meridina stood behind her with blond hair. A girl with blond hair and teal-toned eyes stepped up to join Leni, taking her hand casually. "My sister is Gamaya and my brother is Qalkrsl. This is Penrine, my dearest."

An older woman, blond-haired with gray at the temples, came out last. She was dressed in a long dark blue robe and had the same blue eyes as her daughters. She looked to them and nodded. "Hello. I am Drentiya."

"Meridina's mother." Robert nodded. "I'm Robert Dale, this is…"

 _I know your names_ , was the telepathic response. _Leni shared them with me. Please, come to our family chamber._

The three shared looks. _We don't want to impose…_

 _We know you consider Meridina family_ , Drentiya said mentally. _And I feel that belief in your hearts. That makes you Lumantala. Please, come and enjoy a warm meal. Traveling always takes more out of a body and soul than we think._

It was a gentle reminder that Robert hadn't eaten in hours. He felt his stomach gurgle quietly, as if happy at the thought of a meal, and with a quick glance and not from the others he stepped forward to join them.

* * *

Dinner was had in a dining room much like a Human family might have, with a round table of what looked and felt like wood. The Gersallian dishes were things none of the eaters had tried before, but while the tastes could be eclectic, they were palatable. More than palatable in some cases.

When the meal was over and they returned to the main family room, Robert said, "That… Leyoomi?"

" _Liyume_ ," Leniraya corrected gently.

"He has trouble with Gersallian," Lucy said, an amused grin on ehr face.

Robert shot Lucy an irritated look. "Yes. That. It reminds me of the dumplings my grandmother used to make."

"So you enjoyed it." Drentiya smiled gently at him. I am pleased I gave you that comfort. Please, take a seat."

The seats were low-backed sofas and chairs, with one _chaise longue_ that Drentiya took to. Robert and Angel took one of the two loveseat-like sofas and Lucy a low chair. Leniraya and Penrine took the other loveseat and Gamaya her own chair. "You've come to us because you wish to attend Meridina's trial," Drentiya said.

"We want to be there for her."

"Maybe you shouldn't, though." Leniraya frowned, although not at them. "You are both proof of the charges against her."

"If Meridina were giving us instruction to help form a Human counterpart to the Order, though, wouldn't that be acceptable?"

"Perhaps," Drentiya said. "Sadly this is not about the truth. It is about the politics. Meridina is the lever the Dissenters wish to use to split us from the Alliance. They may succeed, whether or not she is convicted, or even if you are there or not."

"I think they should come with us," said Gamaya. "Once the others on the Council see them, and see that they're not going bad… they'll see Meridina was right to train them. How many might have died if they hadn't been in the Senate?"

"Your father and his friends will fight that."

"I'm sorry," Robert said to her. "We don't mean to be a source of contention in your home. If you think it'll make things better that we leave, we will. We just want to be there to help Meridina in any way we can."

"I know, Robert." Drenitya nodded. "And I am prepared to give you that permission. But first, I want to ask you… what will you do if they rule against her?"

"I'm not sure what we can do." Robert looked to Lucy. "Lucy?"

"If they expel her, we offer her a place with us," Lucy said.

"And if it's more?"

The thought made Robert sick. It made him angry, too. But he could sense this was what Drentiya was concerned with. "If there's nothing we can do, there's nothing we can do," he said.

"And you, Lucy Lucero?" Drentiya turned to her. "You are the strongest evidence in either direction, for my daughter or for my husband. If you appear prone to darkness, Meridina will be held accountable, but if you control your feelings and behave as they would expect you to, it will make her choices seem wise."

Lucy was silent for a moment. She still felt anger, anger at this whole damn crazy world for what they were doing to Meridina, who only wanted to be the best of them that she could be.

But she remembered that cold darkness and wanted nothing to do with it. And she knew what Drentiya meant. For Meridina's sake, she _couldn't_ be angry. She had to sit there, and look at Goras' smug stupid face, and keep a neutral stoic look on her face like Meridina always had and _not_ think about how fun it would be to wipe that smug stupid look off Goras' smug stupid face….

Leniraya giggled. That caused Lucy to look at her with bewilderment before realizing that, like her mother and sister, Leni was a mind-reader. And she's just heard every bit of that thought. A blush came to Lucy's cheeks.

"Yes," Drentiya said. A mirthful little smile crossed the Gersallian matriarch's lips. "You must be that way. Quiet. Calm. This word you use… 'stoic'. You must be that."

"Yeah," Lucy conceded. "I'll do my best."

"No, you will not," Drentiya remarked. There was steel in her quiet tone. "A _swevyra'se_ does not do their best no more than they try. They _do_."

"Right." Lucy nodded. "I'll be stoic. I will be a rock."

"Good. And thus, you will be with us tomorrow."

Lucy smiled softly. And then the smile turned sarcastic. She looked over at Angel, who seemed more interested in stealing a second to play footsies with Robert, who was grinning amiably at it. "What about her?", she said. "Angel's the hothead."

"What about her? She has no active _swevyra_. She can call Goras a _kenyak_ and growl that his ears are flapping against his backside, the others will not care so much." A smirk came to Meridina's mother that nearly brought Lucy to giggles. "Most will think her correct."

"What's a _kenyak_?", asked Robert.

"It's a beast of burden," answered Qalkrsl.

"Oh. _Oh._ " Lucy grinned.

So did Angel. "A jackass," she said. "I get to be the one who calls him a jackass."

"With his head up his ass," Lucy added. "Lucky you."

A round of chuckling and giggling accompanied that. It stopped when everyone heard the door to the residence open.

Barely ten seconds later _Mastrash_ Karesl strode into the family room. He noted the presence of Robert, Angel, and Lucy. A look of anger briefly came to his eyes that was frozen into nothingness by the steady look of Drentiya. It was clear the two were in mental conversation, while their children and guests looked on with patience to see the outcome.

Karesl's face became a stoic mask. "I see." His eyes met his daughters and son. "And you agree? Despite what it might mean for your sister's fate?"

"I do," Gamaya said, insistent. "They're good people. Everyone should see it."

"Meridina is family to them too!" Leniraya met her father's look with confidence. "So they should be a part of this!"

"They're good people, Father." Qalkrsl nodded. "I am for them."

Karesl nodded at their answered. "As a _Mastrash_ of the Order, I am against them being there. As a believer in the Interdependency, I am against it." His look softened. "As family… I am convinced. I have no objection." Karesl looked to them. "I, too, will accept you in joining our family to stand with Meridina tomorrow."

Robert nodded back to him. "Thank you, _Mastrash_. We will behave accordingly, and do everything we must to help Meridina."

"Do you have somewhere to stay the night?", he asked.

"We were going to head back to the _Rio Grande_ ," Robert answered. "It has bunks."

"We have beds," Drentiya said. "And a guest sleeping room."

The three exchanged looks. And they didn't need telepathy to know what their collective response was.

"Thank you, ma'am," Robert said. "We humbly accept."

* * *

Given how things were going, Robert shouldn't have been shocked that he started having the nightmares again.

Some of it was the same as always. The Reich captain Lamper, but with strange blue eyes. The cybernetic Turian in the Citadel Council chambers. The girl with the red-and-gold vest and pants brimming with out of control power, her amber eyes solid white with energy. She called out to him as the power coming from within her started to become overwhelming…

Then he saw a temple high in the mountains. It looked Gersallian, but only just, with sharper lines to its structure. A large door barred the entrance and warning signs were engraved into it.

Robert looked around at a circle of people. Twelve in number, under dark hoods, and each sporting a weapon in hand. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded like an oath of some sort. He looked down at an emblem on the floor, a hexagon shape with a blade emblem fixed inside of it.

There was a howl, in the air, feral and loud. A four-legged creature moved through the shadows. As his eyes tracked it, he could hear two words being whispered faintly. Too faintly, though, as he couldn't make out what they were.

He felt Angel's hand grasp his. He looked over at her. She looked back, her hazel eyes intent on him, and said two words.

" _Wake up_."

A moment later she repeated those words. And Robert was no longer in the dream. He was in the dark guest sleeping room in the Lumantala home. The spare bed squeaked a little underneath from the stress on its metal frame. Angel was still gripping his hand. "You were dreaming again," she said.

Robert sighed and laid his head back. "How loud did I scream this time?"

"You didn't," she said softly. "You just kept mumbling something over and over. But I couldn't make it out."

"Mmm." Robert felt like twin weights were hanging on his eyelids. He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for waking you up," he said. "We should get back to sleep."

Angel gave him no argument on that matter.

* * *

By the time the two of them settled back into sleep, it was Lucy who couldn't sleep. She sat up and looked around at the dark room. Seeing Robert and Angel were sound asleep, Lucy was careful in going out the door. Her footfalls barely made a sound as she followed her memory of the place out to the greeting room and then to the front door. It wasn't locked and gave her no problems in getting out.

Lucy stepped into the garden area. The flowers planted there had a sweet, soothing fragrance, and with all of the foreboding she felt inside of her, it was welcome. She found a place near the flowers and sat on the ground. She crossed her legs loosely, trying to avoid constricting the blood flow to them, and closed her eyes again. She started to fade away into sleepiness in the field.

Not that she fell asleep. She didn't let herself. She thought of what was to come in theo morning and focused on herself. She would have to control her anger, her feelings, so that Meridina was not punished for them.

A knot of anger was still strong inside of Lucy's heart. Meridina had been a shining knight to her, a brave and selfless fighter who worked to save lives just as the rest of them had. It was painful enough seeing that tarnished by Meridina's lingering doubts and fears from what Amaunet did to her. But now she had been betrayed by her own people. The people who had started a murder spree in the Alliance Senate, and now her own Order was going to strip away everything she'd worked for.

 _Anger won't solve this_ , Lucy thought to herself. _It's distracting me. I have to let it go._ She drew in a breath, then another, and tried to focus on other things.

A noise was the first indication she wasn't alone. She felt the energy draw nearer and knew who had come to join her. " _Mastrash_ Karesl," Lucy said simply. She wouldn't let anger into her words.

Karesl sat down at the next set of plants, putting about six or seven feet between them. He assumed a meditative position as well. "It seems none can sleep tonight."

"I'm betting we have a lot on our mind," she answered.

"Hrm. I can feel your frustration with my people. And the anger you are suppressing."

"Do you blame me? Meridina is everything you should aspire to. Instead you're tearing her down, right after she helped save the Alliance Senate."

"The timing is not something I prefer, yes. But she has grievously violated the Code through your extensive training. That must be addressed."

"She was trying to give us direction with our power."

"She was trying more than that, unfortunately." Karesl sighed. "I suspect she was motivated by the prophecy of the Dawn Bearers. She and Ledosh have been convinced you and your shipmates are the Dawn Bearers of the prophecy. I'm not sure how much she told yo…"

"Nothing," Lucy said. "Just… that she was upset that we might not be."

"So she doubts that too. Hrm. I would be satisfied if not for that being wrapped up in the general doubt she suffers from."

"So you don't like the theory?"

"I have always considered the Prophecy of the Dawn Bearers to be questionable authenticity. It was Ledosh who convinced her we were in those times."

"She didn't say what this prophecy was about."

"There is little point going into detail. It was recorded that Swenya had a vision near the end of her life and wrote upon it. But the veracity has never been confirmed. There are indications that it was Reshan's prophecy and not Swenya's."

"And so all of this is going to happen over a dumb prophecy that may not be true?", Lucy asked.

"No. This goes deeper than that. The future of our people is at stake here. I do not believe the Alliance is our best future. My daughter feels otherwise. Tomorrow, we will see which of our visions plays out." Karesl looked at her intently. "I harbor no ill will toward you, Lucilla. I can sense the genuine virtues in your _swevyra_. Had you chosen to join the Order, this day may not have come."

"No, it wouldn't have. Because we would have failed at Gamma Piratus, and the Nazis would have interuniversal drives and Darglan technology," Lucy said.

"Perhaps. But regardless, the fight to come has been due to the actions of both sides. May those with the strongest convictions win." Karesl stood up and looked down at her. His voice lost some of its power and became gentle. "And whatever happens… thank you for being here in my daughter's time of need. I will stand against her errors, but I do not want to see her alone, and I do not wish her destroyed."

Without another word, he left.

* * *

Underneath the Great Temple, Meridina tossed and turned in her cell. The chains binding her rattled as she moved over and over. Inside her being, her mind, she felt like she would drown. She felt Amaunet inside of her again. She saw the carnage she'd inflicted. She saw her blade cut into Lucy's flesh and bite into her neck.

 _Lucy!_

Meridina woke with a start at that. Her cell was dark and the electrical lighting was barely functional.

Meridina sat up and focused on herself. She felt so much doubt, so much uncertainty, that it was becoming too painful to carry.

 _This is my fault_ she thought to herself. "I was so blinded by my desire to be the one to find the Dawn Bearers. Now look at what has happened."

No one answered. Which was to be expected.

If only she didn't have this darkness inside of her. Nothing she had tried had destroyed it. Ignoring it wasn't working. And now it had put her life in jeopardy.

Meridina didn't go back to sleep. She meditated the rest of the night.

* * *

After getting up and going through her morning routines Julia headed to the Lookout for breakfast. Her digital reader was in her hand as she enjoyed the waffles and breakfast sausage that Hargert's kitchen staff had prepared for her. Fully half of the crew was now off-loaded, taking leave time or, in some cases, getting re-assigned to other posts. Much of the crew would be off the ship by the end of the week to get the same combination of leave time or "shore" postings to fill the time before they launched again. It was with great pleasure that Julia signed and filed the medical leave approval for Jarod, allowing him to return to New Liberty to see to his family.

"You seem nervous, Commander."

Julia looked up to see Hargert observing her not-so-empty plate. "Usually you are finished before now," he noted.

"Sorry, I'm just... " She sighed. "I'm just wondering what the Admiral wants to see me for."

"Ah. I see. Do you have reason to be concerned?"

Julia nodded sadly. "Well, Hargert, I was absent from a critical operation and used my command codes to gain access to an exclusion zone that I didn't have official orders to access. So… yes, I think I have reasons."

That won her an understanding nod. "Well, I'm sure it's not that. You brought us back Mister Jarod. The Admiral is an understanding man."

"He is," Julia agreed. "Unfortunately, Minister Hawthorne and Admiral Davies are _not_." She checked her watch. "I'd better get to my office to finish filing things, I'm supposed to be meeting the Admiral at 1130."

"Of course, of course." The old German put an understanding hand on her shoulder. "Just remember, it's usually not as bad as your fears think it to be."

 _I hope not_ was the reply in her head.


	43. Episode 2-09-3 Whispers of Destiny

The next morning everyone took time to get ready. Robert, Lucy, and Angela changed into civilian clothes, essentially shirts and jackets and trousers. They still looked different than the vests and robes that were the common garments of the Gersallians for this occasion. Karesl left first. As a Council _Mastrash_ he had duties for the trial. The others took a commuter vehicle summoned by Drentiya.

Today Jantarihal was quiet. Too quiet, Robert thought. Like the whole city was holding its breath and waiting to see what happened today. And if the wrong thing happened… a brief image tormented him, an image of Jantarihal in flames from the Dissenters and pro-Alliance forces fighting their differences out in the streets.

Leniraya shot him a sad glance. Robert had the feeling his fears were shared among the others.

The vehicle left them at the entrance to the main structure of the Great Temple. Robed men and women, cream-colored robes and blue robes and green robes and the occasional rare purple robe, were all entering amid two lines of stern-faced red robes. Four of those split off from the others to escort the Lumantala family into the building. The foyer was large and expansive, filled with artifacts of the Order's history, and a massive set of double doors stood before them.

"This place is more stadium than temple," Lucy murmured as they entered the doors. She'd been here once before, but for Robert and Angel it was their first sight of the Council and Assembly Chamber. They gazed around at the seats, all of them starting to fill up.

"Okay, so it's a large stadium."

Robert nodded. He looked down at the round stone table. "That's where the Council sits."

"Yep." Lucy looked on to the far alcove in the structure, where the Relics of Swenya remained. She kept her eyes on them even while the Lumantala family took their reserved seats in the first row. There were more than enough for all, including the trio from the _Aurora_.

But Lucy wasn't ready to sit yet. Seeing that people were being allowed to walk around the Council area at the moment, she prompted Robert and Angel to follow her to the alcove. They all looked up at the painting of the dark-haired woman with the brilliant shining sword. She was still standing over a fallen group of dark-robed by men. "Swenya," Robert guessed.

"Yeah. And her stuff."

He looked into the glass cases beneath the painting. The tattered robes and the sandals were one thing. The round-shaped hilt was another. "That's an odd design for a _lakesh_ ," he said.

"Well, it's three thousand years old," Lucy said. She gazed at it and wondered, not for the first time, if it still worked. She felt her hand moving toward it. Her power tentatively reached out to the weapon, as if she could sense if it were intact or not.

Robert pulled her away. "It looks like the Council is coming in," he said. "Let's go."

They walked back from the alcove and to the first floor seats. Angel was holding their seats in reserve; they would be at the end of the family, by Gamaya, with Lucy beside her and Robert between Lucy and Angela. Gina Invieve sat beside Angela. They hadn't seen her since the prior night, but Robert got the idea she hadn't gone far since then.

The Council consisted of thirteen _Mastrash_ -rank members of the Order. The eldest one was clearly held as the leader, or at least the senior, of their numbers. Ledosh found a seat near them. Goras and Karesl sat across from them. The elderly man was handed a heavy rod with a lead end on one side. He pounded it upon the table. "The Council will come to order."

All speaking stopped. Everyone made their way to seats if they didn't already have them.

"He is _Mastrash_ Maklir," whispered Gamaya. "The eldest of the Council members."

Robert nodded in reply and waited for Maklir to say or do more.

He didn't have to wait long. The old man started to speak again once the clattering of footfalls stopped. "We are faced with a grave occasion. One of our own has been accused of treason against the Code, the Order, and the ways of our people. Temple Knights, bring forth the accused."

A smaller door to their right, and thus to the left of the relic alcove, opened. Two red-robed Knights walked through. Behind and between them was Meridina. She was back in her blue robes as a knight, wearing a cream-colored tunic beneath the robes and matched by baggy trousers the same color as the tunic. Her limbs were in chains again. To the others, she looked contemplative more than anything. Behind her came two more of the red-robed figures, all four leading her into a position in front of her family. A chair was provided for her to sit in.

Robert and Lucy exchanged looks. They could feel her feelings, and it was clear she had no hope for what was to come.

"Meridina, daughter of Karesl and Drentiya, daughter of the Lumantala Family, Knight of the Order of Swenya, you stand formally accused of treason against the Order. Do you understand this?"

"I do."

Maklir nodded. "Then we will proceed. _Mastrash_ Goras will direct the prosecution. _Mastrash_ Ledosh, as the mentor of this woman, I call upon you to defend her."

Each man nodded. Ledosh and Goras stood from their chairs and walked away to opposite ends of the table. Ledosh took up a position near Meridina, close enough that Robert and the others could speak to him if desired.

"Then let us begin." Maklir nodded to Goras.

The bald man stood. He looked from Meridina to Robert to Lucy. "My brothers and sisters, people of Gersal, we face a crossroads for our people. In these times, we must consider what is best for our future. For thousands of years we have deliberated with one another on the best way to find a solution to whatever we faced." Goras held a hand toward Meridina. "But this woman decided to take that choice upon herself. She decided to defy the traditions and ways our Order has kept for millennia." Goras swept a hand out. "There are no words for this arrogance. Mitigation, perhaps, should she reveal that she was ordered into it by a superior."

At that a brief tumult came from the assembled. It was called to order.

"What was her crime, you ask?", Goras continued. "Was it enough that she abandoned our Order's neutrality and joined the Alliance Navy? No. She went beyond that. She violated one of our most important rules. And the proof of this is seated before you now, at this very moment!"

With that, Goras pointed to Robert and Lucy.

"These two have awakened their _swevyra_ , and Meridina has trained them in our arts. She did so without the Council's approval. She has shared our most sacred laws, our most important teachings, with outsiders!"

Cries went up from the assembled. Goras basked in them. Robert found the image confusing and distasteful; Goras seemed more politician than contemplative warrior-monk. And his rhetoric seemed to be nothing but a flip of Pensley's or Davies'.

"Some may cry and say this is no crime," Goras continued. "They will point out that our people trained the Dorei in the arts of _swevyra_. They forget that we punished them as well, when their desire to train outstripped their wisdom. And they trained existing organizations! Brotherhoods and fellowships and religious institutions that already knew the need for discipline and control. Whom has Meridina trained?" Goras again pointed toward Robert and Lucy. "They are not in a brotherhood, not a temple. They are former renegades, former renegades given legitimacy by the same Alliance that seeks to ensnare our people!"

There were more cries. Not all were supportive. Robert could feel the raw tension in the crowd. Even these trained Knights and followers of the Order held strong feelings on the matter, and many were against Meridina.

"Look at her," Goras said, his voice lowering as his eyes bored down on Meridina. "Feel her _swevyra_ , now weakened by darkness. Remember the day that the daughter of Karesl forged her _lakesh_ , and how bright she was, how noble. See now what has been done to her by those who twisted her against her people!" Goras now glared toward Ledosh. Ledosh returned the glare with a quiet, stoic expression.

Meridina said nothing. She kept her head bowed.

"It is sad to see such a promising _swevyra'se_ fall so far." Goras walked back toward the central table. He met Karesl's eyes, and his ally did not flinch. "It weighs my very essence to see that potential destroyed. That is the cost we have paid, that my colleague, her noble father, has paid for the agenda of a few prophecy-mongers! Because now we have not a noble _swevyra'se_ with a strong destiny before her, but a broken Knight, every moment growing closer to becoming a _swevyra'kse_."

Goras turned back to Meridina. "But I cannot allow my sympathy for how you have been deceived to divert me from the enormity of your crimes! You are wanting, Knight Meridina! You are a threat to everything we hold dear! You have undermined millennia of our ways!", Goras raged, a finger leveled at Meridina. Some voices gave approval, others did not. "You have paved the way for the subjugation of our entire species to outside influences that can only corrupt us! You are an enemy, a traitor to this Order, to the Code, to the people of Gersal. I will see you tested! Personally!"

The Chamber quieted. Robert could feel Meridina's family become afraid and horrified. "Tested?", Robert asked Ledosh, his voice just high enough in volume to reach Ledosh's ear.

He turned to face Robert. The older Gersallian's expression was drawn with horror. "He wishes to test her, power against power, _lakesh_ against _lakesh_."

"A duel?", Lucy asked.

"A duel to see if she is in control. If she can resist the darkness that has sprouted within her. And if she fails…" Ledosh gave them a sad look. "...he will certainly kill her."

Robert and Lucy exchanged worried glances.

"Of course, the Council must first approve," Goras finally continued, having let his words sink in. "So I will let them judge." He bowed to the Council table and stepped back, giving Ledosh one final glare.

Ledosh matched it. After a moment of silence he stepped forward. "If it pleases the Council?"

Maklir nodded in reply.

"We must recognize the true reason we are here today," Ledosh said. "We do indeed stand at a crossroads. Along one path is a future unlike any we have imagined in millennia. The legacy of our ancient benefactors, the Darglan, has been provided to us. The Alliance is a part of that legacy. Swenya foretold long ago that this day would come. And now that it has…" There was both supportive voices and opposition in the seating, and for a moment Ledosh quieted. "...now that it has, there are voices crying 'No! No, we must be alone!'" Ledosh now looked to Goras and Karesl in turn. "They claim that our people must stand apart. That our ways are threatened by being too close to outsiders." Ledosh waited a moment, letting that sink in, before declaring, "Arrogance! That is what it is, sheer arrogance, and it is not befitting our people!" A couple of voices accused Ledosh of the same. "The Alliance is not perfect, but it represents the best hope for the triumph of our ideals, for the victory of Light that Swenya foretold three thousand years ago."

Ledosh turned to Meridina. "And here she is. The one Knight brave enough to stand up and risk everything for that dream. Meridina was there at the beginning. She knows the opportunity before us. And she has acted with faith and nobility in reaching for it. Her training of Robert Dale and Lucy Lucero is not a betrayal of the Code, but its very essence! She has imparted the wisdom Swenya handed to us to the Human species, as Swenya herself would have done. And she has done so with people who have repeatedly spent their sweat and their blood to protect the innocent! Look at what they did with the Darglan legacy, my brethren! The Alliance is the culmination of that work, work that started with the most noble pursuit a being can have; using their skills and talents in the cause of Light, to protect the innocent and lift them from danger. They were not lording over helpless worlds like pirates, they were giving their time, their devotion, to breaking the chains of slaves and freeing the oppressed! To saving the lives of others! Their deeds _strengthened_ the Flow of Life. And that is the very definition of what it is to be a _swevyra'se_."

Ledosh now held his hand out toward them as well. "Sense them, my brethren. Feel the purity of their _swevyra_. There is no darkness there. There is Light. Tell me you would not have seen the same done, that you would have ignored their potential as some would say Meridina should have done."

Ledosh turned about again. He walked up to Meridina. She was evidently miserable, but it was clear her mentor's words were moving her despite everything. "There is now darkness in Meridina, yes," Ledosh conceded. "It was put there by a malevolent being who seized her very body from her control, who separated mind and soul from body and _swevyra_ , to control the latter for its own cruel and twisted means. Can you not feel how Meridina has _suffered_ , brethren? Goras wants her tested, but what he really wants is her death, because with it he might strike at the Alliance he abhors. All this, despite the facts of what she has endured. She needs healing, not testing. And I know you will see that before we are through." Ledosh nodded to Meridina, who gave a small nod in reply. He turned to Maklir and nodded as well.

Maklir smacked his rod to the table. " _Mastrash_ Goras. You may present your evidence."

Goras rose again. He was frowning at Ledosh. But at the right moment he turned to face Maklir. "I will start by presenting the video evidence. By rights it is the only evidence I need. It comes from the recent treacherous attack upon the Alliance Senate, and it will show the extent to which the accused trained her students beyond the instructions and laws of this Council." With a press of a button to his wrist, Goras activated a giant holo-screen above the table. Robert recognized the Senate camera footage and frowned. It had spread out too damned fast.

Lucy flew into it, having been blasted back by an initially-unseen foe, who closed with Lucy and began to duel her, _lakesh_ against _lakesh_. Robert's feats during the fight were also partly visible. Goras slowed the playback to make a point. "Observe the video closely…" 

* * *

Julia arrived at the terminal at precisely 1125 hours, showered again and changed into a fresh uniform and with her long blond hair pulled back into a bun at the back of her head.

The main dock terminal was a sea of activity, with uniformed and civilian personnel milling around, on their way to one ship or another to do everything from inspect repairs or ensure supply delivery. Signs pointed to various clusters of docks, and lifts provided transport to those that couldn't be walked to from the terminal.

Admiral Maran was waiting for her near the lifts. He motioned her over and she walked straight over "Admiral, sir," she said. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Commander." His expression was solid, on the quiet side, but she didn't see any reason to immediately worry. "You'll be happy to know Robert and the others are at Meridina's trial as we speak."

"They got in?"

"They did." Maran stepped up to the lift. The gray doors slid open, admitting them into the cylinder-shaped lift. After they stepped in Maran said, "Observation Deck, Dock 20."

"Isn't Dock 20 the high security construction dock?", Julia asked. Already the lift was moving upward.

"It is. I have something to look into there."

By now the lift had cleared the terminal proper. It was now in a transparent tube. Julia could look out at the entirety of the Fleet Base and its series of connected structures and docks. The lift tube was but one thread of the great spider's web of transport tubes and solid connector structures filled with storehouses and machine shops. In one direction, away from the Base, the Earth continued to spin slowly below them. By habit Julia's eyes focused on the heart of the North American continent and to the wide fields of Kansas. Even on the Earth of the Federated Stars, where megalopolises had devoured entire coastlines and regions, Kansas was still a sea of green and brown framed by the Kansas City Metropole on the east.

Maran saw the look in her eye. "You're thinking of home."

"I'm thinking that five years ago, I never imagined I could see it from space," she replied quietly. She turned away from the Earth and toward the base itself. The central structure around which the webs of transport tubes, open docks, and closed docks were located was a rough ziggurat shape over a disc. "How many people live here again?", she asked.

"As in semi-permanent residence? Something along the lines of three hundred and sixty thousand," Maran said. "Although the total capacity is closer to a million. It's not the Rings of Gersal, but it's still impressive."

"You're worried about what's going on back there," observed Julia. "I mean, with Meridina's trial and all of this political upheaval over the Dissenters."

"Always," Maran said. "My people… we're not perfect, Commander. For all that we like to play up being in harmony and balance with one another, we can be arrogant and curt with other societies. We think we have all the answers." He sighed. "Sometimes it's easy to think that way. But I know we don't."

"I guess nobody's perfect," Julia said. And she drew in a breath. "About A4P5…"

"We'll get to that," he said.

The transparent section disappeared. They had moved into one of the closed dock structures, used for high security construction. After staring at more gray bulkhead framed by lighter lines for another half of a minute, they were admitted onto the observation deck for Docks 20 through 25. "This way," Maran said, leading her out onto a hall carpeted in beige and burgundy. As they walked along other officers and personnel went by here and there. It was about a hundred feet of walking before they got to a door marked "Observation Lounge 20-21".

Inside was a well-furnished lounge, complete with a wet bar (currently unmanned), a long table for meals or appetizers, and several soft chairs and sofas. The entire room was twice the size of the _Aurora_ 's Lookout and looked like a massive one storey box built into the docks outside of the transparent aluminum windows. Straight ahead, between the windows, was a single wall of gray. "I guess these make for some good parties?", she inquired, trying to show some levity.

"Commissioning and launching engagements, certainly," Maran said. "Senators, Councilmen, Defense Ministry officials, and the command officers usually." He stepped further in, giving a view of both docks from where he was standing. "You're concerned about A4P5?"

"I admit I am, sir," Julia said. "I had no authority to enter the Earth Exclusion Zone, but I did anyway, and in a private vessel of questionable origin."

"Have you arranged to have your code changed with Fleet Security yet?"

"Already done."

"Good. Then there's no loose ends." Maran looked back to her and grinned slightly. "After all of the trouble with the Senate attack, I took the liberty of writing out orders for you to retrieve Mister Jarod. They were backdated appropriately. I'll have to pretend to scold someone in Communications for the failure to have them logged properly."

Julia refused to let herself sigh with relief. "Thank you, sir."

"You took a risk to bring one of our people home, Commander," Maran said. "And during the entire operation you made the sort of on-the-spot command decisions I trained you to make. Which is why you're here today. Look out the windows."

Julia turned to the dock to their right first. The windows had '21" written above them. Within the dock she found a ship, still under construction. But its size and shape was still recognizable.

Quite recognizable.

She went across to the Dock 20 window. The same rough shape was under construction there too. The profile was a little different, but… yes, it was still the same.

The two ships were a kilometer long, easy, and they had the familiar flat-X four nacelle layout for their warp drives. And there was no mistaking the profile, even if it looked like some fine details might not be the same.

"You're…" Julia looked to him with surprise. She smiled. "You're building ships based off of the _Aurora_. _Directly_ off of her."

Maran nodded. He was smiling too. "Yes. With the success in building the _Discovery_ -class ships, we took the next step. Granted, the war has forced us to adjust our plans somewhat. Half of the ships we're building as a first flight will be built as dedicated battlecruisers, with heavy armament. Our designers have been assisted greatly by your scans of that ' _Avenger_ ' ship you fought at C1P2 Earth." He nodded to Dock 21. "That's the first of them over there. Our designers decided to name her and her class the _Excalibur_."

Julia smiled softly. "Well, it sounds cool for a warship name. And it fits, I guess." She looked back out at the vessel in Dock 20. "I guess this one will be more like the _Aurora_?"

"Yes. An Advanced Star Cruiser, with multi-mission operational capability."

Julia nodded. Her eyes scanned the vessel more closely this time, making out the details of the hull more closely where it was complete. She found the ship's name already painted on the hull, at the spot halfway between the bow and the bridge on the primary hull's dorsal side just as it was on the _Aurora_.

Her eyes didn't widen, but a grin came to her face as she read the name quietly.

 _A.S.V. Enterprise_.

"You're building an _Enterprise_ ," she said.

"It's a storied name in Human history," Maran remarked. "We have a similar ship name, _Inrelen'se_. Both terms mean a great undertaking requiring effort and dedication. The planners and I thought it appropriate for the vessel and the design."

"Scotty is going to love this," Julia said. She felt her smile widen at the thought of his reaction.

"She's going to be ready for her shakedown by the end of the year," Maran continued. He looked over at her. "And I want you to take her out."

Now Julia's eyes widened. Her mouth half-opened in surprise as she looked to Maran. "You… you mean you want me to put her through her paces, to test her out for…"

"No, I don't," Maran said. "At the end of this year, I want to have a launching party in this lounge where I introduce you as Captain Julia Andreys, Commanding Officer of the Alliance _Starship Enterprise_." 

* * *

There was a clear tension in the air of the Council and Assembly Chamber when Goras finished presenting the video from the Senate and every element of it he found important. "As you can see, brethren, the charges are irrefutable. Meridina has trained students outside of the discipline of the Order. This is a violation of tradition, a violation of the Code, and an act we must punish." Goras looked up to the spectators. "Of course, this alone does not merit _testing_ , you will argue. And I agree! It does not!" He pointed to Meridina. "It is the darkness within her that does. Regardless of where it has come from, whether from her own arrogance or from this Goa'uld entity, we all know the dangers of darkness within oneself. It twists, it corrupts, and it seduces. And it seduces the most quickly when supported by arrogance and self-importance."

Goras turned and faced Meridina. "So what are you, Knight Meridina? Are you a follower, performing your acts at the behest of a superior? Or are you that arrogant to take upon yourself the authority to circumvent this Council?"

"I did what my _swevyra_ guided me to," Meridina answered. Her voice was quiet and reserved.

"Quite the answer. An answer I would expect." Goras stepped closer to her. "Tell me, then. What was the purpose you discerned for this? What is it your _swevyra_ guided you to do?"

Meridina met his look. "To train them to use their powers, so that they could fulfill their destinies."

"And those destinies would be?"

"Their destinies," Meridina replied, "as the Bearers of the Dawn, foreseen by Swenya."

The spectators erupted in a babble of surprised voices. Shouts of disbelief and disapproval, audible gasps at the idea, they all came down into the center of the chamber.

"The Bearers of the Dawn," Goras said. He looked away from her and to the Council. His eyes focused on Maklir. "The Council has spoken, at some length, on whether or not Swenya's prophecy is at hand. We have not had a definitive decision on the matter. Yet you would decide that it must be so?"

"That is disingenuous," Ledosh interrupted. "The Council has in fact supported that interpretation of prophecy from Swenya. It was a Council decision to place Meridina on the _Aurora_."

"A decision influenced by the dedication of a minority," Goras insisted. He lifted a hand dismissively. "The scholarship on the authenticity of the prophecy has long been debated. It is hardly a convincing reason to blatantly ignore our laws. Which you, Knight Meridina, have most assuredly done." Goras turned to face her again. "And now there is a darkness within you. A core of fear and anger and guilt that festers in your _swevyra_. We are told it is from the Goa'uld. I would ask you if this is true. Because I can see the conscious evasion of our traditions and laws as something to prompt such feelings. And that doubt that we all feel in you now… where might that have come from? Surely not from the Goa'uld, for you are free of it. Have you finally realized your error?" Goras motioned to her. "Please, answer."

"My doubt…" Meridina's eyes fell. "I have struggled with this darkness inside of me since the Goa'uld enslaved me. I believe that it has made me feel doubt. And to see our people as they are now… we are not supposed to be this way!" Meridina shook her head. "I watched Gersallians, I watched one of our own, one with the training and control of our Order, murder innocent people! What am I supposed to think when I see this? Knowing how much of this anger in our people comes from my actions… I never intended this. I never wanted it. I never imagined that the Alliance might see our people torn like this or driven to such monstrous behavior. Yet it has, and what else should I feel? I acted to bring us the golden age foretold by Swenya. Instead, all it seems I have enabled is suffering for our people. Anger at me and at what the Alliance presents clouds so many of our people. And I never wanted this. I…" Meridina sniffled and gripped the podium to avoid slumping against it. "The Alliance is supposed to be the shield of Light. Instead we are gripped in violence. Our people are angry, other peoples are angry, blood has been spilled… and all I wonder is if I helped cause it! Because… if I did…" Tears openly flowed down her face. "...if I did…. then I must submit to the charges. I must plead guilty."

A satisfied look came to Goras' face. "We make progress, I see." He again turned to the Council. "Straight from the accused herself, my fellows. How can we deny her own judgement on making our own?"

"It appears you failed to hear her," a woman on the Council declared. "She stated she is guilty if _she_ is the cause of the recent troubles."

"Which she is!", Goras roared. "She _is_ the cause! Look at what her arrogance has caused our people! Look at what this submission to the Alliance has done to our society! We are out of balance because of her and those like her, who have suborned our people's' needs to outsiders and their ways! Look at what the Alliance is, my brethren! It is a collection of ridiculous states that squabble needlessly with each other when they are supposed to act for their common good. And the defendant before us today would have us become part of this!"

"I wanted to show them a way forward," Meridina said.

"No, you wanted to glorify yourself by bringing about this prophecy you insist to be so " Goras again swapped from addressing Meridina to addressing his peers. "Our ways are clear. She has violated them. And she carries the taint of darkness. Let her be tested by our best, so that if found wanting she may be struck down quickly and painlessly. It is better than letting her free into a world that has turned against her and will drive her into darkness."

Lucy drew in a breath. Robert felt her anger and shook his head at her. It quieted as, around them, the assembled voiced their agreement or disagreement with Goras. This only seemed to feed that tumult as neighbors began arguing the case for or against Meridina.

What was worse for both of them was feeling how much this was hurting Meridina. It wasn't that her people were against her, it was that her people were so clearly _divided_ about it. Their division was something horrid.

"Can we speak?", Robert asked Ledosh, having to raise his voice somewhat just to be heard over the ongoing arguments in the assembly seating.

Ledosh looked to him. "Not directly. However…" He stepped up toward the Council, and not far from Goras. "Now that _Mastrash_ Goras is finished, I hope I may be permitted to speak?"

"Indeed." Maklir nodded. He looked to Goras. "You appear finished."

"I am," Goras declared. He went to his chair at the table.

Ledosh, with the arguments not quite dying down, had to wait briefly as Maklir brought order back. "My brethren, _Mastrash_ Goras has made his arguments forcefully. But let us remember the wisdom of our ways. Swenya once said that all view the world by the lights of their own thoughts. My colleague's views of the Alliance are known to us. He sees this situation in that light. Meridina and I see it in another, and I ask you to consider both in judging her."

"Because what Meridina should be judged for is not the failures or opportunities of the Alliance but her own actions. This dissension in our people does not change this fact. What Meridina must be judged for is her actions and the outcome of those actions." Ledosh looked to her. "Tell me, what have your students done with their power now that you have shown them how to wield it?"

"They have accomplished much." Meridina turned her head to look back at them. A smile came to her face, even as the tears dried on her cheeks. "They have faced dark forces with bravery and skill. They have strengthened the Flow of Life with kindness and compassion."

"Indeed, if they had not been trained, wouldn't the mission to Gamma Piratus have failed?"

"It is likely, yes," Meridina said.

"And the Darglan legacy would now be in the hands of the forces of darkness?'

"Yes."

"In short, you have reason to say you would make the same decision again?"

"I do."

More roaring came from above. Robert felt nervous at that. If things went sour, they could have a mob on their hands. _It's hard to believe the Gersallians feel so hotly about this._ But then again, they'd had this setup for almost three thousand years, so why wouldn't they be suspicious of changes?

"If it pleases the Council, I would like to speak with Meridina's students."

"I object!", Goras thundered. "The outsiders have no place here!"

"They are not outsiders," Ledosh retorted. "They are here as part of the Lumantala."

Maklir nodded.

Ledosh looked to Robert and Lucy, who stood up. "Tell me, under what circumstances did Meridina start teaching you to use these powers?"

"After we developed them." Lucy took the lead in answering as the senior student.

"Did she explain to you the dangers of darkness?"

"She did," Robert replied.

"And she trained you to control your talents."

"She did."

There were more cries coming from above.

"Why did you come today?", Ledosh asked them.

"Because Meridina is family to us," Lucy said. "She's meant so much to our lives, and she's given so much of herself. We weren't going to let her face this alone."

"Your loyalty is most befitting your reputations," Ledosh said. He extended a hand toward them. "Tell me, what do you wish to do with the talents you have attained? How will you use Meridina's teachings?"

Lucy nodded to Robert, who replied for both of them. "To make the Multiverse a place where justice, compassion, and peace rule. We'll use these abilities to oppose evil organizations like the Nazi Reich that enslave, torment, and murder."

After he said that, Lucy thought of the Quarians she and Meridina had met on the Citadel, and how that encounter had gone. "Our goal is to make the Flow of Life stronger by giving aid to those who need it."

Ledosh nodded at them. To their side, Meridina's siblings and her mother also gave nods of approval, and it was clear their sincerity was recognized by many of those present. "Can anyone see them and say Meridina's training of them is a mistake? That it is against the Code? They are acting as any _swevyra'se_ would."

"Words mean little against actions," Goras retorted from the Council table. "If they mean to be _swevyra'se_ , then they should join the Order! But that one expressly refused to!" He pointed to Lucy. "And you cannot tell me that the Alliance forces are a force such as our own Order. Their own superiors despise us."

"They misunderstand us, and thus feel fear. We can correct that in time," Ledosh insisted.

"Before or after they order our government to disband us?", Goras snarled. "Before or after we are enslaved to the whims of the Alliance?! How many of our people have bled and died in a war led by the incompetent?! How many ships have we lost?! How much of the Interdependency's wealth has been spent?! And how much more will we pay for this victory? We have darkness enough in our home universe to confront, the Alliance would have us spend our strength in other universes instead!"

Again a roar came, followed by further dissensions in the Chamber. Maklir struggled to regain control with repeated strikes of his rod against his section of the table.

"We're not going to solve this," Robert muttered to Lucy. "They're too caught up in their fears. They're not listening."

"Then how do we get them to listen?", Lucy asked.

"Aside from getting that jackass Goras to shut his stupid piehole?", Angel muttered.

Neither responded to Angel's muttering, as they were both recognizing what was going on inside of Meridina. She was facing the crushing of her viewpoint of her own people, indeed, of her own Order, as the arguments in the seats around and above them continued in some form or another. Their disagreements over the Alliance had been amplified by their feelings toward Meridina's actions, creating a spectrum of reactions that amplified the emotions of the people in attendance and, one presumed, outside on the planet as well.

An apprentice entered the Chamber from one of the side doors. A number of eyes followed the bald woman with brown eyes as she went up to Goras and murmured into his ear. He stood. "It is clear that we must come to some decision, my brethren," he said. "For I have just been informed that a riot has erupted in the city of Lankeran between the Dissenter and Alliance factions."

The chamber stilled. Goras looked over to the operator for the Chamber's display screens and asked, "Do we have a news feed?"

"We do, _Mastrash_ ," he answered. The man in the cream-colored robe started operating his controls.

Moments later the display became active again. Two crowds were pressed against each other and in a full brawl. Screams and shouts filled the air and it was easy to see some people were being knocked over in the tumult, a potentially lethal condition with the risk of trampling. Signs in Gersallian were being used as makeshift weapons.

"I…" Lucy shook her head. "I just didn't think they could get like this. They're always so…"

Robert said nothing. He understood her horror and surprise. It was hard to imagine a society as peaceful as the Gersallians becoming so agitated. But given the events lately, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. The Senate attack had been proven to be a Dissenter extremist operation, and evidence showed it had clear support from institutions on Gersal even if the Changeling that had been impersonating Senator Kiang had been their primary ally in getting into the Senate. That alone was enough to be scandalous, but throwing in another military setback in a war that had already claimed hundreds of thousands of Gersallians and cost them so much in treasure and ships and lives, the disagreement over Meridina's actions…

They could feel her reaction. Meridina stared with horror at the footage of the riot. It was painful to feel the weariness in her, a sense that she was breaking before their eyes. Her normal calm was seeping away.

Goras had the footage turned off. He looked to Meridina with the air of a man who knew he had struck a blow right where he'd wanted it. "This is the fruit of your labor, Knight Meridina. For the first time in centuries, civil discord has come to our world."

"It's not her fault!", Lucy shouted, and immediately she knew she had messed up. But having done so, she finished her thought. "She couldn't have known your people would behave like this!"

Goras' nostrils' flared as he directed a steely gaze at Lucy. "You have no place to speak before this Council. Be quiet or you will be _removed_."

Robert gripped her arm. "Don't," he murmured. "For Meridina."

 _Right_ , she replied mentally, her jaw clenched. "My apologies," she said with forced humility.

"You're right."

All eyes turned to Meridina.

Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She had trouble keeping her voice from breaking when she continued. "I wanted to see the Prophecy of the Bearers come to pass. I was certain this was the time. And I was certain… am still certain…" - her correction didn't quite sound convinced, but she still made it - "that Lucy and Robert and their friends are the Bearers of the Dawn. But I didn't foresee this. I… I never imagined… I would cause this suffering." Meridina forced a breath in to gain control, any measure of it, and with it some composure. She directed her eyes toward Maklir. " _Mastrash_ Maklir, I ask to be tested. By _Mastrash_ Goras himself. _Mastrash_ Karesl can be our intercessor."

"Meridina, no!", Ledosh cried.

"Meridina…" Drentiya was tearing up. She could sense her daughter's intent. "Meridina, please, reconsider this."

"You are aware that you may die in this?", Maklir asked her.

"I am. If my death will bring peace to Gersal…" Meridina turned her eyes to focus on Goras. His brown eyes glinted with satisfaction. "...then it will be worth it."

Lucy had to force herself from shouting "No!"

Goras smiled thinly. It was clearly meant to be seen as a respectful smile, but there was an edge to it. "I will be honored to test your control, Knight Meridina. I assure you, if it comes to it, I will make sure that you do not suffer."

"Thank you, _Mastrash_ ," Meridina answered. A strange calm was coming over her, tinged by the sadness she felt as she heard, and felt, the shocked feelings of her family. Leniraya was being held closely by Penrine. Qalkrsl held his mother's hand. And Gamaya was pale and looking at her father in expectation, as if he could stop this.

Above and behind them all, the assembled crowd were murmuring and speaking quietly, but not arguing.

Maklir smacked his rod on the desk. "Then we shall adjourn briefly to prepare. The Temple Knights will take the prisoner to the waiting chamber and retrieve her _lakesh_." He stood and stepped away, a signal to everyone else to do the same.

Meridina said nothing as her escorts took her to the east side of the chamber and the door there.

Lucy finally found her voice. "We can't let her do this," she said. "We… we can't." She looked at Robert. "Goras is one of the best duelists in the Order. He'll _kill_ her."

"I really want to wipe that smug little smile off his smug face," Angel growled.

"All we can do is be here for her," Robert said. "This is what she wants. There's nothing we can do to stop that."

"We'll see about that," Lucy said, moving away from them. Before Robert could stop her, she was already on her way to the door where Meridina had been taken.

"Should I go after her?", Angel asked.

"No." Robert shook his head. They continued to follow the family into the main foyer.


	44. Episode 2-09-4 Whispers of Destiny

Aboard the _Aurora_ , the ship was becoming quieter and more empty as more and more of the crew departed for temporary shore postings, transfers, or simple extended leave. Jarod was no exception to this. He had leave of his own, and an hour to catch the transport that was carrying materials to New Liberty and its nearby adjacent resource colonies. He was in civilian clothes now, wearing a brown fleece jacket and dark green polo shirt with a pair of black slacks. A duffel bag in Stellar Navy Operations beige was over his shoulder.

Before heading out, he checked up on the transmissions from Gersal, and then went to Julia's office. He found her there staring at nothing. "You don't look as busy as I thought you'd be."

She said nothing.

Jarod stepped in and took a seat. "I don't see you as the type to be staring off into space, Commander."

"Hrm?" Julia finally seemed to notice him. "Oh, Jarod. Ready for your trip?"

"The _Weiss_ leaves in an hour for New Liberty," Jarod answered. "So I've got at least half an hour before I have to start running."

"Ah."

"Have you been watching the proceedings?", Jarod asked.

"Hrm? Oh, Meridina." Julia frowned. "Dammit, no, I've been.. caught up with something."

Before Jarod could say anything, the door opened. Scotty stormed in with a dark look. "I just heard what those bloody idiots on Gersal are up t'! I cannae believe they'll dae somethin' like that tae th' lass!"

"What?", Julia asked. "What's going on?"

"Meridina's going to be 'tested'," Jarod said.

"Dinnae tell me that's a bloody test!", Scotty roared. "It's a cold-blooded execution, Mister Jarod, an' make no mistake about it!"

Worry for Meridina briefly trumped Julia's prior thoughts. "What do you mean?", Julia asked.

"It's some concept for a duel," Jarod explained. "It has to do with the Gersallians' views on their abilities. They say Meridina's been corrupted and that she has to be tested to see if the corruption is too great to let her live."

"That Goras, he's just lookin' for an excuse tae kill her." Scotty kept a frown on his face.

"Well, we can't do anything about it," Julia sighed. "We'll have to leave it up to Robert, Angel, and Lucy to handle it."

"Unfortunately. Let's hope they've got something." Jarod went to stand and stopped. "What were you staring off into space over, anyway?"

"Hrm? Oh, just thinking," Julia said.

"Did Admiral Maran have anythin' tae say t' ye?", Scotty asked. "Hargert mentioned ye looked worried this mornin'."

Julia smirked at that. "Oh, he did."

"How bad is it?", Jarod asked. "Assuming it was bad news."

"Oh, it wasn't bad news. It was…" Julia took in a breath. "It's probably not the best time to talk about it."

"So you're going to make me spend my entire leave wondering what's going on?", Jarod asked, a bemused expression now on his face.

"Aye lass, ye might as well answer."

"Well, since you insist…" Julia drew in a breath. That strange mix of worry and elation and uncertainty and vindication that had come about when Maran told her what he wanted was still gripping her. "Admiral Maran's offered me one of the new ships they're currently building here at the Fleet Base. He wants me to take command of the _Enterprise_."

A small grin came to her face as she saw their initial reactions. Scotty especially seemed ready to light right up just at the name. Jarod slowly grinned. "Well… congratulations. I mean, that's excellent news. What type of ship is she going to be?"

"The first of a new class, based off of the _Aurora_ ," she answered.

"They're finally buildin' 'em, then? It's about bloody time," Scotty declared. "An' good for ye, lass. Ye've earned it."

"So.. you're leaving?", Jarod asked.

"Not yet." Julia shook her head. "I have another six months to accept the post. I want to talk it over with Robert first. Admiral Maran's offering me a chance to pick my first command crew, so after I talk to Robert I'll start seeing if anyone is interested."

"Lass, ye dinnae have to ask," Scotty said. "Tom's got th' _Aurora_ well in hand, after all."

"Woh." Julia held up a hand. "Let's not start splitting the crew up yet. Like I said, I want to talk to Robert first."

"I can understand that," Jarod said. "But when it comes down to it, this is about you, and a chance to take a command you've earned several times over."

"Maybe." Julia nodded. "But I still want to talk to him about it first. See what he and the others think. I want my own ship… but not at the expense of the rest of you. A command's not as important as my family." She glanced down to her computer. "Well, Jarod, you'd better catch your ship. Say hello to your sister and dad for me. Scotty and I have a ship to repair."

It was clear she was ready for the conversation to end. Jarod and Scotty nodded and obeyed her silent request.

* * *

Lucy found the waiting chamber easily enough. All she had to do was feel for Meridina's essence. It was full of pain, and fear, but also a strong and resolved calm. When she stepped up to the door two of the red-robed Knights moved to block her. "I'm going to talk with her," she said. "I'm not here to do anything else. You can sense that."

"Yes," one said.

"And if you do attempt to steal her away, we will use lethal force to prevent it," the other remarked.

 _Right. Of course._ Lucy made it clear through her expression that she wasn't perturbed by that. The Knights let her through.

Lucy found Meridina sitting on her knees, hands on her upper legs. Her _lakesh_ was laid before her. "Lucy," she said.

"Please don't," Lucy said. "Don't do this, Meridina. You don't have to."

"I must," she answered. "My people must see that my way has not corrupted me. Then others might follow in my path without causing this terrible dissension. This is why I must be tested."

"But Goras isn't interested in testing you!", Lucy shouted. "He's going to kill you no matter what happens! And he'll justify it however he has to."

"Then that is his choice. And this is mine."

Lucy balled her fists and screamed wordlessly. "Why are you so stubborn about this?!", she demanded. "Don't you know there are people who care about you? People who love you and don't want to lose you?! People who will be hurt if they no longer have you in their lives?!" Tears flowed freely down Lucy's cheeks. "This isn't right. You shouldn't have to do this." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. With little effort to stop herself, Lucy dropped to her knees. "You've done so much for me," Lucy sobbed. "You've done so much for all of us."

Meridina's eyes teared up. She shifted forward and took Lucy's hands into her own, prompting her to look up. "I know," Meridina said. "I know I am hurting you. I am hurting Robert, and Caterina, and all of the others on the _Aurora_. I am hurting my parents and my sisters and my brother. I can feel their anguish even now. And if there was another way, Lucy, I would take it. But this fighting has to stop. My life is not more important than the lives of my people. I will sacrifice myself to bring them peace."

Lucy said nothing. She hurt too much to find words, and she could sense what was to come. Meridina knew she was die at Goras' hand, and she would not stop him from killing her in the end. All she sought to do was fight until she had proven that she was not taken by darkness.

Meridina pulled Lucy close and embraced her in a hug. "Whatever happens… I am proud of you, Lucy. You have been the kind of student a teacher can only dream of, a student who teaches in turn. Please, use the teachings I've given you to make the Multiverse a kinder and gentler place. Teach Robert well, and with him you two can change everything for the better. Because I know, in my heart, that you and the others are the Bearers of the Dawn."

"I will," Lucy said. With all of her will, she forced the sobbing to slow. She knew that she couldn't show it out in the Chamber.

Meridina accepted the answer. Even though she knew that deep down Lucy was still not accepting what was to come. It would take time. Such things always did.

The Knights entered the room. "They are ready," one said. "Come."

Meridina stood up. She was now permitted to wear her blue robes as a field Knight. She held her right palm downward and, with a yank from her will and the power bound to it, pulled her _lakesh_ into her hand. "I too am ready," was all she said.

Lucy forced herself to stand. Without another word, she followed Meridina out of the room.

* * *

In another room not too far away, Goras finished slipping on his short-sleeved combat tunic. A bald-headed apprentice handed him his vest next and he began to pull it on. He felt the presence at the door. "Are you going to see this through, Karesl?"

"If my daughter falls to darkness, I want her end to be quick," he answered.

Goras smiled thinly and turned to face his political ally directly. Karesl, as intercessor, was also in the combat tunic and vest, with his purple-and-blue-trim Council robe over that assemblage. Both were still in the baggy trousers that the Council wore on these occasions. "But that is not the question I asked," Goras said.

Karesl didn't reply.

"If Meridina survives this, the Dissenters will assume we have backed down before the Alliance," Goras said. "It will not matter if she has purged her darkness or proven tested. Our people will face a civil war." When Karesl still didn't answer, Goras continued. "She brought this on herself, Karesl. She admits that. She made herself the symbol of the Alliance to our people, and as that symbol, she has revealed the Alliance as a threat to our ways. If the Gersallian people are to avoid a civil war, Meridina must die."

Yet again, there was silence.

"Do not back out now," Goras urged. "We will save our people this way!"

"I am committed to securing our independence from the Alliance," Karesl said. "But I fear that your path may prove a bad one. And you ask a heavy price of me."

"I do." Goras nodded and stepped up to him. His eyes were intent on Karesl, as if searching for the slightest weakness to pounce upon. "And I expect you to pay it if our people demand it."

Karesl said nothing at that. He nodded his head and left.

The apprentice stepped up beside Goras. "Is there anything else, _Mastrash_?"

"Go to your place. We will speak again when this is over."

* * *

The Council Table had been removed from the center of the Chamber, leaving it a bare floor save for the alcove where the Relics of Swenya were kept in their cases. The members of the Council, save Goras and Karesl, now sat at the top of the alcove, above the portrait of Swenya, and a podium had been erected for Maklir.

On the bare floor, Meridina and Goras stood facing each other. Karesl stood off to himself, ready to intercede as necessary. Everyone else was back in their seats. Robert could see the red in Lucy's eyes and put a hand on her shoulder. Penrine was holding Leniraya close as the latter sniffled. Drentiya shed silent tears and it was clear the Lumantala family were convinced they were watching the death of their sister and daughter.

 _I have faith in you_ , Robert urged mentally, looking at Meridina. _You can win this._

 _No, I cannot_ , she replied.

Maklir stood at the podium and struck his rod to it for attention. "All who are here, know you are witnessing one of the most terrible burdens of our Order. One of our own has been tainted by darkness. It falls to us to test her and ensure the darkness will not corrupt her further." Maklir looked to Goras. " _Mastrash_ Goras, know that is your duty to test. This is a heavy responsibility, and if you would not bear it, it will not be held against you."

"I will bear it, _Mastrash_ Maklir," Goras answered. "For it is a burden that all must bear at some time."

"Very well. _Mastrash_ Karesl, as intercessor it is your duty to aid _Mastrash_ Goras if the darkness in Knight Meridina takes hold, and to aid Knight Meridina should she prove true in the testing. Above all else it is your duty to end the battle when it is no longer necessary. Are you ready to assume this grave responsibility? We acknowledge that you have ample cause to wish it upon another."

"No, _Mastrash_ ," Karesl replied. "I am ready to function as intercessor."

Maklir nodded. He looked to Meridina. "Knight Meridina, you requested this trial, and the Council acknowledges this. We are still prepared to postpone it if you feel it is not necessary, and to render our own judgement after deliberation."

"I am ready for testing, _Mastrash_ ," Meridina said. "It is better this way."

"Then all is decided." Maklir looked to a technician in the cream-colored robe of the laity of the Order. "Activate the field."

A faint buzz of energy rose up from the ground, continuing until it became a dome over the central floor. Only Meridina, Goras, and Karesl were inside.

"Ready yourself, Knight," Maklir ordered.

Meridina nodded. She pulled her _lakesh_ from her belt. It made a metallic shriek as the memory metal emerged from the hilt and formed into a blade. The light blue EM field gave it a ghostly aura.

"Begin the testing at your leisure, _Mastrash_ Goras."

Goras pulled his own _lakesh_ and extended it.

Silence filled the chamber.

Meridina could sense the blow coming, and when it came she was barely able to get her blade up to meet it. A "whmm" sound filled the air as the EM fields of their blades met, followed by the clash of metal on metal. The power of the strike was deliberate and precise, forcing Meridina to shift her weight to hold it.

Goras' power gathered in an instant and lashed out. Meridina went flying backward into the field. It was like hitting a wall with a low electrical field in it, a field that provided a small and painful shock. If it had paralyzed her with the shock, the battle would have ended right there.

But Meridina was quick enough, just quick enough, to recover and roll away from Goras' _lakesh_ blade before it cut into her head. She brought her blade over in a quick attack that Goras parried with ease. Her rolling maneuver brought her back to her feet. Meridina forced a breath from her lungs and steadied her blade. He went at her again, a juggernaut, and she met his attack again, and the next, and the next…

She couldn't win. Meridina was already certain of that. Goras was powerful with his life force, and his dueling skills were among the best in the Order. She was not bad herself… but against him, she was little better than a novice in some ways. Decades of experience told against her. Had this been a real duel, or at least if Goras didn't need to pretend he was testing her, Meridina believed she would already be dead.

Death. Its imminence kindled fear. As much as she believed in doing the right thing, in giving her life for her people to have peace… it scared her. She didn't want to die. She didn't want her journey to end. That fear came to her and it resonated with the darkness inside of her. All of that fear and anger that she had kept pent up over this past month.

Her will held it in. She would _not_ lose control to that darkness. She was a Knight of Swenya. She lived for the Code. If she had to, she would die for it.

 _It's not fair!_ was the unbidden thought as she barely parried a strong blow from Goras that threw her off-balance. Lucy had been right about that, and now the thought rippled through Meridina. Tears momentarily came to her eyes as she realized how it was going to end here, no matter what she did, and after all she had done.

Why couldn't her people understand what this was about? Why did so many of them want to turn away from their destiny?

Meridina forced the thoughts away again. She forced the darkness down, even as it seemed to be on the verge of exploding, as her fear of how soon she would die filled her. She would not give in to her darkness. She would fight until she couldn't any more.

* * *

Robert didn't need to be an expert duelist to know that Meridina wasn't just losing, but that she was only alive because Goras wasn't ready to kill her yet.

"He's toying with her," Angel said.

"Technically he's not supposed to be going all-out to land a fatal blow," Robert said. "This.. it's some kind of ultimate stress test."

He glanced over to Lucy and frowned. She was watching the battle… but she was distracted. Robert glanced down to see where her right hand was touching the surface keys of her multi-device. The multi-device's holo-display had been set to a small, uni-directional setting, and was only visible from Lucy's perspective or a narrow cone around it. "What are you doing?", he whispered.

"I don't trust him," Lucy said. "If he does anything…"

Robert's eyes widened when he realized what she was doing and reached for her wrist, obscuring the multi-device. "You can't save her that way," he hissed.

Lucy frowned at him. "I can't stand by and let her get murdered, Robert."

"Intervening like this won't save her, Lucy. It will make things worse. You've got to let this play out."

"And watch her die?", she retorted in a violent whisper.

"Hopefully not. Have faith that she'll get through this. Then…" he frowned. "We'll see, okay? But this won't end well if you just go in there." Left unsaid was the fact that Robert didn't think any of them could defeat Goras, even together.

But if it came down to it, they wouldn't let Goras murder Meridina either.

* * *

Meridina's arms were hurting. Her very being was fatigued with the constant stress of fighting an opponent with Goras' power and skill.

He lunged at her again, and even as she parried the blow he turned into the movement and delivered a kick to her ribs that caused at least one to crack. Meridina let out a cry of pain and moved backward. She scrambled to get her footing again and restore her balance. Goras refused to let her, continuing his assault with increasing fury and power, almost as if he were reveling in her desperate, failing defense.

Again the darkness within her stirred. A cold feeling merged with the fear of her imminent death, a feeling screaming for her to act, to do anything to survive! For a very brief moment she wanted to hate Goras, hate him for his desire to kill her, and to strike him down as she had killed Dralan Olati just days ago.

And he knew it. Goras' eyes were not hiding his satisfaction, even if his face kept its neutral look. He was pushing her into the darkness. He wanted her to go there. He wanted her to fall.

 _He wants me to fall so he can kill me._

Meridina took another kick, this time to a shoulder, but she had been rolling away from the attack and the impact lost some of its power. She rolled onto one knee, blade still ready, and glanced at her father. He could feel the darkness within her too. But where Goras seemed almost animated at its presence, she could sense his fear for her. He wanted her to stay firm.

Goras' blade came at her again and Meridina stopped it. She stopped it a second time, and a third, but Goras' attack was an onslaught that kept her on one knee. He had the superior position, superior power, superior everything, and he was using it. Meridina struggled to keep up with the blows…

The flat of Goras' blade ran over her wrists. It did not cut her, but it did push her arms into a twist that gave him complete leverage on her _lakesh_. With a surge of power he knocked it from her grasp and sent it clanging to the floor, two meters or more away. He kicked again and caught her in the sternum, throwing Meridina onto her back. His hand reached for her as she tried to stand. He didn't grip her physically, but she felt his power close around her waist and hips, holding her in place. He pulled her into the air and flung her into the wall near the alcove, ribs first.

Another rib cracked. Meridina cried out in pain before falling hard to the ground. Her left hand reached over her torso to clutch her wounded right ribs. She looked toward Goras. His eyes were still grinning, and though he tried to hide it, satisfaction was coming through his feelings.

He was about to kill her. She had to act! She had to do something!

The darkness stirred within. Fear, anger, hate… it wanted her to lash out with it, to strike down her foe, to save herself! _It is him or you!_ her own voice, hard and cold, insisted. _You'll never get another opening! Do it!_

Meridina was, at that moment, more scared than she had ever been in her life. And she might very well have done it.

But her eyes moved over to her father, looking impassively at her, duty and love warring on his countenance while Goras stepped toward her. She moved on to her mother, her brother, her sisters, all looking at her with horror and sadness at what Goras was doing to her.

And then there was Angel, a comrade-in-arms. Lucy and Robert, her students, her charges. The ones who would carry her legacy on even after today. A legacy that the voice inside of her would taint if she listened to it. She felt their sadness, their pain and anguish… and their faith.

It hurt to think she might fail them. That the darkness would take her. She knew she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't listen to this darkness, this festering power that she just couldn't get rid of, that Amaunet had planted within her, it wouldn't go away! It was still inside of her, like it had always been inside…

A memory came to her in those seconds. A flash of thought. Perhaps more than that… perhaps her _swevyra_ using her memories to bring her wisdom.

The memory was a voice, that of the Zigonian Kasszas S'szrishin.

 _"Darkness comes from many sources, dear Sister. Perhaps you must look inward to see where this comes from, to truly understand it, and thus to deal with it."_

"I feel it within you," Goras said. "I feel your darkness yearning to break free. Clearly you are failing your test. Say it, Meridina. Recognize that the darkness has started to claim you, and I will make this end quickly."

She didn't answer him. She remained on her knees and looked only inside, at herself, at that darkness. That fear and anger, that hatred, all festering inside of her since Amaunet had enslaved her.

It all came roaring back. Her helplessness. The Goa'uld firmly controlling her body, holding her _swevyra_ as if it belonged to her, and letting Amaunet's hate and anger and rage play out upon the helpless victims that came before her.

All of that had gone away with Amaunet's death. But the darkness remained. Those emotions remained.

Meridina looked to her mother, even as Goras again offered to end her life quickly if she admitted to her darkness. Drentiya had tried to tell her of how to deal with it, but she hadn't listened. She'd thought only of burying the darkness, of hiding it away and locking it down and ignoring it.

Now she knew she'd been wrong. She'd been ignoring her own feelings. She had been ignoring everything that Amaunet had caused her to feel. _The darkness is mine_ , she thought to herself. _It has fed itself on my control. Because I would not face the feelings…_

"Accept it!", Goras shouted. "Accept you can't control it! That the darkness within you cannot be held back! Do it, Meridina, and don't draw this out! Do it and you will die painlessly!"

Meridina looked at him while tears began to flow. Her heart felt like bursting. Those feelings fueling the darkness… she couldn't hold them back any more.

So she stopped trying.

" _I'm angry!_ ", she screamed. " _I'm afraid! And I hate what was done to me! I hate what Amaunet did with my body! I hate it!_ " Meridina let out a sob while the tears flowed until they obscured her vision. "Amaunet violated my body. She violated my mind. She violated my _swevyra_. She hurt me and hurt others with me and… and it hurt so much… and there are more out there like her, and… and I can't…" She kept her tear-filled eyes locked on Goras. Nearby her father watched her break down with a quailing heart. "I can't go through that again! I'm afraid of it! And I'm angry that it happened, I'm angry she caused it and that I couldn't stop it, I… I had to watch her fight Lucy, hurt Lucy… hurt people… and then I doubted, I doubted when it wouldn't go away…"

The crowd was silent. No words were being muttered. No sounds being made. Even Goras took a step backward, as if unsure about whether to attack or not.

"The darkness was mine all along," Meridina confessed. She sobbed. "I should have known that. I should.. I should have accepted my feelings, I should…" For a moment she became inarticulate. "I should have been a _swevyra'se_. I should not have doubted myself. I should not have tried, I should have _done_."

Goras held his blade up for an overhead stroke. It was clear his mind was made up. He started to approach.

"I am in control," she said to him. "This darkness is mine, and I control it. I can. I will. And I will heal." She looked again to the others. A small smile came to her face. "My family will help. All of them."

They all nodded. Goras wasn't looking to see that Karesl was as well.

She put her eyes back on Goras. "You're not just testing me, Goras. This is to kill me. You want me to die because of what I believe, because you're afraid of it. Because you're afraid that things are changing."

Goras kept approaching. He was within a few steps.

"I will gladly die for my people," Meridina declared. "But I will die fighting for what I believe."

Goras ignored her. His blade swung down for her skull.

Meridina's power, the core of her life force that all present called _swevyra_ , rushed to meet the blade. It slammed into the weapon and into Goras with enough force to send him flying to the opposite side of the battlespace. She stood to her feet and pushed the pain of her broken ribs away for the moment.

" _Go get him, girl!_ ," Angel shouted. " _Go get that jackass!_ "

Meridina's arm extended toward her _lakesh_. It flew through the air to her hand.

And just in time to. With a look of frustration and anger on his face, Goras was charging. Again his blade went for her head, and again she parried the blow. His strikes were as furious as ever, powerful, quick, deadly. He was fighting to kill.

Meridina held her ground. It took everything she had. But she wasn't giving up. Her arms protested, her body ached, her broken ribs screamed for succor. Her body just wanted to stop and end the fight.

But the rest of her carried on.

Her arms moved and his blade caught every blow. Her legs remained steady. Goras' offensive fury was a wave, and Meridina was doing her best to become a rock to break the wave. She couldn't endure this forever. He was too powerful. But if she could hold out just long enough…

Then she saw it. Goras' frustration was giving way to fury. He was balancing on the edge himself now, and while Meridina didn't want to send him over into anger and darkness, she did take advantage of it. He made a swing that was a little too off, a little too wild, and she was able to evade it instead of having to parry it. Her blade seemed almost to sing as it slashed through air in a quick cut aimed at his exposed right side.

There was resistance. And a flash of blood.

Goras actually cried out, in shock more than pain, at Meridina's _lakesh_ striking home. He backed away and he was off-balance. Meridina acted immediately with a swing of her arm. Energy from the core of her being reached out and caught Goras' legs before he could summon his own power. He tripped over and fell on his back.

Had Meridina not been wounded and tired from the fight so far, she might have won a formal duel at that point simply by getting in range before Goras could recover. But her injuries were enough to slow her for the moment. Goras had time to get back to his feet. He put a hand to his bleeding wound and concentrated. The blood began to slow until he pulled the hand away, revealing the bloody cut now mostly healed.

The Chamber was alive with energy. From the Lumantala family's section it was all positive. Hope and joy sprung from seeing Meridina hold Goras off like that. "She's overcome the test!", Leniraya shouted. "End this, father!" Around them it was clear many others felt the same way. Even some who had not been favorable to her on the charges against her seemed ready to agree that she had proven herself in the test.

Goras and Karesl exchanged looks. There was a mental communication between them. Goras frowned and shook his head. He looked back to Meridina with an intensity in his brown eyes that told her that she had humiliated him. "I am not afraid," she said. "Do you still wish to test me?"

"Yes," he said simply, although it was clear that testing wasn't what he had in mind. A susurration came from the crowd as Goras charged again. Meridina held her ground once more. It was even harder this time. She did not let herself doubt, but it was clear that Goras still had the advantages in power and skill.

 _I will not give up_ , she insisted. _If you mean to kill me, I will fight._

 _You can't resist me, child!_ , Goras retorted mentally. _And you and I know you must die for Gersal to have peace!_

Their blades clashed again, over and over. Goras felt the advantage steadily go back to him and pressed it. Meridina showed no fear in reaction, not even as he began to drive her back again.

From the attendees, voices and thoughts were being raised. They were satisfied: Meridina had passed the test. It was time for the fight to end.

Goras refused. He sent blow after blow against Meridina, fighting with all of his power, all of his skill, no holding back. His wound was not as severe as hers. He was winning handily. After another pair of parried strikes he forced Meridina up against the wall and started pressing his blade against her, forcing her blade back toward her throat. "You should have let me kill you before," he rasped. "It would have been quick. Painless."

"Why do you hate me so?", Meridina asked.

"I do not hate you," Goras insisted, but it was clear it wasn't true. "But I will not let you win. Our people must be free of the Alliance."

"But my death won't end that," she insisted. "There are many thousands, millions, of our people serving with the Alliance. They believe in it. They won't let you destroy that."

"Then they will suffer the consequences. Just as you are…" The blade drew closer to Meridina's neck.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Suddenly the two fighters were wrenched apart by a powerful force that erupted between them. Goras was knocked backward several steps, out of blade range of Meridina. Meridina went to one knee in relief and looked up.

Karesl now stood between them, one hand on his _lakesh_ hilt, and his eyes fixed on Goras. "This battle is over," he declared.


	45. Episode 2-09-5 Whispers of Destiny

Silence reigned in the Chamber.

It ended when Karesl spoke.

"As intercessor, it is clear to me that Meridina has proven herself in control," Karesl announced, his eyes fixed on _Mastrash_ Goras as the other man regained his balance. "It is clear that darkness has no hold on her. I declare the test concluded."

Goras frowned deeply at him. Frustration flashed through his brown eyes at being denied. "Do you speak as intercessor, Karesl, or as a father?"

"Intercessor." Karesl looked back toward Meridina. "As father, I add that whatever my disagreements with her, I am proud of my daughter."

At that Goras stood to his full height. "The people of Gersal will see it differently," he vowed. "They will see a man who acted out of bias. Who kept the violator of our traditions from being given the full and rigorous testing her crime demanded."

Karesl shook his head. "The people of Gersal are watching, Goras. Do you think them blind? They can see that you have made this personal. You desire Meridina's death because of her belief in the Prophecy of the Dawn."

"And you would have our people shackled to the Alliance to humor your daughter."

"I am still against our membership. I believe Gersal should have kept itself separate from the Alliance and acted instead as its guide and friend," Karesl answered. "I believe that we should withdraw from it, if not from the war with the Reich. But that is not the issue here." He sighed. "I'm sorry, old friend. But this has to stop. Or you'll be the one falling to darkness."

For a tense moment nothing was said. Goras let out a grunt, and then he sighed. "I'm sorry too," he said. "Old friend." He lowered his weapon.

Karesl turned to Meridina. He reached down and helped her back to her feet. "You've done well," he said.

"Thank you, _Mastrash_." Meridina smiled weakly. "I… I still feel that darkness there. But I can manage it."

"Sometimes the solution isn't control, it's acceptance," Karesl said. "Now…."

The next word never finished coming from his mouth. Instead there was a "hrrrgk" sound from it. Pain stabbed through Meridina's chest, coming perilously close to her lung. She looked down.

The blade had buried itself into her torso.

And it was sticking through her father.

"I'm sorry, Karesl," Goras said. His arm was still outstretched from the motion he'd made to throw his blade into Karesl's back. "I am sorry you are so _weak_." He pulled his arm back toward himself.

A sucking sound accompanied the blade pulling out of Meridina and Karesl. Karesl collapsed into Meridina's arms. The pain of her wound was already driving her to her knees.

Robert looked to Lucy and nodded. He needn't have bothered, as she was already rapidly operating her multi-device. "C'mon," she murmured. "Come on…"

Maklir's rod slammed on his podium. "Goras, what is the meaning of this?!"

"I will not allow this charade to continue," Goras said. "The traitor must die and our people must be kept free!"

"No! No, this is wrong!"

"Goras, have you gone mad?!", Ledosh shouted.

"No. I simply see clearly the truth." Goras elevated his hand toward the Council in their place above the alcove. "You are traitors! You would bind us to the Alliance and take away everything our people have become!" He looked to the audience, and presumably into the devices transmitting the trial elsewhere. "Loyal children of Gersal, this moment has come, and we must accept it! The Order of Swenya and our government has been stolen away from us by fools and traitors! We must stand firm if we are to redeem ourselves, if we are to remain _free!_ "

"Lower the field!", Maklir ordered. He turned to the technician. "We must stop…"

An energy beam struck Maklir in the back. He had no time to cry out before he disappeared in a haze of yellow energy.

A bald-headed apprentice with a disruptor pistol leveled the gun that had just killed Maklir toward the technician controlling the shield. The technician raised his hands and stepped away.

 _Lakesh_ blades extended across the Chamber as a number of those in attendance, many bald like the first attacker, turned their weapons toward others. A pair of red-robed Temple Knights placed blades to the throats of two Council members. A third, blue-robed bald woman placed a blade up toward Ledosh.

And all the while, on the first row of seats, Lucy was struggling with her multidevice. "It's not working," she muttered. "I can't get the harmonics…"

"Let me," Gamaya hissed.

The three _Aurora_ crew looked toward Gamaya. "What?"

"Give me the device, I can make it work." Seeing their look she sighed. "You're trying to briefly disrupt the field to get inside and help Meri, yes? Let me do it!"

Robert turned inward for a moment. The situation in the Chamber was so tense it was hard to focus, but he let his instincts direct him here. "Do it," he whispered back to Lucy.

Lucy pulled off her multi-device and handed it to Gamaya. She immediately took it and began working.

Inside the dome Goras looked back toward Meridina and Karesl. Meridina was busy trying to heal his wound to the best of her ability. "What have you done?", Karesl rasped.

"What needed to be done," Goras said. "What you were too weak to contemplate, 'old friend'."

"But… Maklir…"

"An old man past his prime." Goras looked back up at the captive Council. "Indeed, I might say the same for many of you. I was certain there would be trouble, but you are so complacent that we Dissenters in the Order have you completely at our mercy." Goras shook his head. "And you would have us believe you could protect us from the Alliance?"

"We don't need protection from the Alliance!", Meridina yelled despite the pain in her chest. "No more than the Order needs protection from Gersal!"

"Oh, but it is clear we do, on both counts," Goras said. "The Interdependency has been allowed to fall into the hands of those who would give away the traditions and ways of three thousand years. How can we trust such a government?"

"They'll be on their way," Ledosh said. "Security forces are watching now."

"They're busy," Goras said. His blade went back to his belt for the moment. "As soon as I acted, my compatriots did as well." He looked to Meridina and held out his free hand. Her _lakesh_ flew into it. "A pity that you didn't die as I asked you to, Meridina. Your death would have made this unnecessary. Now the true children of Gersal have no choice but to seize control to save our people from the Alliance." He raised a hand. "Gersal needs a leader with the vision to lead it through this new era. And it falls upon me to take that mantle."

Meridina glared up as Goras held her blade above his head. "You are a traitor, Meridina, daughter of Drentiya and Karesl. I strip you of your rank I strip of you of your place in this Order." He gripped the tip of the blade, using his power to absorb the edge so he didn't lose his fingers, and kept his other hand on the hilt. With one solid burst of effort he brought the blade down until it struck his upper leg, rising to meet it. A loud snap echoed in the air as the blow, assisted by Goras' great power, broke the memory metal blade in two. Goras tossed both ends of the broken blade away and retrieved his own. With a metallic shriek, Goras' blade extended to its full length. "And now, traitor, I strip you of your life. In the name of the people of Gersal, I proclaim you unfit to live for your crimes against us." He brought the blade up. "Time to die."

As Goras spoke, Gamaya's fingers flew over Lucy's multi-device. Her face was blank with concentration. "Have you adjusted for the harmonics of the…", Lucy began.

"Yes." Gamaya continued to work. "I've almost… got it…"

The others looked to where Goras was approaching Meridina and Karesl, his killing intent clear from the way he held his blade. "Gami…", Lucy said nervously.

"Almost…"

"Gamaya, we're out of time," Robert hissed.

It proved unnecessary.

As he said that, Gamaya hit a key on Lucy's multidevice. "Now!", she cried. As she did, energy erupted from the multidevice via its built-in transmitters. The burst fried the machine immediately.

But it still had the intended effect. For a brief second, the force dome over the central floor of the Chamber disintegrated in front of the Lumantala seats.

Robert and Lucy jumped through it in that instant, Angel beside them.

The moment they were through Goras brought the blade down toward Meridina's head.

Lucy and Robert lashed out with one joint burst of power. It was a wild shot, one Goras hadn't seen it coming, and it had enough power to send him flying until he hit the western side of the alcove wall and collapsed onto his hands and feet.

Meridina looked to them with worry in her face. She tried to move, but it was clear her wound was severe and she was in no shape to fight. All she could hope to do was keep her father alive.

And hope that they could defeat Goras.

"Okay, now what?", Robert asked Lucy.

Lucy responded by going over to where Karesl and Meridina were laid out. "I'm sorry," she said, pulling Karesl's _lakesh_ from his belt. He was too weak to respond verbally, but she sensed him understand and consent. She flicked a switch and the blade activated, extending out to a length greater than the one she was used to. _That's not good_ , she thought. This weapon would be heavier than her _lakesh_ and harder to wield. And she was already at a major disadvantage.

Goras roared in anger as he got back to his feet. He looked to Lucy first and charged at her. Lucy caught the attack with Karesl's blade. It took almost everything she had to resist his sheer power. He was pouring his life essence, his _swevyra_ , into his body, making him stronger and faster and more resilient.

Lucy was doing the same, of course, but it meant focus, and focus while a pissed off swordmaster was trying to kill her was _not_ anything close to an easy task.

He put her on her backfoot almost immediately. A second swing pushed her blade nearly out of position and she might have taken a follow-up stab to the gut if Robert hadn't reached out with his power at that moment. He grunted as he tried to focus on Goras' right leg, immobilizing it and throwing off his posture.

Angel, meanwhile, tried to do what she did best. She came up to his blind side and threw a punch.

Her fist never connected.

Goras briefly turned and glared her way. With not even a move of his hand he generated enough force to stop Angel's punch in its tracks, just an inch from his face. His power gripped her wrist and held her in place for a moment. Her hazel eyes widened in surprise.

This allowed Lucy the time to recover her footing. She swung her new blade in Angel's defense, trying to keep Goras from exploiting her immobility. Robert swapped targets and felt out with his power for Goras' right arm to grip it, keeping his sword swinging off-target.

It worked, for the moment. A swipe from Goras went wide, missing Lucy. Lucy recovered and made a slightly off-balance swipe at Goras that didn't connect either, but which forced him to divert his attention from Angel. With her wrist freed Angel recovered her balance and lunged with her whole body. Goras hadn't found his footing yet, not with Lucy swinging at him again and having to be parried; Angel plowed into him and brought him to his knees. Robert dashed in and grabbed Goras' left arm physically, restraining his blade and exposing his right side. "Lucy!", he shouted. _Now! Won't get another chance!_

The follow-up mental commentary hadn't been necessary. Lucy knew she only had a second to land a hit to put Goras down. With all of her power, all of her might, she swung the _lakesh_ at Goras' right arm, aiming to cut him at the elbow and deny him the use of his primary hand.

She was a second too late.

Goras screamed. It was a rage-filled, horrifying scream, and it had _power_. Indeed, his entire body vibrated with it, and in one massive pulse it struck all three and sent them flying. Angel and Robert went into the far shield dome and went down. Lucy was thrown back against the northern side, near the alcove.

"I considered letting you go!", Goras shouted. "To return to your people in peace! But no. No, I will destroy you too, and in your names I will punish the Alliance for this interference in our affairs!"

Robert and Angel were starting to get back up. Lucy was already getting onto her feet. Goras went after her first. Lucy got the blade into position to block his first attack and then his second. She could feel the sheer fury radiating from him, and it was terrifying.

And more than fury. She could feel the cold. The vicious, cold darkness that she had once felt, and which had horrified her. Goras was falling to it. In his anger and frustration at the way events had gone, at the way he was being continually defied in his goals, he was losing control of his emotions, of himself.

"Look at you!", she cried. "You're supposed to be a _Mastrash!_ But you're falling to darkness!"

"You have no right to judge!" Goras' blade slammed down on Lucy's again. She strained to hold him back.

Robert and Angel were running. They operated in tandem, Angel going for his legs again and Robert reaching with his power to grip Goras' sword arm. Goras let out a frustrated growl and whirled about for a moment, just a moment. But it was enough. Angel had to jump to her side to avoid his blade. Goras gestured with his hand.

Robert felt like he'd been hit by a truck. He went flying back into the dome field from the power of the invisible bolt of energy that had hit him.

Lucy tried to take advantage. But Karesl's blade was too heavy. She wasn't used to the weight and her attempt to hit Goras' weak side was easily evaded. Goras brought his blade around with one hand while the other smashed across Lucy's cheek. Pain covered the side of her face from the impact and she fell to one knee. She already felt the next blow coming and brought the blade up to meet it, stopping Goras from decapitating her in a single swipe. But the way she had to shift her body and arm made her grip weak. The impact of the blow sent Karesl's blade flying from her hand.

Goras smirked and brought the blade back around for a swift swing. Angel kept it from connecting by going at him again. Her fist went for a point on his arm. She'd wanted him to drop his sword from the impact, but all it did was make him change which hand held it. She adjusted quickly, bringing her leg up and kicking at his open throat.

But again Goras' power caught her by the limb, this time the ankle, and she was helpless to stop a hard blow from his free hand from slamming into her rib cage. Angel's scream of pain was involuntary from the sheer shock of the fierce blow as it snapped ribs. She flew backward.

But she'd bought Lucy the second she needed to get Karesl's sword back. She summoned it to her hand and caught Goras' killing stroke against her just before it landed. She tried to stand back up, to get room, but he bore down on her with his power. "Poor fools," he growled. "You should have never matched power with me."

Lucy didn't reply. She couldn't. All her strength had to go into holding back Goras' blade.

But even there he held an advantage. He'd landed his blow at just the right spot on Karesl's longer sword, and given their positions, he was starting to overwhelm the memory metal's flexibility. The metal felt like it was giving way, even as the two blades' EM fields continued to go "whmm!" Lucy cried out in effort as she tried to push him back. She summoned all of the power within her to do it.

But Goras met it. And he pushed harder.

There was a loud snapping sound. Karesl's _lakesh_ broke into two in Lucy's hand, and Goras' blade descended on her shoulder blade. Her clothes caused little resistance as the blade cut into the soft fleece and the polyester beneath until it met warm flesh.

Lucy was pulling backward and twisting, keeping Goras from driving his blade through her arm or shoulder. He cut along the shoulder and upper left side of Lucy's torso, ending just below the armpit. She spun away as her blood flowed onto the floor from the cut.

For a moment she looked up, to see if any more help would be coming. But there was none. Even though Goras' people were in the minority, they had the advantage that they were ready to fight, and anyone who moved first would certainly get someone else killed.

 _This is pointless_ , a part of her thought. _He's too powerful. And now we don't have any weapons._ She looked up. Goras was no longer looking her way. Robert had gotten his attention again by grabbing at his legs while Angel, despite her broken ribs, was coming in close to land a punch. Goras sent her flying with another movement of her hand.

 _Don't give in!_ , she heard. She looked to Meridina, still tending to her father. Meridina's blue eyes were locked upon Lucy's. _Feel with your_ swevyra _, Lucy. Find a way. You must!_

There was no time for meditation. Almost no time for thought. Goras was winning, and with every blow they were getting weaker. Lucy didn't even closer her eyes as she might have otherwise done. She felt within herself and pushed through the distractions, particularly the fact that she would probably be dead in a minute or two, to see what was within. To see if the energy inside her, the insight and power, would know of some way to get a weapon again, to have a fighting chance against Goras. But the two other _lakesh_ es were destroyed. There were no other weapons...

She stopped the thought. As she did, Robert grunted in pain as Goras batted him against the force dome again.

Lucy's head swiveled to her right… toward the alcove where Swenya's relics remained in their containers.

 _This is so not going to work_ went through her head as Lucy got back to her feet and ran toward the last weapon left to her.

Goras didn't see her immediately. He was too busy slamming Robert and Angel up against the force dome, over and over, knocking the air out of their lungs and in general wearing them down to the point they would fall unconscious. He only turned when one of his followers screeched an enraged, " _Blasphemy!_ "

By the time he turned, Lucy was already bringing the full strength of her power down upon the glass case before her. It shattered at the impact. Her right hand darted in…

" _YOU DARE?!_ ", Goras roared. He left Robert and Angel to fall, nigh-unconscious, to the ground. He charged with near-superhuman speed toward the alcove, his _lakesh_ raised and coming down…

...on the empty display case, as Lucy rolled away from him and to her feet.

Swenya's Blade was in her right hand.

Stunned looks and gasps filled the Chamber. No one could fathom it, could believe that anyone would dare to take up the relic.

With nothing left to do, Lucy's thumb found the switch on the hilt and pressed it.

Nothing happened.

Her mind registered the lack of the familiar metallic shriek of a memory metal blade flowing into form and hardening. She looked down at the useless paperweight in her right hand.

Goras' eyes were focused on her. And she could see the gold starting to form in them. "There is no punishment severe enough to avenge the atrocity you just committed, _alien_ ," Goras spat.

"Um… sorry?", Lucy offered, even as her mind raced. She wished she had her multidevice. If she could scan the weapon maybe she'd see what was…

Goras' power lashed at her. Lucy tried to resist it. She put everything into it. But Goras was still too strong. His life force energy became a vise around her neck and around her trachea. She wheezed a last gasp of air as he lifted her up. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't. The air simply wasn't inside of her anymore. Her feet cartwheeled helplessly in mid-air, four feet off the ground, while her hands instinctively went to her throat. Swenya's Blade hit the floor, forgotten in her moment of panic while Goras choked the life from her. The pressure continued, on and on, and Lucy was convinced he was about to snap her neck like a twig.

And then it was over, and Lucy was falling back to the ground. She had inhaled her first gasp by the time the pain registered in her knees that she was back on _terra firma_.

Robert and Angel, battered and bruised, were back on their feet, and the two had tackled Goras to the ground. Robert was trying to hold his sword arm in place while Angel's arms wrapped around his neck in a sleeper hold. Lucy could feel their sentiments. They knew this wouldn't work, they knew they couldn't stop Goras, but they were willing to buy her the time she needed if it gave them the slightest hope of victory.

Lucy reached her hand out and pulled the broken relic to her. She looked it over, she felt into it with her power, with her insight and all of the technological knowhow she had. There was a reason it had stopped working. Why? Was a circuit broken that was keeping electricity from reaching the memory metal? Was the blade emptied of the substance?

Robert went flying into the alcove, where he slammed into the stand holding Swenya's sandals and toppled over. Goras got to his feet, still conscious despite Angel's strength holding his neck and throat, and turned his back toward the alcove. Angel screamed at the first impact, and then the second, as Goras kept slamming her into the solid wood surface. Her grip weakened.

Lucy looked back to the weapon. There had to be something…!

And then Angel was out of it. She slumped to the ground, utterly spent, bruised and battered and completely helpless. Goras turned toward Lucy. His nostrils flared and his eyes, now firmly gold with darkness, bored into her.

It seemed incredulous that Goras' people hadn't turned on him. His followers had to feel his loss of control. They had to know he was becoming a monster right before their eyes. But still they did nothing, whether out of fear or momentum or simply dogged determination to the course he'd proclaimed for them. They still held the Council and the present members of the Order captive, leaving none to challenge Goras. No one but Lucy.

Lucy… who had seconds to live as Goras rushed at her, intent on cutting her to ribbons as she fumbled with the useless relic in her hands.

Energy caught him by the ankles and Goras fell over. Lucy looked that way in time to see Meridina and Karesl, wounded as they were, throwing their power in at the last moment to trip Goras. It was clear they were spent as well, and Karesl may even be dying. But they had bought her a few more seconds...

Somewhere between her _swevyra_ and the insight that energy gave to her, and her technical knowledge, Lucy sensed something. There was a part inside the weapon. It wasn't right… like it was out of place. And not from any damage, as the weapon looked intact on the outside. It was as if someone had intentionally used the energy of their life to shift a piece out of alignment.

Lucy could do the same. But it wasn't the best choice. She would have rather opened it, scanned it, made sure she knew what was inside and if she might be breaking something. But that required better circumstances than what she was facing at the moment, with just seconds to act.

Without options, Lucy reached inside the dormant weapon with her energy. Her power gently gripped the piece within and moved it back toward what she felt to be its proper place.

Goras got back to his feet. He ignored the others. He could feel Meridina and Karesl couldn't do anything else. Angel was out of it. Robert was still struggling to get back to his feet.

And once Lucy was dead, they would all die in turn.

His blade came up. Goras once more charged at her. She had seconds before his blade came down again. Maybe a few more if she dodged far enough.

But her attention was entirely on Swenya's Blade as, with a moment of satisfaction, the piece within slid back into its proper place. She could sense that the millennia-old weapon was once again intact.

That didn't mean that it would work, though. It was three thousand years old. It hadn't been touched in millennia.

But with Goras' _lakesh_ seconds from her skull, Lucy simply had no other choice. _Please work please work please God let this work please!_ went through her head as she brought the ancient hilt up toward Goras.

Goras yelled in animalistic triumph as his blade came crashing down on Lucy.

There was no time left. She triggered Swenya's Blade.

And once again, no memory metal flowed out to meet Goras' weapon. There was no shriek of memory metal hardening. No gentle "Whmm!" of EM fields clashing.

Lucy should have died right there.

But she didn't.

An electronic snap split the air and lingered off with a hiss, followed by the harsh high-pitched buzz as Goras' blade made impact against the bright sapphire light that now filled Lucy's vision.

In the place of the memory metal blade that Lucy had expected, a solid blade of blue light had surged from the relic.

"What…?" The surprise was complete on Goras' face. He backed away for the moment.

And indeed, the surprise had gripped the rest of the Chamber. Everyone stared in wonderment and surprise at the shining blue light of Swenya's Blade. The restored weapon filled the air with a constant electronic buzz. The buzz increased in pitch and volume when Lucy moved it in the air as a consequence of getting back to her feet. She looked into it for a moment, ignoring the strain on her eyes. Her mind was processing this weapon in her hand, this… beautiful piece of elegant technology. She thought she could feel the photons and plasma bouncing about within the blade, kept in place by the field that gave Swenya's Blade its shape.

Goras overcame his shock. He would not back down now, not when so much had happened, not with his rage so pure. He struck at Lucy again with all of his power and fury.

Lucy met the attacks with Swenya's Blade. The weapon moved more like an extension of her arm than any other sword she'd had. It had virtually no mass. That meant no weight, and that meant freedom of movement. Goras' skill advantage was still great, but now Lucy could meet his attacks more rapidly. Indeed, Goras seemed reluctant to truly press their blades against each other. He had no idea what the weapon in her hands could do. She wasn't even sure.

Goras could still kill her. He was more powerful than her. The darkness seizing him made him even more powerful. And he had skill. Lucy had him at her advantage from surprise, but that would fade soon. She had to win quickly, and she had to do so by enduring his onslaught. She had to beat him with flexibility.

The thought brought a little smile to her face. _Thank you, Julia, for the_ t'ai chi _lesson_. She put Julia's forms to use. Using her size and the lightness of her weapon to parry and deflect Goras' swings and cuts kept him from landing hits. She moved her body in a continuous flow to evade further blows, letting him waste his strength on empty air or easily-deflected blows.

All eyes were on them. All eyes on Gersal, across the Interdependency, would see this, would see Swenya's Blade alive again after three millennia and wielded by an outsider trained in the Gersallian arts.

And it would be for nothing if Lucy failed

The battle moved back toward the alcove. Lucy was giving ground, but doing it willingly. The buzzing of her weapon contrasted with the continued "Whmm!" sounds that came when it was struck by the EM field of Goras' _lakesh_. He remained quiet, but it was clear from the fury in his eyes that he wanted to kill her, and he aimed to do it.

His superior skill soon weighed in. He adjusted to Lucy's flexible movement and shifted his posture, cutting her off and pressing her back toward the alcove. With several blows of his blade he pinned her in before she could escape. Lucy caught a swipe aimed right for her forehead with her blade. Again it buzzed angrily as the _lakesh_ pressed against it. Goras snarled and pushed himself against Lucy, putting all of his power, all of his strength, into using his blade to press hers back into herself.

And all she could do was resist. Her arms screamed in protest as they held firm, preventing Goras from finishing her off. The shining blue energy of Swenya's blade filled both of their eyes.

At first neither noticed it, but it was Lucy who did first. At the point where their blades met, Goras' _lakesh_ was now glowing red. She felt a surge of elation at that. The _lakesh_ 's EM field was failing, and the energy of her weapon was burning into the memory metal. The elation gave her an extra spurt of strength, reinforcing her will to hold firm as Goras literally destroyed his weapon in trying to cut her with it.

Moments later, there was a loud metallic snap in the air. The top half of Goras' _lakesh_ flew past Lucy's head and embedded itself into the alcove wall.

Lucy summoned everything she had to move, and to keep Goras from recovering. She twisted away from him as Goras fell off-balance to what had been her right, and was now her left. He started to turn back to her, his broken blade still in his hands. But Lucy's blade was already in motion, swinging upward as it approached Goras' wrists.

There was a scream, a cry, and two little thuds joined by the clang of metal against the floor.

Goras fell before Lucy. His arms now ended at burnt stubs at his wrists. He screamed in inarticulate rage and pain at his dismemberment.

Lucy stared at him in shock. She was still _alive_. She looked down to the blue energy blade shining in her hand and laughed lowly. She stopped paying attention to Goras in that moment, absorbed completely in her miraculous achievement.

This was a mistake, as Goras started to gather his energy. Even with no hands to focus his power through, he could hit her hard enough to do damage, perhaps to kill.

But there was a sudden and fierce movement and _here_ came the fist of Angela Delgado right on target. The shock of the blow knocked the crazed _Mastrash_ unconscious.

The sound of the impact jolted Lucy's attention back to the here and now. She looked down at her foe, now unconscious, and at Angela beside him. She was on a knee and fierce pain was written all over her face, such that Lucy didn't need her gift to see it. Angel gave her a pained smile. Her hazel eyes looked over Swenya's Blade, still shining brightly. "Cool sword," she managed.

"Yeah," croaked Robert, who was crawling his way over to them. He smiled weakly at them. "Good job getting it to work."

"Thanks," Lucy answered. She extinguished the blade before she reached down to help Robert to his feet. "So, it looks like we won."

"Yeah, we did," Angel said. "Look."

Lucy looked upward at the Chamber where, much to her pleasant surprise, Goras' followers were surrendering to Ledosh and Gina in one wordless group. Without his life being threatened, the technician was allowed to lower the forcefield. Green-robed healers rushed to Karesl and Meridina alongside their family.

"Well, we lived," Robert said. He grimaced as he held his left arm with his right. It looked like it was broken. "I guess pain never feels so good than when it means you're still alive."

Angel forced the grimace from her face and answered, "Pain is weakness leaving the body." She snorted. "At least that's what Commander Kane told me."

"Yeah… I think that's a bit.. Off…" Robert winced at trying to move his arm. "Because I feel pretty damned weak right now." He looked to where Meridina was being treated. "What do you think?"

"Pain is pain," Meridina answered. Her voice was weak, but the tone behind it was triumphant. "It reminds us we are alive. But it can break as often as it strengthens." She looked to where Goras lay unconscious on the ground. "Sometimes in ways others don't see until it is too late." She lifted her eyes to look at Lucy. "You have wielded Swenya's Blade in battle against darkness. My people cannot deny the correctness of your training now."

"So… we win?", Lucy asked, favoring her injured arm.

"Every one of us," Meridina agreed. A sad look came over her as she looked to where her critically wounded father was being prepared for a stretcher. "Although the cost may be high."

The others became respectfully silent at that. Due to their silence they gradually became aware that, save for the healers, the rest of the Chamber's occupants were staring down at them. The trio stopped speaking and looked to the seats..

One by one, the Gersallians of the Order of Swenya bowed their heads in respect and admiration.

"You have achieved something I did not think possible," said Ledosh, who walked up to them.

"You mean two students and a non-powered fighter beating a _Mastrash_?", Lucy asked.

Ledosh shook his head. "No. That was always possible, especially as he descended into darkness and lost his way. No, your achievement is that you have won the acceptance of the Order today. You stood here, in the eyes of all, and reforged Swenya's Blade. And with it, you defeated the greatest threat the Order has faced in centuries." Ledosh smiled at that. "The Council has voted. Meridina is clear of all accusations, and you two have been recognized as the likely progenitors of a Human _swevyra_ tradition."

"Well, good to know we won after all that."

Ledosh nodded to them and moved on.

"So… who do I give this to?", Lucy asked. "Because I bet it's not 'Finder's Keepers' with a cultural artifact."

"We'll let Ledosh figure that out," Robert said. "Right now, we need good food and a soft bed."

"You don't even have to ask," said Lucy. "But first, I want my multidevice back." She looked down to the round hilt in her hand. "I've got some scanning to do."


	46. Episode 2-09-6 Whispers of Destiny

_Captain Robert Dale Personal Log; 15 May 2642._

We're all alive.

And that is news, because we fought one of the most powerful members of the Order of Swenya, a member going mad with power, and we lived.

We've spent the night in the medical ward of the Great Temple having our wounds treated. The Order's healers are astounding with how much they can do without technology and most of our injuries were dealt with by their healing methods.

Although some wounds are not so easily healed.

* * *

The four crewmembers from the _Aurora_ stood quietly in the bedroom of the medical ward while an apprentice healer used both his senses and medical scan technology to check on the status of _Mastrash_ Karesl. He breathed slowly and weakly. Around his bed Meridina's mother and siblings had gathered, holding a quiet vigil.

"What have the doctors said?", Lucy asked Meridina. She was in a second set of civilian clothing, fetched from the _Rio Grande_ the prior night, and Swenya's Blade dangled openly on her belt.

"He was examined by a medical expert from Jantarihal early this morning," Meridina replied. She was back in proper tunic and vest as a full-standing member of the Order, with the blue robes of a field Knight. Her _lakesh_ hilt was on her belt even though it had yet to be repaired. "He suffered severe internal bleeding from Goras' attack. They are hopeful for his recovery, but depending on how his body heals, my father may be unable to keep up his duties with the Council _Mastrasham_."

"I think he's strong enough to pull it out," Angel remarked. She was back in her civilian clothes, which hid the bandaging around her damaged ribs and the bruising from all of the pounding Goras had inflicted on her. There was no hiding the wince whenever she moved a certain way, though.

"Regardless of the outcome, we will be here for him." Drentiya looked up from her chair. "Thank you all for your bravery last night."

"Thank you for giving us the chance to be there," Robert answered. His left arm had been mended by the ministrations of the Temple Healers, but it still ached and he refused to move it unless he had to. Even rapid healing couldn't keep him from feeling pain from the injuries.

There was movement at the door. Gina stepped in and bowed his head respectfully. "I am glad you're all well," she said. "The Council has summoned you. All four of you."

Meridina looked from Gina to her slumbering father. She wanted to wait and see him wake up. She wanted to talk to him, to thank him, for being there for her, and for understanding her.

But she had duties still, and Karesl had raised her to fulfill duties above her own wants. "I'll be back shortly," she said to her family.

"We'll be here, Meridina," Drentiya said. "Take as long as you need."

* * *

A reception was waiting for them in the Council Chamber, as many of the seats were filled again with blue and green and cream-robed members of the Order. Workers had already put the Council's table back, but the scars of battle damage hadn't yet been completely removed.

Sitting in Maklir's place was another older _Mastrash_ with a balding head and a long, beakish nose. The seat for Karesl remained empty, but that of Goras was also filled by another _Mastrash_ , and woman with short graying brown hair and a light complexion.

"Knight Meridina. Lucilla Lucero. Robert Dale. Angela Delgado." The old man bowed partially to them from his seat. "We thank you for your bravery. I am _Mastrash_ Tinaran."

Meridina made the same bow in return. The others bowed their heads instead. "You're welcome," Robert said. "What can we do for you?"

"There are a few orders of business the Council wishes to discuss with you," Tinaran stated. "The most pressing being the issue of Swenya's Blade." He directed his dark amber eyes toward Lucy. "You have achieved something remarkable, Lucilla. No one has ever imagined it possible to bring life to Swenya's Blade. Many of our greatest have tried and failed."

"It was a matter of thinking the right way, sir," Lucy answered. "I just had the right background in understanding technology."

"So you say." Tinaran folded his hands together. "It has created quite the stir among our people. Many in the citizenry believe we should offer you a purple robe. Alas, that would require you committing to the Order."

"I figured. I have a place already." Lucy looked to the others briefly.

"Yes. Of course, this means that Swenya's Blade must be returned. It is a relic of our Foundress and a treasure of the Gersallian people. It does not belong to any one person."

Lucy felt the others looking at her curiously. But she merely smiled and unclipped the ancient weapon from her belt. She used her power to gently levitate it over to Tinaran. "I understand," she explained to them. "I don't have any problems with returning it."

"Thank you for your understanding." Tinaran looked over the Council with some relief.

Robert tried not to frown. He got the feeling that the Council wasn't exactly about to throw them a ticker tape parade. As he contemplated the reasons, he asked, "Can I ask a question before we continue?"

Tinaran looked again to the others. Nods were the only answers he got, though not from all. "That is acceptable."

"Goras claimed his followers would attack the government as well," Robert said. "But I haven't heard anything about this."

"The Interdependency Security Force was prepared," Ledosh replied. "We are told they received word from the Alliance Government warning them of an imminent Dissenter attempt to overthrow our government. Curiously, it came from the Office of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations."

The four shared bewildered looks. The idea that Davies would help thwart a coup that was going to give him what he wanted was… bizarre.

"Either way, the attack failed to seize the Director or any of his subordinates, and the Assembly was unharmed," Tinaran said. "Goras' madness ended last night."

"And Goras himself?"

"Incarcerated," another of the Council members, a tan-skinned woman with graying brown hair, said. Robert felt Meridina's mind communicate a name to him: Hadisina. "We will decide his fate later."

"Testing Goras will be a difficult prospect.."

"Last night seemed like quite a test," Angel guffawed.

The Council didn't react to that.

"There are other points we must address," Tinaran said. "Specifically, the issue of the Prophecy of the Dawn."

"What about it?", Robert asked.

"We ask that you not speak on it in public," the old man said. "The Council once voted to investigate whether your existence and your actions were signs of the Prophecy's fulfillment. We encouraged the Gersallian government to resist your removal from the _Aurora_ on the strength of that belief. But in light of recent occurrences, we now feel that this issue is too potentially disruptive to the populace. The Council has made an official public ruling; the Prophecy is not coming to pass at this time, and we will no longer make policies based upon that calculation."

Meridina couldn't hide her disappointment. "We all saw them," she said. "None can deny what they are. Who but the Bearers of the Dawn could re-ignite Swenya's Blade?"

One of the other Council members answered immediately. "As Lieutenant Lucero herself pointed out, she merely used her technical knowledge. There is nothing of the _swevyra_ about her insight." Meridina identified him mentally for them: Verairos.

"I didn't mean it was just…"

Before Lucy could finish, Tinaran raised a hand. "This is our decision, Knight Meridina, and it is final. The Order, for the moment, holds that the Prophecy is not coming true. Its authenticity will still be debated until we see further indications that Swenya's vision is coming to pass."

Meridina bowed her head. "Yes, Master."

"Why?", Robert asked. "Are the Dissenters that powerful? Their leader just got outed to the entire Multiverse as having become a madman falling into darkness. Their _coup_ fizzled."

"Not all Dissenters were violent," Tinaran said. "Many rejected Goras' path. But they are still our people, and their beliefs and feelings must be considered."

"Even some of those who support the Alliance are not comfortable with the idea of the Prophecy," Hadisina added. "We must consider their views. If the Order, if _we_ , continue to follow this line, we will only further damage the balance of our people."

"And it is clear that others in the Alliance have their own concerns about our actions on the matter," Verairos added. "Even now, legislators for the Alliance Council are proposing an act that would bar members of our Order from serving in the Alliance Government while remaining in the Order. It is clear that we have invited hostility in the Alliance that we must act to dispel. And that means withdrawing ourselves from the Alliance's direct affairs."

"You're just going to what, go isolationist?", Lucy asked.

"No, not at all," Hadisina said. "But we will no longer show interest in the internal affairs of the Alliance, we will merely offer our services when and where it is needed."

"And this extends to the issue of the Prophecy of the Dawn, and of the _Aurora_ ," Tinaran said. "Our people spent valuable influence in shielding you from the hostility of your own superiors last year. We cannot do so any longer. The Prophecy, true or not, must not dictate our approach to the future."

Robert couldn't argue with Tinaran. He didn't like the thought of trying to judge situations through things like prophecies. His own nightmares and dreams had been a mixed bag so far. They'd helped at Gamma Piratus, but 33LA had been a different story.

But he felt there was more to it than that. He thought he could feel something else in the Council. A nebulous sort of… fear? As if these Council members, given a reason, wanted to dismiss the Prophecy of the Dawn because something about it…

...scared them?

"Additionally…" Tinaran leaned forward in his seat and put his hands together. "There is the matter of your current position. The Council has debated the matter extensively."

"What is the Council's decision, then?" Meridina looked to Ledosh. He had lowered his eyes. Whatever was going on, he had been outvoted.

It was Tinaran who answered. "The charges have been cleared, as Ledosh informed you last night. However, in keeping with our decision on restricting our affairs in the Alliance, it is our choice to recall you from field service from the time being. You are hereby instructed by the Council to resign your commission in the Alliance Stellar Navy and to return to Gersal."

"You will be assigned to the Temple Knights," Hadisina added. "Knight-Commander Hajamar will assign you where you are needed while you work with the Healers to finish purging the darkness that remains latent due to your experience with the Goa'uld. In time, when you have served your proper time with the Temple Knights, we will see to a new field assignment."

Meridina drew in a breath. Her heart hurt at hearing their decision. She looked to the others, who all looked to her with worry and sadness, particularly Lucy. "I see," she said.

"You have proven a valuable and loyal _swevyra'se_. It is unfortunate that your devotion to the Prophecy helped to cause this strife," Tinaran said. "We will do everything in our power to help you recover from what has happened."

"No," Lucy said. "Meridina, you…"

Robert set a hand on her shoulder. "Lucy, it'll be okay. You and I can carry on together." He looked to Tinaran. "The Council won't object to Meridina remaining in contact with us, will it?"

"Within reason, no," he answered vaguely. "She has a right to association so long as it does not impact the Order."

Angel rolled her eyes. "So basically, the answer is 'yes, but only if we like it'."

" _Swevyra'se_ have responsibilities," Hadisina said. "Sometimes they require us to restrain ourselves."

Meridina had remained silent through this exchange. Her mind raced with the implications of what was being said. She bitterly imagined Goras would laugh when he learned; he might not have split Gersal from the Alliance, but the Council was certainly tilting toward his side of things. They wanted to pull away from the Alliance. And Meridina couldn't understand why.

But they were the Council. The Code required she obey them on matters like this, just as she would one day be obeyed if she sat upon the Council.

She turned her head to face her comrades. By the scale of her life, her involvement with them was not terribly long. Just a few years, and mostly the prior eighteen months. But that was enough time to build the bonds she felt toward them. To enjoy the wonder and delight of Caterina at seeing new things, Jarod's daily happiness at having a place and identity of his own, Zachary's confident growth as a commander, Commander Kane's curious mixture of straight professionalism and exuberant camaraderie…

The crew of the _Aurora_ had become more than colleagues. They had become her second family.

Meridina's heart threatened to split at the weight of the choice before her. She closed her eyes before tears could form in them.

"Meridina?", Robert asked. "What is it?" He could feel the turmoil within her as she weighed two parts of herself, and judged which she would have to rip away.

"You don't have to do this," Angel insisted to the Council. "Let her stay with us. We work well together. And we won't talk about this Prophecy or whatever."

"The decision of the Council is final," Tinaran declared. "Knight Meridina, you may say your goodbyes. We will arrange for anything you left on the _Aurora_ to be brought to your new quarters here in the Temple."

Robert and Lucy were both looking at her. Lucy could feel the pain building in Meridina's heart. Tears filled her eyes at that feeling. She said nothing about it; there was nothing to say.

Meridina had a choice to make, it was that simple. And her nature demanded she make it decisively, with no doubt, although either choice would almost demand such doubt. Because she had already known doubt, and felt what it could do to her. How it could undermine her and weaken her.

"Meridina…?", Ledosh asked.

" _Mastrasham_ of the Council," Meridina said. "I hear your commands. The Code of Swenya, the Code I have sworn to live my life by, to give my life for, requires I obey them." She turned to face them. Her eyes focused on Ledosh. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh, I can never thank you enough for your patience as a mentor and a teacher. You taught me to listen to the wisdom of my _swevyra_. That is what made me the _swevyra'se_ I am today."

Ledosh was paling as he realized what was going on. "Meridina…," he began.

As he said her name, Meridina was already gripping the right shoulder of her blue robe. In a gentle, quiet motion, she pulled her right arm out of the sleeve, and then her left arm out of the other. In several motions she folded the robe reverently into a flat square and laid it gently upon the Council's table. They were all staring in disbelief as she took her _lakesh_ hilt and laid it on top of her discarded robe.

"My heart and my _swevyra_ lead me in the same direction," Meridina said. Tears were already pouring from her blue eyes. "My place is on the _Aurora_. I cannot obey your order. I have no choice but to renounce my Oath to the Order of Swenya."

The air seemed to grow chilled. The Council members looked at each other in utter surprise. For all of their power, their supposed vision, they hadn't seen this coming.

"I will remember my service to the Order fondly," she said. "It was everything I wanted in life. And though I am compelled to renounce my place as a _swevyra'se_ of Gersal, I will still honor the Code of Swenya until my dying breath." Meridina bowed to them with genuine respect.

"You can never come back," Tinaran warned. "You have chosen this course to evade a proper Order from this Council. Therefore you will be regarded as having left this Order for selfish reasons and you will be treated accordingly."

Meridina nodded in acknowledgement. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."

And without another word, she walked away.

Robert, Lucy, and Angel looked to the Council. "Have a good day," Robert said, and he managed some sincerity in it despite himself. Afterward he too turned, as did Lucy and Angel, and the three walked briskly to catch up with Meridina and joined her in exiting the Chamber.

* * *

The four _Aurora_ crew emerged from the central structure of the Great Temple and walked on toward the stop for the commuter service. Robert and Lucy shared uncomfortable glances; they could feel the pain inside of Meridina.

"Those sons of bitches," Angel growled. "That asshole Goras is going to laugh his ass off when he finds out."

"They're scared," Robert said.

"Of what? Goras' crazy supporters?"

"No." Lucy shook her head. "Something else. They're scared of something else."

As they approached the stop, an aircar pulled up. Its doors opened. "Please, come with me," Gina said from the driver's seat.

The four looked at each other, although Meridina barely glanced as part of that.

"Please hurry," Gina insisted. "We don't have much time, they're going to get suspicious."

"Well, since you put it like that," Robert sighed, climbing in on one side. Everyone joined him and within five seconds, the aircar was zooming away. "Where are we going?", he asked Gina.

"The countryside," she replied. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh's family still owns a small cottage in the mountains. He's going to meet us there in a few hours. Privately, away from the Council and the Order."

"What's going on?", Angel asked. "Why all the secrecy?"

"I don't know why," Gina said. "But I know he thinks it's very important." Gina glanced back at Meridina, who was squeezed in between Lucy and Angel. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you would be coming. I… well, Ledosh didn't think you'd actually leave the Order."

"I almost didn't," Meridina admitted. Her reddened eyes briefly looked to Lucy and then to Robert in the front seat. "But I felt I had to."

"Hopefully we're about to find out why they forced that choice on you," Robert said.

* * *

The Lookout was mostly empty when Julia arrived to have lunch. Even most of the usual staff seemed to be gone.

But not Hargert, of course. Never Hargert. He approached her with a tray, on which there was a steaming bowl of sausage stew and a plate of lunch finger foods that looked delicious as always. A glass of fruit juice rounded out the lunch. "Don't you ever take days off?", Julia asked him as he settled the tray before her. She smiled gently. "You always seem to be here at work."

"And what would I do with my days off, Commander?", Hargert replied amiably. "I would be here anyway. This is not work to me, it is pleasure." A smile creased his wrinkled old face. "That I am compensated for it makes it all the more enjoyable." He slid into the chair opposite from her. "I hear congratulations are in order to the Captain of the new _Enterprise_."

Julia shook her head and grinned. She picked up a spoon and dipped it into the stew. "I'm sure Scotty's told everyone on the ship. Although I honestly haven't said 'yes' yet."

"Ah. You wish to discuss things with Robert, yes?"

"Among other things." Julia took a bite and savored the delicious, rich taste. "I swear to God, Hargert, you are the greatest cook I've ever known. You would have given competition to Rob's grandmother."

" _Danke schon_ ," he answered. "I suspect we learned the same way."

"Maybe." Julia stirred the spoon in the stew again.

As she took her next bite, two more figures walked up. Caterina and Violeta were in uniform too, wearing uniform skirts instead of trousers. They were holding hands. "Can we?", Cat asked.

Julia nodded. "Sure."

"I shall be right back." Hargert got up and walked off, presumably to get two more sets of food for the new arrivals.

Cat and Violeta took chairs beside each other. "I heard from Angel that she was okay," Cat said. "But I'm still not sure what happened. Something about a fight and a bad guy with mind powers?

"Apparently one of the leaders of Meridina's Order went nuts and tried to kill everyone. Rob and Angel and Lucy helped put him down."

"Lucy, you mean Lieutenant Lucero, right?" Violeta's face brightened up. "I was watching a video this morning over the IU extranet. She had some kind of energy sword!"

"Don't ask me, I'm still wondering about it myself," Julia replied.

"When are they going to be home?"

"Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow."

"Oh." Cat nodded. "Well, then maybe… well, actually…"

Julia crossed her arms and adopted something of a half-smile. "I can hear it in your voice Cat. What do you need?"

"Not me. Violeta. She, well, she needs… she's new, so…"

With Cat clearly nervous about the request, Violeta spoke up. "I haven't been on the ship for longer than six months, so I'm not automatically eligible for a leave time. I'm getting temporary assignment to the shuttle pilot pool at the end of the week. But until then… well, Cat was telling me she's never been to Paris or Venice, and she has a few days of eligible leave, and I was thinking…"

Both of the girls were blushing by this point. Julia smiled softly. "I think I can manage a few days of leave time for you, Ensign Arterria. You might have to do some extra duty once the ship's underway again, though."

"I'm fine with that," Violeta said. "Completely."

"Ah. Well. I'll have your leave papers arranged tomorrow. You'll need to be back in time to report to the Fleet Base Piloting Division, of course."

"Of course!" Violeta nodded and grinned. "Of course, I'll be back on time, I promise you Commander."

Cat let out a little squee and left her chair to give Julia a tight hug. "Thank you, Julie. Thank you so much. I'll make it up to you!"

"You always do," Julia answered. "And you can start by letting me get back to my lunch? Hargert's already on his way with your's."

And indeed, he was.

* * *

The cottage was small, a structure that at its largest was the size of the living area of Robert's quarters. Gina escorted them to the door and saw them inside. "I'll be waiting out here and watching," she said. The furnishings were spartan and simple. A pantry in the far left corner of the rectangular room included a small stove and an icebox or refrigerator. In the opposite corner, to their right, was a simple cot, and to their left were a couple of chairs and one small couch that looked like it could also be used for sleeping.

In fact, the only thing that made the cottage look like it didn't belong in the 20th Century was the technology in the far right corner. A computer system was present, beside a mantle with holo-image bases instead of photographs and what looked like a stand for a _lakesh_ hilt. Beside it was a big book.

But the final item was the real breaker of the image of quiet, pre-space age living. A transporter pad.

White light appeared in a burst on the pad. Ledosh appeared from within the burst. His purple-with-blue-trim robe was still over his white vest and brown tunic and trousers. He looked to them and nodded. "It is good to see you."

" _Mastrash_ Ledosh." All nodded back in some way, although Angel's as more one of acknowledgement than any deference.

He nodded back. "Thank you for coming." Ledosh turned his head slightly to face Meridina directly. "Meridina, I am sorry. I tried to vote against it."

"I know," she said. "If Councilman Pensley has his way, I would have faced this choice anyway."

"Senator Pensley, now," Ledosh said.

"What?", Robert asked, incredulous.

"Admiral Maran and I have been sharing updates since the _coup_ attempt. Last night the Tetzelian National Assembly voted to appoint Pensley to replace Senator Marswell, one of those lost to Goras' madness."

Robert nodded. "I'm guessing Goras was behind the attack on the Senate, then?"

"According to the Temple Knights, yes. They found evidence on his computers of his collusion and Alliance Naval Intelligence corroborated it with the evidence they forwarded to the Interdependency this morning. Unfortunately the apprentice he used, Intalarai, was one that he did not have present at the attack. She has gone missing."

"I still can't believe Davies helped with that," Lucy said.

"I am fairly uncertain of his reasoning myself. But that is not the matter at hand. The Council will become suspicious if I remain here too long."

"Wouldn't they suspect you for leaving the Great Temple anyway?"

"No, Lieutenant Delgado. It is a practice of mine to come to the cottage and meditate when I am agitated by my colleagues. But I am never gone for very long in those circumstances."

"No, you wouldn't be," Meridina said quietly.

Ledosh's eyes brimmed with compassion when he looked at his student. "They were wrong to react as they did to your departure. Although even I wish you had stayed. Though the Council and many older _Mastrasham_ are in agreement on this policy, the younger ranks of the Order see you as a heroine. Many now believe the Prophecy is coming true and are upset by the Council's choices. Given time, I may persuade them, and with you to rally the field Knights…" Ledosh sighed and shook his head. "I will not criticize you for following your _swevyra_ 's direction, though. I've trained you too well to have you ignore it."

"So why is the Council scared about the Prophecy?", Lucy asked.

"The real reason," Robert clarified. "Because I felt that fear. This isn't about society and politics."

"For the same reason Goras and Karesl are against it being true. They don't _want_ it to be true, and they are afraid it is."

"That makes little sense to me," Meridina said. Her voice became the most animated it had been since they left the Great Temple. "I have never understood why anyone would oppose the idea of the Dawn Bearers. It is a prophecy speaking of a new Golden Age, it is not something to dread!"

There was something in Ledosh's expression that made Robert realized there was more to this than even Meridina could see. "Is there more to it?", he asked.

Ledosh sighed. "Yes. There is."

Meridina stared at him. "What? I have read it, how could there be more?"

"Well, what _is_ the Prophecy?", Angel said. "I mean, is it something like the Book of Revelations? Or some of the prophecies the old Hebrew Prophets would give?"

"It is best described as a poem, reciting Swenya's statement on what the future held," Meridina said. "I memorized it years ago. I shall attempt to render it into your English." She drew in a breath and began to speak.

" _In the final days of Swenya  
The Grand Foundress felt the future.  
The ones who would come  
Kin of the Lost People  
The Bearers of the Dawn_

She cried onto her people  
"Seek them, children of Gersal  
Their Light shall bring salvation!"  
The forger and the leader  
The commander and the sage  
The builder and his teacher  
The healer and the gifted  
The unforgiven and the redeemed  
And the sisters of fire and heart  
United by the Light of their bonds  
That none shall break

Their travels will be many  
Their trials will be great  
Their triumphs will be grand  
They shall find the wanderers and the shepherd  
And the explorer and the emissary  
The masked one stands as their ally  
The timeless one shall be their friend  
One with a Spirit of Light shall guide them  
As generals and rulers alike stand beside them

The forces of evil shall shudder  
When faced by the Light they forge  
Their Light a holy shield  
Driving away all that is horrible  
And bringing forth the golden rays of the Dawn  
Under which all of Creation shall flourish

Seek them, children of Gersal  
Let nothing deter you  
For with the Bearers of the Dawn  
Comes Hope and Victory

"

When Meridina finished, the other three looked at each other. "'Sisters of fire and heart'," Lucy said, looking to Angel. "Well, I can see that with you and Cat, I guess."

Robert smiled gently at Angel. "You're definitely the sister of fire. It's one of the things I love about you."

She returned the little smile, but there was an edge to it. Angel clearly felt uncomfortable with all of this.

"And Julia and Zack are both Commanders," Lucy continued. "But then again, I get the feeling it means something else."

"It would," Ledosh said. "These words were written in the High Gersallian dialect of Swenya's time. We are fortunate that they survived the Uprising of the Brotherhood."

"The Brotherhood of Kohbal, you mean."

"Yes."

"I know they caused a lot of destruction in that era, but until last night I never realized how much," Lucy continued. "I mean, I'm betting they're the reason that the Order went from something like Swenya's Blade to the memory metal blades in a _lakesh_. It was the best replacement the survivors could find after they lost the knowledge."

"It would appear so. And undoubtedly the Council will spend the next several weeks deliberating whether to allow technical examination of Swenya's Blade or avoid the risk of damaging it."

"The power cell lasted for three thousand years, I'm not even sure that naqia devices could manage that."

"I'm more interested in this issue with the Prophecy," Robert pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Lucy sighed. "Okay, so that sounds… I mean, it talks about evil, but it says we'd beat it. I'm not scared by it "

"That is because it is not the original version," Ledosh revealed.

Meridina looked at him with surprise. " _Mastrash_ Ledosh, there's more?"

"Not much," Ledosh said. "But the original version has an extra line in the final stanza. A line that we have kept hidden for thousands of years."

"Holy crap," Lucy said. "What does it say, something about the sun dying out or something?"

Ledosh nodded grimly. "Something worse. Simply by telling you this, I place myself at jeopardy before the Order. But I believe the Prophecy is coming true, and that you must be informed of what it truly means." Ledosh turned again to Meridina, who was staring at him in horror. "I'm sorry for not telling you, Meridina. I argued for it, but the Council refused me. Just as they demanded we hide the existence of the Prophecy from you and your crew, Captain."

"I'm guessing the Prophecy is why Meridina was assigned to us in the first place," Robert replied. He looked to her. "And she was ordered not to tell?"

"And she was ordered to avoid any act to promote your knowledge of _swevyra_ should you have power with it," Ledosh confirmed.

"I am very sorry," Meridina said to them. "It was thought necessary while we determined if the Prophecy was actually coming true."

"And since I am certain that it is, I am ready to reveal the true version of the Prophecy to you."

"Well, okay then," Angel said. "Lay it on us."

Ledosh drew in a breath and spoke the final stanza, adding a sixth line.

 _"Seek them, children of Gersal  
Let nothing deter you  
For with the Bearers of the Dawn  
Comes Hope and Victory  
 **When the Darkness come again**_ "

There was a gasp in the room. It came from Robert. His mind flashed back several months to Gamma Piratus and the Darglan Facility there. A Facility filled with the wreckage and damage of an ancient battle, and in its secured databanks, a partial message left by the defenders.

"' _Stop the Darkness_ '," Robert murmured. When all eyes turned to him, Robert explained in a louder voice, "It was the only line left of a message left by the Darglan in the Facility on Gamma Piratus. The end of a spoken sentence with those three words. ' _...stop the Darkness._ '"

"So what is the Darkness?", Lucy asked Meridina.

"I do not know," she said. "Although.." A memory came to her mind. "Years ago, Caterina showed me the holographic chamber in your Facility."

"Which is when it told you about a prize for the Gersallian species at a blue sun," Angel said. "I remember. Looking for it is how we came into contact with the _Galactica_ and the Colonial Refugees."

"Yes. But there was a message with it. A warning about the use of the Darglans' drive technology, and how we must always respect the limitations of the drives, or we might be exposed to a 'darkness' that dwells in the deepest voids of the dimensions. And that if we did so, 'Ancient Ones' would punish us." Meridina shook her head. "I reported this at the time, but no one spoke to me of it."

"That is because the Council restricted this knowledge long ago," Ledosh said. "One of the surviving writings from Kohbal's Uprising spoke of an ancient war. All that we know is that Swenya led a group of devoted _swevyra'se_ to fight at the side of the Darglan against the Darkness, and that few returned alive with her at the end of the war. Not everything from her account survives, sadly. From what we have left, we know that the Darkness could not be reasoned with, could not be negotiated with, and indeed never even communicated. They only strived to destroy all Life that they found, and Swenya claimed to have watched them annihilate entire stars."

An image flashed in Robert's vision. An image from his dreams, of stars dying out in never-ending waves until entire galaxies had gone dark.

"If they could destroy stars… why weren't they listed as an Omega-level threat by the Darglan?", Lucy wondered.

"Maybe the Darglan never had time to update the list?", Angel speculated.

"Or maybe there was no point in updating the list once the war was over," Robert said. "We know the Darglan were from E5B1, and that the First Ones of that universe's Milky Way banned them from ever using the IU jump drives again."

"This explains the warning they left in their message to us," Meridina added.

"And why they asked the Asgard for weapons technology." Robert shook his head. "And Thor's warning to me about using the IU drives. The Asgard knew something of the Darkness, even if he didn't say anything about knowing their name. Thor said they even allied with the Goa'uld at the time to resist them."

"What I want to know is how the Darglan could beat something that destroyed _stars_ ," Lucy said. "That's.. I mean, it's nearly impossible."

"That mad scientist Tolian Soran could do it," Robert said. "He destroyed one star and almost took out another."

"He didn't destroy the stars, actually, he just changed them," Lucy pointed out. "I wouldn't call that _annihilation_."

Ledosh spoke next. "We know Swenya spoke of beings who came to the Darglans' aid due to the threat the Darkness posed. Ancient races and species that sided with them, some just as terrifying as the Darkness in their power. Races that could manipulate space and time, races with enormous mental powers, even beings made of pure energy."

"And they what, beat the Darkness by blowing them up before they blew up suns?", Angel asked.

"We do not know." Ledosh shook his head. "Which only serves to feed the fears of the Council. This is why they wish the Prophecy to be wrong, and why they do not want it revealed. The fear it would generate among people to imagine such a powerful enemy returned to threaten us could make our current upheaval even worse."

Meridina nodded. "I… I never knew, I…" Her eyes fell. Her face was pale. A tear started falling from her right eye as she closed them. "This is what Father meant when he said I would be broken if the Prophecy came true. He knew that I was hoping for this horror to return to threaten us without knowing it."

"Yes, that is like him." Ledosh bowed his head. "I cannot give you access to the writings right now. The Council would be suspicious of my access at this time. But when I can, I will do more to teach you about this threat, while I hope and pray that the Prophecy is in error."

"Yes," Meridina said. "I hope so too."

"I have told you all that I can. I'm afraid you must go, and go quickly. As it is, the Order may suspect you were up to something if they realize how long your ship has remained," Ledosh said. As he did so he walked to the side and concentrated.

The door opened. Gina stepped in. "You're done?", she asked.

"I am."

"You can't tell me what was said," Gina remarked, and this was aimed at the others. "If the Council found out I was informed, Ledosh and I would be punished."

"Well, we won't," Robert said. "Just us knowing is risk enough for him."

"Yes." Meridina was staring off into space. "Let us depart."

"I have contacted an Order vessel equipped with an IU jump drive, they will provide you a jump back to Earth L2M1 upon your arrival to orbit," Ledosh said. "Gina is more talented with the transporters than I am, she will help you transport back to your ship."

"I'll go back and beam the rest of you at once," Lucy said.

While Gina and Lucy worked, and Robert and Angel stood to the side holding hands, Ledosh stepped up to his student. He felt her turmoil and sadness and frustration and it made him feel shame and guilt. The Council had repaid her devotion and faith with narrow-minded cowardice… and he had repaid it with deception. "I am sorry," he said. "I lacked the courage to defy the Council. I feared that Goras and Karesl would prevail if I did defied the Council's instructions."

"I know, and I understand." Meridina shook her head.

"I feel your pain, student. Please, don't hold it in this time. Give it release."

Meridina didn't reply to that.

"Will you say goodbye to your family?"

Meridina nodded. "I wish to. But I will not be welcome in the Temple, and they are with my father."

Lucy heard that and looked over to her. "I think I can make the transport work," she said. "The Great Temple's got passive anti-beaming fields, of course, but Ledosh's systems are tied into them with the frequencies that aren't blocked, just let me get the right frequency and I can send you over once we're on the _Rio Grande_."

"We'll send you as soon as we're back," Robert said. "And you can take all of the time you need."

"Thank you," was her quiet reply.

"And I've got us ready to beam over," Lucy said. She stepped over to the pad. "I'll go first. I'll signal when I'm ready to beam you over." She nodded to Ledosh. "It was nice meeting you again, _Mastrash_ Ledosh."

"The same to you, Lucilla Lucero."

With a press of a key, Gina beamed Lucy away.

"Good luck with the Council," Robert said. "Let us know if we can help you with anything."

"I will," Ledosh said. "And be mindful. The knowledge I have given you is disturbing, but do not let it weigh down your heart. The Darkness can be stopped, should they return. Continue your training in the meantime. Your visions may give us further insights into the path we are treading upon."

"We'll keep that in mind," Angel said. Robert felt his heart twist a little at the tone in her voice. She would not take him continuing training very well, not when he had promised it'd be over soon.

Before he could say anything about it, his multidevice chimed. "Lucy's ready for us."

Meridina looked to Ledosh. She bowed and, with a tear in her eye, she gave her farewell. "I hope to see you again, _Mastrash_. _Mi rake sa swevyra iso._ "

Ledosh nodded. "I wish the same, Meridina. _Mi rake sa swevyra iso._ "

Robert pressed a key on his multidevice. They all transported away.

* * *

Nobody said anything when Meridina beamed into the hall of the Great Temple's medical ward, just outside her father's room. Inside she found her family gathered. Despite everything, her heart felt lightened at seeing Karesl's eyes open.

"We heard," Drentiya said. "I can feel your pain, Meri. I am so sorry."

"The Council are a bunch of _kenyakam_ ," declared Leniraya.

Meridina stifled a chuckle that would have been full of pain. "We're preparing to launch to return to the _Aurora_ ," she said. "But I wished to say goodbye, and to see how father was doing."

"I am recovering," Karesl said weakly. "The healers tell me another minute and I would have been beyond saving." He turned his head in a stiff motion. "Tinaran told me what the Council ruled, and what they have done." He frowned. "And what you have done."

"I am sorry, Father, for disappointing you."

Karesl shook his head. The motion was as stiff as his movement earlier. "Do not concern yourself with it. I can sense the hurt in you, you do not need more from believing me angry with you." A sour look came to him. "Ledosh told you, didn't he? He told you about the Prophecy."

Meridina didn't reply. She knew Karesl could only be hurt if their family found out.

"I am sorry," Karesl said.

"Whatever it is, what's done is done," Drentiya said. "Please, Meridina, come home again sometime. We wish to see more of you."

"I am no longer in the Order, but I still have duties on the _Aurora_ ," she said. "But now that things have changed and my presence will not bring any disruption… I will return, and I will visit you whenever I can."

That brought smiles to her family. Qalkrsl spoke up next. "We're proud of you, Meri. Always. Even though you're no longer in the Order, we know you're a _swevyra'se_ and always will be."

"Always," Karesl agreed. He reached his hand up and Meridina took it. "I have always loved you, daughter, but know that I am also proud of you, Meridina, and I always will be. You are following the calling you feel within, and I hope it brings you the destiny that you seek. May the Light of your _swevyra_ always guide you well. And if the Prophecy is true… I will be there to help you, in whatever means is necessary."

"Thank you, father." Tears welled up in Meridina's eyes. "Thank you very much."

And she embraced him gladly, comforted in the knowledge that regardless of how things had turned out, despite all of their disagreements over the prior two years, her father still loved her and was proud of her.

* * *

 **Tag**

The first thing Robert did upon their return to the _Aurora_ was head to his quarters and soak in a warm bath. Having a bath tub/shower unit instead of just a shower was a perk of his rank that he didn't often partake in, but with all of his bruises he simply couldn't resist.

He still ached when he left. He had dried off mostly when his display lit up. There was an incoming call, private, that wasn't being routed through the bridge like most calls would be. He pulled on his bathrobe and, with his hair still wet and uncombed, plopped into his chair wearily and tapped the key to accept the call. "Ah." He smiled. "It's good to see you."

" _Likewise_ ," replied Commander Elizabeth King. " _I hear you had quite the adventure on Gersal._ "

"And I have the bruises to prove it," Robert answered. The smile stayed on. "I figured something was up with Davies' office helping the Gersallian government."

" _Yes. Although it has certainly cost me Admiral Davies' support, I thought it an act of necessity to forward our information from the Dissenter safehouse we found here in Portland._ " King's face remained neutral, but there was a hint of a satisfied smile coming to her face. " _The Gersallian Interdependency is a critical member of the Alliance, after all, providing numerous troops and ships and material for the war effort. We can't afford to let them fall into civil war or an anti-Alliance dictatorship._ "

"You'll get no disagreement from me on that. But if Davies doesn't want you around anymore, what will you do now?"

" _I will serve where I am needed, as always_." She checked something off-screen. " _I thought you should know that we still haven't found Goras' apprentice Intalarai. She was the powered woman who got away from the Senate attack. Wherever she is, I imagine she will prove dangerous in the future._ "

"Probably."

" _Well, I'll let you get back to settling in and healing from your battle. King out._ "

She disappeared from the screen. Robert entertained himself with the thought of how Davies had reacted to what happened.

His door chime went off unexpectedly. "Come in," Robert called out. When Julia entered he said, "Hey, Julie. How did everything go while we were gone?"

"Oh, fine enough, I guess," Julia said. She smiled gently at him. "I watched the video making the rounds on the 'net. I should slap you for nearly getting yourself killed again… but that would make me a hypocrite since I nearly got decapitated by a cyborg ninja last week."

"Heh, yeah." Robert nodded. "It all worked out for the best anyway. We brought Meridina home. Although I think she's going to be hurting for a while." He frowned. "She had to leave the Order to come back. They were going to make her resign her commission and come back for duty at their Grand Temple."

Julia nodded in understanding. "I can see how that hurt her." In her heart Julia found that Meridina's choices reflected her own. _My friends and family or my career._

Robert wasn't actively sensing Julia's emotions, so he didn't sense the thought in any way to define it. But he could tell Julia was conflicted about something. "What's wrong, Julie?", he asked.

"I… well, you might say I received an offer I couldn't, or at least shouldn't, refuse." Julia shifted in her chair and sighed. "And since Scotty will ensure you get this news sooner or later, I might as well tell you."

"Tell me what?", Robert asked.

"Admiral Maran met with me yesterday," Julia said. "He's asked me to accept a promotion and take command of a starship. A new one, the _Enterprise_."

For a moment Robert didn't say anything. But just a moment. Slowly a smile formed on his face. "Well, that's… that's incredible," he said. "I'm so happy for you. I know you want your own command."

"I do," she said. "And not at your expense either. And that's how it felt last year when… well, when you were lost in the past meeting Captain Archer. Or when you were on Gamma Piratus." Julia shook her head. "Every bit of me wants to jump for joy and say 'Yes!' in the loudest voice I can while still keeping my personal dignity. Every bit of me but my heart." Her green eyes fell. "Because… even if I brought some of the crew with me, you can't all go. And I know that the more who follow me, the more alone you and the ones left behind will feel. And I don't want to do that to you."

Robert had to admit he did feel worried about the idea of having her leave. He'd have to find a new First Officer, and if it was one he hadn't served with… that meant months of building up a trust like the one Julia and he had shared for decades. He relied upon Julia so much that he wasn't sure he could do the job without her.

But he couldn't bring himself to say that. He couldn't crush her dreams. Because this wasn't just any ship she was talking about, it was the _Enterprise_. That was a name that anyone would want on their career file. And to be _Captain_ of the _Enterprise_?

"I think you should go for it," he said. "If that's what you want."

Julia blinked. "Yeah, I thought you'd say that. But we both know how much harder it'll be for you with a new XO."

"I'll find someone. Maybe one of the old Facility hands who's climbing the ranks. I hear Gabriel's son Jose made Lieutenant Commander. Maybe he'll be available when.." Robert stopped. "When would you be leaving?"

"The end of the year. I have about six months to give Maran my answer."

"Right." Robert nodded. "Well, I won't lie. I'll miss you terribly, Julie. We've been side-by-side almost all our lives, and if this happens we won't be seeing each other beyond an occasional fleet operation or if we get lucky and go into the dock at the same time. I'm… well, it'll hurt. But I could never let myself stand in the way of your dreams."

She nodded in reply. And smiled a little. "Thank you." After taking in a breath she said, "So, your message when you jumped back was that some big things happened."

"Well, beyond the failed _coup d'etat_ and the Order of Swenya deciding they wouldn't have our backs anymore…" Robert took in a breath. "...we also found out that the Gersallians can't tell whether or not we're the figures in a three thousand year old prophecy predicting the return of a horrific and powerful alien force that tried to exterminate all Life in the Multiverse three thousand years ago."

He'd kept his voice level. As if he were sharing the weather. Julia blinked and her face betrayed her disbelief. "Wow," she said. "Okay, maybe you need to start from the beginning?"

"Okay," Robert said. "Well, when we got there the other day…"

Meridina had dutifully reported to the Security Office upon her return to the ship. She sent a signal to the Stellar Navy rescinding her resignation - Admiral Maran had kindly tied it up in bureaucracy before it could be accepted - and looked over the reports by her subordinates and by Commander Kane. There were virtually no security issues present save a reported fight between some of the crew and a few dock workers, which could happen whenever they put in.

Soon she was done at the Security Office. Meridina walked to her quarters and into her bedroom, where she sat on her bed silently. She'd left her things before departing, including her spare blue robes and other clothing issued for her use in the Order. Her book of the recovered writings of Swenya was still in its place on her bedroom bookshelf. Looking at it no longer gave her satisfaction. The Council had edited one of those works, after all. How many others had an "official" version for everyone else and the Council's original copy?

How much of her people's knowledge about Swenya, about their history, had been rewritten by the Council over the millennia?

It wasn't those thoughts that ended her silence, though. It was simply all of her pent-up feelings on the day's choice that came bubbling up. She started to weep as the enormity of her choice came to her.

All of her life, since she was a child, Meridina had wanted to walk the path of Swenya. She'd wanted to be a _swevyra'se_ , to uphold the Cold and help the innocent, to live to the highest ideals of her people. The Order had been her purpose, her _life_.

And now she had walked away from it. No, she'd been pushed away from it.

She'd had a good reason, yes. Her heart, her _swevyra_ , still told her this was the right path for her. That this was the way she was meant to go. But that didn't mean she could ignore what she had just done. She had just slammed the door on her whole life, casting herself off into an uncertain future away from the Order.

It hurt. It hurt like few things had hurt before.

And as she dwelled upon it, it hurt even more, for the simple fact that she couldn't even be sure of what she believed even more. Growing up, the Order had been a beacon of Light itself, an institution wholly devoted to the betterment of not just the Gersallian people but of all species.

But now she had seen that it was not. The Order was fallible. It could be divided. It could be distracted. It could be misled. It could, for the sake of convenience, turn against everything it was supposed to be, and it could deceive to fulfill its own ends or prejudices.

And if the Order could do those things… what did that mean for the Code? Was the Code something they'd just written up for their own benefit? How much of it was genuine, from Swenya, and how much of it was added by the Council over the years to serve their own ends and not the truth?

For that matter… what about Swenya herself? Could she have been the heroine that history claimed? The Order wrote the history, after all…

These two pains, contradictory as they were given her decision, nevertheless meshed into one terrible harmony within Meridina; the understanding that she had seen years of belief burned away. The old certainties that had governed her conduct were gone now, stripped by the reality of what she now knew and what she had done. She felt adrift in a raging sea of uncertainty about the future, about her fate.

But even in a raging sea, one could find the sanctuary of an anchored vessel.

The unlocked door to her quarters opened. Someone locked them quietly. Meridina didn't look up. She could feel Lucy and knew Lucy was feeling what she was going through.

Lucy entered, still in her civilian clothes of jacket, shirt, and pants. She said nothing as she walked over to the bed and sat down by Meridina. Her blue eyes focused on Meridina's tear-filled eyes. A sympathetic tear rolled down her right cheek.

Lucy could have assured her it would be okay. She could have encouraged her in the knowledge she made the right choice. She could have said any number of things calculated to make Meridina feel better.

But she knew that wasn't what Meridina needed. Lucy wordlessly opened her arms and let Meridina embrace her. Meridina continued to cry even as she tightened the hug, resting her head and face on Lucy's left shoulder. Gratitude filled her even amidst the pain she felt; she didn't have to put up a facade of control, she didn't have to hide what she felt. When Lucy had just been her student and a possible piece in the puzzle of the Prophecy, Meridina had to be strong around her, and had only slid from that after Amaunet had taken her.

But now, she didn't need to impose stoic calm. Meridina could let her pain show. She could let her emotions out without undermining what she had to be for Lucy's sake, or for Robert's, or even for herself. Here, with Lucy, she could be _vulnerable_.

And Lucy… understood. She understood what Meridina needed from her, and what she needed her to be.

When Lucy finally spoke, it was with the only two words that truly mattered. The only thing that would truly ease Meridina's pain.

" _I'm here._ "

In her quarters on Deck 4, Julia Andreys sat in her blue nightrobe and stared at the screen of her computer system. Robert's story to her, about the Gersallian prophecy and how it had already impacted their lives, had her thinking about everything. Everything that had happened to them over the past four years.

Four years. Barely one out of seven she had lived. But the changes she'd faced had been so stupendous that they defied comprehension. Her best friend in the world, the closest she had ever known to having a soulmate, had found something incredible, and now she was out here, living on a spaceship currently docked over a 27th Century Earth, part of a vast alliance of worlds and nations and systems from different universes. She had once dreamed of taking personal responsibility in some fashion - maybe as an elected official, or a businesswoman, anything really - and now she was being offered command of an advanced and powerful starship.

Given what Robert had told her, they might be in for even more changes in the coming years. Especially if there really was some terrible threat out there in the Multiverse capable of causing mass destruction.

With these thoughts going through her head, Julia keyed the computer system.

 _Personal Log: Commander Julia Andreys; 15 May 2642._

 _It's been a busy week. So much has happened in the last several days especially, things that I think will remain with us for a long time. Sometimes it seems so easy, the way that change can come to our lives. Sometimes it's a good change, something that we've been wanting to see. A dream that's coming true…_

* * *

The atmosphere in Carranzo's on New Liberty was as festive as ever. One of the cheering tables was particularly festive; Jarod sat between his father and sister, laughing with them while Broots' daughter Debbie shared a story from her school at her father's urging. Jarod, with one arm on Charles' shoulders and the other on Emily's so he could hold them close, held a glad feeling in his heart at getting to live this day.

Beside Charles, Sydney smiled gently at him and nodded. Better than anyone else, he understood what Jarod felt, and felt the same.

It was always good to be with family.

* * *

 _...or finally getting to experience something we've been missing…_

A brilliant glow lit up the sky over the City of Lights, and contributing to that glow was the Eiffel Tower.

From a balcony at a hotel that, while quite expensive, was run by people who were also quite willing to demonstrate their appreciation for those fighting "the Nazi Boche", Caterina Delgado and Violeta Arterria held hands and looked out at the brilliance of one of the most beautiful cities that Human civilization had ever produced. Paris shined in the splendor of its lights, its avenues and boulevards and the museums and universities that had long made its reputation, while the Seine River reflected those same lights to add to the ambience. Their bellies were content with a shared dinner and the half-finished wine bottle on the balcony table testified to the further enjoyment of the evening.

Caterina turned her head. Her hazel eyes met Violeta's exotic, gene-engineered purple eyes, made to match the similarly-engineered purple hair. They both smiled and blushed at each other. Violeta waited patiently, sensing what the shorter young woman was preparing to say, but making sure it came from her.

Cat's heart was pounding in anticipation as she spoke the two words that Violeta had been waiting for.

"I'm ready."

Their eyes closed as they drew close and began to kiss intently. Violeta would be the one to close the balcony door while Caterina pulled off her jacket and backed up into their hotel room. They embraced and kissed again. The kiss ended in a brief pair of giggles as they fell back onto the waiting bed.

* * *

 _...and sometimes it's bad. We find out that the things we believed true, about ourselves, about others, are not true._

In the darkness of her quarters, her tears spent and fatigue sending her off into sleep, Meridina looked at the book of Swenya's writings again. And the look on her face made it clear she didn't know if she could trust that beautiful calligraphy ever again.

* * *

 _We endure pain, we endure loss, and we see the people we care for… the people we love… get hurt._

The Fleet Hospital's visiting hours were flexible, so no nurses were surprised or disapproving of the five figures that remained in one of their rooms. The sign on the door gave the room number - 2478 - and the name of the occupant.

 _Lt. K. Derbely_.

The patient on the bed was still wrapped in bandages, fresh from the first operation to repair or replace the damaged flesh from her horrific injuries. Her eyes were slightly glazed over from the pain medications she had been given, but they could focus enough to show gratitude for her fellow officers from the _Koenig_. To her right, Lt. Creighton Apley held her hand affectionately while Lt. April Sherlily was sitting beside him, smiling sadly at her wounded friend. On the other side, the _Koenig_ 's Dorei medical officer, Doctor Roliri Opani, kept glancing at the medical readout panels as if unable to resist doing the job of another with her own skills, even as her eyes glistened with unshed tears at the sight of her comrade. Seated beside Opani was Lt. Magda Navaez, showing a supportive smile while unable to hold back the tears at her friend's condition.

Tears were also evident in the eyes of their commander. Zack Carrey stood at the foot of the bed, looking at his chief engineer with sadness, but some relief that she was on the road to recovery.

But that couldn't make up for the pain in his heart at seeing her in this state and knowing that, in many ways, she was one of the lucky ones, and that once again he had lost some of his crew. And even one was too many for him.

* * *

 _But whether change is good or bad, we know it's coming. And all we can do is roll with it, no matter what it means._

A handful of officers and enlisted personnel were still watching, and listening, as personal items went into a box in one of the working offices in the Naval Intelligence section of Defense Command, halfway up Tower 2 of the giant six-towered structure along the Columbia River by Lake Vancouver. The nameplate for the office had already been removed by its now-former occupant. Some considered stepping up to express condolences or good wishes, but the nearby scowling visage of Captain Soveral cowed them into saying nothing. No one wanted to be the next to face the wrath of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

Commander Elizabeth King emerged from her former office with a quiet, dignified bearing. She ignored her former colleagues, an act of defiance to those who supported her ouster and an act of quiet benefit to those who didn't, lest they show any sympathy. She had no worries about it. The Stellar Navy was a big organization and she was devoted to the success of that organization and of the Alliance that it defended.

There were other jobs in the Navy, after all, and she had gotten quite a taste for command in her time with the _Sladen_...

* * *

 _Because change can be useful. It can create new opportunities for us, if we're ready to take them. If we want to take them._

While Meridina was sound asleep in the bedroom, Lucy went into the living area and activated her multidevice. The repairs she'd made after the fight with Goras (and while fussy Order healers had been treating her) were holding well.

But Lucy's real business was with the data saved after the repairs were made. With a few presses to the keys of the multidevice's hardlight controls, the holographic display brought up multiple images of the same object, all from the results of the different specialized scanners in her engineering-issue multidevice.

Lucy closely examined the various images of Swenya's Blade that now hovered in the air, lighting up the darkened living area of Meridina's quarters. A pleased grin began to cross her face, lit up as it was by the holographic images hovering in front of it. An idea was starting to come to mind, an idea turning quickly into a plan…

After all, she wasn't just a _swevyra'se_ or Gifted person or whatever they wanted to call it. She was an _engineer_.

And engineers _built things_.

* * *

Julia's lips pursed as she thought about what she had just said. For her, the question of taking the opportunity _was_ the big question. After several moments of thought, Julia continued to speak into the log. " _The thing is, if you survive to the end of the day, that always guarantees one thing: another day comes. And you never know what changes it can bring. You can face things that make the world you know change, things that challenge you..._ "

The Inner Library of the Great Temple was quiet. Only a single light illuminated its spaces and the shelves of volumes present there.

 _Mastrash_ Ledosh rarely had time to go through the Library due to his responsibilities. But with everything that was happening, he knew he would have to start making the time. He had questions of his own, questions that could only be answered by examining the remaining knowledge of the past.

His hand searched along a line of old tomes and books until he found one. The leather binding was old and cracked. Even the best restorationist work couldn't keep a book intact forever, and these books had to be reprinted every several hundred years, a millennium at most, and each time one needed reprinting, it had to be done by order of the entire Council. It looked like the book he pulled out would need such a reprinting soon. His fingers ran over the gold calligraphy of the title.

 _The Life of Reshan_.

Ledosh tucked the old tome under his arm and walked on. A slight feeling of unease filled him. His _swevyra_ felt unsettled. The library did have that effect on him, unfortunately. It represented secrets, and he was displeased with that secrecy that still governed the Council's thinking.

But he couldn't help but feel there was more to it than that.

* * *

 _...and if I've learned anything from my time out here, it's that you can never guess where those challenges can come from._

The dungeons in the underground of the Great Temple were the lowest levels of the complex. Given the general demeanor of most of the dungeon's occupants, the lack of light was fitting.

In the one occupied cell, Goras fumed impotently at his mutilation. He burned with rage at having been defeated, a rage that was turning into hate. Hate for Meridina, for Ledosh, for Karesl, for the Order of Swenya and the government and many others.

But none of the hate was greater than that he felt for Lucy Lucero. The outsider who had mutilated him. He would not rest until she died screaming.

There was movement outside the cell. Goras looked up and frowned. "Who is there?", he growled at the shadows. When no answer came he shouted, "Show yourself!"

A single figure emerged from the deep darkness of the dungeon hall, clad in a dark cloak and hood. Goras sensed the _swevyra_ of the figure. It was hidden well and he got the sense that he had been "allowed" to see her.

The figure's white-skinned hands reached up and removed the hood. A young bald woman looked at him with intensity. Goras' attitude became one of bewilderment. "Intalarai?", he asked.

She smiled at him. "I've brought you something of interest, Goras. It should help you pass away your time in here." She put a book into the cell between the bars. "I warn you that you should keep it hidden. The Order will not appreciate it."

"Where have you been? Why are you leaving me here? _Why are you here at all?!_ "

"Because, Goras, your time has finally come." She looked back to him and smiled. "You have been chosen."

Goras stared at her. He stared because he got the sense that she was not the same person he had started to train. Indeed, that she had been of greater power than he had known.

Because here, with her finally looking directly at him in his cell, he could finally see what he had never seen before: the blue of her eyes was gone, replaced by the savage gold color of a _swevyra'kse_ fully fallen into darkness.

"We've been watching you for some time, Goras," she purred. "And now you are ready for the truth."

With that said, she stepped backward and soon disappeared into the shadows of the dungeon.

Goras looked down at the book. Without his hands he had to focus harder for fine control, but he found little difficulty in lifting the book and pulling it closer to him so he could see it in the dim light of his cell. It was colored like browned rust. Simple crimson lettering provided the title, while an equally crimson symbol dominated the rest of the cover. It was a hexagon segmented into twelve parts, each of the six rough sides of the hexagon split into two. A sword ran through the middle.

The title of the book simply said, _The Secrets of the Brotherhood._

He opened the first page, finding a note within joined by a little scribbled facsimile of the emblem on the page.

 _Rest and learn, Brother Goras. The day of your vengeance will come._

Goras didn't know what this all meant, but he did know one thing. His fight wasn't over. And one day… one day, his enemies would suffer for what they had done.

* * *

 _Meridina once told me that destiny was a matter of finding the place you're meant to be in and following the path it lays out for you. Maybe she's right. Or maybe there is no destiny, no fate, and we're free to make our own lives by our own will. To follow our own path._

 _But either way, whether it's by destiny or fate or free will... you still come to the same simple truth. You have to keep walking the path before you if you want to get anywhere._

The lights in Robert's bedroom were dimmed to the compromise level that he and Angel had accepted for when they shared the bed. He was still sleeping on his back while Angel, in her sleep, had turned away and on her ribs, a decision made in sleep that would undoubtedly make her tender in the morning.

Both were sleeping soundly for the moment.

Robert's sleeping mind, however, was not given the same respite.

The dreams resumed. The strange Turian with cybernetic implants, standing in the flames of the Citadel Council chamber. Julia dragged into a cell by SS soldiers and shocked until she fell into it. A large robot aiming to shoot Caterina and a tall figure in a long brown coat. He saw hooded figures giving an oath over an emblem, a hexagon divided into twelve pieces with a sword in the middle, and further hooded figures dragging a screaming figure into a spacecraft he couldn't recognize. The young woman in the tattered vest and pants, colored red with gold trim, crying in anguish until solid bright energy replaced her amber eyes. Julia stood beside him, in tattered clothing of her own, yelling, "We have to help her!" as power started to push them back. An animal's howl echoed through the scene.

And there was the four-legged creature again, and the faint whisper of two words. A human figure appeared in the shadows with it. The shadow obscured the figure's features, but something of the shape told him it was a woman. She seemed to turn toward him. Her voice spoke with an accent that, in his dream-state, he had trouble deciphering.

But this time, he could hear the words.

Robert jolted awake, confused and disorientated, with the two words somehow burned unto his conscious. As if his very essence had imprinted upon them. The force with which he sat up was sufficient to wake Angel, who groaned as she felt the pain on her healing ribs. She twisted in the bed and sat up beside him. The gentle fabric of her nightgown rubbed up against the bare skin of Robert's side. Angel didn't say anything; she could tell it was another nightmare.

"I…" Robert shook his head. "I heard them this time."

"Hrm?", Angel asked in a groggy voice.

"There were two words. I've… I've been hearing them in my dreams lately. And a howl. But they don't make sense."

"Huh. You've never mentioned words before." Angel yawned. "What were they? I mean, what doesn't make sense."

Robert blinked. He kept trying to think through the haze of sleep still in his brain. "They just… they don't make sense. I don't understand why I'm hearing them. But at the same time… it's… I don't' know…"

"Important?", Angel suggested.

"I guess."

"Well then." Angel crossed her armed, which flexed her muscles in the process. "What are they?"

Robert blinked. The sleepiness in his head was still slowing his thinking down. But the request from Angel, and the look in her face, soon helped him focus. He pulled the words from his brain.

He mumbled them at first, but knew she hadn't heard him. So Robert turned to face Angel, confusion written all over his tired face. And this time, he spoke the words aloud.

"'Bad Wolf.'"


	47. Episode 2-10-1 The Path Before Us

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 1 July 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. I am happy to log our official return to active duty following six weeks of repairs from the battle at 452TD. Commander Scott has performed the usual miracle of getting our repairs and shakedown work done ahead of schedule and getting us back out of spacedock._

 _I am also happy to log another occasion. Given the time, I will remark upon it in my next entry. I'm due in the Lookout_.

The crowd of uniformed officers and crew grew quiet when Robert reached for the small box on the table beside him. He opened it to reveal a rank tab of two gold strips and a silver strip. "It is my honor and privilege to say that as of this day, July 1st 2642 on the Alliance Standard Calendar, the Alliance Stellar Navy has awarded a meritorious promotion to Nicholas Locarno for outstanding service on numerous occasions as Navigation Officer of the _Starship Aurora_." Robert grinned at Locarno, who remained at attention while Robert clipped the new rank tab in place. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander."

"Thank you, Captain," Locarno answered.

Cheers came from the assembled crew, including the members of the command crew of the _Aurora_ and of the _Koenig_ , the attack and escort ship that usually remained docked to _Aurora_ 's large docking port at the rear of the primary hull. Locarno looked to the assembled, including to one slightly-grinning Ensign Jean Hajar from the _Koenig_ , before noticing that the Lookout's civilian host and cook Hargert was already rolling out a large cake. The icing lettering, silver and gold in color, spelled out " _For Lieutenant Commander Locarno_ ". Impressively Hargert had managed to make a reasonable facsimile of the _Aurora_ with blue and white icing.

"You baked a cake?", Locarno asked Hargert. "For a promotion?"

Hargert gave him a look of faux mortification. "As if I would not? Come now, Commander, certainly you know by now that I _never_ miss an opportunity to bake a cake." The aged man's German accent was slightly hoarse, if only from the obvious age in his voice. The smile on his face was a far more evident indicator of his mood.

"I hope mine is chocolate." That remark came from Caterina Delgado, still a Lieutenant and the ship's Science Officer. She was one of the smallest people in the room, not surprising given her height was - in old English-US terms - just a few inches over five feet. Hazel eyes glistened with the presumed image of a chocolate cake in her head. "Some of that Swiss stuff."

A bemused sigh came from beside her. Ensign Violeta Arterria, one of Locarno's subordinate helm officers, was holding Cat's hand. Her purple eyes - matching the deep purple coloring of her genetically-engineered hair - looked at her girlfriend with affection and some feigned irritation. "I should never have taken you through Switzerland before we got to Venice."

Caterina looked to Violeta and playfully stuck her tongue out. Violeta started giggling at her in reply.

Robert, as Captain, got dibs on the second piece. He also secured the third piece for its proper recipient, who was currently nursing a glass of fruit juice at the lounge's bar counter. Commander Julia Andreys' long blond hair was pulled into a ponytail as always. Her green eyes, shaded close to aquamarine, were looking to Robert as he stepped up. She extended a hand and accepted the offered paper plate and plastic fork. "Thanks," she said, smiling.

But there was more behind the smile than simple joy. Robert could sense the emotional tension within Julia. He could have even without his "abilities", those life force-derived powers he had been training to use for over half of a year. Reading Julia was almost second nature to him, and the same for her reading him. "Doesn't this bring back memories?", he asked her as she took a bite.

"Hrm?" She had a mouthful of cake to chew.

"Well…" Robert smiled back at her. "I think my earliest memory is your fourth birthday party. Grandpa brought me to your house. I remember looking at you with icing all over your mouth, and all over mine, and Grandpa joked that when we were older we'd be licking it off each other."

By then Julia had swallowed. That was a good thing, as she broke out giggling. "Oh my God, I think I remember that too. Mom just _stared_ at him."

"My Mom told me years later that your parents actually complained about it. Dad had to smooth things over." Robert shook his head. "Grandpa always had his own sense of humor."

Julia shook her head. "And he always thought you and I would get together when we were old enough."

For a moment it was clear both were flashing back to that moment under the wide open Kansas sky. The mound on the family property had collapsed with the destruction of the Facility far below. They had barely escaped it together. They had been caught up in the thrill of that moment when they shared a kiss… and immediately decided together to stop there and continue their relationship as it had always been, free of any romantic entanglement.

"Speaking of being together…" Julia looked to the crowd. "How are you and Angel doing?"

Robert drew in a breath that came dangerously close to being a sigh. He looked back as well and saw where Angel was gently teasing her sister over something. While Cat was a small, skinny girl, Angel was several inches taller and filled out. Although her uniform didn't show much of her body below the neck, he knew what was beneath. His mind brought up the images from his memories, of the rippling, tough fighting muscle under the bronze complexion of Angel's skin. Angela Delgado had spent much of her life learning to fight hand-to-hand, and she could be an utter terror in a fight.

"We had some time together. During the repairs." He sighed. "But now that we're back on full duty…" Robert shook his head. "I keep expecting the shoe to drop, Julie. I want this relationship to work, but with everything else I have going on…"

"Isn't your training with Meridina supposed to be over?"

"I used to think that, but now, I'm not sure if it'll ever be over," Robert admitted. "Now that we know what was going on with the Gersallians, I can't help but feel I have to stick to the training. And Angel's not happy."

"You might have to make a choice, Rob," Julia said. "About what's more important to you."

There was something in the way she said those words that made it clear Julia wasn't just thinking of his situation. The feelings he had sensed in her when he stepped up were returning. His training with Meridina made that clear, even if he would have realized that without that training or the abilities the training was honing. "What about your choice?", Robert asked. "Have you made it yet?"

"I haven't made it official," Julia said. "I'm just… torn, I guess. I want to be a Captain, and Admiral Maran's offering me _the Enterprise_ of all ships. But if I say yes, I'll either be going off on my own, or I'll be splitting us up if anyone joins me. I don't want to do that."

"Julie…" Robert took her hand. "I think you should do it. I think you have great potential as a captain. Honestly, I think you'll be better at it than I am."

She smiled at him in response.

Before either of them could say anything, blue holographic light appeared over Robert's left forearm. A voice came from the hologram. " _Bridge to Captain Dale_ ," said, or rather chirped, an alien voice. Robert recognized it as the voice of Lieutenant Jupap, who was currently minding the bridge. The Alakin continued. " _Admiral Maran is on subspace. He needs to speak to you immediately._ "

"Tell him I'll be on my way to… wait." Robert chuckled. "Just let me step out of the lounge."

Julia nodded and grinned. Another piece of cake was already on her fork. "Hurry back if you can." A mirthful look came to her eyes. "I'll try to protect your piece as best as I can."

"From the others, or from yourself?"

"Both."

Robert smirked back at her and stood from the counter stool. He walked past a few of the others and stepped out of the Lookout and into the adjoining corridor. Once the door slid closed his right finger pressed the blinking blue light.

Until just a few weeks ago, the Stellar Navy had used the multidevice. Specifically, an electronic all-in-one device of ultralight "space age" material that acted as general scanner, communicator, and computer access all at once even on general models - specialized ones could do even more, like send out exotic electronic emissions or make specialized scans. The Earth of Universe L2M1 had first developed the specific concept, although several of the other Earths in the Multiverse had variations on it.

But then contact with Universe M4P2 happened the prior April. M4P2 went one better than all the others: the omnitool. A small, lightweight piece with built-in holographics emitters, it was even lighter than multidevices and more versatile, replacing the physical key controls with an interface generated entirely with holographics and projected hard-light machinery. Organizations within the Alliance, public and private, had spent much of the year negotiating licensing rights on the technology with the manufacturers in Citadel space. Only now was it bearing fruit: as of June the Stellar Navy was issuing new, specially-made omnitools for its personnel. The _Aurora_ crew was in spacedock at just the right time to get them issued.

One of the benefits of having omnitools appeared on a holographic screen created by the one Robert was wearing. Admiral Maran appeared from his office at Defense Command, near Portland in the Pacific Northwest of Earth L2M1. The Gersallian man had his usual immaculate appearance, with graying dark hair on his head and the solid expression Robert had long become accustomed to. He was even accustomed to the fact that because of the whims of evolution or fate or God himself, the Gersallians were aliens who looked, on the outside, like Humans.

"Admiral," Robert said respectfully.

" _Captain._ " Maran nodded. " _I'm pleased that your ship is back in full running order. We need you back out there._ "

"Has anything happened with the war?"

The Admiral nodded. " _The 11th Fleet just won a victory at Beta Laurentis that has secured our hold on that sector. Allied ground troops have finished securing Scheerwelt and Neu Posen. Which is related to the subject of my call._ "

"Oh?"

" _We would have never managed the troops to take both of those worlds without the presence of Inner Sphere units. The 3rd Davion Guards and the Orloff Grenadiers played critical roles in the fighting. That's why I'm concerned by reports we're getting from our Inner Sphere allies._ "

Robert frowned at that. "What?"

" _Something is going on in the territorial zones held by the Clans. Intelligence indicates some sort of political upheaval is underway. President Morgan and I are concerned that this could be a prelude to a renewal of the Clan Invasion._ "

At that, Robert frowned. From what he knew of Universe F1S1, the Clans were a caste society that had arrived on the Inner Sphere's Coreward frontier about seven years ago. They had technological superiority over the Inner Sphere in military terms, and a highly-trained and lethal warrior caste leading an invasion of the Inner Sphere, stopped two years later at a planet called Tukkayid in what was left of the Free Rasalhague Republic. "If that's true…"

" _...then Prince Victor, Captain-General Marik, and the other Inner Sphere leaders would be forced to pull their troops off the front_ ," Maran finished for him. " _The Inner Sphere's leadership is assembling for a conference on Tukkayid called by ComStar. Primus Mori and Precentor-Martial Focht have invited President Morgan and myself to attend. And we want you there._ "

Robert nodded. Diplomatic meetings were one aspect of the job he was getting used to, even if he often found them dreadfully boring. "Understood, Admiral. We'll jump for F1S1 immediately."

" _I look forward to seeing you on Tukkayid, Captain. Maran out_."

The omnitool shut down the screen. With a conscious thought and a movement of Robert's arm, the blue holography of the omnitool came to life around his left forearm. The Stellar Navy-issue version was different than those usually found in M4P2, and not just in color: the designers crafted the basic interface to resemble that of an old multidevice, as if it had been a touchscreen. Robert hit the visible key for opening a commlink. "Dale to Bridge."

" _Yes Captain_?", Lieutenant Jupap responded over the audio channel.

"Activate jump drive, set to F1S1. Once we're through, set a course for the system Tukkayid and engage."

" _Yes Captain_."

WIth that done, Robert turned back to the Lookout. WIth no immediate jump anchor to their destination, or anywhere near it - jump anchors had yet to be installed anywhere in the Coreward half of the Inner Sphere - they would take a day or two (or more) to arrive at Tukkayid. This meant he was not needed immediately on the bridge or elsewhere.

And that meant he could, at least, get to actually finish that piece of cake.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"The Path Before Us"_**

* * *

The quiet solitude of Meridina's quarters were meant to let the _Aurora_ security chief have her daily meditation. A chance to reflect on the day and sense where her _swevyra_ , her life force, was leading her.

Once meditation had come almost second nature to her. Once it was clear she had an attuned _swevyra_ , one that could reach out to the universe and made her capable of great feats of power, her father Karesl had taught her meditation. And like any daughter-turned-student eager to please the father she admired, she'd taken to it and with discipline had become quite the capable meditator. Even after her entry to the Order of Swenya and being given to another of the ranking members of the organization for training, her father's training in the meditative side of their work had guided her.

But meditation no longer came easily for Meridina. These past few months had been a trial for her, the greatest in her life, and everything had changed. She had been taken as a host by the vicious Goa'uld Amaunet, severely wounded by her own student Lucy Lucero in the act of stopping and killing the vile being, and then had to deal with the grief and guilt of what Amaunet had used her body, and her abilities, to do. The deaths inflicted at Stargate Command, the pain that had been caused, all of it had driven Meridina toward darkness. And then came her confrontation with the corrupted Draman Olati, the attack on the Alliance Senate by an extremist faction of her own people, and the leader of that faction trying to kill her after forcing her into a trial before the Council of her Order. Even vindication had been bitter: the corrupted _Mastrash_ Goras might have been defeated, but in the wake of his fall and the death of the Council's leader Maklir, the Council had decided to turn its back on everything Meridina had been trying to build. She was ordered to return home.

Instead, Meridina put her bond to the crew of the _Aurora_ before her devotion to the Order of Swenya. She resigned from her Order, turned her back on everything she had once lived for, and was now firmly upon the path she and _Mastrash_ Ledosh, her teacher, had foreseen.

And it _hurt_. It hurt like nothing she had ever considered before.

It was getting late in the day. Meridina gave up on meditation and decided to look for Lucy. Now that Lucy's training was known, there was no need to be subtle with it or with Robert's, and Meridina was no longer holding anything back on their education in their abilities. And that meant more training and more time. Regrettable given Robert's responsibilities, but he needed the training if he was ever going to be capable of defending himself adequately with his life force.

 _Perhaps I should force myself to call it that more often,_ Meridina pondered to herself. _Robert has such trouble with pronouncing it_. A very small smile came to her face at that thought.

Given the time, Robert was probably busy doing daily paperwork in his office. He had already alerted her to a staff meeting in the morning to discuss their arrival at Tukkayid for the following afternoon. She would collect him second, then.

And she already had a good idea where Lucy would be.

Meridina put on a cream-colored vest and loose black trousers before she left her rooms. It was a short trip from her quarters to a turbolift. "Deck 25 Section G," Meridina stated. The lift sped its way through the lift tubes connecting the ship's various decks together until it brought her to the destination she described. Deck 25 was one of the middle decks of the drive hull of the ship, and this specific section was within the engineering area.

A short walk brought her to her destination. The door panel referred to it as "Machine Shop B". Inside she found that things were generally quiet. A pair of petty officers and four crew were looking over various machinery replicators and fabricators. Shop B was for precision work on small items, the tooling and pieces that had to be kept up in the inventory for the ship to have spare parts on the many thousands of individual machines that, together, formed the _Starship Aurora_.

Lucy was in one corner, working quietly with one of the fabricators. She was in a work uniform, black with beige trim and a tool belt around her waist. Her curly black hair was pulled into a curly ponytail at the back of her head. As Meridina walked up she turned and stood. "Meridina?", she asked.

"I was coming to get you, it is nearly time for training."

Lucy's blue eyes blinked. "Wait, what time is it? It's only like 1800, right?"

Meridina smiled gently. "1930," she clarified.

Lucy made a face and then covered it with her palm. "Oh. Dammit. I lost track of time."

Meridina gave Lucy's work station a peek. Not that she needed to; there was only one project that Lucy was so wrapped up in that she would lose track of time like that.

"How is your work going?", Meridina asked gently. "Are you close to reproducing Swenya's Blade?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. My scans were pretty thorough. But it's like re-assembling a puzzle when you've got pieces missing and aren't even sure where some are supposed to go."

"I am certain you will manage it, Lucy," Meridina said. She set a hand on Lucy's arm to be supportive.

"What about you? I know the last few months have been rough…"

Meridina tried to keep her sadness off of her face. Being forced to choose between the _Aurora_ and her devotion to the Order of Swenya had been excruciating. She felt an odd sense of being cast adrift even through her devotion to her purpose: to work with the _Aurora_ 's crew to fulfill their role as the Bearers of the Dawn.

This was especially important given what they had learned about the Prophecy of the Dawn, a work passed down from Swenya herself three thousand years ago. Her own mentor had revealed that the Order Council had doctored the original copy to hide the ending line. That line was a warning that an ancient threat known only as "the Darkness" would return. _And my people know nothing of it._

Lucy reached over and turned her station off. "Why don't we get this training out of the way and then get some dinner?"

"It will be a late one."

"I know." Lucy grinned. "But we'll be hungry, and it's a chance to unwind and decompress. Even _swevyra'se_ or Life Knights or whatever you term want to use need time to themselves. Time to take it easy."

"You forget that I am no longer _swevyra'se_."

Lucy responded to that with a small smile. "Then just what are you busting my ass for when we go train?"

It was a rhetorical question. A soft smile came to Meridina's face. "An interesting point. Very well. We train, and then we eat together."

"Great. I'll see if Hargert has any tasty stuff left from Nick's promotion ceremony earlier."

Without another word, they both stepped out of the machine shop.

* * *

After the day's work was done Angel went to Robert's quarters. He wasn't in. This did not surprise Angel in the slightest and she entered the quarters to wait for him.

Robert had kept all of his important family things after leaving his family home years ago. Some family items he'd left with his cousin Beth Rankin, now the Governor of New Liberty, while some he had with him. Mostly they were replicated copies of family photos. On one wall his old high school football jersey was hanging with a frame showing clipped newspaper articles. Angel's memories went back a decade to recall those nights, when he had put in a good performance as a wide receiver. He hadn't done well enough to be offered a full scholarship at a university, though.

 _I can't imagine how different our lives would be if he had gotten a scholarship_ , Angel thought. She sighed. _But I bet it would be another thing to keep us apart_.

She looked at the time. 2150. It was getting too late for anything, even for a dinner, and that hurt. It looked like they were going back to the way things had been since before New Year's. Day after day after day of Robert doing his Captain work and training in his abilities, leaving no time for her.

 _Those damned powers. If only Leo had a way to get rid of them._

Thinking about freeing Robert of the burden of these "life force" strengths made Angel recall what that blind Zigonian had said to her. Kasszas had told her that she wasn't in love with Robert anymore. That she loved a "phantom", a memory of what he had been before he started using those life force powers.

She'd denied it at the time. Even now she wanted to deny it. It brought her pain to realize she couldn't. Looking back to all of the times she and Robert had been dating, and all of the times they'd broken up… wasn't that how it happened? That things would happen, he would disappoint her and she'd disappoint him, and then it would end? As the damned lizard had said, her affection was more for what she wanted him to be than what he was.

Angel sat on the couch and felt tears form in her eyes.

She waited in the quietly, silently weeping in frustration and uncertainty. At about 2220 the door finally opened. Robert stepped in, wearing the sleeveless cream-colored vest and baggy brown pants he usually did for the training sessions. He was covered in sweat and fatigued. When he saw Angel, a guilty look came to his face. "Sorry, Lucy was late and we…" He stopped. his eyes lowered. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not too long," Angel said. And it was true: a bit over half an hour was nothing compared to waiting two hours, or all night, as she had sometimes done. "Did you want to catch something to eat?"

Robert shook his head. "Meridina picked today to increase the weights I had to lift. And to try out the augmented running course. I'm too exhausted to do anything but wash up and go to bed."

It was with a small voice that Angel said, "Sure, I understand."

Robert didn't need to hear the disappointment in her voice. He'd felt her presence, and her knotted feelings, even before he got to his door. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I know," she answered. "You always are, and I know you mean it." She looked at him and they made eye contact. "I think we should talk about this, though."

"Is there anything new to say?", Robert asked. "Because it seems we discuss it all of the time."

"Yes, I think there is," she answered. "For one, it's pretty obvious your training isn't going to end. Whatever Meridina said about 'learning control', she had far more in mind. What happened on Gersal made that clear. And if you're going along with that, well…"

Robert swallowed and said nothing. His past promises that the training would be over soon and he would have time again were clearly no longer being kept. "Yeah," he said. "It's not fair to you."

"Like I said, we'll talk." Angel gestured toward his room and the shower unit beyond. "Why don't you go wash off real quick and get to bed?"

There was nothing for him to say to that. He nodded and went to the shower.

After said refreshing shower, weary to the bone, Robert made his way to the bed. Angel was already lying there in her nightgown. She gave him a little kiss on the lips as he settled into place beside her.

They both fell asleep shortly thereafter. 

* * *

When the _Starship Aurora_ dropped out of warp, it found itself in the middle of company.

The most prominent of the ships visible was a type Robert and the others rarely got to see: a Sirian League carrier-vessel. The ship was two hundred meters longer than their own, thirty meters wider, and about the same height. It was one big solid hull, with the surface painted dark green with blue streaks, and the eight-sided starburst insignia of the Sirian League prominent on the side. Near the rear of the ship the hull bulged out and became circular.

"A ring drive," murmured Locarno from his place on the _Aurora_ bridge. The command crew were all in their normal places.

"A what?", asked Angel.

"It's a big ring for the warp drive assembly instead of warp nacelles," Cat explained for her sister. "The Vulcans still use them on some ships."

Locarno added, "They're easier to protect, but their warp maneuverability isn't anywhere near that of a nacelle-using ship."

"The ID code of the ship has her as the _Majestic_ ," Jarod said.

Robert nodded. The _Cincinnatus_ , the Earth Confederacy dreadnought that had been President Morgan's usual interstellar means of transport, had been lost in the same failed attack campaign where they had been ambushed at 452TB. Robert wondered whether or not the _Majestic_ would take the place of the lost ship or if it was just a stand-in for the moment.

"I wonder if the Inner Sphere states have brought any of their starships," Julia wondered aloud.

"Unlikely." Jarod shook his head. "It's only been three months. I'm betting they're still working on the refit plans."

"So where do you think they are?", Robert asked.

"I'm picking up indications of other warp drives that came into the system over the last couple of days," Caterina said. "It looks like warp-capable light interstellar passenger liners."

"As in…?"

"Think passenger jet, not actual big liner ship," Cat finished for her sister.

"That would make sense," Julia said. "You can buy those almost anywhere, including government transport models."

A tone came from Jarod's console. "We're getting a hail from the planet. It looks like it's coming from the central ComStar facility planetside."

"Put them on screen."

Jarod did so. Admiral Maran appeared. He looked to be in an office space, presumably one set aside for his use. " _I see you made it._ "

"We jumped in a bit further away than I would have liked," Robert admitted. "But without a jump anchor close to Tukkayid there didn't seem to be a point in using one."

" _I was the one who ordered you out before the_ Majestic _was ready to depart. We proved lucky in the arrival point_." Maran drew in a sigh. " _Regardless, it's good that you're here. Tonight is the arrival banquet and the political discussions begin tomorrow. But things are moving more quickly than we anticipated and I want to get you up to speed. Standby to beam up a delegation on my signal. I'll see you shortly_. _Maran out_."

As soon as he disappeared from the screen Robert and Julia rose from their chairs. "We'll have them beamed up to Station 1. Jarod, you have the bridge, and have Jupap ready to take over. I suspect this will be a command staff briefing."

"I'll have Meridina meet us there," Julia offered.

* * *

A young man with technical crew rank was manning the transporter station controls when the two arrived. Meridina came in just behind them. "We're getting the ready signal from the planet, sir," the man said.

"Whenever you're ready, Crewman."

The young man nodded and operated his controls.

Moments later six columns of white light formed on the pad. The light burst briefly, quickly enough that it didn't blind, and five figures now stood on the pad. Robert and the others straightened their backs to stand at attention as Admiral Maran stepped down. "Captain, Commander, good to see you in person again."

"It's always a pleasure, Admiral." By now Robert was looking over the other attendees. He recognized Victor and Jerrard Cranston first, Victor right behind and beside Maran in the middle row and Jerry Cranston behind Victor in the rear. Standing beside Jerry was an East Asian man in a St. Ives Compact uniform.

To Maran's side in the front section was a man in a robed uniform of white with the ComStar insignia on the breast, with rank insignias as well. He had an eye patch on over the right eye and looked quite old, easily in his late sixties.

The sixth figure, placed beside Victor, was another older man, with gray hair and a military-style buzzcut. His uniform was dark gray and had a red disc with a black wolf's head on it placed prominently on the neck.

Maran stepped down. "I believe you already know Prince Victor and Colonel Cranston. This is Precentor-Martial Anastasius Focht of ComStar and Colonel Jaime Wolf, former commanding officer of the Wolf Dragoons. And this is Colonel Kai Allard-Liao of the Compact. Gentlemen, this is Captain Robert Dale."

"Precentor-Martial, Colonels." Robert nodded. "This is my First Officer, Commander Julia Andreys, and my Security Chief, Lieutenant Commander Meridina." Looking to Kai he nodded. "I'm sorry we missed you, Colonel Allard-Liao, during the visit to St. Ives. I hope your mother is doing well."

Kai nodded respectfully and smiled. "She's doing quite well. Doctor Gillam's suggested treatments are working like a charm. She'll never have to worry about the cancer again."

"He'll be happy to hear that." Robert kept himself from sighing. Leo had made the suggestion for further anti-cancer genetic treatments after learning that Duchess Candace Liao, Kai's mother and ruler of the Compact, had survived a bout with breast cancer a decade before. It had been a very poor substitute for failing to save Joshua Marik.

Robert turned his attention to the older men next. "It's an honor to host you, sirs, aboard my ship."

"It is a fine vessel." Focht looked around with his one eye. "And it lives up to the reports from the newsvids during your diplomatic tour. Unfortunately a tour is out of the question, Captain. We are pressed for time now."

"For the banquet tonight, you mean?"

"Not just the banquet." Focht's single eye focused on Robert. "The peace of the Inner Sphere is at stake. The Clans are preparing to renounce the Truce of Tukkayid. We have only days, perhaps, with which to prevent a resumption of the Invasion. And your ship may be the only thing that can succeed."

Robert nodded and glanced to Julia, who glanced back with the same look in her eyes that he knew was in his own. A look with a single thought behind it.

 _It looks like it's up to us again_. 

* * *

Conference Room 1 was set up with tables in a half-circle around the central holotank projector. The command crews of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ took several of the seats, leaving a table for the Inner Sphere leaders and one for Robert, Julia, and Admiral Maran to sit at. Focht offered a ComStar-made data disc to Robert, who passed it to Jarod for use in the briefing. He stood up

"Since the Truce of Tukkayid came into effect, ComStar has maintained various intelligence assets in Clan-held space," Focht stated. "Our greatest concern is that the Crusader faction would one day manage sufficient votes to overturn the Truce."

"The Crusaders are the pro-war faction, right?" asked Zack.

"It would be inaccurate to identify the Clan factions as pro-war or anti-war, Commander," answered Focht. "Their culture is built around combat. The Wardens believe in remaining apart from the Inner Sphere as a protective force while the Crusaders believe in conquering the Inner Sphere to restore the Star League under the rule of the Clans." Focht stepped up to the holotank. Jarod activated it and brought up a starmap of the Inner Sphere. Various stars signifying populated star systems lit up and three-dimensional borders came into existence to delineate the current territorial dispositions.

The Clan Invasion zones were the most prominent feature on the map; four narrow strips plunging from "above" toward the middle. Six icons appeared over the map, spread among the four zones. To the spinward "left" a zone was marked with the emblems of a green bird and a snake's head, then a snarling wolf head, a roaring white bear's head, and then a pouncing gray feline and a feline face in the middle of a sunburst-like pattern. Focht, for the benefit of his listeners, briefly identified each zone's holders: the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers, the Wolves, the Ghost Bears, and lastly, the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats. A line on the map appeared at the rimward edge of the invasion zone. "Under the terms I negotiated with ilKhan Ulric Kerensky, the Truce of Tukkayid forbids any Clan forces from moving beyond this line."

"And they evidently don't care about securing all of the territory coreward of Tukkayid," Julia observed.

"They do not," Focht said. "They have raided above the line on occasion, but they appear to consider such attacks to be a waste of material. Unfortunately, this may have contributed to the current threat against the Truce."

"They want more fights?"

"Yes, Captain. For their youngest generation, it is a matter of their future." Focht looked to Colonel Wolf. "Colonel Wolf can explain."

The aging mercenary leader stood up from his place and walked to join Focht. "In the Clans, advancement for warriors requires combat. All promotions are done in Trials of Position. And to earn these Trials, warriors must accumulate victories in battle."

"And with the Clans at peace, you get fewer chances for big flashy victories," Angel observed. "It's like being a professional fighter. It doesn't matter how well you train, you're going to be stuck in your place and ranking if you don't get in any good fights."

"The analogy is a good one. But for the Clans, even more is at stake than mere statistical rankings. Every warrior longs for a chance to win a Bloodname." When no one inquired as to what he meant, Wolf kept going. "In the Clans, what you refer to as family names, or surnames, are strictly prohibited. Only warriors who have won a Bloodname receive a second name. The Bloodnames come from the eight hundred men and women who followed Nicholas Kerensky in the Second Exodus. No more than twenty-five warriors are allowed to hold each name at a time; to win a name requires victory in a Trial of Bloodright tournament."

"And to get in a tournament, you need to have a good record," Julia observed.

"Yes." Wolf nodded to her. "I cannot emphasize how important a Bloodname is to a warrior of the Clans. It is the only guarantee that a warrior's DNA will be used in future generations of Clan warriors. Bloodnamed warriors get the best command opportunities and are members of their Clan Council. They elect the Khans and Loremaster of a Clan from among their number." A dark look came to the man. "It is the fear of not getting this opportunity that is turning the newest generations of Clan warriors into ardent Crusaders."

"Okay, but the Truce is only for fifteen years," Julia said. "They'll still be in their thirties when it's over. They'll have plenty of time to get their shot when the Truce expires, won't they?"

"You are thinking in your social terms," Wolf said. "The Clans consider a warrior too old by the time they reach thirty-five."

"Woh." Thomas Barnes shook his head. "That's pretty… I mean, that's not even middle-aged."

"Much of this is due to the Clan eugenics program," Focht replied. "Their scientist caste has been constantly refining their genes for centuries. Every five years is a new generation, considered superior to those beforehand. A thirty-five year old warrior is three generations out of date."

"Which is the problem." Jarod spoke up. "The Truce is for fifteen years. The newest generation of Clan warriors would be approaching thirty-five when the Truce ends. By Clan standards they'll be too old."

"What happens if a Clan warrior hits that age without a Bloodname?", Julia asked Wolf. "Do they forcibly retire them?"

"They are removed from frontline units and assigned to garrison forces or second line forces," Wolf answered. "Most will become _solahma_. They will spend their time fighting bandits as a last, desperate hope to get at least some of their genetic material into the breeding program. If they survive to a certain age, they usually end being relegated to caretakers of the sibkos. That is, the children of the warrior caste, taking care of them and training them until they reach the age for their Trials of Position."

"For a people devoted to martial glory, that's a lot of incentive to keep fighting," Julia observed.

"Exactly," Focht said. "As it is, with raiding between Clans low and no conflict with the Inner Sphere, the young warriors have few opportunities to gain the victories to secure places in Bloodright challenges. And with fewer Bloodnamed warriors dying in battle, they have fewer opportunities to join the ranks."

"And so they have plenty of incentive to resume the war. The handful that do become Bloodnamed are voting the Crusaders' way, adding to their vote totals, and even those who don't provide the Crusaders with a lot of lower rank support to pressure their superiors." Robert nodded. "So we need a solution to this problem. Preferably one that doesn't involve drawing away from the war."

Jarod looked to Focht and Wolf. "Is there any way we could offer them a chance to ally with us against the Reich? That would give their junior warriors the chance to fight and reduce the pressure."

Wolf nodded. "It is possible. But it is also dangerous. The Crusaders will see your offer for what it is and oppose it."

"Or they will not, but instead demand the same technological compensation you are providing to the Inner Sphere," Focht observed. "This would allow them to repudiate the Truce at their leisure after the war. And you would expect them to demand the right to your drives so they can maintain conquests in the S4W8 Universe."

"So we'd be handing over worlds to the Clans." Robert frowned. "And I thought the Turians getting to impose their system on freed worlds would be bad enough…"

"Unfortunately our options are limited." Admiral Maran spoke up now. "If the Clan Invasion resumes, we're obligated to help fight it, and that will come at the cost of the war with the Reich."

"But if we give the Clans access to our technology and to the resources of other universes, we make _them_ stronger too," Julia pointed out. "And when the war's over, we run into the same problem we have now."

Victor joined the conversation at this point. "Every day of peace with the Clans is another day that the Inner Sphere is better prepared to fight them when the invasion restarts. Even if you have to give them technology, we're getting the same, and we'll still have the stronger position with the Alliance on our side."

"Prince Victor's right, our situation will be better," Jarod added. "With the Reich defeated, our ships are free to deal more decisively with the Clans. However more powerful they grow, they can't fight the Inner Sphere _and_ the Allied Systems at once."

Julia nodded, but the frown on her face told of how much she was still leery of the outcome of Jarod's suggestion. She looked at Colonel Wolf. "Colonel, could we do it? Is this a solution?"

Wolf nodded. "It could work. The Nazi German Reich gaining your interuniversal drives is still a possibility, and it is the sort of threat that the Wardens believe the Clans exist to fight. Some of the Crusaders may also see the advantages of blooding their newest cadres in battle before the renewal of the Invasion. But they will not agree lightly, that you can be sure of. Your people will need to decide what they are willing to pay to secure Clan assistance, and a deferment of the Invasion." The Colonel allowed the smallest smile to show on his face, with Maran getting his attention for the next comments. "As for the Dragoons, my successor has agreed with me that if this threat is prevented, the Wolf Dragoons are ready to accept a contract with the Allied Systems to fight in your war. And we have contacts with many other elite mercenary formations in the Inner Sphere that will be open to similar offers."

"A generous offer, Colonel Wolf," Maran answered. "The President and I will bring the matter straight to the rest of Defense Command once this matter is resolved."

"Regrettably, I cannot make a similar offer." Focht shook his head. "The ComGuards are needed in the Inner Sphere. All I can pledge is that ComStar is ready to expand its current relations with the Alliance and that the First Circuit will consider more extensive joint research and technology agreements."

"Of course." The Admiral looked to the rest of those assembled. "We'll bring Commander Jarod's proposal before the leadership in tomorrow's opening meetings. I would like to have you there as well, Captain, as well as Commander Andreys. You are also all invited to this evening's banquet. Formal dress uniforms, of course."

Robert looked over the others. Maran hadn't said it, but it was blatantly obvious that "invitation" was silently joined with "ordered". And that mean wearing dress uniforms, a task that nobody took with any relish.

So of course he answered, "We'll be there, sir."

"Be ready to transport down at 1900 standard," Maran said. "This meeting is adjourned."


	48. Episode 2-10-2 The Path Before Us

Robert and Julia dutifully escorted Maran and the others back to the Transporter Station to see them off. From there it was back to the bridge and to the conference lounge to the side. The transsteel windows showed Tukkayid's vibrant colors and a large starship of one of the F1S1 nations in orbit near them. The others were waiting.

"It's not going to be that easy," Locarno stated. "Warrior cultures don't just talk. You just know they're going to challenge us to a fight at some point."

"He's right." Jarod looked up from a digital reader. "I've been looking over the material we have on the Clans. Going by the reports from ComStar and the Commonwealth, the Clans do _everything_ by combat trials. Even some exchanges of technology and trade can involve ritual combats."

"So what, they're going to ask us to fight them even if they agree to join us against the Nazis?", Angel asked.

"Likely."

"Then we'll need to be ready for that." Robert nodded. "Jarod, keep researching them, and we'll make sure everything's ready for a combat. If the Clans want to fight us, we'll show them just what that means."

"Unless they challenge us to fighting in those big walking tanks." Barnes crossed his arms. "Do we even have anyone who knows how to do that?"

It was a good question. Robert looked to Commander Kane, the Marine officer who commanded the _Aurora_ 's Marine detachment. The sandy-haired man shook his head. "We haven't been training to use F1S1's BattleMech systems. Although I've considered some anti-'Mech tactics."

"Would they work?"

"In the right terrain, and with the right employment." Kane nodded. "Our powered armor squad can probably give a few of them a good fight. But unless we sneak up on them, we probably lose, oh, seven times out of ten. Those things have too much armor and too much raw firepower."

"What about air support?" Robert looked to Lieutenant Commander Patrice Laurent, commander of the _Aurora_ 's fighter wing. "The Mongoose fighters have atmospheric flight, don't they?"

Laurent nodded. "Our support munitions may be enough. But I'm sure the enemy will have air support of their own. I will have to assign specific squadrons to air superiority and to ground support."

"I'll leave you to that. Starting tomorrow." Robert checked the time on his omnitool. "As for now, we should adjourn so we can get ready for that banquet. Full dress uniforms. And that means the pants, not the skirt." He looked to Caterina when he said that. She frowned and, for the first time in weeks, put on the full Pout. Robert was, thankfully, immune. "Every leader of the Inner Sphere is going to be present. President Morgan too."

"Whoever came up with the dress uniform was a sadist," mumbled Jarod.

Robert smirked at that. "You won't hear any argument from me on that point."

* * *

Tukkayid had once been a minor planet in the grand scheme of the Inner Sphere. There had been little in the way of facilities to host the assemblage now gathering on the world.

Robert and the others could see that in the years since it had become a household name in the Inner Sphere, Tukkayid had changed. ComStar had shining new facilities on the world and had essentially taken the planet over. Then they had gone on a building spree that had raised, among other things, the kind of facilities useful for hosting large scale affairs of state.

The dining hall was at ComStar's main civilian facilities, very close to their military headquarters and the new war college they were constructing. It was a massive hall built specifically for these kinds of summits. The interior had fine, soft carpeting of light blue and gold trim with massive electric chandeliers hanging every twenty feet down the length of the hall. Long tables full of dishes from every major culture stretched down the sides of the hall.

The _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ officers arrived at about 1850 ship time, a full ten minutes before Maran had requested them. They'd beamed down even earlier, just to spend over ten minutes in line with other notables and attendees as the master of ceremonies or whomever it was announced the arrivals one by one, complete with noble titles. The brilliant white of their dress uniforms contrasted to the usual black they wore on their duty uniform jackets. The shoulders had golden board epaulets with tassels of the same color hanging down from the epaulets. The various medals and commendations they'd won - including the shiny new Senate Order of Merit that Robert, Meridina, and Jarod had gotten for stopping the Gersallian Dissenter attack on the Senate - were glinting from their places over the left breast of their jackets.

When they finally got to the door, a Caucasian man approaching middle-age in a fine dark suit met them. "Sirs?"

"Captain Dale and crew," Robert said.

"Of course, sir." The MoC turned to the hall. He activated a microphone at his throat to be heard across the hall. "Now presenting Captain Robert Allen Dale of the United Alliance of Systems Stellar Navy, Commanding Officer of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_ , with command officers." The man's accent was not the snooty English accent that a near-quarter century of 20th Century television had trained Robert's subconscious to associate with such pomp. It instead had a deliberate Midwestern tone. "Commander Julia Megan Andreys, First Officer. Commander Montgomery…"

"Seriously?", muttered Barnes, as the MoC insisted on naming each and every one of them, full names with rank and position, so that it took over a minute to introduce them. Then came Zack and his crew, but since he only had five officers with him that was mercifully quick.

Once they were done Julia looked to the others. "Let's be careful what we say or do here. Everything here will be taken politically."

"So what are we supposed to do?" The question came from Caterina, who looked both uncomfortable and disappointed. "I mean, if someone starts to talk to us?"

"Then be as courteous as you can be," Robert said.

"Or just talk science at them until they get bored," was Angel's response. She grinned at her younger and smaller sister. "That usually works."

Instead of a happy retort, Cat smiled thinly at her sister's jest and walked on toward one of the tables.

The crews dispersed across the room to find food. A little rumble in his stomach reminded Robert about his small breakfast and lunch, and that he had an immediate need to find something. A passing waiter was kind enough to offer something from a small creme-topped pastries that were delicious, if rich. A second waiter offered him a glass, which he took absentmindedly. Robert was more focused on scanning the room to see if he recognized anyone he had already met during their tour of the Inner Sphere.

Officials from all of the Inner Sphere states were present. They provided an interesting contrast with various forms of dress. Davion suits had more of a martial flair to them, even if they were distinctly Western, while the Lyran parts of the FedCom delegation were dressed up to the nines.

"Captain."

The German accent in the voice would have been enough for Robert to recognize the speaker, even if he hadn't recognized the tone. He turned and nodded to Prince Victor. Victor was in the company of Jerry Cranston, as expected, and a large middle-aged man with graying red hair. "Highness," Robert answered respectfully, offering his hand. "You were pretty silent earlier today."

"I felt Focht and Wolf had more to say," Victor replied. He gestured to the red-haired man. "This is my Marshal of the Armies, Morgan Hasek-Davion, Duke of Syrtis and head of the Capellan March."

Robert nodded to the man. He was, if Robert remembered the family tree he'd seen, a cousin to Victor, the son of an aunt. "Marshal," he said. He took Morgan's hand and they shook. "A pleasure to meet you."

"The same. Victor's told me that your visit to New Avalon was the highlight of the year for him." Morgan nodded. "I saw the vids from the press on Victor's tour of your ship, so I can see why."

Robert answered with a nod. There was admittedly more to why Victor would feel that way. But given everything he knew about the court politics of F1S1, Robert knew that some things were best left unsaid. "I hope the people of the Commonwealth share your opinions. I'd like to think that we have enough in common that Alliance-Commonwealth relations will always be good. But I understand that it's going to take some time and patience. The existence of the Multiverse is a lot to take in for your people."

"It has been," Victor said. "But…"

He stopped speaking. Robert could see his eyes were drawn toward the door. Cranston had a reserved look on his face. Robert felt something of the emotions from both men. A feeling of distrust, dislike, a sense of broken promises and trust, the latter particularly strong in Cranston.

Robert turned now and faced the same direction as the others. At the opening of the door was a tall, splendid-looking woman, immensely beautiful and wearing an ice blue sleeveless dinner gown and a jeweled tiara. Long wintry green dinner gloves went up past the elbow of her bare arms. Her blond hair was the same color as Victor's, done up in an elaborate braid and ponytail at the back of her head.

"Presenting Her Royal Highness Princess Katherine…" There was a hushed remark. "...I am sorry, _Katrina_ Morgan Steiner-Davion," the MoC said. "Regent on Tharkad, Duchess of…" He listed off several titles. Some were presumably courtesy titles of some sort or another.

"Your sister," Robert murmured.

"Yes."

"I didn't get the chance to meet her," Robert said. "The _Aurora_ ended its tour at Orestes. What's she like?"

There was no answer from the two men, or from Morgan. But Robert could sense that had they given an honest answer, it would have been unkind. And seeing that Katrina was making her way toward them, he decided not to press.

"Victor, it is good to see you," Katrina said amiably. "I hope New Avalon is treating you well, little brother." A teasing smile crossed her face.

"Well enough," Victor answered, smiling quietly. "My congratulations to you on the job you're doing on Tharkad."

"Keeping our people safe and happy is a pleasure." Katrina turned to face Robert. Their heights were close, so her eyes lifted to face him, crystal blue in their color. "And you are Captain Dale. I'm thankful to finally get the chance to meet you, Captain. I regret that you didn't give Tharkad a visit as you did the other capitals of the Inner Sphere."

There was something to the remark that told Robert there was more to it. Ignoring that, Robert pressed on. "Yes. I had hoped to see your world too, but since we had already met the leader of the Commonwealth, Defense Command felt it necessary to send us on."

"I see." She extended a hand. "Better late than never, I suppose. Thank you for your assistance in the Joshua Marik matter, Captain. I hope that it is merely the beginning of your Alliance's involvement in the Inner Sphere."

Robert took it and kept his eyes on her as they shook hands. As they did so his life force senses flared up. Her hand felt cold, unnaturally so, and it took a moment for Robert to realize the sensation of cold wasn't physical, but through her life energy.

He focused quietly on that, on Katrina herself. Not deep enough to see anything, certainly not to the level of reading minds or sensing current motions, just a sense of who he was with.

For a moment Robert thought he was being pulled by something. There was an inexorable force within Katrina. A vortex of some sort…

No. A maw. A hungry, ravening maw demanding to be sated, capable of anything if it meant satiation. The sense of pure _desire_ was frightening in its intensity, hidden as it was below the veneer of quiet composure and familial ribbing that Katrina had kept up. Robert got the sense that he could be drawn in, used up, and spat back out once he no longer met the needs of that hunger.

The sensation of the feeling was enough that he froze in mid-handshake. A look of bewilderment bordering on distaste flashed across Katrina's features. It was enough to jolt Robert back to movement. "Oh, sorry," he said, sounding sheepish, which wasn't hard as it wasn't an act. "I'm afraid I've got a lot on my mind, Highness."

"Of course." Katrina was clearly not convinced, but it was obvious she didn't know what to think.

Robert's strange reaction to Katrina hadn't gone unnoticed. "Hello," said a friendly voice, as Julia stepped in. She nodded to Victor and to Katrina. "Your Highnesses."

"Ah. Commander Andreys." Victor extended a hand and she accepted it. "This is my sister, Princess Katherine, my regent on Tharkad overseeing the Lyran half of our united realm. And our cousin, Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion."

Julia nodded, still smiling warmly, and accepted handshakes from them and from Jerry Cranston as well. Robert could tell she was aware something was up, given the way she was drawing the attention of the group to herself. "Katherine, or is it Katrina?", she asked the other woman.

Katrina was looking at Julia with interest, and now a small smile. "I was born Katherine and Victor's used to using that name for me. But I've taken my grandmother's name now."

"Ah. Well, I'll go with Princess Katrina then. I'm Commander Julia Andreys of the _Starship Aurora_ , First Officer."

"Indeed." Katrina's smile remained amiable. "It seems you and I have similar positions, then."

"We run the day-to-day things while the boys get all the credit?" Julia chuckled. "Something like that. And I regret that we never got to visit Tharkad, I've heard it's an amazing world."

"Yes, quite…"

Talking to Julia seemed to draw Katrina's interest, and the two walked off together, leaving Robert to collect his thoughts while Victor and Cranston looked on in stony silence.

Robert felt unsettled by his experience. He'd never felt such an immediate sensation from meeting someone. At best, he could get a good sense of current feelings and honesty. But that feeling from Katrina, that ravenous maw, left his heart racing and his head woozy.

"You do not look well," Victor observed.

Robert shook his head and swallowed. "I… it was just a shock." He went to excuse the matter by blaming his drink before his short-term memory kicked in, reminding him that he hadn't even started it yet.

"My sister can be… an experience."

The bitter feeling inside of the Archon-Prince returned. Robert looked at him. "Your sister is special. I've never felt an impression like that before."

"Does this have to do with your… abilities?", Cranston asked.

Cranston's question gave Robert a brief, instinctive flare of shock. But it was only a second in length before the instinctive reaction went away. His secret was, for the most part, out. Even if the recordings of the Gersallian Dissenter attack on the Alliance Senate hadn't been fully released, the Gersallians had openly broadcast Meridina's trial before her Order. A trial where his training had been revealed and then demonstrated.

"Yes," he answered. He looked over to where Julia was introducing Katrina to Jarod and Scotty. Looking back to Victor, he added, in a stone tone, "I always had the sense that your feelings toward your sister weren't the best. Now I can understand why."

"What was it?", Victor asked. "What did you sense?"

Robert briefly looked back to Katrina. Even across the room, he thought he could feel that pull. "Hunger," he murmured. "Insatiable hunger."

Victor and Cranston exchanged knowing looks. Robert could see they weren't surprised.

Somehow, that was the scariest part of it all.

* * *

After being introduced to a few new faces Angel made her way over to where Cat was staring quietly out of a window, an unfinished plate of pastries in her hand. "Some of this stuff is good," Angel said, indicating a rich-tasting fish filet on her plate. "You can't just eat pastries the whole time."

"They make me feel better." Cat sighed. "I wish they'd let Violeta come with us."

Angel rested her free hand on Caterina's shoulder. "She can't go everywhere with you."

"I know. But this is… I mean, she would love it here." Cat took her last bite and finished what she had after some chewing. "I never thought being in love would feel like this. I'm not even in my labs as often now. I'd rather be with Violeta."

"I know what it's like," Angel said.

"Yeah, you would." Cat looked over and up at her sister. "Are you and Rob… I mean, I know you're upset with all of the things he's doing now. Are you...?"

"We're still together. Technically." After saying that Angel sighed. "It's complicated, Cat. I know for you it's going well right now, but over time… well, things get in the way."

"He's breaking your heart again, isn't he?"

"Maybe… I don't know." Angel shook her head. "It was all so easy when I came to him last year. But now this 'life force' stuff, and…. other things that have come up."

"That prophecy stuff you heard on Gersal?", Cat inquired.

"That." Angel drew in a breath. "During that mission we went on to rescue Jarod, one of the people who helped us was this Zigonian named Kasszas."

"The blind one?" Seeing Angel's curious look, Cat answered the unasked question by saying, "Jarod mentioned him a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, that one." Angel looked out the window and let the memory come through her. "I… asked him if there was a way to remove Rob's abilities. He said no. And then he said I didn't love Rob anymore."

Cat frowned and furrowed her brow. "Well, that was a pretty mean thing to say."

"I thought so too." Angel nodded in agreement. "But I keep thinking back to that... He said I was trying to love an image of Rob and not the real thing. That I had to accept his powers in order to love him." Angel shook her head. "Just like that. I had to accept something that's tormenting Rob every damned night, it feels like. Half of the time I'm waking up and finding him curled up on the bed. Or he wakes me up screaming something." Angel shook her head. "And I'm supposed to accept that. But I won't."

"Leo said there's no way to remove this stuff from him, though."

"There has to be a way," Angel insisted. "Something nobody's thought of yet. You're into science, can't you find…"

"I'm not a biologist," Cat protested. "I mean, I know some basic things, but my specialties are in entirely different fields. I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to life force stuff." She frowned. "Besides, isn't that stuff good? I mean…"

By then it was too late. Angel was already giving her an angry look. "It gives him nightmares all of the time, Cat, so no, I don't think it's good."

"But without the powers, the Nazis would have killed me," Cat said. "Robert needed them to save me."

"We could have found another way," Angel insisted.

"I don't think…" Cat stopped. She could tell from Angel's expression that this conversation was going nowhere. She set the plate she had down on the window sill and took her sister's hand. "Angel, I don't want to see you hurt. But I'm worried about this. What Robert's got now… whatever it is, I don't think it's something you get rid of. Not with science anyway. Maybe it's just something… it's a change and you have to go with it. Or…" Seeing that was upsetting her sister, Cat sighed. "Violeta and I have this thing, Angel… we always ask each other before we… well, before we do anything. And she was pretty clear on letting me take the lead because I'm new at the whole 'lesbian relationship' thing. That's because we both have to be happy for the relationship to work. I mean, obviously not happy all of the time, but…"

Angel was starting to tune her sister out. That wasn't something she normally did. But it felt like Cat was saying the same thing to her. She had to accept it. She had to accept this… this _curse_ that Robert had taken up, and should give up finding a way to cure him of it.

 _Maybe I should_ , was her brief thought on the matter. But some part of her instinctively rejected that. These abilities, this power, was destroying their relationship. She felt like they were getting to the point where they weren't even together anymore, just… what, friends with benefits?

 _And I don't want that anymore. Not with him_.

Caterina finished speaking. "You stopped paying attention to me," she said with a hint - more than a hint, really - of accusation in her voice.

"I'm sorry," Angel said. She looked down at her plate and put it on the sill. "I'm… I'm not hungry."

"Angel…" Cat reached for her sister's arm, but she was too slow. Angel tromped off into the crowd, looking very much like she wanted to be alone.

* * *

The Master of Ceremonies began to call out new arrivals again. These new arrivals were clad differently from the other groups, wearing Japanese-style formal robes and suits, with the black dragon-on-red disc insignia of the Draconis Combine stitched into the torso areas of the robes. An East Asian man of graying dark hair was immediately recognizable to Robert: Coordinator Theodore Kurita.

He had little stake, emotionally, in the arrival of another Inner Sphere potentate and family. But he could feel Victor's emotions shift, longing and need taking over from the lingering irritation and distrust of dealing with Katrina. That won his attention and Robert soon looked back again, even as the Ceremonies master introduced "The Keeper of the Honor of the House of Kurita", a woman in a red and black kimono with her long dark hair pulled back into a formal knot at the rear of her head. She looked nearly thirty, probably a few years older than Robert. Bright blue eyes scanned the crowd and faced Robert. Her expression remained fixed. Nevertheless Robert could feel a joy within her, the joy of seeing someone who met much to her.

He looked over and felt nearly the same from Victor, tinged with bittersweet feelings. Cranston was looking at Victor with a little concern. "Huh," Robert murmured. "And I thought my love life was complicated."

"Whoever you want to be with, you don't have to worry about provoking a civil war by marrying them," Victor lamented.

"Eloping to Las Vegas wouldn't exactly work for you two either, would it?", Robert sighed.

That got him a harsh laugh from the Prince. "If only…" Victor shook his head. "The Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth marrying the Keeper of the Family Honor of the Draconis Combine is the sort of wedding that requires all sorts of state protocols and functions. Including dowries and gifts."

"You mean that your people would be convinced you were going to give up worlds to the Combine in any gift exchange. But I've met Theodore, he's not stupid enough to push for something like that…"

"He would have to have something for show to avoid domestic problems," Cranston pointed out. "And popular opinion in the Commonwealth would never allow that."

Robert's response was to rub at his forehead. "Just whose bright idea was it to set up aristocracy and feudalism in the Inner Sphere, anyway?"

"Michael Cameron," Victor answered nonchalantly. "Although feudalism has mostly been a result of the Succession Wars."

"I thought some of the old Earth nobility still existed in some Alliance states?", asked Cranston.

"Well, I think some do," Robert admitted. "European and Arab royal families. But they don't have these kinds of politics involved in their marriages anymore." He shook his head and gave Victor a look that he hoped was comforting. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine how much it hurts for you."

"And what about you?", Victor asked. "The way you're talking, you have your own relationship problems."

"Well, nothing to the level of a civil war over them." Robert shook his head. "For me it's more of a question if I'm even going to _have_ a relationship for much longer. Between my duty to train in my… abilities, and my duties as a captain…"

Victor gave him a sympathetic look. "Duty and love don't always go together."

"You're right about that." Robert cleared his throat. "Well, enough of that I guess. We still have to figure out what we're going to do about the Clans."

"That's what the strategy meetings are for tomorrow."

"Maybe. But I've already started to think of something with the others." Robert gave Victor a thoughtful look. "How much do you know about the Clans' combat trials?" 

* * *

The following day Robert, Julia, and Jarod were the ones to beam down to join President Morgan and Admiral Maran at the grand strategy meeting. The ComStar conference room was arranged with tables in a curved line across the room, all facing a raised dais and podium marked with the ComStar insignia and with a holotank above and behind it.

There was no difficulty in finding the Alliance table - President Morgan had been given a place between the Marik and Kurita tables on the right side. The Commonwealth was represented by one table with both Victor and Katrina sitting at it. Robert didn't recognize the woman who was with Katrina, although her military uniform gave her rank as a Marshal, while Victor had Marshal Hasek-Davion at his side as well as another man, with a full beard of wolf-gray hair and a head of hair to match. His uniform was different, clearly that of a mercenary.

Focht was directing the briefing. "We have determined more about what is going on in Clan territory," he said. "And the news is grave." He gripped the podium. "A few weeks ago, the Wolf Clan Council convened a trial hearing to hear accusations leveled against ilKhan Ulric Kerensky by the Clan Loremaster, Dalk Carns, who is a known Crusader."

"What was he accused of?", asked the wolf-haired man at Victor's table.

"Treason, Your Grace," replied Focht. "The charges are spurious, that much is clear, but the newest generation of warriors in the Clans are opposed to the Truce and are pushing the conviction. From what we have gathered, Loremaster Carns leveled a very grave and heavy accusation against the ilKhan. He accused him of plotting genocide against the Clan."

"That sounds farfetched," noted Thomas Marik. "How could such an outrageous charge hold weight?"

"Our sources in the Wolf Clan state the charge is based on the Truce, that the Truce was planned to destroy the warrior caste," Wolf said. "It is a ridiculous charge, but it is one that the Crusaders can take advantage of. Ulric's actual actions are irrelevant. The Crusaders want the Invasion to resume. Presumably they have hoped that Ulric would renounce the Truce to save himself."

"Then we must prepare for war." This came from Sun-Tzu Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation. The sharp-eyed Asian man was flanked by his red-haired sister and one of his high military officers. "The Clans will be resuming their campaign."

"As things stand, that is the most likely outcome." Focht looked to the Alliance table. "Although we may have one last chance to prevent it. President Morgan?"

Henry Morgan stood. He looked every inch the seasoned statesman, and his business-like suit - a dark blue jacket with seamless sealed cuffs over a silk white shirt and green tie - was in sharp contrast to the ostentatious uniforms of the Inner Sphere leadership. "The Allied Systems are ready to assist the Inner Sphere in resisting Clan aggression," Morgan said. "Although it is our hope to prevent a resumption of the hostilities so that the conflict with the Nazi German Reich is not prolonged. As many of you are aware, we suffered a setback nearly two months ago that has cost us some of our reserve. And I shouldn't need to point out that regardless of our success in preventing the Reich from gaining control of the Darglan Facility at Gamma Piratus, the longer the war rages, the more likely the Reich will manage to discover how to use IU drives through examination of the ships we've lost in action within their territories. So we must put all of our efforts into preventing this potential Clan threat."

"Do you have a proposal on how to persuade the Clans to uphold the Truce, Mister President?", Katrina asked from the Commonwealth table.

Morgan nodded at her. "I do. Precentor-Martial Focht has informed me that the Clans' upcoming meeting is on the planet Tamar." He held a hand toward Robert and the others. "It is my intention to send Captain Dale and his ship to Tamar to open our first diplomatic contact with the Clans and to secure, by any means possible, their cooperation."

Theodore Kurita nodded from his table. "That is, perhaps, the best chance we have. Seeing your vessel and some of the technological advantages your Alliance enjoys may cause even the militant Clans to reconsider."

"Although it will not be easy." Colonel Wolf was speaking up next, from his own table near Focht. "If you have read the reports I made available, it is clear that the prolonged peace is causing enormous strain within the warrior caste. Many of the younger generations of warriors are insisting on new conflicts. I fear that the Truce will not last despite the Alliance's presence."

Robert gave Maran a look. Maran stood. "I believe Captain Dale and his officers have a suggestion to propose to the summit."

"We are prepared to hear him," said Focht.

Robert stood and looked over the assembled leaders of the Inner Sphere, from the hollow visage of Rasalhague's Elected Prince Haakon Magnusson to Victor to the emissaries from the Periphery realms of the Magistracy of Canopus and the Taurian Concordat. "I've been discussing this issue with my officers while examining our material on the Clans. Commander Jarod has found a possible solution that will ease this… pressure on the Clans' internal affairs. But it's going to have a long-term cost, and I can't suggest it at Tamar unless the leaders of the Inner Sphere, and President Morgan, are ready to consider it." Robert drew in a breath before continuing. "We could offer the Clans a part in the war with the Reich."

"Which means they would also get access to the same technologies you are offering us, correct?", asked Thomas Marik.

"Yes, Captain-General sir. They would."

A few protesting voices arose. "You can't!", Magnusson cried. "We're already under enough threat, with your technology the Clans would overwhelm what's left of the Republic in a day!"

"What if they insist you remain neutral in a renewal of the invasion?" This was from Katrina. "There has to be a line that you will not cross."

"I would never intend to offer that term, not without guarantees… or as a calculated risk for an immense benefit," Robert insisted.

"Or as a means for the Alliance to abandon the Inner Sphere to the Clans," charged one of the Lyran officers with Katrina.

"That is not our intention," Morgan stated flatly. "And I will not allow it to come to that."

"So you would betray any such term if it's made with the Clans? How could anyone trust you…"

Before Sun-Tzu could continue, Robert spoke up again. "If I were to even consider such a thing, it would be to meet a Clan offer to end the Invasion for now."

"The Clans already agreed to a fifteen year truce. We are only five years into that truce and they are already planning to break it." Sun-Tzu shook his head. "I cannot accept such an agreement. It would be base treachery by the Alliance against the Inner Sphere. Indeed, I am deeply suspicious of this entire concept now."

Robert met the Capellan ruler's glare with an understanding look. "I understand your skepticism. But your people have fought beside ours, we're not going to abandon you like that. All I'm asking is for leeway to act as I need to if it means stopping the Clans from rescinding the Truce. Believe me, if it's clear we can't dissuade the Crusaders… if Ulric Kerensky is removed as ilKhan and the Crusaders are preparing to resume the invasion, we'll break off the talks. And the Alliance can prepare to join you in a war with the Clans."

Victor stood. "It's worth a try," he said. "Even if the Clans gain something from joining the war, the Inner Sphere and the Alliance can hold them at the Truce line ten years from now. That's ten years for the Inner Sphere to continue building defenses. Ten years for us to finish off the Reich."

"Not all of us are involved in your little crusade, Prince Victor," Sun-Tzu said. "Do not presume that the Capellan Confederation will jeopardize its defenses to assist in that war."

"Obviously not, Chancellor Sun-Tzu," Victor answered. "But many of us are committed to helping end that threat before it could possibly bring us harm, and that is what I was referring to."

"Regardless of that issue, it is clear we should consider Captain Dale's proposal." Focht put his hands together on the podium. "Let us vote on it by delegation."

The vote was held. The Commonwealth, the Combine, and the St. Ives Compact voted in favor of. The Capellans and Rasalhague voted against. Those assembled looked toward Thomas Marik.

The Captain-General, in turn, looked to the Alliance table and nodded. "The Free Worlds League votes in favor of the Alliance proposal." He studiously ignored the slight displeasure on his future son-in-law Sun-Tzu's face.

Thomas Marik's vote eliminated the tie-breaking vote that Focht and Primus Mori could have employed, as controversial as that might have proven. Robert nodded at Julia and Jarod; their mission was good to go.

Victor stood. "In support of the mission, I propose that an observer be dispatched" Victor looked to the older, wolf-gray-haired man at his table. "Duke Morgan Kell of Arc-Royal is my choice."

The older man nodded.

"Given the short time we have to influence the upcoming Clan Grand Council meeting on Tamar, I would suggest that Captain Dale and his ship be released to depart by this evening," Focht stated. "Are there any objections?"

There were none.

* * *

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 4 July 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. We are currently en route to Tamar and expect to arrive during the evening hours. Grand Duke Kell and a small group of ComStar-provided analysts have been issued quarters for the duration of this mission._

 _I spent much of the night going over the material on the Clan leadership provided by Colonel Wolf and Precentor-Martial Focht. There are a few ways to approach this problem. I only hope I can read the Clans correctly and find the one that will work._

The lunch crowd in the Lookout was of the standard size. Freshly roused Beta Shift crew were getting their breakfasts while some Alpha Shift personnel took lunch breaks. Robert had opted for lunch in the Lookout in the hopes that Angel would join him. Unfortunately she had other arrangements with Cat, and he was dining alone.

He chewed quietly on the reuben sandwich that Hargert had given him and found that, for all that the mission meant for the future, it was the future of his relationship that he couldn't get his mind off of. He and Angel had always had issues with staying together. Family obligations - Robert to the (eternally struggling) family farm, Angel to watching her then-underage little sister - inevitably got in the way of things, and then would come the arguments, the recriminations, and a breakup. A few weeks, or a few months in some cases, would pass, then they'd meet up in a social setting and become friendly, just for the cycle to lead to hooking back up and straight on that same path as before. This entire cycle had started in high school and continued on into early adulthood, and it left Robert wondering if he was cursed to continue it.

 _It felt so different this time. Like knowing we could die out here made it easier to keep things going. Our obligations weren't interfering… not at first_.

A small burning sensation of guilt came to Robert. How much of this was because he knew he could stop these issues easily? All he had to do was tell Meridina he was done with training. That he was satisfied with his level of control and that he needed to focus on other things? That _was_ what was supposed to happen, after all. All of those months, he had trained under the impression that he was only ensuring basic control of his abilities, of what the Gersallians called " _swevyra_ ", and he had promised Angel he'd have more time for her once that training was over. But with everything that had happened on Gersal, and the revelation that Meridina had intentionally been training Robert and Lucy Lucero more extensively than control… With all of that, he had decided to keep training.

 _Maybe I should take that back_ , he thought, and not for the first time. Angel deserved better than being third-string in his life behind his captain duties and his life force ability training.

And like every time he thought of that, he remembered other things. He remembered the Prophecy of the Dawn, as _Mastrash_ Ledosh and Meridina had describe, and he remembered the message in the Darglan Facility on Gamma Piratus. The warning about "the Darkness". And his dreams, his nightmares, of stars going out across the galaxies of the universe…

Robert might have stuck himself into another cycle of thought if not for the new arrival. "Captain Dale," said a voice made hoarse by age, but still tempered with the firmness of command. Robert looked up from his meal to face Morgan Kell. The ex-mercenary commander had a plate of his own. "May I?"

"Oh… yes, yes of course."

Morgan sat. "You reminded me of the monks I once lived with," he said. "But it was rare to see someone so intent upon their thoughts, even in those days. Does this mission trouble you?"

"It wasn't about the mission," Robert admitted. "There were other… things on my mind, you could say."

"Ah." Morgan took a small drink from a cup. Robert couldn't tell what was in it. "I'm curious about how your crew seems to operate on duty. It's not the military style I would expect."

"It would be on other ships," Robert said. "But for vessels in direct Alliance service, with crews from different species and different cultures, we had to find a good median point. Alakins require more sleep than Humans, for instance, from a medical standpoint, but they are more alert while awake and require fewer breaks."

"Ah, yes." Morgan nodded. "I am still getting used to the idea of non-Human life. I actually felt sorry for the first alien delegation that I hosted on Arc-Royal, those… Tarans? Tarians?"

"Turians?", Robert offered.

"Ah, yes. Turians." Morgan nodded. "They were an interesting sort. They came to inspect my family's BattleMech factory and observe the Kell Hounds in field exercises. But they spent most of their time dodging reporters and dealing with culture shock."

"I'm not surprised. Ever since first contact with the Inner Sphere, people have been looking into your BattleMechs as a possible new weapon system."

"I've been considering installing mass effect weapons on BattleMechs myself. The chance to have autocannons without heavy ammunition requirements, or explosive ammunition, is compelling." Morgan took a bite from a sandwich on his plate. Once he was finished, he spoke again. "My son is a Khan in the Clans, you know."

Robert blinked. "What?" With a movement of his hand he activated his new omnitool and brought up a data display of the known Clan leaders. "Which? I mean, how is that possible?"

"He is Khan Phelan Ward in the Wolves," Morgan continued. "They let him compete for the Bloodname because his mother is descended from a Star League officer, Jal Ward, who joined Aleksandr Kerensky's exodus over two hundred years ago. Ward ended up being one of Nicholas' eight hundred followers."

Robert found the name, and with it the image. In fact, once he started reading over the ComStar bio Morgan's words were quickly confirmed. He felt a little embarrassed at not knowing this. _I've been focusing on reading up about the Crusader Khans since they'll be the ones I'm having to fight the most_.

It was clear Morgan knew the "why" of Robert's ignorance. He made no comment on it. "I have a vested stake in your mission, Captain, as you now see." Morgan sighed. "While my Kell Hounds will most likely fight the Jade Falcons and Steel Vipers instead of the Wolves, the Invasion resuming means that my son and I will be enemies again."

"Your son's with the Warden faction, right?"

"The Wardens may oppose continuing the Invasion, but they are obligated to fight if it restarts. Knowing Phelan, he will throw his full energy into getting the Wolves to Terra first."

"Because Earth is their goal," Robert noted. "The first Clan to reach Earth gets to take charge over all of the other Clans."

"Exactly."

"But that's not enough, not if they want to reunite the Inner Sphere under their leadership." Robert shook his head. "I mean, Earth has some strategic value, being in the dead center of the Inner Sphere. But throwing everything they have into seizing it first makes no sense. They're creating long flank lines that the Inner Sphere can exploit."

"The Clans are used to winning in the end, and to quick and decisive battles," Morgan reminded Robert. "Strategy is not always their strong suit." The older man sighed. "And I fear it may eventually lead to Phelan's death. I have already mourned him once. I don't wish to go through that again."

"Yeah." Robert noddded. "I don't blame you. I know what it's like to lose the people that you love. And I'll do what I can, Duke Kell. I'll find a way to keep the Truce." _And maybe, if we're lucky, it may not be so temporary in the long run_ … 

* * *

With the _Koenig_ docked Tom Barnes was back in his usual role of being Scotty's #2 man in Engineering. And it was work he preferred; the _Koenig_ was a little asskicker of a ship, but it sucked to live on it, and that was what Tom would have to do if it went out for any extended missions before Karen Derbely finished her operations and rehabilitation from getting most of her body flash-fried by coolant plasma.

For the moment, he was looking over the plasma feed line leading into Nacelle Pylon 3, the lower starboard pylon on the ship. An engineering rate Crewman, Gabe Howell, was standing beside him with a tool. "Do you see what I mean, sir?", he asked.

Barnes looked back to his own scan results, displayed on his nice new omnitool. He delighted in operating the holographic device. "Yeah," he sighed. "Yeah, I can see that. Looks like a fault in the valve." Barnes tapped a hard-light key on the omnitool display. "Barnes to Scott."

" _I'm here, lad_ ," was the reply from his mentor.

"Howell's right. The valve on Feed 3B is stuck in the open position."

" _Alright then. I'll have the backups brought online. Go ahead an' get a replacement valve from th' shop._ "

"On my way." Barnes looked to Howell. "Let me know if anything else happens, I'm going to get a replacement valve built."

"Yes sir," the young engineering crewman replied.

Barnes smiled thinly to that as he walked away. This was the part he loved about this life. He wasn't just an engineer, he was an engineer on one of the most advanced machines that an engineer could ever imagine. Forget designing a car or a jet, he had helped to design, and was helping to run, a kilometer-long _starship_ that could go faster than light and hop universes.

He walked up the work ramp for the nacelle pylon to the deck it was attached to. From there it was a short trip around the various machinery spaces and the access doors for them to a turbolift and Deck 25.

In Machine Shop B he went to the bank of fabricators. An engineering officer, Lieutenant Teikue, was overseeing the shop crew. "Lieutenant Barnes, sir?", he asked.

"I need a new plasma-holding valve for one of the feed lines." Barnes brought up his omnitool and looked up the information. "Model… PV210 should do it."

"Yes sir."

Barnes left Teikue to relay the order to his shop workers. For the moment he had nothing to do. A job like this would only take ten or so minutes depending on various factors and he might as well wait.

It was while he was waiting that he recognized a head of curly dark hair nearby. Even without seeing her face, he could see it was Lucy and called out, "Hey Lucy, still working on something?" When she didn't respond he crossed his arms and repeated her name. When a second repeat of said name didn't work, he smirked and said, "Hey, Earth to LL. You there, LL?"

She stopped moving her hand on the control and took in a breath. Lucy turned and gave him a playful death glare. "You know I don't like that nickname. I never have."

"Yeah, I remember. You finally told us that only after a few years _and_ finding the Facility," Barnes replied. "But I didn't know how else to get your attention."

"Shouldn't you be in Engineering helping Scotty?", Lucy asked.

"I'm waiting for them to get me a new plasma valve for one of the Nacelle 3 plasma feeds," he answered. He stepped up closer and noticed the cylindrical object in what looked like a manual fabricator assembly. "Still working on that… laser sword or beamblade or lightsaber, whatever it is?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Yes. But there's still no luck with the crystal issue."

"Have you checked the inventory? We have a few focusing crystal types around."

"And none of them work, they can't handle the energy load," Lucy answered. "I need stronger crystals."

Barnes blinked. "Woh. Did you see what kind of crystal was in that weapon?"

"I got scans, but I'd need a full atomic material scan for that," Lucy said, "and I didn't want to risk taking the blade apart. The Gersallians would have been mad as hell if I had wrecked their relic."

"Huh." Barnes pondered the question. "Well, I'll see what I can find for you. I know some people who are examining new types of crys…" He was interrupted by a tone from his omnitool. Someone was calling him. He tapped the holographic key to open the channel. "Barnes here."

" _Tom, I need you to double-check the engines before we get to Tamar_ ," Zack said. " _Hajar said something about that plasma coolant line having some irregular results from the testing yesterday._ "

"How soon are we going to be there?"

" _By tonight, I've heard_."

At that Barnes rolled his eyes. "Dammit…" He looked to Lucy. "Hey, they're getting me that valve soon, a PV210. Mind getting it from Teikue and taking it to Feed 3B for installation?"

Lucy nodded. "Since you're doing me a solid on my crystal hunt, sure."

"Thanks." He turned away. "I'd better get to the _Koenig_ then. See you around." 

* * *

Robert entered the gymnasium in uniform and quickly found who he was looking for. Julia was standing on a practice mat in a white martial arts gi with a black belt around her waist and her hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. She was in one of her practice stances, moving through a sequence of what looked like _t'ai chi_ moves and holds.

She wasn't alone in this. Angel was standing beside her, doing the same, and they had a new addition to the group. Robert was somewhat surprised to see it was Meridina, wearing the same kind of martial arts gi the others had instead of her usual preferred training vest. She mimicked the movements of Julia and Angel flawlessly.

Politeness demanded Robert remain to the side until they were done. Within a minute Julia did what looked to be the final movement, culminating with her hands coming together, palm-against-palm, in what looked almost like a "praying" gesture. She let out a final breath and her body relaxed. "Well, there we are," she said. She looked to Robert and grinned. "One of these days, Rob, I'm going to get you into this."

"Well, you've got Angel and Meridina now…"

"...and Lucy," Julia added. Her grin remained. "When she's not spending all of her time in the Machine Shop trying to build a new light sword."

"It is an interesting discipline." Meridina nodded to Julia. "And it served Lucy against _Mastrash_ Goras."

"And I only gave her one lesson," Julia pointed out. "If she'd been fully trained, I'm not sure Goras could have landed a hit. Not with anything physical anyway." Julia looked to Robert again.

He was, in turn, embracing Angel for a moment. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and pulled away. "We don't have long, right?", she asked.

Robert shook his head. "Maybe an hour. Locarno will let me know when we're fifteen minutes out. If need be we'll slow to make sure we're ready when we get there…"

"I'm going to shower. See you on the bridge." Angel nodded to him and walked to the exit.

Meridina gave Robert a sad look. "I am sorry."

"Sorry for…?", he asked.

"For undermining your relationship with Angel," Meridina answered. "If it were not so important to continue your training…"

"Is it?", Robert asked. He was still looking at the door that Angel had just walked through. "What if we dialed it back a little? Maybe a couple nights a week?"

"By all rights we should be doing more, Robert," Meridina pointed out. "You still have much to learn in how to use your _swevyra_."

Meridina had been gentle in her reminder of his relative lack of capability. He still had trouble dueling Lucy, who only had six months of training on him, and even in comparison to her his advancement in most of the relevant abilities was lacking.

It wasn't the first time Robert had felt frustrated, or even dejected, about his lack of progress. But now it added to his frustration over his failing relationship with Angel. He frowned. "I'm having trouble making the time for what I do now, Meridina. Maybe…" Robert shrugged. "...I don't know. I'm starting to think that maybe I should just accept that this as far as I'm going in terms of my force abilities and end the training."

Meridina listened to him say those words. For a brief moment there was a small flinch on her features, joined by a quivering of her heart. Whatever it had been, she forced it away. "I understand your frustration with your progress Robert. But not everyone advances as fast as Lucy has. You are advancing at the pace I would expect. It is possible that you may never have the same capability in combat, yes..."

"Then what's this for?", Robert asked pointedly. "I mean, I've got the mental control down, I'm not going to give in to my darkest impulses, you can be sure of that. But if I'm never going to be able to fight alongside you and Lucy with these abilities, maybe I should just call it quits. Before I give up something I don't have to."

"I understand that I may be asking much of you. It is a sacrifice. But I believe it a necessary one. You need to learn how to better harness your talents."

Meridina's words were spoken gently. But they cut deeply regardless.

Part of that may have even contributed to what came next. To the instinctive, defensive reaction that led Robert to responding, "Maybe I don't think that sacrifice is worth it anymore."

Meridina looked at him closely. For a moment he thought she would initiate some sort of mental contact, a connection to gauge if he really meant that. In the end all she did was nod. "I see. If that is how you feel, if it is the path that your _swevyra_ is guiding you toward, then I respect it. Please let me know later if this is the way you wish things to go."

Without another word, Meridina walked away.

Even before she reached the door, Robert could feel the pain welling up inside of her. The only thing keeping him from recanting on the spot was his own surprise that he said that to her.

He was even more surprised by the sudden jolt of pain in the back of his head. "Yow!", he cried out in surprise.

When he turned his head to face the source of the slap, he found himself staring into a pair of infuriated aquamarine eyes. "In all of our years together, Robert Allen Dale," Julia began, anger lacing every word, "you have rarely been more of a thoughtless idiot than you were just now." As he drew in a breath to speak Julia interrupted. "You really want to do that? To bring up 'sacrifices' and if they're worth it?" She pointed to the door with a single finger. "To _her_. That woman _gave up everything_ , Rob. She walked away from the organization that gave her life purpose, that… that she spent her whole life wanting to be a part of… to stay with us, to _train you and Lucy_. _Because she thought it was the right thing to do_. And you want to whine about making sacrifices _to her_."

Julia stopped. Robert swallowed and shook his head. "I was out of line," he admitted.

" _Waaaay_ out of line." Julia shook her head. "Listen, I get it. Angel is… Angel. She wants a boyfriend who'll be there when the night's over and who will spend time with her."

"Yeah."

"But you can't, Rob," Julia pointed out. "You couldn't from the start. And if Angel can't live with that… then maybe you two shouldn't be together now."

"But we were doing so well," Robert insisted. "Before this life force thing came up, I was making time, and she was accepting when I couldn't, and it was _working_. We were compromising, recognizing mistakes… we were doing everything _right_ for a change. It felt like this was it and we had finally made it work!" He sighed. "And then this training started and the whole thing just… derailed."

Julia nodded. She spread her arms and took him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Robby," she murmured into his ear. "I'm sorry that you two might not work out after all. But sometimes… it just isn't meant to be."

She could feel him breathe heavily as part of a sigh. After a half minute of holding tightly they pulled away from each other. "I need to go shower and get into my uniform," Julia said. "You should freshen up to."

"I'm heading to the shower now," Robert answered. "I'll see you on the bridge, Julia."

Julia nodded in quiet agreement.

* * *

Everyone assembled on the bridge in time for their arrival. Locarno brought the _Aurora_ out of warp just inside the lunar orbit of the planet. Caterina was quick to confirm scan results. "It looks like there are six armed ships of capital ship size in orbit. The ComStar records and the IFF codes confirm them as warships of the six invading Clans. There are several dozen ships of smaller size. I think it's their non-jump capable 'DropShips'." Cat looked over something. "They're definitely reacting to our arrival. They're launching fighters."

"If they know anything about us, they know we can be in combat range in minutes," Julia remarked.

"I know. So let's start this right. Jarod, put me on with the local authorities."

"You're on."

"Attention, Wolf Clan leadership, and those of the other Clans," Robert began. "I am Captain Robert Dale of the _Starship Aurora_ , representing the United Alliance of Systems. I've come to open communication with the Clan Grand Council on behalf of President Henry Morgan and the government of the Alliance. I request safe passage, or _safcon_ as you call it, to orbital space in order to speak with the Council."

For several moments there was quiet. A gruff voice finally replied, " _We have received your message, Captain Robert. Standby_."

"Did he just use your first name?", Angel asked. "That's pretty rude, right?"

"It's how the Clans address others," Julia said. "Given names only. Only Bloodnames are recognized."

"Well, I guess Jarod will feel right at home," Locarno said. That caused a bemused grin to come to Jarod's face.

When a voice came over the other end, it was the rough voice of a woman just starting to sound like she was entering her elderly years. " _This is Khan Natasha Kerensky of the Wolf Clan. Your request for_ safcon _is granted, Captain._ "

Robert recognized the name immediately. He'd heard that Khan Kerensky was not simply a Clan leader, but had been a feared mercenary commander in the Inner Sphere for decades before returning to the Clans. "Thank you, Khan Kerensky. We'll assume a standard orbit immediately."

" _The ilKhan is going to present your request to the Grand Council shortly. We will inform you if they are willing to hear you speak. That is all_."

"Nick, put us in standard orbit."

"And right under all of their guns," Angel murmured. "And I guess we don't have permission to raise shields?"

"Not unless they lock on us first."

"Right." Julia nodded in agreement. "Somehow I think taking defensive precautions _after_ they've promised to give us safe conduct will not go over well. It would be saying we don't trust them." She looked at Robert. 'So, who's going down?"

"I want to make an impression. You, Zack, Meridina, Commander Kane, and Jarod. Get Lucy up here to take Jarod's place. Nick, you just made Lieutenant Commander, please don't get the ship shot up on your first mission after the promotion."

Locarno smirked. "I'll try not to," he answered, taking the remark as the humorous gibe it had been intended to be.

"I'll signal Grand Duke Kell to meet us at Transporter Station 2," Julia said. She brought her omnitool to life in a flash of blue light.

"Alright everyone," Robert said. "Let's go stop a war."


	49. Episode 2-10-3 The Path Before Us

On arrival to the landing area in the Wolf Clan headquarters, they were met by two power armor-clad troopers flanking a man in a uniform made of gray leathers. A red star with one elongated point was prominent on the uniform.

But the real identifier was the family resemblance on his face, the look in those green eyes, and the subtle shift of emotion Robert felt in both the man greeting them, and in his own party. So he nodded slightly. "Khan Phelan Ward?", he inquired.

"Yes." Phelan looked away from his father. "The Grand Council is expecting you. Follow me."

Phelan led the way while the two power armor troops - "Elementals" - followed behind them. A series of halls led them to an amphitheater-like room. Eleven other people were seated physically while vidscreens displayed another twenty-two faces. Those present were wearing their own uniforms, colored in the fashion of their totem animals, including fine enameled masks bearing the stylized heads of those same creatures. Falcons, Bears, Jaguars…

Sitting apart from the others, on a raised platform with a podium, were two more figures. One was a gnarled, aged man with multiple cybernetic attachments to his body, with the green-colored uniforms that were evidently those of the Jade Falcons. A middle-aged man sat nearby, wearing the same gray leather suit that Phelan had on. Robert recognized him from the briefing materials Focht had provided: Ulric Kerensky of the Wolves, ilKhan of the Clans.

Ulric stood. "You are all familiar with the reports we have received of a new power in the Inner Sphere," he said. He looked over to Robert and the others while Phelan took a seat near to Ulric, where the red-and-gray-haired Natasha Kerensky was already present. "And now we have come to their attention." Ulric looked to Robert. "As you have ours, Captain." He indicated the middle of the room.

Robert nodded and walked to said point. With the exception of Morgan Kell, who remained standing to the side as an observer, the others joined him. Robert cleared his throat and looked at the array of masked men and women either present or watching from over a thousand light years away. "I am Captain Robert Dale, commander of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_ , here on behalf of President Henry Morgan and the United Alliance of Systems. These are some of my fellow officers. We've come…" He stopped for a moment, noticing the wincing and grumbling from some of the assembled. "...we _have_ come to address the risk that the standing Clan truce with the Inner Sphere is about to be abrogated, and to persuade you to let it stand."

"So you come to join with the usurpers of the noble Star League," a voice boomed. A very, very, _very_ large man stood, wearing light gray leathers with a mottled cape and the enameled mask of a gray-furred jaguar. "You will suffer their fate."

" _Let us not be hasty, Khan Osis_ ," one of the Khans on the screens stated. This one had a helmet and mask modeled off of a scorpion; the voice was clearly feminine. " _I have seen the records transmitted by the Wolves on this man's vessel. It is clearly of a technological base unknown even to the Star League._ "

"And that excites you, Khan Suvorov?" The use of the name allowed Robert to connect the dots from the data he'd read: this was clearly Lincoln Osis speaking. "I care not for this. What I do care about is that we now have clear proof of the charges against the ilKhan, that he is conspiring with our enemies out of his misguided hatred of the Crusade."

Phelan jumped to his feet. "Watch what you say about treason, Khan Osis. Or I will meet you in a Circle of Equals."

Lincoln Osis fixed his glare on Phelan. "I do not fear MechWarriors, freebirth. Inside or outside of their machines."

"That is good. I do not fear Elementals either." Phelan smirked. "I have beaten your kind unaugmented before."

A rumble of laughter came from some of the assembled. Robert let it build and fall away before resuming the conversation. "I am not privy to the secrets of ComStar or the Inner Sphere," he said. "But however they learned of them, they told us about your charges against ilKhan Ulric. That you consider him a traitor because you feel the Truce is dooming three generations of Clan warriors to no chances to fight and gain experience." Robert waited for a moment to see if anyone refuted him. None did. "Well, we can fix that. You have undoubtedly heard by now that some of the Inner Sphere's nations have joined us in a war in another universe. I have come to extend the offer for you to join that conflict as well."

That did it. All eyes focused on Robert with hawkish intensity. He could tell that in some cases it was not a positive intensity. So he forged on. His hand ran over his omnitool. When it came to life the room showed clear interest in it. His hand moved over the holographic controls to access the holoviewer built into the device. It activated to show the image of a starship. Not just any either, but of an _Aryan_ -class Reich dreadnought. The Nazi swastika emblem was plainly visible on the bow.

"Do you recognize this?", he asked. "I suspect some of you do. It's been a thousand years for your history since this emblem flew on a flag. But I know from experience that most human societies that experienced this one's rise have never failed to remember it."

One of the physically present speakers, wearing a feline mask with a star-like mane, stood. "We know of it, yes," said the Khan of the Nova Cats. "And we know of the evil it spawned. You are showing us a universe where the evils of Hitler were not destroyed?"

"I am." Robert nodded. "The Nazi regime won their wars in this universe's history. It eventually subjugated the entire world. They exterminated entire peoples and enslaved the rest." He looked over the assembled Khans. "And we're at war with them. The Federated Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League have joined that war, and the rest of the Inner Sphere's nations may yet follow. Now I am here to offer you the same. A chance for your warriors to fight real battles, _good_ battles, against a foe worthy of your time and of your skill." Robert matched Lincoln Osis' glare. "You want to talk about a Crusade, Khan Osis? _This_ is a Crusade. Stopping the evil of the Nazi German Reich. This is the foe worthy of that title. Join us in fighting this evil and you will get the same benefits we are giving to the Inner Sphere."

"I am no Warden," Lincoln retorted.

"Nor are we mercenaries." An older voice spoke up, coming from a man with a Jade Falcon helmet and mask. "Did you think you could come here and purchase our services?" The man bristled with indignation, indignation that Robert felt was a little too forced to be genuine. "You are no different from any of the other freebirths of the Inner Sphere. You represent disorder, chaos, the very things the great Star League was formed to stop." Elias Crichell looked over at the assembled Khans. "Do you not see? This is nothing more than another sign of our ilKhan's treachery. He sees that we are about to unseat him, so he sends to the Inner Sphere to arrange another deception. We must not fall for this trickery. We must press on with the Invasion. If our enemies choose to fight in this bizarre war, let them suffer the consequences."

Some of the assembled cheered or voiced support. Robert noticed the sour look on Crichell and realized that he hadn't gotten the number of outright supporters he had anticipated.

Of course, that didn't mean Robert had won. They might still vote against the Truce.

"They're our allies now," Robert pointed out. Again he noticed the wincing of the others, and this time he remembered why. _They don't like contractions. Well, I don't like them being jerks, so it evens out_. "If you resume the Invasion, you'll fight us as well. And even if it means we have to pull forces from our war with the Nazis, we'll do it."

Robert could feel the tension from Julia and the others. Shifting gears to blunt threats was, ordinarily, way out of line. In this case, however, Robert felt he was onto something with this. The Clans weren't another legislature or body that would respond to kind words, rational argument, and deal-making. Give them a concession the wrong way and it would be seen as weakness and cowardice, not reason.

"Now the mask is stripped away, then." Crichell stepped up toward Robert. "You are here to impose terms upon us. Upon the Clans. Do you think we fear you? We are the finest warriors Humanity has ever produced. If you stand against us, we will destroy you."

"Really, Khan Crichell?" Julia walked up beside Robert. "Are you telling me you would commit your Clan to a war with an enemy you know little about? You do not know what we can do, what our technology is capable of." Robert glanced toward Julia. Every word spoken was careful and deliberate; Julia was playing the voice of reason, and doing so while obeying the Clan's peculiar taboo about contractions in English. "You do not know how many warships we have. How many troops we can command. Or even what our weapons can do." She turned and faced Ulric at his place. "IlKhan, I suspect you are the one with the most knowledge of what the Alliance is. How deep is that knowledge?"

"I have seen some of your broadcasts," Ulric said. "It is clear to me that your people have technologies that our finest scientists have yet to fathom. Even your method of interstellar travel is different." Ulric kept his eyes on Julia and Robert, although it was clear he was speaking for the benefit of the other Khans.

" _And you did not see fit to share this information with us?_ ", accused another of the Khans from a screen, this one wearing the likeness of a horse.

Ulric gave the Khan in question a bewildered look. "On the contrary. I sent reports to all of the Clans on the material I reviewed. And I find it hard to believe that the other Invading Clans did not pick up the same transmissions."

"We have." The woman speaking was behind a white bear mask.

"It appeared to be nothing more than Inner Sphere deception," stated Lincoln Osis' fellow Khan, Brandon Howell.

"Now you know better." Robert and Julia exchanged a glance. She nodded, so Robert took the lead again. "Your people have a problem. We came with the solution to it. You have three choices: join our effort and reap the benefits the same as the Inner Sphere, do nothing, or abrogate the Truce and resume your Invasion, knowing you will face us along with the Inner Sphere."

"Will your people honor our victories?", asked the female Khan in the Bear mask - Robert recalled the name Aletha Kabrinski. "Will you recognize our conquests from the Reich's worlds?"

"If your people bleed to take a planet, we recognize you have a right to it," Robert replied. He wasn't happy with the answer. This could only lead to a hodgepodge of Clan-held worlds in the heart of Reich space. But this was going to be a sticking point.

 _Maybe we shouldn't bother having the Clans in the war_ , a part of him thought. But despite what he just said, he knew that the Clans only really had two choices here: join the war and get access to the same benefits, or throw the dice on resuming the invasion. Doing nothing meant continuing their current deadlock over the fate of their new generations of warriors. So even if they chose that now, the resulting pressure would inevitably lead to the abrogation of the Truce.

No, the important question was if the costs of the Clans getting involved, the costs still in the future, were worth the benefit. And President Morgan and Admiral Maran had already made that decision with the (admittedly grudging) acceptance of the Inner Sphere's leaders; it was worth it. And he had to make that happen.

After his reply, the Bear-masked man - Jorgensson, Robert recalled - looked to Ulric. "There is wisdom, then, to accepting this offer."

Crichell leveled a glare at the Bear Khan. "Wisdom? How can you call this wisdom? They are turning us from our purpose. We are here to restore the Star League and destroy those who betrayed it! This is nothing but a trick. A means to distract us from the Crusade by using our warriors to fight their battles. If you accept this, they will take us into war after war, seeking to grind our warrior caste down to nothing so that they can conquer us with ease." Crichell raised a hand and pointed toward every Khan, those present and those observing by screen. "We must stay true to the course. First, we must remove the ilKhan who has betrayed the Crusade and sought to destroy us from within. Then we must resume the Invasion and take Terra to restore the Star League."

"And when what?", Robert shot back. "So you take Earth. That doesn't mean the entire Inner Sphere will shrug and say 'you're the boss now'. There are literally _billions_ of people on the other worlds who will continue to fight."

"Then they will be treated as we would any bandit," Crichell declared. "What you offer us is a poisoned gift."

"What I offer you is a chance to fight with honor against a foe that can't be allowed to grow stronger," Robert retorted. "A foe who, with every battle, gets additional opportunities to copy our interuniversal drive technology. If you join with us, the risk of this threat diminishes. But if you attack the Inner Sphere instead, then you will fight us too. Maybe you will win in the early battles, as we struggle to fight on both sides… but with the Inner Sphere ready for you, and the Alliance's fleet growing stronger with each passing month, do you really think you can win in the end?"

"We are warriors bred as the pinnacle of Human ability," Lincoln Osis rumbled. "I do not fear you, freebirth."

Robert looked to the others before looking to the towering giant. It was clear he was genetically engineered - even the strongest bodybuilder never achieved that sort of muscle bulk or shape - and looked like he could snap a normal person in half like a twig. "I am not asking you to fear me," Robert said carefully. "I am asking you to respect me."

"Respect is only earned in combat," was the retort he received.

A few options went through Robert's head. He drew in a breath and felt the warmth inside of him, the energy of his life, move through his mind. It was hard to describe it when he tried to glimpse what could be. It wasn't anything like visions, or like his dreams. It was a feeling of what the future held if he picked one choice or another.

The easiest thing to do would be to set up Osis to fight Meridina. He didn't have a prayer even if she refrained from telepathy. But he could sense this would not work. The Clan Khans would not respect him setting a junior officer against a Khan. Even though he was technically just one of many Captains, he was still the senior officer present.

That meant it had to be him. He had to act.

Robert leveled his gaze at Lincoln Osis. "You want a fight, then?", he asked. "That is fine with me. You people have one-on-one fights, right? You call it the Circle of Equals? How about you and me in one? Just the two of us."

Silence came to the Grand Council Chamber. Robert could feel the mix of reactions from the others. Disbelief, amusement, surprise, and in many cases, a sense that this was something that was winning him respect.

 _Of course it would_ , Robert thought. _The Clans ultimately believe in "might makes right". They overturn majority decisions if the other side wins a combat trial. In the end, the only thing they really respect is being willing to fight and being good at it._

A harsh laugh came from beside him, where the Falcon Khan Crichell remained standing. "You think to challenge a Khan? To a personal combat? You, a freebirth who has no Bloodname?" Crichell seemed to be smirking underneath his mask. "I am sure we could find an un-Blooded Star Captain for you to fight, _quiaff_?"

"I did not challenge a Star Captain," Robert retorted. He looked back to Lincoln Osis. The massive man's eyes were fixed on Robert. He met the gaze. "I challenged Khan Lincoln Osis of the Smoke Jaguars."

"And you are aware of how the challenge works?", Osis rumbled. "As the challenged party, it is my right to decide how we fight. Are you prepared to face me in direct combat, unaugmented?"

"As in without battle armor suits?" Robert nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Crichell looked up at Lincoln Osis as well. "This is foolishness, Khan Osis. This freebirth is not worthy of facing a Khan in a Circle of Equals. The very idea is lunacy."

"We should consult with the Clan Council, my Khan," Osis' peer said.

Osis was still facing Robert directly. Robert kept his face stern and unmoving. He would not show even the slightest fear, nor worry, or any emotion beyond what he intended to seem as grim resolve.

"If he were a Clan warrior, we would," Lincoln said. "But he is not. He is an outsider proving his peoples' worth to the Clans. I will answer his challenge and prove how worthy he and his kind truly are."

At that point Robert felt something unexpected from Crichell. Although his body language remained disapproving, he seemed to be… _content_. As if this was what he wanted all along.

 _So much for the vaunted Clan sense of honor, there's no way that guy's not a politician first and foremost. He_ wants _me to fight Osis and is just pretending to be against it._ Robert might have pondered that more, but he could feel the wave of concern from the others.

"ilKhan, I will face this freebirth," Lincoln said. "As challenged, I declare we will fight unaugmented."

"Very well," replied Ulric. He looked at Robert. "Your challenge has been accepted. A suitable space will be arranged for the combat. The Grand Council will observe."

Robert nodded.

"The Wolf Clan will inform the combatants of the time and location of their duel." Ulric thumped a gavel on his podium. "I declare this meeting adjourned under the Martial Code as set down by Nicholas Kerensky."

The various Khans not present disappeared from the screens. Those who were physically present stood from their places. A few looked toward Robert before departing. He became keenly aware of the attention of the Khans wearing the Nova Cat masks and watched them leave.

Julia stepped into his sight with a bewildered expression on his face. "Are you insane?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You're going to take on someone like _that_? In a hand-to-hand fight?"

"Yeah."

Julia sighed. "If Khan Osis doesn't kill you, I think Angel might."

Robert winced. "Yeah."

* * *

" _Are you insane?!_ "

Angel's thunderous demand filled the conference room. Robert looked to the others, who all seemed to be in agreement with the query. "Commander Andreys already asked me that," he said, being formal for the sake of their attending observer.

Locarno looked over the holographic image and shook his head. "He's built like a Brikar. And you challenged him?"

"It had to be me," Robert said. "And Osis made the most sense. Crichell would have wanted a fight in their 'Mechs. I stand a better chance of a hand-to-hand fight."

"So you're going to fight the Human Brickhouse instead?" Angel shook her head. "Listen, even I'd think twice before picking a fight with something, someone, like that. I mean… look at him! I doubt he'd even feel a hit on a pressure point, not unless you hit him with a metal club!"

"Or with a life force-backed punch," Robert remarked. He looked toward Meridina.

"It is possible," she said. "The Dorei even have organizations of _Fenari_ devoted to unarmed techniques bolstered by their _swevyra_." Meridina shook her head. "But I am not sure you are capable of such, Captain."

"I have to try."

"Or maybe you can forget this whole stupid honor duel crap," Angel said. "That's playing the game their way. I say we play it our way. They either give up their invasion or we blow the crap out of them."

Julia shook her head. "Somehow I think that abusing their safe conduct would make things worse. It would be impossible to make peace with them if they saw we would break our word."

"Oh? And why is it we're here again?" Angel thumped her hand on the table. "Oh, right, it's because _they're_ the ones about to break their word. Who's to say we can trust them?"

Jarod nodded. "She makes a good point. The thing about warrior societies is that, no matter what they say about honor, if they want a fight they can find a way to justify one."

"And we already had the Klingons bail on us," Zack added. "Who's to say the Clans will be any better?"

"All good points," Robert agreed. "But I'm sure they were already debated above our pay level, and the President's decision was still made. And if we're to implement that, we need to follow up on this challenge."

Angel let out a small growl of frustration. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Not if I work at this." Robert looked to Meridina and Lucy again. "I'd like to see about bumping up my training. Focusing on unarmed combat. We may only have a day or two for me to get ready."

It was clear that both were not sanguine about his chances. "We will do what we can," said Meridina.

"That's all we can do. For now, I don't want any incidents with the locals, so no shore leaves are permitted. Maintain a Code Blue watch and be ready to raise shields the moment it looks like something has gone wrong." Robert nodded. "You're all dismissed."

"Lucy and I will be waiting for you in Holodeck 2," Meridina said softly.

* * *

Robert returned to his quarters to change into his training outfit. He had barely gotten his uniform jacket off when the door swished open and Angel stepped in. "It's not enough that you almost got yourself blown up last year playing the hero, now it's this?", she asked, and in a harsh tone.

"I didn't have a choice," Robert insisted.

"Yes, you did! You could have _not_ challenged them at all!", Angel retorted.

"Then they would have ignored me. Ulric would have been deposed and the Truce would have been repudiated. We'd be looking at another war."

"Maybe, or maybe this Ulric guy would have played another card. He's a politician, they do that kind of thing."

"I can't make plans based on what someone I don't know will do," Robert replied, although it did make him wonder. Seeing that Jade Falcon Khan act more like a manipulator than a straightforward fighter - first in his emotional manipulation of the others and then goading Osis into accepting his challenge - made him wonder how effective at this Ulric Kerensky had to be if he'd managed to keep his post this long against that kind of opposition. That meant Ulric had his own plan on dealing with the attack on him. He wondered what it had been.

Angel reacted by slamming her fist on the table. "Dammit Rob, this is stupid of you. And you would never have done this if you didn't have those damned powers now."

"No, likely not," he admitted. He walked up to Angel and put his hands on her shoulders. He felt her frustration and anger and worry all tangling up inside of her. "Angel, I know this is tough for you, and I'm sorry. But this is the job we were called out to do. If I didn't do this, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere with the talks. And billions of lives could be riding on this."

Angel shook her head. "You know…" She swallowed. "A year ago, I asked you to be my lover again because… I realized that out here, anything could happen, and I didn't want to have regrets."

"I remember," he answered, his tone remaining gentle.

"And it seemed to be working, even with your responsibilities as the Captain of the ship. And we were happy. We were making it work." Angel's hazel eyes brimmed with pain as she spoke. "But those dreams kept getting worse. And then you found out you were developing the same power that Meridina and Lucy have, and then you started _using_ it, and now…. Over these last few months, everything's changing. First it was only training for control, then training because you weren't doing so well, then we learned all of that crazy prophecy stuff on Gersal and since then you haven't said a word about walking away from it." Angel drew in a breath. "I'm sorry, that came out… Just answer this for me, Rob, and please tell me the truth."

Robert didn't let himself glance at the time. He knew it was getting late, and that Meridina and Lucy were waiting for him. But he wasn't going to make Angel feel rushed. He answered her with a nod, indicating he was ready for her question.

"If it came down to this training or being together with me, which would you choose?", Angel asked.

At that Robert's mouth went dry. It was a question he had pondered over the last several months, when it became clear that the training was driving a wedge between them. What, ultimately, was more important to him? These abilities, and mastering them? Or his relationship with Angel?

The answer should have been easy. He should have said "You". He knew he should have said it. He loved her. No matter how many times they had broken up, they kept getting back together because of that affection they had, and the sheer stubbornness on trying to keep it. How could he pick anything over that?

He found that the answer to that was… yes, he could, if it was a matter of survival, of life and death for all of them. He had seen the glimpses of the future. He knew that these powers were going to be a part of that future. That they might be his only hope, _their_ only hope, of surviving what was coming.

Robert could feel that sense right now. That if he picked Angel over his training, over his abilities, then the result would be their deaths and the loss of everything.

He didn't need to say it. The way Angel's eyes shifted, the pain that grew in her expression… it was clear that she could sense what his answer would be. And it wasn't a question of understanding it. Of seeing that he had to do this or they would all die. He knew that, for Angel, it was a realization that no matter how much they loved each other, he would always pick this path.

Her voice was hoarse when she said, "You should get going. They're waiting for you."

"We'll talk later," he promised.

"Yeah. Later." Angel walked away from him and to a chair. Robert felt how much it was hurting her and wished he could say something, say anything, to make that better.

But there was nothing he could say or do that would work. She would know he was lying, and he would know it. After these months, all of their attempts to avoid that truth - that his training was more important, in the long run, than their relationship was - had failed. The truth was there, in front of them, and it couldn't be avoided any longer.

And as was often said, the truth _hurt_. 

* * *

Lucy arrived at the appropriate holodeck and found Meridina had already set up their training program. She was standing in the middle of the outside space, in a circular covered pavilion of Gersallian architecture. Lucy could feel turmoil inside of Meridina as she stared at the holographic recreation of the Great Temple of the Order of Swenya. "Maybe we should change the program," Lucy said.

Meridina turned. The tears on her cheeks were real, as raw as the hurt inside of her being. Months ago, Meridina would never have allowed anyone to see her like this. She would have taken the time to re-assert emotional control and show the stoic face of resolve to the world.

It warmed Lucy to realize just what this meant. Meridina didn't just see her as a student now. She saw her as a close, personal friend, someone she could be _vulnerable_ with. Someone she could share her hurt with. And Lucy knew how much Meridina hurt. Her own people had given her the stark choice - her place in the Order, or continuing the work that she felt was vital for their future. She chose the work, her beliefs, and walked out of the Order that had defined her life since she was a child. It had not been a happy parting.

"Perhaps we will," Meridina said. Her voice wavered a little. "But for now, we must focus on Robert."

"Yeah." Lucy sighed. "He should have set one of us up with that fight."

"He undoubtedly feared that the Clans would not respect the Alliance in such an occasion. He feels it must be him. And so we must do what we can to make sure he has the best chance of victory in this fight."

"Against a behemoth like this Khan Osis guy? He looks more like an alien than a Human." Lucy shook her head. "I mean, either of us could put him down, but Robert's strength…"

"...is not in the combat arts, true." Meridina nodded. "But I believe he does have the potential to apply his _swevyra_ enough to defeat Khan Osis."

"I just hope he's doing the right thing…"

Before Lucy could finish that thought, the door to the holodeck opened. Robert walked in wearing his training outfit. "Alright," he said. "The Wolves sent a signal. They've set our fight for 0900 sharp the day after tomorrow. We've got tonight and tomorrow to see if I can avoid getting squashed by that Human bulldozer."

Meridina nodded. "Clear your mind, then. Feel the energy of life around you, the Flow of Life connecting you to the universe…" 

* * *

Robert awoke the next morning and, after enjoying a quick breakfast and a shower, reported back to the holodeck for more training.

Meridina had spent months showing him the finer points of control and focus, with the sword practice being his only training in martial use of his powers. That training had made it clear that he didn't have the same set of talents that Lucy did. He would never be the type to, as he had once put it after meeting Meridina, "bring a sword to a gunfight and win".

But now his life depended on fighting with his abilities.

A holo-opponent had been created for practicing on. Meridina had made a fair approximation of his opponent in mass and size. Then she and Lucy had taken turns tossing the opponent around with their abilities. "The key, Robert, is to let the energy flow through you and energize your body," Meridina explained. "Again."

The holographic giant stomped toward her with great speed. Meridina ducked one blow, sidestepped the next, and thrust her hand forward. Sheer energy came from within her and slammed into the hologram, sending it flying by nearly twenty meters.

Robert nodded and looked toward a second copy of said foe. "Begin," he said. The holo-foe charged at him. He moved around the blows, letting his feelings, the instinct of his life tied to the universe as a whole, guide him around the blows.

Summoning his strength, Robert threw his hand forward and felt his power surge out.

The result was the foe did get thrown back. But only by about eight meters.

"Well, if you knock Osis out of the circle…" Lucy looked over the fallen figure. "Maybe that's enough?"

"I have a feeling Osis won't give me that kind of opening," Robert sighed. He shook his head. "Maybe there's another way to approach this. I don't have the raw power you two enjoy."

"You may be more powerful than you imagine, Robert, Meridina insisted. "You must not doubt."

"Because doubt is the enemy." Robert nodded. "I know that. But I'm just not sure this will work."

"Well, maybe there's another way," Lucy said. "Give me a few minutes, I'm going to see about getting some help."

* * *

When Lucy returned, she wasn't alone.

Julia walked into the holodeck wearing her martial arts gi, with black belt, and with her long blond hair pulled back into a bun. "So, Lucy tells me Rob may need an alternative approach to fighting that giant."

"It may be necessary, yes."

Robert could already see where this is going. "You're thinking of _t'ai chi_ , right?"

"Got it in one," Julia answered, grinning. "And it's good for you to know."

Robert shook his head and chuckled. "You've been trying to get me to do this stuff for years."

"Yep." The grin on Julia's face widened. "And all it took was you provoking a fight with a genetically-engineered super-warrior with muscles the size of your head." She finished walking up to him. "So, let's get started."

"This stuff really works even with these powers?"

"It does," Lucy said. She grinned as well. "It's what helped me beat Goras."

Memories of that fight made Robert's arm flare up with a shadow pain. "Right," he said. "Okay. Then I guess I'm learning _t'ai chi_."

"Damn right you are," replied Julia. "Now, let me show you the first form…"

* * *

Angel stood her morning watch at tactical without incident, with Jarod and Locarno alternating in command the entire shift depending on who was on duty while Julia was, it was said, off training Robert as well.

It was just as well nothing happened as Angel kept letting the previous night's conversation go through her head. She should have been happy to finally get the truth from Robert. That his training had really become that important to him. And a part of her had the thought that she should be more accepting of this. If he felt that way, he had to have a damned good reason. And she had been there, hadn't she? To hear them talk about that old prophecy or whatever it was, a prophecy that seemed to tie into things Robert learned back in the Darglan Facility on Gamma Piratus.

And yet… she still felt like her heart was breaking. To think that they had actually managed a year as a couple. _A whole year_. And now… were they really going to end that over this?

When Angel's bridge shift ended she went to her quarters to eat a meal. She would likely assume another watch later, this time a command watch, given how the others were busy. For now Angel would have time to herself. Time to think of her failing relationship.

She couldn't stop the tears forming in her eyes.

Angel's door chime sounded. "Come in," she said gruffly.

Caterina stepped in. She was in her uniform, with skirt instead of pants, and seemed to be glowing. Then again, she had been like that since returning from the European trip that Violeta had taken her on. "Angel?", she asked. "I was coming by to offer lunch…" When she saw the tears on Angel's face she stopped. Cat's eyes fell. "Did he…"

"No. At least, not…" Angel shook her head. Cat walked over and sat beside her on the couch. "He just made the truth clear."

"And that is…?"

Angel sniffled. "His, uh… that his training in the life force stuff is more important than his relationship with me."

Cat stared in wonderment and disbelief. " _What?!_ ", she cried, and with some anger.

"He didn't… he didn't say it. But when I asked him which he would pick, the training or our relationship, he… he just froze up and I could see it in his eyes. I saw it, Cat. He thinks the training is more important."

Cat's eyes widened. "That… that _bastard_."

Angel stared at her sister in shock. _Did she just call someone a bastard?,_ was the thought that went through Angel's head.

"He just… how could he…?"

"It's… it's this prophecy thing from Gersal. And something he got from Gamma Piratus. Some message about Darkness. And supposedly some super-powerful race known as the Darkness once existed and the Darglan had to fight them and… it was all really crazy, but Rob believes it. And he's picking this stuff over me." Angel sniffled and shook her head. "And… it's funny… I understand that. In my head, I mean. If this is all true, this is something really dangerous, and his having these… life force abilities or whatever they are might be what saves us. I can see this is important. So why can't I accept it? Why can't I just make things work?"

Caterina remained silent for a minute. She was busy trying to think of what to say, or if she could say anything. Generally speaking, her older sister had far more relationship experience than she did. It felt odd to be in the position to give her advice.

"Like I said, Violeta and I have this…" Cat shook her head. "I'm trying to think of how to… we have an arrangement." She looked at Angel to make sure she hadn't lost her sister's attention. "I mean, I'm new to this relationship stuff. And Violeta isn't. So we had a talk, and she told me that it would only work if we were both happy. We both have to be comfortable with things. That's why she has me take the lead on stuff. I've never done this before and she wants me to be comfortable with something before we try it. And I know that sounds like something completely different from your problem, so…" Cat stopped for a moment, as if looking for the words. She knew she had to say the right thing. "...it's like, you and Robert only work together when you're both happy. If you're not happy, then you try to fix it. And if fixing it doesn't work, well… I'm not sure what else you can do? I know you don't want to end things with him again. Or have him end things with you. That always really hurts you and, y'know, I'm supposed to be the sister who cries about things, so…" Cat stopped. She blushed in embarrassment at realizing her little tease might have sounded wrong. "But if you're not happy, and he can't make you happy… then it's not really a loving relationship anymore, I think. It's just holding on to something that hurts you."

The response she got from Angel was a thoughtful look followed by a small grin. "Well well, look at you," Angel said softly. She wiped at her tear-streaked cheek. "Giving relationship advice to your big sis."

"It wasn't really good advice, I know."

"No, it wasn't really good. It was the _best_." Angel reached across the couch and pulled her sister into a hug. "You are growing up, little sis."

"Not enough to have curves," Cat sighed wistfully.

"You're beautiful as you are, Cat, and if anyone says otherwise…"

"You'll punch them?"

"No." Angel laughed. "I'll _start_ by punching them. Then it'll get more painful."

The two sisters started giggling at the thought. 

* * *

Julia and Lucy remained standing to the side while Meridina looked over Robert. He was standing still, his arms and legs in a ready position to fight. "Do you feel it?", she asked.

He nodded.

"Good. Focus on that energy. Feel it fill your body."

Robert didn't bother remarking that he had done this before. This part of the training wasn't new; it was to learn how to use this power to augment his natural physical abilities. Lucy and Meridina had been showing this to him for months. It was how they could run fast, or how they could be fast enough to use blades to deflect fire from guns.

"Remember that this is beyond standard muscle control. Let your _swevyra_ , the force within you, guide your movements."

Meridina stopped in front of him and assumed a similar position, facing a holographic figure. She breathed in, focused, and Robert felt her power swell and shift with that focus.

When she finally started moving, She nearly became a blur. Her arms and legs changed position instantly. The computer couldn't keep up; within seconds her foe, struck repeatedly and caught entirely off guard, went down. After a few moments she stopped. "Now, do so. Let go of physical control. Let the life within you, the life around you, be your guide."

Robert let out a breath and felt that warm energy inside him begin to shift and buzz. His arms moved, more quickly than he would have managed, catching one blow from the large foe he was facing and deflecting it away. His foot popped up in a kicking motion that slipped into the enemy's defenses. The reaction of hitting that much mass made his leg feel like it was going to vibrate. But the kick had power behind it, not just muscle power but that of the energy of life, and it transferred into a blow that sent the massive holographic foe flying back.

Robert sighed and nodded. At this point he was feeling tired and stiff. They had been working out virtually all day.

"Wow," Julia said. She smiled at him. "I suppose Angel and I can't just invite you into the ring anymore, you actually could beat us."

"I don't think so," he answered. "I'm not a fighter like you or Angel."

"If you can move that fast, I don't think you'd need to be."

"You'd be surprised," Lucy remarked. "But he's actually showing some improvement."

"In about twelve hours I have to fight a two and a half meter tall, muscle-bound giant who wants to crush my skull," Robert sighed. "Let's just say I'm motivated."

"I sure as hell would be," Julia said. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to understand that I'm just trying to give you some inspiration. The forms aren't something you pick up right away. This life force 'let the energy guide your body' thing is going to be the thing that saves you. But hopefully you can keep some of the things I said in mind while you're fighting."

"Yes. The whole thing of meeting hardness with softness, sticking or yielding to strikes…"

"And watching your breath, your energy. _T'ai chi_ is about energy. It's why I started to focus more on it." Julia smirked. "Especially after I ended up as your second in command on a big starship with two thousand people aboard."

"And it is why I feel Lucy's choice of bringing Julia to help you was inspired," Meridina said. "The practice of _swevyra_ is about energy, sensing the Flow of Life and opening yourself to it. To win tomorrow, you will need that energy."

"But not as brute force." Now Lucy was talking. "You can't brute force this guy, Rob. Hit him when you get an opening. Get him when he's weak."

"I feel like I'm in one of those kung-fu movies we watched as kids," Robert confessed to Julia. "And with this thing of augmenting myself with my life energy, it's like… what was that comic book Zack always liked to tease you with. 'Steel Fist'? 'Iron Fist'?" Before she could say anything he shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just… maybe I'm a little nervous."

"You probably should be." Lucy shook her head. "I could probably bat Lincoln Osis across the room with my _swevyra_ and _I'd_ be feeling nervous. With that much muscle? If he knows how to use it, all he'll need is one punch, and any of us would go down."

"Which is why you must be focused and in tune with your _swevyra_ ," Meridina said.

"I got that part."

"I would hope so." Meridina smiled slightly. "It would be very embarrassing if one of my students fell victim to a clumsy punch."

Lucy giggled at that. Robert and Julia gave the stoic Gersallian a bewildered look.

Meridina's only reply was to that same small, bemused smile. 

* * *

After the day of training and a small late meal, Robert laid in his bed and hoped he could sleep given what was to come in less than eleven hours. And while he was at it, he hoped that he would be able to sleep without the interruption of dreams.

He got the first wish.

The images were some of those he'd seen before, in a rapid fire succession of scenes and sounds. He watched a city burn and was surprised to see that it was flying the banners of the Clans, while in the distance particle weapons of some kind carved deadly red light through buildings and screaming people.

Then an explosion engulfed a richly-dressed middle-aged woman at a podium. Her face was familiar.

A second face, with the same blond hair and blue eyes, flashed across his vision, cold and calculating and oh so _hungry_.

He made the connection. Princess Katherine. Then the woman that was blown up…

Before he could let that thought finish things changed further. He was in a room. A man with a glowing, cybernetic eye and with a flowing robe stepped up to a figure on a throne and bowed. Robert caught only one word - "Master" - as the scene dissolved.

And then it was the unknown figure again, in shadow, and a woman's voice. "Bad Wolf", said the woman, and his hearing was so garbled he couldn't make out the particulars of her voice - age, accent, et cetera.

"What do you mean? What does 'Bad Wolf' mean?"

"Your choice," was her response. "Bad Wolf."

The next thing Robert knew, he was awake. He blinked and stirred groggily in bed before looking around in his dark room. His clock displayed 0553. Robert groaned lowly at the thought of the near hour of sleep he'd lost by waking up this early. He certainly wouldn't be getting back to sleep in time for it to be worth laying back down.

He showered first. The entire time he was dwelling on the thought of what was to come. He had no doubt Lincoln Osis would kill him if the Jaguar Khan had the opening. He wondered if it had been the smart play, calling Osis out and challenging him to a fight.

 _No. Don't doubt it now that I've done it. What I'm doing won't work if I dwell on doubts_. He forced that thought into his head as he got out of the shower and dried off. He put on a bathrobe for the moment and went to his work desk in his quarters. A thought was coming to mind. Of things he should say. Things he might not get a chance to say.

"Computer, set up to record a video message," he said. "The message is to be delivered in case of my recorded death today."

Within a second, the female voice of the computer responded. " _Working. Please specify recipient._ "

"Angela Delgado."

" _Recipient logged. System ready_."

Robert drew in a breath and looked to the screen. "Angel, if you're seeing this…" He stopped for a moment. It was hard, thinking of how to say this, and knowing the circumstances she'd be hearing this in. "...Angel, I'm sorry. I hurt you the other night. I… didn't mean to. You mean a lot to me. And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, that I haven't been the man you wanted to have in your life. All of this life force stuff and training, it got so big and involved… and now that I know more about what's been going on, all I could think of was that I had to stick with it. That our lives could be depending on me having these abilities, and knowing how to use them." He lowered his eyes and shook his head. "But I never wanted to hurt you. And I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't say that you were more important than the training. I just don't want to be the one to get everyone killed. I… we're out here because of me. Because these are things I wanted to do. Something I wanted to live for, to serve with. And I've dragged you and everyone else along for it."

He stopped there. Did that sound right? He was starting to think it didn't, that it sounded arrogant. That he was turning Angel and Julie and Zack and Cat into nothing more than followers. People without an existence aside from their relation with him. "I mean… I know you like what we're doing too. And I know you believe in stopping the bad guys. But you wouldn't be in danger if I hadn't found that Facility. If I hadn't insisted on using it like we did. Maybe it's arrogant of me to think so, but I feel responsible for you being out here. And if anything happens to you, to any of us… I feel like that would be my fault in some way."

"Maybe I'm just being the White Knight again, or I'm being brash or overconfident in calling for this duel. If you're hearing this, it means…" he swallowed and shook his head. "...it means I was being stupid. I'm dead because of it. And I know you're probably looking at this and not knowing whether you're angry with me or what's happened…" Robert stopped speaking again. He imagined the scene; Angel's tears of grief and rage pouring down her cheeks, her hands balled into fists, and possibly the temptation to go down and kill Lincoln Osis with her own two hands. "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm not sure what else I can say but that. I'm sorry I'm not here for you now, and I'm sorry that I wasn't what I should have been for you. All I can ask if that you forgive me. I hope that, in time, you find someone who can give you the happiness you deserve." He leaned in toward the monitor. "I love you, Angel." He forced a smile that he hoped wasn't too sad to form on his face. "Goodbye."

With a tap of his finger, he ended the recording. " _Message logged. Terms for delivery confirmed._ "

For several minutes Robert sat there. Saying everything he had said… it made him wonder about what life would be like if they had walked away after losing the Facility. If they had moved to New Liberty and focused on building a life there. He imagined that he and Angel might still have gotten together. And maybe… they would have been happy.

Or maybe not. He knew that in her own way, Angel loved it out here too. She loved her job. She loved "kicking the bad guys' asses". She wouldn't have been as happy on New Liberty Colony, he thought.

But maybe…

A tone interrupted his thoughts. " _Andreys to Dale_."

"Dale here," he answered.

" _It's past 0700, Rob. You should get to the Lookout and get some breakfast. Hargert's made you a good luck meal. And you'll need the energy._ "

"Yeah," he murmured. "I probably will."


	50. Episode 2-10-4 The Path Before Us

Julia left Robert to eat his pre-fight meal. She had something to do before they went down.

Which is why she was drawing in a breath before hitting the chime on Angel's door. "Angel?", she called out.

After a few moments, the muffled reply of "Come in" came from inside. Julia moved her hand to the door again and it slid open.

Angel's quarters were a tad messier than Julia's. Nothing terribly messy, but there were a few digital notepads on one table scattered haphazardly, energy drink cans that had been left beside the chair, and a few other things that gave the quarters a lived in look, and lived in by someone not afraid of having a little clutter. Amateur fighting plaques and trophies were along one wall, a reminder of Angel's own sports hobbies in their former, definitely non-space-age lives. Discarded exercise clothes were in one corner beside a portable washing machine tied to a water filtration device. Angel did the usual job of feeding her clothes for replicator-based cleaning - basically being disassembled and re-assembled by the replicators to remove sweat and skin cells and the like - but there were some old gym shirts and such that Angel wouldn't want to commit to the replicators.

Angel was sitting quietly on her couch half-dressed. Her uniform trousers were beside her on the couch, leaving her muscled legs fully visible from the thigh down, and a sleeveless uniform undershirt of gray color was still visible with her uniform jacket hanging on her shoulders.

"So, you want to come down?"

Julia's question went unanswered for a moment before Angel finally seemed to stir. She looked up and blew out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know," she admitted.

Without a word Julia sat in the chair across from the couch. Both were standard-issue furnishings, nothing special to them in terms of appearance or, as the grumbles sometimes went, comfort. "I have to admit, I'd rather you stay up here," said Julia. "The last thing we need is for you to decide to jump in."

Angel chuckled harshly at that. "Yeah, I figured that."

"But if you want to come, I'm sure Robert will appreciate you being supportive."

"He would, yeah." Angel laid her head back.

Julia had been around the two long enough to know what was going on with Angel at the moment. "It's happening again, I guess?"

"Hrm? Oh, yeah." Angel didn't bother to look at Julia. "Yeah, it is."

"Right." Julia sighed. "Yeah, my relationships have usually gone meltdown on me, so I can't give much advice on that. But if you want to talk…"

"I've talked enough." Angel shook her head. "It's one of those sacrifice things. You know, how people have to sacrifice for a relationship to work? Well, I've been sacrificing, and it's not working for me. Not that it's permanent now."

"I understand."

"So now I'm twisted up inside. I'm wondering what I want to do."

Julia shook her head. "I can't really help you there. If you ask me, this is something you and Rob should talk out between each other. After the fight, of course."

"Right." Angel shook her head. "I used to blame you."

"Pardon me?"

"For our break-ups. Every time Rob and I broke up, I blamed you at least a little."

Julia would have to admit she wasn't shocked by that revelation. "I figured you might."

"It's not your fault. The two of you have just been together for so long… I mean, even when we were doing good, he'd still come to you to talk about things."

"Yeah. Well, yeah, that's what it's always like for us. Even when we were little, if we needed anything, we always had each other."

"Am I kidding myself, Julia?", Angel asked. "Were we ever in love?"

"I think so." Julia nodded. "But sometimes… maybe it's not enough to simply be in love. Love can be tricky, I mean. Look at me." Julia sighed. "I once thought I was in love with Phil Duffy of all people." She laughed weakly. "I guess I dodged the bullet there. The important thing, I guess, is if you're happy. And I know you're not. And Rob isn't either."

"But one of us, I mean… it's also supposed to be sacrifice. You sacrifice something for the one you love, to make them happy."

"Yeah."

"And we're not doing that. I'm not…"

"Sometimes… maybe the problem is that we try to force something that doesn't work in the end," Julia said. "I think it's better to be honest about yourself, and with the other side of the relationship. If one side won't or can't sacrifice, and the other side has to sacrifice something that's too big, maybe it's best to just admit the relationship isn't working and to end it before it becomes too painful. I mean… forcing a broken relationship to work usually just makes both sides miserable, and for a lot longer than a breakup." Julia checked her omnitool. "We don't have a lot of time left. Do you want to go down with us?"

For a long moment Angel thought about it. She finally nodded. "Yes. Let me finish getting ready." 

* * *

When the time came, the team going down was assembling in Transporter Station 1. Meridina had escorted Morgan Kell to the room when Robert arrived. "Good luck," said the old mercenary.

"Thank you sir," he replied politely.

The door slid open as they went to the pad. Julia and Angel stepped in. "I hope you don't mind," Angel said. "Despite everything, I want to be there for you."

Robert found he was happy to hear that. "Thank you for coming," he said, with genuine warmth and gratitude in his voice.

She smiled thinly at him and promptly stepped up beside him on the pad. 

* * *

Their arrival was in the same place, but this time they were met by Natasha Kerensky. "You've got guts," she said to Robert. "I like that. Actually, a lot of us like it, and even the Crusaders appreciate courage. If you win this, it'll go a long way to establishing respect for your Alliance among the warrior caste."

"I notice you are speaking with contractions," Meridina stated. "I thought this was inappropriate for your people?"

The famed Black Widow's expression shifted to show a nasty grin. "It is. And I've killed more than a few warriors in the Circle of Equals who thought they should challenge me for my behavior. I've always held that slavish adherence to ritual is a sign people don't have anything better to think about." She gestured. "This way, kid. We've got the trial arena set up for you."

* * *

The trial arena made Robert feel like he was going to a sporting match, not a fight possibly to the death. Rows of seats were available on all sides, enough to seat hundreds, if not thousands, of people. The attending Khans were all in seats at the top of the initial rows, seats clearly made for the purpose of VIPs. The same monitors from the council chamber were now present for those Khans in the Clan homeworlds.

Not only were the Khans attending, but so were their retinues, with Clansmen in various uniforms from all of the Invading Clans taking up the seating.

The front row on the north side had a section reserved for him and the others. On the south side, the Jaguar Khans sat with their retinue.

In the middle of the arena was the battle space. It wasn't even a ring or a raised platform. It was just a section of hard floor with a white circle drawn around it. Robert figured it was at least twenty meters in diameter.

Once everyone was seated, Robert checked the omnitool's time stamp. It was 0858. _Two minutes_. He briefly wondered if the nervousness he felt was similar to what professional boxers and MMA fighters felt before their matches. Without the prospect of death, of course.

In deliberate steps Ulric Kerensky stepped up into the circle of the ring. "Greetings, trothkin near and far. I stand as the Oathmaster in this affair of honor. Let the combatants approach."

Robert stood and walked up and into the ring. Across from him, Lincoln Osis did the same. Without his helmet on, Robert could see the man's features. Dark eyes, dark skin, and a buzzed mohawk haircut - Lincoln was bald save for a strip of buzzed blond hair running across the top of his head.

"Are you, Captain Robert of the Alliance, upholding your challenge?"

Robert nodded. "I am."

"And do you, Khan Lincoln Osis of the Smoke Jaguars, still accept it?"

"I do," the giant man rumbled.

"This is a matter of honor between you. Under the rules of this Trial, let it remain such. For the benefit of the outsiders in our number, I will remind the warriors here that to step outside of the circle will be an admission of defeat."

"I understand," Robert said.

Lincoln Osis pulled off his uniform and handed it to a waiting aide. Underneath hie was wearing a sleeveless muscle shirt. _As if I needed reminding that some of his muscles are the size of my head._ Robert undid his own uniform jacket. By the time he was ready to hand it off, Julia had stepped up to the edge of the circle. He handed it to her.

"Good luck," she whispered to him.

"Take care of Angel, please," he answered.

Julia nodded wordlessly. Robert was down to his plain-colored, short-sleeved undershirt. While he was not like Osis, he did have some visible muscle on his arms, and it was clear Robert kept himself in shape. But in a direct physical fight, it likely wouldn't be nearly enough.

Once this was done, Ulric Kerensky walked back to the perimeter of the circle. He held up a hand.

Silence filled the arena.

Moments of tension later, the hand came down.

Lincoln Osis charged.

Robert sensed it coming. He even felt where it was going to go. His body was moving in conjunction with that instinct, tied to the powers and abilities he had learned, to evade.

But the startling part was how _fast_ Osis had been. For all his size, he moved with a speed Robert could hardly believe. He was a mere half-second from a blow that would have sent Robert flying out of the circle.

Robert had an opening of a second and used it to throw a punch upward. The uppercut hit Osis in the chin. Pain surged through Robert's knuckles and made his hand ache and throb. It felt like he had punched a wall, not flesh and bone.

Every instinct in his body surged. His muscles went into instinctive action and turned and ducked, barely avoiding an attempt by Osis to punch him. This time there was no opening to exploit as Osis was already bringing his other arm up. Robert rolled away and got himself a couple of meters off open space. He concentrated with his energy, the life-based force energy that Meridina still called _swevyra_ , and threw it out in an invisible burst. Months ago, such a burst had sent Nazi troopers flying.

Lincoln Osis stumbled backward a couple of meters, toward the edge of the circle. But he didn't fall down, and he didn't fall out. He regained his balance and brought his arms up in a defensive position, as if to absorb blows.

Robert focused and sent another burst of unseen energy at Lincoln Osis. The energy slammed into the Jaguar Khan. It pushed him back another step.

There was clear disbelief on Lincoln Osis' face now. Whatever rumors or reports he had heard of life force abilities or the like, it was clear Osis had been skeptical about them.

He wasn't skeptical anymore.

Robert knew he had to act fast, and immediate. Throwing more bursts wouldn't work. They were tiring and Osis was adjusting to the sudden force throwing his weight off. He needed to hit him with something else.

Robert made his decision as Lincoln charged again. This time he took a tactic he'd seen _Mastrash_ Goras use against Angel in their battle. He reached out and gripped Osis' ankle. He could feel the physical force through the link and had to put a lot of energy into it.

The result was what he wanted. The sudden immobility of his foot caused Osis' balance to fail. The giant infantryman stumbled and fell short of Robert. Robert used the chance to get distance and move nearer one edge of the circle. If he could get the angles right, one solid pull with his power, or a push depending on angle, would send Osis outside of the line. And that would be that; he'd have won.

While he hadn't done much damage to Osis physically, he'd certainly stoked the massive man's temper. Osis howled in rage and stormed at Robert again. The lunge was side-stepped.

And that was how the fight was clearly going to go. Osis would charge and Robert would evade and counterattack with his abilities. They did this a few times, much to the frustration of the crowd. It was clear most warriors present considered Robert to be cheating in some way. The fight wasn't what they expected nor wanted.

And yet, it couldn't keep going like this. Eventually Robert knew that he would tire or Osis would, and he was laying odds on Osis not tiring before he did. He needed to end this.

So he took a gamble. Robert intentionally moved back toward the east side of the circle. Very close. And he wanted for Osis to charge.

Osis was so mad at this point that he did so. He wanted Robert _dead_. And…

Robert's senses screamed warnings at him as it happened. His body began to shift to accommodate the instinctive warning as Osis, starting to feel the grip of Robert's life energy on his foot, immediately _jumped_. The change in his attack pattern, the power of the jump, broke Robert's concentration. He lost his grip on Osis' foot and the Jaguar Khan was free to leap into the air.

And it was quite a leap. A carefully calculated one that would keep Osis inside the circle… and which swiftly carried him into an arm's'-length range of Robert. Robert ducked to avoid the first punch and began to swivel to the side, to get position to throw Osis out of the ring…

But Lincoln Osis had planned on him to make that move. And Robert sensed this at the last moment.

A moment too late.

Osis' massive leg came up in a snap kick that hit Robert right in the torso. Ribs cracked under the force of the blow. Momentarily stunned by the pain of broken ribs, Robert failed to respond to the next surge of instinctive warning.

He had been punched before. He had been hit before. Julia and Angel had both given him a lot of trouble during their various attempts to train him in fighting during their lives. He'd been punched in school. He'd even been tackled by a 270 pound seventeen year-old linebacker destined to play in the NFL.

But this was levels beyond that. This was a big, massive fist, larger than any Human's fist should be, coming down like the wrath of God on his face, a quarter of an inch too high to break his jaw.

Robert's head spun and his vision swam. He barely felt himself hit the surface of the fighting circle. He could barely think for the pain. His body refused to move, no matter how much he wanted it to. It seemed a shock that he was still _conscious_.

With groggy confusion he looked up. He was facing Julia and the others. Their horror was plain on their faces, in their emotions, and he could just about sense them. _What's going on?_ He tried to think. His head was still ringing from something and he couldn't concentrate.

A voice rumbled behind him. "Your powers, whatever they come from, have made you arrogant, freebirth."

That term. He didn't recognize it. What did that… oh. Right. Clan terminology. He was fighting a Clan leader, wasn't he?

"Arrogance, yes!" Osis' voice rose with anger. "You thought you could face me as an equal. Me! The product of generations of the warrior caste breeding program and the strongest bloodlines of our Clan. Now look at you. A broken fool reliant on bizarre sorcery, not true strength."

As he spoke, Robert's mind began to recover. His head was aching, his face was full of pain, and his ribs throbbed. Worse, he could feel something wrong inside of him. When he choked, blood came up.

"This is what we are, people of the Alliance. We are the Clans. We are the finest warriors to exist. And now I will make that point clear to your people."

In a moment of truth, Robert could sense the imminent future. The feeling of Osis' powerful hands gripping his head and throat. The sudden, sharp application of force. His own neck snapped like a twig and the stillness of death.

And that would be it. The Clans would lose any concern they might have for fighting the Alliance. War would be the result. The Alliance and the Inner Sphere would fight the renewed Clan invasion. And the real enemy, the Nazi Reich, would gain a breathing space that they would undoubtedly use to terrifying advantage.

And his friends… his cousin Beth… they would be left to grieve.

This realization forced his mind to focus. It forced that focus on his entire body, his entire essence. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let that come about. He had to _act_.

There was resistance to it. The blow to his head was like none he'd taken. His brain seemed to resist his demand for commands to be sent out to his body. But Robert persisted. He had to. He had to save himself.

He heard the foot come down near him. Osis was looming above him. His arms were starting to reach down for Robert's neck.

But Robert acted first.

He didn't look up. He didn't have time to do anything but move his leg… and concentrate. He pressed his power into the muscles and joints of his hip and knee, into the bottom of his foot. All of his power, all that he could muster, into one last desperate strike. He breathed in and let that leg kick out.

There was a crunching sound. And a loud, surprised scream of pain.

Robert turned as Osis toppled over onto his now broken knee. His arms wheeled away from Robert's head as he lost balance. Robert felt his head spin while he got back to his feet. Osis' right leg had failed him. The knee had been utterly shattered by the force of the blow.

Osis growled at him and tried to lunge. His bad leg kept him from the speed he needed to hit. Robert moved around until he could get the shot he wanted. Again he focused everything he had on his leg and kicked out, this time at Osis' left knee.

This wasn't a straight-on hit. It took Osis' knee from the side. There was still an audible crack when Robert's kick landed home. Osis' knee was broken out of joint with the limb now curved unnaturally from the side. Another howl of pain came and the colossal man toppled onto the ground, both of his legs out of action.

His arms were still dangerous though, so Robert immediately backed away from him. He sucked in a painful breath - his broken ribs were happy to remind him of the fact they had been broken - and focused his power again. This time it wasn't a wide burst but small, rapid ones. Every movement of his hands drove another blast of invisible force into Lincoln Osis'. And he could feel Osis begin to slip into unconsciousness from all of the pain he was in.

Robert stopped for a moment. He looked over the assembled crowds. He could see Meridina's stoic, solid expression. The fierce glee on Angel's face. The worried, yet happy, expression on Julia's. He looked over the Khans of the Grand Council and the myriad of expressions they had, from rage to disbelief to reserved interest. A thin smile was on the face of Khan Crichell - clearly ideological affiliation was not enough for the Jade Falcon leader to sympathize with Osis in his imminent defeat - and a slight one had arrived on Ulric's face. Natasha Kerensky didn't bother hiding her glee, smirking with her arms crossed. Phelan Kell Ward, seated beside her, had a smug grin on his face.

Robert's eyes focused back on the other Khans. One of them, in the uniform of the Nova Cats, was looking at him intently.

The other warriors were too. Each was interested in what he would do. Would he kill Lincoln Osis? Throw him out of the circle? Knock him unconscious? What kind of power would he display?

He thought about those options. Killing a man who was down was not a thing Robert could ever do, not in his heart. But how should he finish off Osis? Which choice would make the biggest splash? How could he use this to give the Alliance sufficient respect that the Clans would keep Ulric and the Truce?

That thought made Robert think of the ilKhan himself. He glanced toward Ulric again. He could sense a word in Ulric's mind. A concept. Something Ulric was thinking he would do in Robert's situation.

His mind flashed back to the materials on the Clans that Focht and the others had written. He recognized the word in Ulric's mind from that. What the word meant.

And he knew what he had to do.

 _If only the side of my face wasn't swelling up, this might actually look impressive_.

Robert calmly turned back to Lincoln Osis. The Jaguar Khan's knees were worse than Robert's face. He was on his side. Dark eyes glared up at Robert from a face that was turning purple and blue as well. He could feel Osis' rage and sheer defiance. He was almost daring Robert to kill him or otherwise finish him off.

"Khan Lincoln Osis." Robert met his glare. "You have given me the fight of my life. You fought with courage and skill against an enemy capable of things you never thought possible. In that spirit, I offer you _hegira_."

The entire arena turned its attention to Lincoln Osis amid a ripple of surprise and intense interest from those assembled.

Robert, for his part, never took his eyes off Lincoln Osis' eyes. _I beat you fair and square, and you're not going to forget that_ , he thought. _You're not going to forget that things have changed irrevocably in your universe. I'm offering you a way to survive those changes. Take it, Khan_.

He could sense the defiance in Osis start to give way. Lincoln Osis knew he had lost the fight. But Robert sensed he hadn't expected this gesture of respect. He had just been given the means to accept his defeat with dignity.

"You know something of our ways," Lincoln observed. "Tell me, Captain. Do you truly believe you can hold off the Crusade forever? That the day will not come when the Clans resume the march on Holy Terra?"

"The future is the future," Robert answered. "Maybe you will resume that march one day, and maybe we will fight against you when you do. But the future is not set in stone. Your Clan, all of the Clans, may find themselves changing in ways they never imagined now that your universe has been introduced to the wider Multiverse. For the present, it's enough that your people and mine have enough respect to face the enemy we should hold in common. My people fight an enemy as evil and vicious as any the Human species has ever produced. We have done so even as allies have abandoned us to follow their own agendas. Every day our people bleed and die to stop the Nazi Reich." Robert was still looking at Osis, but none could mistake the fact he was speaking to the entire audience. "I know your ways are different from the ones I grew up with. But I think even your people may understand one of my deeply-held beliefs, whatever they may feel about its truths. I believe in might for right. I believe that power must have _purpose_."

"Your society has forged a great war machine. Now you bicker and argue among yourselves about how it should be used. You are debating throwing away a truce that you negotiated in good faith because you fear that your warriors will waste away without a foe to face. You have power, but you are still hunting for your purpose, and you may even destroy yourselves in that pursuit."

Robert swallowed. The pain in his chest was getting worse. He darkly suspected that Osis' kick might have caused some internal bleeding. He needed to finish this up.

"I am offering you a different way, Khan Osis. I am offering you that purpose." Robert knelt down onto one knee, although he was still remaining out of swipe range of Osis' arms. "Let the future attend to itself, Khan Osis, and for now, join our cause, and see your Clan's honor grow in battle against the Nazi Reich."

There was silence from the large man. A long silence, full of weight for Robert. He kept himself from swallowing or, as he desperately wanted to do, slumping over.

And then Lincoln Osis spoke again.

"I accept."

Robert breathed out in relief at those words.

For the benefit of the audience, Osis repeated his words in a louder voice. "I accept your offer of _hegira_."

The answer to Osis was a nod. "Then the battle is over," Robert replied.

" _Aff_." Osis looked to Ulric and nodded.

Ulric replied with a half-nod. "Trothkin near and far, this Trial is concluded," he announced. "Honor has been satisfied."

That seemed to be the signal for Osis' people to move forward. Robert's entourage did the same. Julia had her omnitool active by the time she reached Robert and was running a scan. The programming of the omnitool would simplify the scan results to allow even a non-medically trained operator to see clear problems. "Christ, Rob, you're going to be in medbay for…" Her brow furrowed. "Dammit, it looks like you've got internal bleeding." She tapped a hard-light key on the display. "Andreys to _Aurora_. I need a medical team on my location, ASAP. Alert Doctor Gillam that internal injuries are involved."

" _Understood_."

Meridina was already pressing her hand against Robert's chest. "I cannot heal you entirely," she said. "But I can keep you stable until help arrives."

"Thanks." Robert looked at Angel. "I didn't get a chance to say it before, but thank you for coming."

"Yeah." Angel nodded.

By this time two Jaguar Elemental soldiers had helped Osis to his feet. He held up his hand to them and they stopped moving him away. He looked to Robert intently. "When the Grand Council votes on your proposal, you will have the voice of the Jaguars on your side," he said simply. "But I warn you, Captain, that my people will not be so easily diverted from the Crusade. It may fall to my offspring, or their offspring, to do the task. But the day _will_ come when the Clans rebuild the true and proper Star League. I hope that when this day comes the Alliance will recognize the rightness of our cause. If not, then we will yet meet on the field of battle."

"If that day comes, I hope both of our peoples acquit themselves with courage and honor," Robert replied, taking the statement in stride. "Because if we decide your people are in the wrong, we will fight against you."

"Spoken like a warrior," Osis remarked. "As I would expect." He smiled. "Bargained well and done, Captain.

With that Lincoln Osis motioned to his men and they resumed carrying him off. 

* * *

_Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 7 July 2642. Captain Robert Dale reporting. I am grateful to report that I have been released from Doctor Gillam's care. He has ordered me on light duty for the next couple of days due to the severity of my injuries sustained in my fight with Khan Osis. With some customary protest, he has agreed to my attending the Clan Grand Council meeting being held today._

Robert had beamed down again, this time with Julia, Jarod, and Zack, with Grand Duke Kell joining as expected. They were seated as observers and guests when the Grand Council reconvened. Robert looked to the Jaguars' table where Osis was seated. He had limped in favoring the leg that Robert had inflicted the most damage on. It was clear, however, that he would be a force to be reckoned with.

Ulric called the Council to order. The business of the day was the genocide charge against him. Elias Crichell, the Jade Falcon Khan, rose and began a long-winded and utterly preposterous speech about the issue, accusing Ulric of being part of a grand Inner Sphere conspiracy that would, among other things, subjugate the Clans. He brought up the connection of Victor to Omi Kurita and added to it claims of other marriage alliances, including one for Kai Allard-Liao who was, to Robert's knowledge, already happily married.

"There's no way he really believes this," Jarod whispered.

"Right. It's just an excuse."

Phelan gave the defense. It called out Crichell's ludicrous claims as just that, pointed out Ulric's combat successes, and then reminded the others that with the existence of the Alliance and the Multiverse, plunging forward into an invasion facing foes they still had little understanding of was ludicrous.

Now it only remained to be seen if the diehard Crusaders would ignore everything, even the prior day's fight.

The votes by Clan commenced. It was immediately apparent that the Crusader cause was going to face an uphill battle with the Smoke Jaguars voting against the conviction. Other Clans began to weigh in, one by one, and by the end of it only the Jade Falcons, Ice Hellions, and a number of other Clans or Crusader Khans supported Ulric's conviction and an abrogation of the Truce of Tukkayid. The majority sided with Ulric.

At that, Robert breathed a sigh of relief. His mission had succeeded.

 _And all it took was me getting punched by a genetically-engineered super-soldier._

"The charges against the ilKhan are dismissed," announced the cybernetic old man, Kael Pershaw. He looked to the assembled, as if expecting someone to declare themselves ready to resist the finding with a combat. But none did.

"With this matter settled, I see it is time to present the proposal we have before us." Ulric nodded to Robert and the others. "The Grand Council must now decide whether the Clans shall respond to the Alliance mission sent to us. With the Grand Council's support, I shall negotiate with an Alliance representative on the entrance of the Clans into the war with the Nazi German Reich of the universe they call S4W8."

This time the vote was nowhere near close. Most of the Clans who voted to convict Ulric nevertheless voted to join the war. Robert suspected that for the Home Clans, this was their best opportunity to get involved in territorial expansion, and all the Clans wanted a chance to try their troops.

Of course, this wasn't the end of things. This arrangement still had to be negotiated. Robert would have to send to President Morgan for actual military and diplomatic negotiators to make the final arrangements. But the Grand Council's vote would be a strong starting point.

"Well, we did it," Julia said after Ulric adjourned the meeting. "We stopped the resumption of the Invasion."

"And we gained more allies."

"Allies who might give us some trouble," Robert said. He felt warm senses of familial joy and pride and glanced to see Morgan Kell with his son and a woman in Wolf Clan uniform, with short-cut almost-white blond hair.

"Hey, hardhead."

Robert glanced to the direction of the voice. Natasha Kerensky was smirking at him. "Me?", he asked.

"You took a punch from Osis and didn't go completely out? Yeah, you." She gestured. "The ilKhan wants to see you and your people. I'll show you to his office."

There was something refreshing with the way the rough old Clanswoman spoke in a way none of the other Clanspeople did. "We're on your heel, Khan Kerensky."

"Just be thankful that's not literal, or my foot would be up your ass," she retorted.

She led them through the halls of the Wolf Clan headquarters until they arrived in an office. The furnishings were decent although not quite what one would expect from a Head of State. Robert could sense Jarod's thoughts on that, namely, that the Clans weren't exactly a standard "state" by any definition of the term.

Ulric was already seated behind a desk. Natasha took a seat to the side and lounged back in the chair. Ulric, however, stood and nodded. His hand moved up. "I believe this is the customary gesture among your people?"

Robert nodded and accepted Ulric's hand for a handshake. "Thank you, ilKhan. You had something you wanted to discuss?"

"I wanted to extend my congratulations to you. Not only on your victory, but on the way you handled it. If you had simply knocked Osis unconscious or thrown him from the Circle, he would have never forgiven the humiliation. The Jaguars would have voted against the Truce. Instead, he respects your people, even as freebirths, for your conduct."

"I was inspired in that moment," Robert said quietly.

"Of course." Ulric nodded. "Now, your people must understand it will take some time for us to become fully involved. The Grand Council will have to debate the size of our contribution to your conflict, whether or not every Clan will be permitted to participate, and there will be the bidding for which Clan will fight in which region."

"We understand that," Robert said. "As soon as your Clans are ready to contribute, we'll be ready to provide our end of the arrangement. And President Morgan should have representatives out to you within a week or two that can begin the process."

"Of course. Hopefully he chooses well. I am myself curious about the reports I have heard on your Alliance including non-Human beings…"

"We do."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there are a couple of Dorei in any delegation," Julia added. "Some of the Dorei nations have their own warrior and honor codes. They may understand your people more than some of our Humans do."

Ulric smiled thoughtfully at that. "That would be quite an interesting experience. To see aliens more familiar with our people than our fellow Humans." He nodded at them. "I will not keep you any longer, Captain. We all have duties to attend to, after all."

"Yeah." Robert nodded. "We do."

They went to leave. Just as he approached the door, Robert turned back. "IlKhan, may I ask a question?"

"Certainly."

"What was your plan if we had not come?", Robert asked. "I mean, if you had faced the vote on those charges without the Alliance here offering alternatives?"

Ulric nodded and grinned. "I did have my plans, yes." He glanced to Natasha. "And while I doubt he would agree, Khan Crichell should be thankful that you arrived."

Robert wasn't looking into their thoughts, but given the wolfish grin that came to Natasha Kerensky, not to mention Ulric's own grin, it wasn't hard to imagine what would have happened. Ulric might have gone down, and the Warden cause may have failed, but he would have taken a _lot_ of Crusaders with him. And likely those with an affinity for green plumage.

"Speaking of Crichell," Robert said, "I get the feeling he was goading Osis into fighting me."

"Of course he was." Natasha snorted. "Either way, he wins. Either Osis kills you and the Crusaders ignore your Alliance and go ahead with the repudiation of the Truce, or you beat Osis, humiliating him and giving Crichell greater influence in the Crusader movement."

"Elias is undoubtedly unhappy with your offering of _hegira_ to Lincoln Osis." Ulric seemed pleased at this. "You undermined his effort to assume greater authority."

"It looks like politics aren't just for democracies," Julia remarked.

"Our advantage, Commander, is that we allow one to challenge the politicians to a combat trial," Ulric noted. "I would recommend it to your people. It would improve the quality of your politicians."

Robert smiled in reply, thinking of Hawthorne and Davies, although he recognized the same might be applied to President Morgan. "Have a good day, ilKhan."

"The same to you, Captain."


	51. Episode 2-10-5 The Path Before Us

It was toward the end of the day and Robert was in his quarters, finalizing his reports on the Grand Council vote. The ache in his chest hadn't gone away. _No more fighting seven foot tall super soldiers for me…_

The sound of his door chime drew him from his thoughts. "Come in," he called out. He looked up in time to see Angel stepping in. She was in her uniform and was likely just off a bridge shift. Her expression was solid and quiet. It was clear to him that Angel was here to say something, and it was something she had thought about. "Angel," he said. "Did you want some dinner or…?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm… not hungry at the moment."

Robert felt the welcoming grin he had started to form disappear from his face. That didn't sound good.

"I've… I've been doing a lot of thinking, Rob," she said. Angel swallowed and let out a long breath as she took a seat by his work desk. "About us."

"I see."

"You and I… we've been doing this since we were sixteen," Angel said. "This relationship has had… it's been fun. And it's been heart-breaking."

"It has," he agreed. "And I know I've never been the best boyfriend."

"And I've never been the model girlfriend." A small smile appeared on her face. "Most high school football players don't have girlfriends who can beat them up, after all."

"Well, I've been close friends with Julie since we were little, so I was used to it," Robert replied with humor in his voice.

"Yeah. Julie." Angel nodded. "Listen, I know that we've, well, we were making a good run of it, weren't we? After we hooked up again last year?"

"I thought so."

"There were times I was frustrated," Angel admitted. "But for the most part… it worked."

"Until my training began."

"Yeah." Angel nodded. She gave him a sad look. "Robert, I'm… well, I've tried. I… I've tried as hard as I can to accept… this. This burden you've got now that you know how to levitate things with your life energy or whatever. But the truth is… this doesn't work for me."

Robert let out a breath. "I know."

"And seeing you yesterday… I know you're not going to stop this training, Rob. I know it's important to you, that you think this is a path you've got to take to, I don't know, save the Multiverse or whatever." Warm tears were now flowing down her cheeks. "I'm not asking you to stop. I'm honestly starting to think you shouldn't. But… I also…" She shook her head. "I can't… this relationship doesn't work anymore. For me. I can't make this work."

Robert felt his mouth go dry. An old, familiar pain started to overwhelm the ache in his ribs. "So… so that's it, I guess?"

"Yeah," Angel said, tears flowing. "Yeah, I think that's it."

"Is there anything I can try?", Robert asked, really pleaded, even as he knew the answer already.

"I wish you could," was Angel's admission. "But I think we both know what you can or can't give up. And you won't give this up. It… it's just not meant to be now. I guess."

Robert subconsciously reached for his chest. The fingers of his right hand started to rub the skin on top of his heart, as if they could assuage the pain growing there. "I… well, I was hoping that this time…"

"...yeah." Angel nodded. She briefly sniffled. "I… I don't want this to be more painful than it has to be. So maybe… for now… I mean, we work together, so we'll see each other on the bridge or in staff meetings or whatever, but we should probably…"

"...maintain some space," Robert finished for her. His voice was dull with pain. He'd been expecting this, of course, but he hadn't imagined this would happen now. And he had hoped that maybe adjustments could be made.

It had been a silly hope, perhaps, now that he could consider it in retrospect. But it had been there.

"So… I'm going to get the last few things of mine in here. And I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," was all he could manage. 

* * *

Angel left. Tears flowed for a while, at least until the pain in Robert's heart could subside. He had seen this coming, hadn't he? With how unhappy she was after he started the training, and then to find out it didn't have a definite end…

 _It really felt like it was going to work this time_ , was the thought that went through his head, over and over.

A tone from the ship's comm system took him out of this loop. " _Captain, incoming transmission from Tukkayid_."

"Put them on." Robert looked to the screen. He didn't think it'd be Maran or Morgan - he'd reported to them already - and so wasn't surprised when Prince Victor appeared on the screen. " _You're the talk of Tukkayid right now, Captain_ ," said Victor. " _I'm still shocked you walked into a fight with Lincoln Osis and came out again in one piece._ "

"Well, one piece outside of some of my ribs," Robert answered. He forced a grin to his face. "I hope everyone's taken it well?"

" _We have. Although there are some dissenting voices, the leaders of the Inner Sphere have decided to endorse the Alliance's plan to let the Clans join the war. If anything, we hope it will give their warriors something to do for the rest of the Truce._ "

Robert thought about what Lincoln Osis had said. "I think you might manage to the end of the Truce, at least," he finally said.

" _And we have you to thank for that._ "

"I haven't been able to keep up with all of the things being decided in the conference," Robert admitted. "Has anything else been decided?"

Victor nodded. " _Well, we have spent most of the time determining our strategy against the Clans. Now that the threat is minimized, I think we can focus more on the war with the Reich. I'm told Theodore Kurita has already signed a military and technological aid deal with President Morgan. I can't say anything officially, of course, but I expect some of the elite Combine regiments will soon be joining our armies in S4W8_."

"They'll be welcome," Robert said.

" _Sun-Tzu is still keeping the Capellans out_ ," Victor continued. " _But probably not for long. He's not as stupid as he acts, and Chancellor Liao won't want his nation to be the ones left out to dry on all of the new technologies entering the Inner Sphere. He might only send mercenaries, but I think he'll sign up, and so will the Canopians and Taurians_. _I, on the other hand, had to ask President Morgan for an additional liaison staff_."

Robert gave him a curious look. "Oh? Why?"

" _My sister insists_ ," Victor said. His expression darkened slightly. " _She's pointed out to all of the upset editorials about our alliance, and how it seems to be run exclusively by House Davion. So I asked for another liaison staff, and diplomatic personnel, to be sent to Tharkad to establish Alliance relations with the Lyran half of the Commonwealth._ "

"Ah, politics." Robert nodded. "Well, I can't see that causing too much damage…" Even as he said it, Robert realized how wrong he was. All he could think of for a moment was that deep rapacious hunger he'd felt in Katherine. If she could turn something, anything, into an advantage for pushing the expansion of her personal power, she probably would do it.

Before Victor could say anything else, he was distracted by something off-screen. " _I'm afraid I must go, Jerry and Curaitis insist on whisking me off to some meeting. Take care, Captain, and thank you._ "

"Have a pleasant evening, Prince."

* * *

The Wolves had, as a matter of course, set up spaces for the entourages of all of the assembled Khans of the Invading Clans. One such set of buildings bore the standard of the Nova Cats.

On the roof of this structure, with the sun setting in the distance and the stars emerging, Khans Severen Leroux and Lucian Carns were being met by the wizened old Oathmaster of their Clan. Biccon Winters looked to them. "Is this what you were expecting, Oathmaster?" Carns asked.

"Yes," Winters replied. "It is."

"Then your visions…"

"You do not doubt me again, do you, my Khan?"

The question was put with quiet and reserve. It had an edge to it, but the edge was in the history of these three leaders of this specific Clan.

"Tukkayid taught me the harsh lesson in that regard, Oathmaster," Lucian Carns answered. "I do not doubt your vision. It is just… the scope of it…"

"I understand. I too was frightened. But let it be recorded in the Remembrance nevertheless. Our future hangs in the balance." Winters nodded. "I grieve for the loss our Clan, that all Clans, will endure when the veil is breached. But I have seen it too often in my visions of late to believe it is nothing but dreams." A distant look came over her face. "A great darkness is coming. If the Clans are to survive, we must find and support the dawn."

"The Alliance Captain… his ship is named for the dawn. This can be no coincidence," Leroux remarked. "And he showed great vision and power when he faced Lincoln Osis. He… _they_ … may be the ones we seek."

"Then we must remain alert," said Winters. "Let the Clan bid for the war with the Nazi Reich. They are an evil that we must extinguish. But our vigilance will lie elsewhere. The vessel _Aurora_ and the crew of that ship may be the key to our survival. We must remain ready to do whatever it takes to protect them."

The two Khans nodded. " _Seyla_ ," they said in unison, signifying their agreement.

* * *

The quarters on the _Aurora_ were quiet and dim, save for the quiet tapping of fingers to a control keyboard. A portable battery pack, appropriately shielded, provided the power that suddenly surged into the transmitter. The figure applying this was in a plain yellow robe with the maarkings of an Acolyte of ComStar, one of many that Precentor-Martial Focht had send with Morgan Kell.

The man who appeared on the screen was clad in a red robe. His tan, cocoa-colored complexion had begun to pale from his current living habits. Gray covered his head and the right side of his face, the gray of his extensive cybernetic implants. A red laser sight had replaced his right eye.

The simply-clad figure looking at the image in the dim light bowed their head. "Precentor."

" _The shielding worked._ " It was not a question.

"Yes. Their systems did not detect my transceiver."

" _Do you have anything to report?_ "

"The Clans will uphold the Truce. It was as you said, Precentor. The captain of the _Aurora_ faced and defeated the Khan of the Jaguars in one-on-one combat."

" _Then the Clans will join the war?_ "

"It seems likely."

" _Very well. Then all is as we anticipated. Our test is a success. But there is no point in testing fate. From this point, maintain radio silence. Finalize all reports for delivery to the courier when you return to Tukkayid._ " The figure nodded gently. " _The Master will be pleased with your performance, Acolyte._ "

"I am proud to have served, Precentor."

" _The time of your ascension is nigh. Keep this in your thoughts. Apollyon out._ "

The transmission ended. 

* * *

ComStar had provided all of the visiting leaders of the Inner Sphere with facilities, including temporary offices. The annex allowed for the Commonwealth housed both Davion and Lyran contingents, with Victor getting the largest office spaces for himself and his aides.

This annoyed Katrina Steiner-Davion. It annoyed her greatly.

The time on Tukkayid was still early enough in the evening that she could expect company. For now she was going over the reports from Tamar. Katrina's feelings were profoundly mixed on the outcome. Certainly it was good that she would not have to face the Clans any time soon. On the other hand, her brother was certain to draw more of _her_ troops into his extrauniversal crusade, and the less-intimidating the Clans were, the harder it was for Katrina to make her brother look worse to the Lyran people.

And then there was the matter that the victor on Tamar was clearly on her brother's side. Katrina could tell that when they met. And whatever hopes she had on perhaps winning an ally in Captain Dale's executive officer seemed unlikely, not in the face of the information she'd seen on them. Turning Julia Andreys into her ally would require persistent, frequent discussion and contact, contact that had to occur naturally from their positions. That did not seem likely.

Katrina's musings were interrupted by a knock on her door. She banished the thoughtful frown and instructed her secretary to let their visitor in.

The arrival was an Allied Systems military officer. A naval one, too, with a rank insignia of one star on both collars. The cuffs of her uniform - black with silver trim to delineate a staff officer - had one thick gold band and one thin one. The woman was at least a decade older than Katrina, with a light bronze complexion that you just never saw on Tharkad, striking dark brown eyes, and dark hair pulled back into a severe and professional bun. Katrina could see from the way the woman carried herself that this was one of those "rigorous professional" types. Normally she might find such boring, but they had their uses.

"Greetings," Katrina said. "I am Princess Katrina Steiner-Davion, the Regent on Tharkad."

"I know, Highness," the woman replied. Her accent almost made Katrina think of a Latin speaker from Skye. "I am Rear Admiral Benedita Soveral. The Alliance Defense Ministry has assigned me to be our liaison officer to the government on Tharkad. I wished to introduce myself to you without delay."

Katrina beamed at that. At least her brother wouldn't be monopolizing contact with the Alliance now. "Thank you for your prompt attention, Admiral. I look forward to working with you."

"And I with you, Highness. My appointment was hastened by Minister Hawthorne himself due to various… concerns. As a staff officer I hope to give you the same benefits I gave to Admiral Davies, my former immediate superior."

"Your Vice Chief of Naval Operations? I see." Katrina thought on that. She recalled something in the reports, on the politics in the Alliance. Davies had been involved in thwarting the attack on the Alliance Senate. "I hate to think I have deprived a man with such an important position of a good officer."

"Oh, there is no problem with that, Highness." Soveral grinned slightly. "Admiral Davies proposed my assignment himself, and arranged for my immediate arrival. He and Minister Hawthorne place great stock into securing our relations with both halves of your Commonwealth."

Katrina's senses picked up on that. There was opportunity here… "Do they indeed?" she asked, keeping her voice from giving the purr of satisfaction she felt within. "Well, I am gratified to hear that. And I hope that through you, I might work closely with them and the rest of your great Alliance in the coming years…" 

* * *

**Tag**

In the bowels of the _Starship Aurora_ 's drive section, the cry of near-triumph resounded.

Shortly thereafter, the call came. It came just before Robert could sit down to a lonely breakfast in the Lookout. He eyed his breakfast ham and eggs longingly before the message appeared again on his omnitool's display.

 _Get down to Machine Shop B_ ** _now_** _.-Lucy_

He picked up the plate and put it back on the bar on his way out. By the time he made it to the turbolift, he decided he was ready to smack Lucy on the head for interrupting his breakfast.

 _Is that me talking, or the part of me angry about getting dumped?_ thought Robert as the lift moved along. He couldn't decide which.

By the time he actually made it there, he was met by Meridina. "Just you?" asked Robert.

"It appears so." Meridina nodded to the door. "Let us see what Lucy has summoned us over."

Inside the machine shop one shift was settling in. Lucy had a bank of fabricators and other tools all to herself. She was waiting patiently, or not so patiently, for them, with a bleariness in her eyes that told Robert she might have been up all night. "Well?" he asked.

Meridina smiled slightly. "Have you done it, Lucy?"

Lucy grinned widely at them. She reached back to the table and held up a round, cylindrical object. It might have been a flashlight if it ended with the right tip.

Robert's heart fluttered. Had she really…?

Lucy's finger stroked a button on the object. Pale blue light erupted from the end with an electronic snap and hiss. She waved it around for a moment, creating a buzz in the air as she did. "I made it work!" she declared. "I mean, I made one that works! It functions…"

There was a surge of sparks from the base of the pale blue light-blade. It cut out a moment later, replaced by a puff of flame and smoke that left the upper end of the weapon blackened.

"...as well as it can," Lucy sighed. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "But as you can see, even though I can make it work, I've still got a big problem."

"It would appear your weapon… cannot remain on?", Meridina inquired.

"The focusing crystals can't handle the power demand," Lucy lamented. She threw the dead item back on the table. "Not a single crystal I've tried actually works. It's so _frustrating_ too…"

"But if you had crystals that could handle it, this would work?" Robert pointed his hand to the broken device. "You could make a weapon just like Swenya's Blade?"

"Well, not quite like it. The power source won't last thousands of years, that's for certain." Lucy finally nodded. "But yeah. I could do it."

Meridina put a hand on her student's upper arm. "Marvelous, Lucy. I see your hard work has paid off."

"If we can find the right crystals…"

"Have faith that we will," Meridina said. "And until then, we will continue to rely upon our _lakeshes_."

Lucy's expression became visually distraught. "But, you don't have one, right? Goras broke yours. And the Order would never let you build another. I mean, that would make you an outlaw on Gersal, right?"

"True. The Order would be most displeased if I built a _lakesh_ without their authorization." Meridina grinned. "Fortunately, I already had an extra. It is still in my room awaiting some… final touches."

"Wait." Robert blinked. "You're allowed to have extras?"

"Yes, and no," Meridina said. "This was the _lakesh_ I took from Dralan Olati on Jarod's home Earth. I have made some alterations to remove what I believe were insignia that identified himself to other _swevyra'kse_ , to other dark-users. But the blade is functional." She turned her head to face Robert. "Hopefully your training will continue to progress, Robert. The Order will be less upset if you were to receive a _lakesh_." She gave a gentle look to Lucy, full of understanding and encouragement. "Although perhaps we should wait to see if Lucy succeeds in finding the right crystal for her weapon."

"What are you going to call it, anyway?", Robert asked Lucy. "A laser sword? Beamblade?"

She chuckled. "Tom asked me the same thing." She looked back to the busted device she'd spent hours putting together and testing. Her mind went through all of Tom Barnes' proposals.

And she decided that one sounded… just right, after all.

"Lightsaber," Lucy said. "I think we'll call it a lightsaber."

* * *

The gymnasium on the _Aurora_ was modestly filled with about two dozen officers and crew doing their workouts. Most were on machines or on the running track, while Chief Harlan Lewis was giving boxing lessons to a half-dozen younger personnel.

Angel remained to herself, wearing her usual olive sports bra and exercise shorts, throwing punches at a bag. It wasn't really a proper workout. She wasn't using good form, she wasn't maintaining the right stance. She was just punching something because, in her mood, Angel needed something to punch.

"So, you did it."

Angel looked over to see Julia walk up. She was in her white martial arts _gi_. "Did what?" Angel asked.

"You broke up with Rob," Julia said.

"Oh." Angel drew in a breath and then gave a brisk nod. "Yeah. I broke up with him."

"And you feel like you want to punch something."

"Yeah." Angel turned back to her punching bag. "And that's all I want to do, Julia, so no _t'ai chi_ or _mok'bara_ or whatever. Not right now."

"I wasn't thinking of that."

Angel turned back in time to see Julia shedding the _gi_. Underneath it she was wearing the same thing as Angel, just with black and red coloring, her visible arms, belly, and legs showing lean, athletic muscle compared to Angel's thicker, fighting muscle. "Best of three?", Julia asked.

Angel gave her a look. "I'm in my 'punch something' mood, Julia. Are you sure about this?"

Julia nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." She didn't have to say the obvious. That Angel was her friend, and Angel needed someone to help her work out her frustrations.

Indeed, that was Angel's thought, and the smile that slowly formed on her face showed that she knew this. "Best of three, then," she agreed. "And I'll even help you get to the medbay when I'm through with you."

Julia made a fake, playful wince at that. "Oh, don't make me start to regret this…"

That caused Angel to laugh all the way to the nearest vacant fighting ring.


	52. Episode 2-11-1 Under Fire

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 17 July 2642 AST. Captain Robert Dale recording. We are currently in orbit of the major colony world New Brittany, to provide medical support and protection to the newly-liberated colony. New Brittany was the site of the Reich's concentration camps and prisoner of war facilities in this sector. The need for medical assistance to the victims our forces liberated in these camps has necessitated that Doctor Gillam and most of his physicians beam down to the various hospitals to assist._

Robert was halfway through the day's paperwork when the tone sounded at his door. "Come in," he said.

As he expected, Julia stepped in. She had no digital reader for him this time. Her face was drawn and pale. Robert could sense why even before he asked, "What did you see?"

Julia nearly dropped into the seat in front of him. "More of the same. Just seeing those prisoners down there, how much they've suffered, what the Nazis did to them…" Julia clenched her fists. "We read about these things in school, but I never thought I'd see it in person like that."

"It's not pretty," Robert sighed in agreement. "And every hour, more of the weakest of them die unless we get them the attention they need. I'm hoping Leo and the others can make a dent in that." The look on his face spoke of his quiet frustration and the idea that, if things had been different, they could have gotten to this planet earlier, to the camp earlier, and ended the suffering without more deaths.

"We both know he'll try." Julia clearly had a desire to change the subject. That subject change was one Robert expected. "So… you're single again."

"I'm single again," Robert said. "And probably will be for the foreseeable future."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out in the end."

"So am I." Deciding turnabout was fair play, he gave Julia his best, innocent look. "So, have you accepted Admiral Maran's offer?"

The look on Julia's face said she didn't buy a word of that. "With all of the people asking about that, it almost feels like you _want_ me to leave."

"No, I don't." Robert smiled at her. "What I want is for you to be happy, and to get the recognition you deserve. Taking command of the _Enterprise_ when she's ready? You'd instantly have the most prestigious command in the fleet."

"And what about you and the others?", Julia asked.

"We would make do." Robert leaned forward in his chair. "We knew this could happen one day. We wouldn't get to serve together forever."

"Yeah." Julia nodded. "I know."

"And I think I knew that Angel and I were… not going to work out," Robert admitted. "In the end, we never do." He sighed. "I think it… I think we just don't have the long-term compatibility we always hope to get. In the end, maybe it's for the best."

"Well, you know where I am if you need to talk," Julia said. "I'd better get back to the bridge."

"I'll be along shortly," Robert promised.

* * *

Field Hospital Charlie had been established beside what had been the Retzoff KZ. It was predominantly a labor camp where the Reich imprisoned the sector's political dissidents or those who were in the sector "illegally": having violated the Reich's rigorous controls of which ethnic groups and nationalities were permitted to dwell in which sectors.

Given the number of war refugees that had fled the combat zones, this figure had grown quite high in the months leading up to Alliance forces taking New Brittany.

Although New Brittany was technically under the authority of the nominally-independent National Republic of Brittany back on Earth, they were still part of the Reich as a subordinated state, and they had been compelled to let the Reich build the camp on their soil. Indeed, near their planetary capital of New Rennes.

Naturally, once the war began, the SS had eventually moved in further and opened a prisoner-of-war camp beside the rapidly-expanding labor camp, and in many cases had relegated the prisoners therein to said camp.

Now Field Hospital Charlie tended to the former prisoners of both facilities in addition to combat casualties. It was already full to capacity and its medical staff undermanned to deal with all of the cases of malnutrition and abuse.

Leo looked over the occupants of one ward. Virtually all were down to living skeletons. It was a sight familiar to any medical officer involved in the war and, for him, it would never lose its power. These people were the living embodiment of everything that was cruel and evil about the Reich and the ideology it espoused.

 _The key word there is 'living'_ , Leo thought. _There are even more dead embodiments than I could ever count_.

Nasri stepped up behind him. "We've secured the supplies. Doctor Singh is already up to her elbows in cases in the trauma unit."

"While here…" Leo's mouth was dry. "God, Nasri… look at this. How can people live like…" He stopped and gave her a sad look. Given what she had lived through in Darfur, he felt like he had just stuck his finger into an old wound. "Sorry."

Nasri smiled sympathetically. "It is fine, Doctor. That is your compassion showing."

"Doctor Gillam?"

The female voice was one Leo had heard before. He showed some surprise when he turned his head and faced another doctor already making rounds in the ward. Like his own uniform, her uniform was primarily black, with blue on the shoulders, but while his lab coat was white hers was the same blue as her uniform's shoulder area. She was middle-aged, but her hair was still completely red without a tinge of gray.

Leo nodded. "Doctor Crusher. I wasn't aware you were here."

Doctor Beverly Crusher, the former Chief Medical Officer of the destroyed Federation _Starship Enterprise_ , nodded. "Yes, well, I was initially assigned by Doctor K'lei'tana to Hospital Bravo, but there was a change in the rosters." Crusher stepped up to him and offered her hand, which he shook. "It's good to see you, Doctor Gillam. We need every doctor we can get."

"I'm happy to help," Leo assured her. "How about I get one row?"

"You do that, and I think we'll be done in no time," Crusher answered, showing a small, relieved grin. 

* * *

Like any local resident in similar straits, Andre Faqin had gone to the new occupiers to find work. This was a choice fraught with danger. Even if it meant extra money that could buy food beyond bland replicator rations, or which might one day get a ticket off the planet and out of the war zone, every New Breton who took even the slightest job with the occupation force would face the wrath of the Nazi Reich should the planet fall back under their control. It was, all things considered, quite the deterrent.

Faqin, however, had his own insurance against that possibility.

After a day of sweeping floors and bringing food to decrepit camp survivors, Faqin returned home from Field Hospital Charlie. His home, such as it was, was a rented basement apartment in the urban areas of the capital. He went into his own subbasement in his unit and went to the corner. The floorboards pried away easily where he had left the loosened nook. Underneath was the shielded box he desired. He opened it and reached inside.

The communication set had a portable power source. It was powerful enough to open a secured, encrypted channel through a transmitter in the city, and from there to where it was needed to go. Faqin did that just now.

He waited, patiently, until his screen showed as room, although with the chair in the picture turned away from the screen the only face Faqin could see was that on the large portrait of the First _Führer_ behind it. " _You risk much opening such a channel_ ," the man in the chair warned in German.

"I may have seen one of those you said you were seeking." Faqin removed a data chip from the small phone unit he had with him and placed it in his transmitter.

The man accessed another device in his hand and looked over the arriving photographs. Faqin could tell his hidden elation from the tremor in his voice. " _They are at New Brittany, then?_ "

"I don't know," Faqin admitted. "But that man is. And I know I heard his ship was still in orbit."

" _Well… you have done well, agent. You will be well-rewarded when the Reich reclaims your world. Maintain a constant watch and report to me any changes._ "

"Then… you are confident you are returning?"

The man turned in his chair and smiled, which was not something Faqin was used to seeing on the face of a man like _Standartenführer_ Erik Fassbinder. " _Oh, yes_ ," cooed the SS officer. " _With the_ Aurora _and her crew present, I can promise you we will be returning to New Brittany very soon indeed…_ " 

* * *

**Undiscovered Frontier**  
 ** _"Under Fire"_**

* * *

With his bridge watch done for the day, and with it most of his paperwork, Robert went to his other daily obligation.

Which is why he was holding a wooden blade and waiting patiently for Lieutenant Lucy Lucero to strike at him with her own.

Fencing had never been his thing. But he knew enough of it to know that fencing involved reading your opponent's body language and trying to guess when and where their strikes would land.

This was even more elaborate than that. He and Lucy had what the the Gersallians called "connected _swevyra_ ". He preferred the term "life force" even if it wasn't entirely accurate to cover what the Gersallian term meant. It was one thing to say someone had life in them, but the Gersallian concept of the _swevyra_ , of life bound to the other life of Creation and the Universe as a whole in a great "Flow of Life", went to a whole different level.

Because of this particular talent, Robert and Lucy could do… things. They could manipulate the energy they felt within themselves to move things with their will, to sense the thoughts of others, to move faster and hit harder than their muscle mass would normally permit, it even permitted instinctive understanding of things like, oh, where a bad guy was about to shoot, allowing them to evade or deflect such attacks. Robert thought of it as "the ability to go into a gunfight with a sword and win". And it took training to perfect.

And sacrificing a working romantic relationship, as it turned out.

When Lucy struck Robert was already moving into a defensive block position. He caught her blow with his wooden blade. The next swipe also resulted in the clack of a wood-on-wood collision, as did the next. After a fourth and final failed attempt to overcome Robert's defense, Lucy backed off. It was his turn.

After several seconds he started to move. First he tried to switch from a high strike to a low to catch Lucy off-balance, but she had her weapon ready for that. A second go, high, was stopped. And a third.

For the fourth blow, Robert decided to mix things up. After drawing Lucy's attention with a cut at her waist, Robert pulled at the energy within him and used it to push forward. Immediately he…

…lost his balance as Lucy, sensing the move, broke off contact and left him to push with force against nothing. Before he could recover she struck his blade with hers, rotated the weapon and wrenched his from his hand, and promptly knocked him to the floor with a burst of energy.

All in less than five seconds.

"Robert Dale, Human pin cushion, loses again," he sighed while sprawled on the floor.

"You _are_ improving," Lucy assured him. She looked to her side. "Don't you agree?"

Commander Meridina nodded. "Yes." She gave Robert a direct look. The Gersallian woman's blue eyes glittered with quiet pride. She had given up much to continue training them; to see Robert and Lucy continuing to improve was therefore something she could take real joy in.

Robert had always been struck by how alike Gersallians were to Humans. Sure, on the inside Gersallian organs were laid out differently, but externally, they looked just like Humans. Skin, hair, even a bit of the smell, all looked like just Human equivalents. "I think you're both well ahead of me," he said. "Although I can't complain too much. I was able to beat Lincoln Osis even with my abilities being so weak compared to yours."

"That is a good attitude to take, Robert," Meridina agreed. "But you must have recognized the potential strengths of your _swevyra_ off the battlefield?"

"You mean the freakly dreams and the future-sensing."

"Indeed. Certainly you have felt a change in them."

He had. He still had the nightmares of course, and how they might be visions of possible futures, but now they were less-frequent. He was getting better rest than he had before. And sometimes the dreams were… happier.

Dreams of his family. Dreams of _a_ family, flowing waves of golden-colored grain on some quiet world, children with his green eyes and Angel's dark hair and brown skin running and giggling and playing in those golden waves.

Although that last one had only been a few times. And it was clear that wouldn't be coming about now.

But above all were the dreams that wound up with the shadowy figure of a woman and those two confusing, vexing words. " _Bad Wolf_." _What did it mean?_

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, Meridina," Robert said. "I've been hearing these two words in my dreams. 'Bad Wolf'. I'm not sure what they mean. Something about a choice."

"It is best not to dwell too strongly on such a matter. Whatever your connection to Creation is telling you, you must also recall you are in the present, and the present has its own matters to attend to." Meridina stepped up and placed a sympathetic hand on his arm. "You will figure this out, Robert. In due time. For now, though, we should continue to train and refine your control and connection."

Robert nodded. "I don't have much else to do as it is. What do you have for us next."

From the faint grin on her face, Robert knew he wouldn't like the answer. _Yay, more standing on my hands trying to levitate things…_

* * *

Once their work in the ward was done, Leo joined Doctor Crusher in heading for the hospital mess. "I'm surprised to see you here, Doctor," Leo said to her. "Not that I'm complaining. Our medical services are overstretched by the war as it is."

"So I've heard." Crusher nodded. "And since I was waiting for a new posting, I joined Admiral McCoy's volunteer detachment."

"He's quite the character, isn't he?"

Crusher looked at Leo. "You've met him?"

"I did," Leo admitted. "And he's every bit the legend that Scotty promised he'd be."

Crusher answered that with a grin. "And what about you? I read your paper on dealing with terminal stage leukemia patients."

Leo felt a surge of pain in his heart. He remembered a smiling preteen boy who should have had the rest of his life ahead of him. "I hope it will be of use to other physicians in saving lives. The information came at a high price. Too high."

"The Joshua Marik case." Crusher took his arm. "Doctor, I'm not sure any of us could have saved his life. HIs condition was too advanced."

"You're probably right." Leo nodded. He couldn't keep the haunted look off his face. "But it doesn't change how I feel. That boy had such a future, if only we'd had more time…"

"It's not easy losing a patient like that," Crusher agreed.

The conversation quieted once they entered the mess. Federation-style replicators were set up on one wall while an older-style mess line was on the other, serving fresh non-replicated food. Leo could see a diversity of species and organizations represented in the medical suits and uniforms of the doctors, surgeons, and nurses present. He recognized the medical jumpsuits of personnel from M4P2, Minbari healer robes, Earth Alliance medical jumpsuits from E5B1, Alliance medical uniforms, and Starfleet ones as well. There was even a Klingon physician in one corner, scowling at a plate, while a group of physicians in ComStar robes were at another table discussing the day's work. "It looks like every medical organization in the known Multiverse is pitching in," Leo observed.

"I know. Sometimes it feels like I'm at a medical symposium more than a field hospital." Crusher went over to the replicator. She tapped the key to activate it and said, "Crusher 3."

The system responded and a tray materialized. The plate on it contained with a chicken sandwich sided by a bowl of salad and a glass of what looked like grape or cranberry juice.

Leo tapped the key next. "Computer, cold turkey sandwich, lettuce and onions included, and a side of french-cut fried potatoes."

The replicator quickly provided the specified meal.

"Adding some starch to your diet?" Crusher asked as they walked into the tables.

"For lunch, anyway," Leo said. "Tonight I'll probably see about a good salad before I beam back up to the _Aurora_."

They found one table with a few occupants. Leo was surprised to recognize one. "Doctor Franklin?"

"Doctor Gillam." Doctor Stephen Franklin extended his hand over his plate, now mostly finished. Leo accepted it. "I heard your ship was coming with new supplies." Franklin had a bowl of what looked like a beef soup in front of him. His suit was recognizable as the standard pale blue medical coats used in the Earth Alliance.

"We got here this morning." Leo gave him a questioning look. "What is the Earth Alliance Director of Xenobiological Research doing in a field hospital on the front?"

"I'm on an inspection tour," Franklin said. "There are drawbacks to being the least senior among the various medical directors back at Bethesda Dome. Instead of drawing straws it was easier to rush through the paperwork assigning the entire thing to me." A bemused smirk appeared on Franklin's face. "But it's given me a chance to study some of the new species that Multiversal contact has opened up. So I probably can't complain too much."

"I'm not sure I could stand going back to Starfleet Medical," Crusher said.

"Tell me about it. Half the reason I came out here was to get away from the office politics," said another, deeper voice. The woman now sitting across from Crusher and beside Franklin was also in a Starfleet medical uniform, with curly blond hair graying softly at the temples. She seemed a little older than Crusher, further into middle-age, with some wrinkling on her face. "Doctor…" She extended a hand across the table toward Leo. "...Gillam, was it? As in Doctor Leonard Gillam of the _Aurora_?"

"Yes."

"Doctor Katherine Pulaski, Starfleet Medical," the woman replied. "Formerly on the _Repulse_." She nodded to Crusher. "I even served on the _Enterprise_ for a year, while Doctor Crusher was serving her sentence at Starfleet Medical."

Leo recognized the name. "I remember reading your paper on the health challenges on the Reymond Colony. The parasitical fungus that kept infecting the colonists. I thought your solution was brilliant."

"Thank you, Doctor Gillam. I rather enjoyed the paper you wrote on extracting those parasites in the R4A1 universe. That was a risky surgery."

"It wasn't the operating theater I had in mind, true."

"I still think some of you people are spoiled for space." Another woman, with an English accent, spoke up from beside Pulaski. Her hair, neck-length if shorter than Crusher's, was gray, and she had green eyes. She was in a Systems Alliance jumpsuit, Navy-issued. "Doctor Karin Chakwas," she said by way of introduction, extending a hand. "It's nice to meet you, Doctor Gillam."

"The same." Leo accepted Chawkas' hand for a quick handshake before he settled into his seat. "A lot of medical talent here today. And all necessary."

"Very," Franklin agreed. "Part of my job here is to reassure Earthdome that the requested medical supplies are necessary. Once they see the recordings I have…"

"I never thought I would see something like this outside of a holodeck recreation," Crusher admitted. "These cases, and the casual brutality…"

"There's a reason most of our cultures remember this movement, even after centuries." Chakwas picked at a pasta salad. "We lost two more in the Intensive Care ward this morning. I'm frankly surprised we've saved as many as we have."

Crusher's face and the brief lowering of her eyes showed how she took that news. "We've got enough of our moderate cases stabilized that we're sending them off-world today."

"Speaking of leaving…" Pulaski looked to the wall and a timer. "I'm beaming up to the _Jonas Salk_ in a couple of hours, so I need to brief my replacement."

Crusher looked at Pulaski and asked, "Anyone we know?"

"That new Asari doctor that arrived yesterday," Pulaski replied. "T'Perro."

"Doctor Lexi T'Perro," Franklin clarified. "I interviewed her last night. Brilliant doctor and a fellow xenobiologist." He smirked. "From the other side of the equation, of course."

"An Asari doctor, huh." Leo raised his eyebrows. "Given how old the Asari can get, she could have more doctorates and experience than the rest of us put together."

"She does. Her file puts her age, in Human years, at about 273, give or take a year," Franklin answered.

"Where are you off to?" Chakwas asked Pulaski

"I'm due on New Austria and Starfleet Medical's main hospital in this universe. Admiral McCoy's asking me to relieve Doctor T'Pela so she can attend to a family affair on Vulcan."

"You'll be missed," Chakwas said. "Hopefully we can catch up to each other soon and share a drink. Have you ever tried Serrice Ice Brandy?"

"No, I have not." Pulaski grinned. "Sounds interesting."

"And worth every credit."

The others gave their goodbyes to Pulaski as she left, emptied food plate and tray in hand. "I think it's only going to get worse as we get closer to Earth in this Universe," Leo said.

"Yeah." Franklin's expression went blank as he let that thought sink in. "Hopefully the war won't last much longer."

"Half of the known Multiverse is either fighting the Reich or helping the Coalition fight them." Crusher took a quick bite and, after a couple of seconds of chewing, swallowed it. "They can't hold out against that kind of opposition, can they?"

"When you've got fanatics like that SS man Fassbinder around?" Leo shook his head. "They'll fight as long as they have means."

"It sounds like you've learned that the hard way."

"We did. Fassbinder was the SS officer on Captain Lamper's cruiser during our first contact." Leo frowned. "And he oversaw the mission at Gamma Piratus. He nearly killed some of my friends and colleagues. As much as it sounds inappropriate to say as a physician…" Leo's expression darkened. "...I'm thankful he's no longer among the living."

"Strong words," Chakwas said. "But I can see they're earned."

Leo nodded in response. It was the only reaction he could properly give.

* * *

The planet Himmlerwelt was one of the first thirty planets settled by the Reich. From the beginning the planet had been selected to be the preserve of the _Schutzstaffel_. Only SS members and their families were permitted to own land on the planet, and only pure Aryan-blooded Germans were permitted to live and work on the world. This had kept the planet from getting the population of other colony worlds settled in the same timeframe, as even today it had a population of only a hundred million spread out across the world.

This suited the SS, of course. This was their center of power outside of Germany itself. The planet's economy was entirely geared toward providing for the needs of the SS across the entire, beleaguered interstellar empire that Hitler's Thousand Year Reich had been building for over four centuries. The _Wehrmacht_ had nothing like it, and if the SS had their way, the regular national forces would never accomplish such a thing.

For _Standartenführer_ Erik Fassbinder, it was his homeworld, physically and spiritually. It was natural that he had been called back to Himmlerwelt to recover from his grievous injury suffered in the system the Alliance called Gamma Piratus. On this world he was able to recuperate.

And more importantly, he was able to _plan_.

With practiced and firm steps, Fassbinder stepped into the office of _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ Hans Kranefuss and raised his arm in salute. " _Heil Sauckel!_ ", he declared.

" _Heil der Führer_." Kranefuss returned the salute. The senior officer's head of blond hair had begun to gray at the temples, with lines forming on his face from age and work. His uniform was, as Fassbinder thought it should, immaculate and well-kept. He had the wide and strong shoulders that Fassbinder enjoyed as well, the common fruits of the SS' gene-engineering programs to enhance their bloodlines and widen the gulf of superiority they enjoyed over others.

Kranefuss had an office fit for his high rank in the organization, with medals and commendations displayed on the walls, holos of family going down to a newborn great-grandchild, and the fine furnishings one would expect for the Head of Special Operations. Behind Kranefuss an open window showed the marble spires arrayed around the _Heinrich-Himmler-Platz_ and the wide avenues of the _Hitlerstraße_.

"How is your shoulder, _Standartenführer_?", Kranefuss asked.

"It has healed, sir," Fassbinder insisted. "I am ready to return to the field. Indeed, I already have a proposal…"

"So I have heard." Kranefuss eyed him warily. He had clearly read Fassbinder's report made this morning. "I admit I am concerned. Eicke's obsession with that vessel led him to his downfall. Now you too seem to place great stock with the _Aurora_. We have already diverted material to this chase..."

"We came close to catching them in the trap. Had the _Heydrich_ and her battlegroup arrived just minutes earlier…"

"I am aware." Kranefuss nodded. "And I am aware of the real gains to be had if we were to capture the vessel or cause its destruction. The morale loss to our enemies would be noticeable. And the gains to be had from interrogating the command crew are well worth a dedicated effort. But you must understand my concern for your motives. The Reich cannot afford for you to turn this into a personal vendetta, Fassbinder. Eicke forgot his duty, and it destroyed him."

"If I may, _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ , I am not Eicke," Fassbinder insisted. "Though I sympathize with his anger at being denied his prize. I have no such motives. I wish for the ship and the crew to be our prisoners, nothing more or less. Even just one or two taken could be of great advantage."

Kranefuss considered that. "The _Raumkriegsmarine_ is already gathered for a counter-attack in that sector, but they intend to bypass New Brittany entirely. Are you certain you can bring enough force to secure the world?"

"Give me ten divisions and the _Schirach_ Battle Group, _Oberst-Gruppenführer_. We can be at New Brittany behind the counter-offensive."

It was clear Kranefuss was still wavering. But he had to admit the prospects seemed good. The counterattack of the naval elements would draw off ships and forces from the planet. Reclaiming New Brittany was a prize worthy of this thought even without issue of the _Aurora_. So it was that after nearly ten seconds of consideration Kranefuss nodded. "I will send the orders. Attack only if the RKM's offensive is succeeding."

" _Jawohl_." Fassbinder nodded. "You will have no cause to regret this choice."

"See that I do not," was Kranefuss' reply. "You are dismissed."

Fassbinder stepped out of the office. The grin on his face widened. Although he would lack the rank to actually command the _Schirach_ or the force being sent, with Kranefuss' orders in hand he could direct their efforts.

Those were his thoughts in the minutes that passed from the time he stepped out of Kranefuss' office to stepping into a lift. Once inside his hand reached into his pocket. When it came out, a 25 _Reichpfenning_ coin was in his palm. He looked over the silver-sheened disc. The face side bore the visage of _Führer_ Joachim Seickert, the seventh _Führer,_ who had overseen the economic plans that made the conquest of the United States possible. The tail side displayed the courtyard of Hitler's Victory Memorial, with the monuments that incorporated the broken remnants of the statues from Trafalgar Square.

He held his palm up to his eyes and focused on the coin. He reached within himself and felt a surge of spiritual strength, the strength to dominate, to control, to rule, as was his birthright.

The coin lifted from his palm. It began to rotate in mid-air while sweat appeared on the brow of the SS officer.

Content in his test, Fassbinder put the coin away just as the lift doors opened. He gave a customary " _Sieg Heil_ " to the two junior officers that they properly returned. And he walked on.

He had an attack to plan. 

* * *

It had been a rough couple of days for Leo.

In those two days, he'd seen just about every kind of case he had never wanted to see in his career. It had become clear why Field Hospital Charlie had such a concentration of medical know-how given the quantity and difficulty of cases, not to mention the sheer number of them.

The need to care for the survivors of the planet's concentration and POW camps were further complicated by the situation for New Brittany's population. The Reich had essentially taken over the planet's economy and had ruthlessly seized the majority of the planet's food production to divert to the military and to German-inhabited colony worlds. The result was sad and utterly predictable. As a result, malnutrition and starvation were sending more people to the Hospital's remaining beds while occupation authorities struggled to get food supplies to needed levels.

Today Leo was in the most grueling ward of them all.

The Child Ward.

The KZ camps had child barracks, and the Nazis had proven no better at handling children than adults. All around Leo were sick, weak little stick figures passing for living children, struck by malnutrition and reduced to skin and bones in many cases.

Some of the children could barely get out of bed. Leo was busy with the sickest cases. Diseases, medical conditions aggravated by abuse, the abuse itself…

He looked down at a little boy who looked no older than six. Tears were streaming down the sobbing boy's face, gaunt and pale as it was. "I want my mummy!" The boy's accent was distinctly English.

"Well, I can look and see if she's here," Leo proposed. "I'll need a name."

"Her name is Mummy."

Leo smiled gently. "Well, I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I need you to tell me where it hurts."

His examination confirmed the various maladies that the boy's battered little body was suffering from, including an unhealed broken rib from getting kicked by an SS guard. Leo gave him what medications he could, made sure the child's next meal was scheduled to include the nutrients he most needed, and walked on. Nasri kept step behind him. "Where did all of these children come from?", Leo muttered. "Christ…"

"The records say that the Reich imprisoned war refugees in the camps as well," Nasri replied. "If they come from nationalities not allowed in this sector." She reached for his arm. "Doctor, are you okay?"

Leo looked at her and couldn't keep the pain from his face. These were children. Children who should have been spared the horrors of what Humanity could do to itself. Instead they had been forced to endure it.

But what was even worse was his thought on the last time he'd had a child-patient. Whenever he looked into these emaciated little faces… he kept seeing the face of another young boy, in a body wracked by terminal leukemia. The boy he could not save.

Nasri's expression softened to one of sympathy. "I should have asked them not to send you here."

"It's fine. Someone has to do it." Leo shook his head. "And I was going to have to care for children again some time." He sighed. "I guess I should have remembered the lollipops."

Nasri smiled at that. "I think the others might have disapproved. Given the nutritional problems."

"Maybe." Leo looked around the ward. "But given all of the misery here… sometimes you have to accept that happiness is a category of health on its own."

"Well, perhaps we shall have to go replicate some…"

Before any more could be said, a loud tone took their attention. They looked toward one of the beds in another line and ran toward it.

Before they could get there, a Minbari was already at the bed checking vitals. "She is going into shock," the Minbari woman announced.

"Let's get her elevated." Leo helped do this task while scan results were compiled. "Anything?"

"I don't know where to begin." Nasri looked over the girl. She looked to be around twelve, which meant she could be as old as fourteen, with a pale coloration that was just tinted enough that Leo suspected she was at least partly non-Caucasian. "Multiple organ problems, injuries…"

"Okay, we need…" 

* * *

Two hours later Leo was done with the emergency case and the rounds in the Child Ward. Crusher and the Asari doctor, T'Perro, had taken over the girl's care after Leo and the Minbari, Kannel, had stabilized her condition, and the teenager or near-teen was now in Intensive Care. Efforts were being made to determine if her family was among the living.

He sat quietly in the mess hall with a mostly-uneaten plate of salad in front of him, joined by a cold half-finished bowl of sausage stew.

The maker of that stew now sat across from him. Hargert noticed Leo's failure to fully take his meal. "It is terrible here," Hargert agreed.

Leo nodded. As he got a good look at the _Aurora_ crew lounge's cook and steward, he could see the dark circles under his eyes. The lines and wrinkles on his face were deeper than usual and betrayed the fatigue in the old man. "You should take a break," Leo said. "You look like you're running yourself ragged."

"My staff and I have been cooking for the last fifty-two hours," Hargert confessed. "Food for the medical staff and for the patients here. Especially the children."

"It's what they need," Leo agreed. He sighed. Hargert had clearly not intended it, but he was making Leo feel incredibly guilty. "And I guess I should respect your efforts by finishing what you worked so hard to make."

"I understand if this work has cost you your appetite," Hargert said. "But it's not just that, is it?"

Leo sighed and shook his head. "No," he admitted. "Seeing the children makes me think of Joshua Marik."

"Of course." Hargert nodded. "That is a wound you will always carry."

"Tell me about it." Leo put a spoonful of cool sausage stew into his mouth. The lack of warmth made the taste less-appetizing than usual, but it wasn't bad by any standard, and he savored the taste a little before swallowing. "I've seen a lot of things out here that I know will always haunt me."

"Yes." Hargert resumed eating his own meal.

Given the time that flashed on his omnitool, Leo did the same. He had another set of rounds due soon. He didn't want to be making them with a grumbling stomach.


	53. Episode 2-11-2 Under Fire

Robert and Julia were on the bridge when notification came of a ship locking onto their drive. "Put them on, Lieutenant," Robert said to Jupap, the Alakin ops officer manning that station.

The holo-viewscreen activated and showed orbital space ahead. A vortex of green energy formed ahead of them. The vessel that came out was of Federation design, a large saucer with a drive section, nacelles slung below said section, and a triangular pod section above the saucer. Unlike the _Galaxy_ -class ships this vessel, clearly of similar design, was compact, with few empty spaces within the dimensions of the ship.

Ensign al-Rashad spoke up at the Sensors/Science station. "The vessel is a Starfleet _Nebula_ -class starship. Identification code reads her as _Starship Lexington_."

"We are being hailed."

Robert nodded. "Put them on."

Initially the screen was taken up by a man of African complexion. " _This is Captain Gilaad Ben Zoma, commanding the Federation_ Starship Lexington." Robert thought there was a hint of Hebrew in the incoming captain's accent.

"Captain Robert Dale, Alliance _Starship Aurora_ ," Robert answered. "We were informed a Federation ship would be jumping in. I'm a little surprised myself. The front is just a few parsecs away and I've never heard of Federation ships coming this far into the liberated systems."

Ben Zoma nodded. " _President Jaresh-Inyo personally authorized this mission on behalf of Starfleet Medical. We're carrying an expert to provide a technical solution to the need for medical personnel here._ " Ben Zoma nodded to someone off-screen.

The man who stepped into the field beside Ben Zoma was a Caucasian man, with a balding head and the look of a middle-aged man. He had the gold of engineering and operations on the shoulders of his Starfleet uniform and, peculiarly, no rank insignia pips. " _This is Doctor Lewis Zimmerman. I am the Director of Holographic Imaging and Programming for Starfleet's Jupiter Station. With the permission of Starfleet Medical and your Alliance's Health and Medical Review Office, I'm here to install hardware for emergency medical holograms in the field hospitals. Now, I'll need your best technical personnel to report to my command._ "

Robert and Julia exchanged looks. "I wasn't made aware of this, Doctor…"

" _I'm sure you'll find the order was transmitted this morning, after I finished speaking with Health Secretary Keneerk_ ," Zimmerman said, interrupting Robert with maximum bluntness. " _In the meantime, Captain, I am on a tight schedule and can't be delayed._ "

Julia was already looking at the log of command-level messages at her station. She highlighted one and read it. Robert knew what it likely said even before she turned to him and breathed a sigh. "It's here," she said. "Right from Admiral Maran."

"Right." Robert nodded. "Well, I'll have my Engineering and Operations staff put together a team to join you."

" _Excellent. I expect to see them when I beam down in an hour. Zimmerman out_."

The look on Ben Zoma's face was almost apologetic after Zimmerman stepped out of the viewer's range. " _I'll have my people inform you when Doctor Zimmerman and his current team transport down. Which of your hospitals could use the help first?_ "

"Field Hospital Charlie," Julia said. "They have the highest patient load."

" _Relay the coordinates and I'll send down additional supplies as well_ ," Ben Zoma said. " _I'm going to keep my ship at Yellow Alert for the duration of our time here_."

"I don't blame you," Robert said. "We're at our highest non-combat alert as well. And I doubt Nazi warships will be picky about targets if they show up."

" _I didn't think so._ Lexington _out._ " Ben Zoma's face disappeared from the screen.

Robert sat in his chair and keyed the intercom. "Jarod, Scotty, you've got an hour to put together a technical team to beam down and work with some Federation muckety-muck."

" _I'll put together some people and beam down with them_ ," Jarod volunteered.

" _Aye, I'll have Tom set it up_."

"Don't forget, everyone goes down with sidearms and field action uniforms," Julia said. "We're close enough to the front that I don't want anyone taking any chances."

Jarod answered, " _I'll pass it on_."

When the connection cut Robert gave Julia a bemused look. "And you wonder why they call you a mother hen. Are you going to be this way to your crew when you become a captain?"

That won him a playful glare.

* * *

Night was falling outside of Field Hospital Charlie. Only a thin sliver of light remained on the western horizon, obscured toward the southwest by a distant chain of mountains. Within the Hospital lights came on, bright white in their quality, while the ongoing work of tending to the sick and injured continued.

It was Leo's turn to be on watch in the Intensive Care ward. These were the worst cases, where starvation, malnutrition, and injury from accident and abuse and neglect had brought the occupants to the brink of death.

Leo found himself, after his first rounds, standing in the section for the fourteen year old girl who had been transferred the prior day. Her vitals were weak. He looked over the readout from the biobed and noted all of the failing organs, the damaged flesh and injuries, and felt a chill go down his spine at the thought of what she had suffered at the hands of other Human beings.

He stepped past the drapes and sat down in the chair beside the bed. "I don't know what your name is," he murmured. "But I want you to know… I'll do whatever I can so that you can live. So you can… get better from this, and have the future you deserve." Leo blinked back a tear as his mind wandered yet again, focusing on the future that had died in the _Aurora_ medbay's OR.

There was, of course, no reaction. The girl was comatose.

There was movement that disturbed the cream-colored drapes. Leo looked up to see the interloper. Doctor Franklin was now standing where he'd been standing before. "Hey," said the older physician.

"Hey," Leo answered.

"I thought you'd be here," Franklin said. He looked to the girl and a clear, deep sadness came to his eyes. "We received a positive genetic match for the patient."

"Oh?" Leo felt his stomach churn. It was clear the news wasn't good.

"Four matches." Franklin shook his head. "All from the remains unearthed in the Retzoff mass grave."

"Matches already?", Leo asked. "Then they must have been at the top of the grave."

"They were. I checked the reports… the sample numbers matched with the newest remains. Probably some of those executed before your troops could secure the camp." Franklin shook his head. "It's… hard to imagine that we, as a species, can leave our homeworld, settle countless planets in the galaxy… and still treat one another like this."

"We're dealing with the most evil Human ideology to ever exist," said Leo. He swallowed. "Seeing things like this… I honestly hope I never have any of those SS men in my medbay."

"Because you don't want to treat them?"

"Because I'm afraid I wouldn't." Leo sighed. "I'm afraid I would break every oath and promise I've made as a physician."

"Right." Franklin nodded. "And we don't want to become anything like them."

"Any luck finding her name?", Leo asked.

Franklin shook his head. "Nothing yet. Judging by the reports she was one of the few survivors from the barracks they assigned her too. And the SS records were corrupted by a data virus."

"Intentional." Leo sighed.

"You know…" Franklin began. "I've had my share of cases that went bad. People who might have lived who didn't. Sometimes it was just chance, sometimes they did something they shouldn't have…" The images of an entire section of _Babylon-5_ filled with dead Markab came to him. "...but my greatest failure was a child patient I had during my first year on B5. He was from a species that was just making contact with the galaxy. He had a… condition that was killing him that I could heal with a surgical operation." The details were clearly vague, and Leo understood that he would have said it in just about as many words to maintain confidential details.

Leo noticed the old pain on Franklin's face. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Well, his people had a cultural taboo against the cutting of the body," Franklin answered. "They were willing to let him die because they believed that if I cut open the body, he would lose his soul."

"And they kept you from saving him?" Leo asked.

Franklin shook his head. And Leo immediately understood what happened. A clear sympathy appeared in his expression. "You did what you thought was right," Leo said. But he knew that wouldn't be enough.

"I violated the Code of Ethics," Franklin answered. "And for nothing."

"It seems they violated something more when they murdered their own son."

Franklin didn't put much energy into his nod of acknowledgement. "To their minds he wasn't their son anymore. Just a soulless husk that thought it was alive."

"Still…" Leo shook his head.

They remained silent for several seconds. Once it was clear that neither had anything to say on the conversation material, Leo asked, "I figured you would be moving on by now. I know you're here to inspect things for Earthdome, but that should only be a day or two of your time, right?"

"True. And I'm due on Harris Station next week for a conference with all of the various medical organizations to go over the distribution of medical supplies. However, Earthdome wants me to stay until Dr. Zimmerman gets his holographic system ready." Franklin made a wistful shake of his head. "It seems some people at Earthdome are interested in Starfleet's emergency medical hologram technology."

"I've heard those things have terrible bedside manners."

"Just one of the many things I'll have to evaluate." Franklin checked his watch. "I've got a meeting to go to with the Field Hospitals' Administration. I'll see you for lunch tomorrow?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. Have a good evening." He sat and waited some time after Franklin walked away. He finally stood up and moved on, ready to begin another set of rounds.

* * *

Dreams are tricky things. Typically, people start forgetting them as they wake up, which could be an advantage when you're dealing with nightmares.

But for Leo, the nightmares that came that night refused to fade away once he was awake. He was back in the Intensive Care ward with that nameless fourteen year old survivor from the camp. Her vitals had started dropping and everything he did, no matter how medically sound, no matter how much it should have worked, failed.

And then, as the monitors let off the loud tone warning of a stopped heart, her eyes snapped open and looked at him with anger. "You let me die," the girl said, in an indeterminate accent. "Just as you let Joshua Marik die."

That part of the nightmare stuck with Leo the strongest. He stepped out of his shower and looked to his fogged up mirror. A hand wiped away the film of moisture and revealed his reflection. His brown eyes betrayed how tired he felt. Remnant water from the shower slowly dripped its way down his skin, little reflective dots on the dark surface.

He stared at his reflection as the nightmare again ran its course through his mind and his heart. Slowly, quietly, his hand moved toward the toothbrush. Only after gripping it did he re-focus his mind on the immediate needs of his hygiene. He had morning rounds in one of the normal care wards coming; he would need breakfast before going down.

Breakfast, and a good cup of coffee.

* * *

Andre Faqin was also sitting down to a nice breakfast, better than some of his fellow citizens were eating.

It was partway through this meal that he heard the tone and went to his basement. The comm device was flashing. His heart was hammering as he hit the accept key.

The face that appeared was _Standartenführer_ Fassbinder. " _Ah, Faqin_ ," he said. " _As you have served the Reich well, I wanted to give you proper warning. I suggest you not arrive at work today. Remain in your basement_."

Faqin immediately knew what that meant. "So you are coming?"

"The attack will commence soon, yes. And I would hate for you to be trapped in it."

"Thank you, _Herr Standartenführer_."

* * *

When Leo arrived at Transporter Station 2, medical kit in hand and his white doctor's lab coat over his black-with-blue-trim uniform, he was met by Jarod, Tom, and Lucy. "Good morning," he said to them. "Coming down too?"

"We're heading back to Field Hospital Charlie today," Jarod answered for them. "Zimmerman's going to be at Alpha today setting up there, but he wants us to finish installing all of the holo-emitters in the wards of Charlie."

" _All_ of the wards?" asked Leo. "Even the Intensive and Critical ones?"

"I'm going to be the one in Critical, so yeah," Lucy said, arms crossed. Leo noted that the three were in their field action uniforms, not standard duty uniforms, and with pulse pistols in holsters on their hips. Lucy additionally carried the hilt to a _lakesh_ on the other hip.

"And who authorized him to do this? We can't have technical personnel stomping around all day among our most vulnerable patients."

"Apparently he's got every big medical bigwig you can find signing off on him doing this." Jarod shook his head. "I'll handle Intensive Care, though, so you don't need to worry about that."

Leo sighed. At least Jarod, who knew something of medicine given his multiple talents, would know how to accommodate the needs of the Intensive Care ward. "Alright. I can see you don't have a choice in this." Leo went up to the transporter pad. "Let's get to work," he said, with little enthusiasm.

* * *

The day was getting past the equivalent of noon locally - roughly two hours ahead of noon for the _Aurora_ crew's clock - when Leo reported to the transfer ward. Doctors Chakwas and T'Perro were already at work, going over the patient files and giving them final checkups before the orderlies moved them on toward the transporter station. Leo activated the medical omnitool and pulled the hand scanner out of his pocket. He started work on his first patient, a man in his thirties, and quickly verified the patient was ready for transfer to a dedicated facility elsewhere. With a nod an orderly started pushing the man's stretcher bed away.

"How much longer are you going to be here, Doctor Gillam?", Chakwas asked.

"Until the _Aurora_ is called away, I imagine," Leo replied. "Maybe in a few days at the pace we're going. You?"

"I'm on my way back to Grodni 3 with this load," she answered. "The Systems Alliance has recalled me to testify before Parliament on the conditions here. And I have preparations to make for my new posting."

"So you're going to be the senior attending physician for the trip back on the _Lumwe_."

"It'll keep me busy. It's a two week trip back to Alliance space, after all."

"Right." Leo scanned his next patient, a twenty year old male. He noted, with concern, signs of organ failure. An extra look verified that the case had yet to be serious. This put Leo in the position of making a judgment on whether to keep the man here, in the hopes of further stabilizing him, or sending him on to the ship for transfer to the full facilities at the Grodni 3 Medical Complex. After a quick check on the patient's vitals, Leo made his decision and flagged the patient for special care on the _Lumwe_.

For a moment he was struck by how just that little decision could yet make a huge difference. If he was wrong, he increased the man's risk of dying while in transit. The _Lumwe_ was a state of the art Alliance hospital ship, true, but hospital ships could carry only so much medical gear or staff. It was the difference between a point five percent chance of death and a one percent chance - still low, low enough to be considered safe, but double his chance of dying compared to the Field Hospital with its greater number of medical support staff (not counting Zimmerman's impending holographic doctors).

On the other hand, if he kept the man needlessly and the planet was subjected to an attack…

"It is going to be interesting, being posted to a vessel again," Chakwas said, taking Leo out of his thoughts. He looked over at the older woman as she examined a sixteen year old boy. Another orderly was already bringing up Leo's next patient, a twenty-five year old female.

"Oh? What kind?"

"A new frigate," Chakwas replied. "It's from a joint project with the Turians. The _Normandy_."

"From what I've heard, your frigates are just as spartan as our attack ships," Leo noted.

"Yes, but it will still come with the best medical gear we can equip it with." Chakwas smiled. "And the crew is going to be rather small. Just a few dozen people. I won't have much of a staff, maybe a nurse and an orderly, but I'll get to know the crew more easily."

That drew a nod of agreement from Leo as he finished the last scan on his current patient, the twenty-something woman. Her paled skin had a brown tint to it, and her features made Leo think she was Latin American _mestizo_ , or perhaps straight up Native American. Healed internal injuries, lingering malnutrition… and something Leo hadn't expected to see. "Doctor Chakwas, what do you make of this?" WIth a tap on his omnitool Leo projected the data over to hers.

Chakwas looked down at the amber hard-light surrounding her left forearm, a contrast to the blue used for the Alliance's new omnitools, and examined the readings he sent. Her expression changed to one of shock. "How was that missed…?"

The girl looked up and asked something. It wasn't in English, but Leo's translator device kicked in and gave him the proper translation: "What is it?"

"You're pregnant," Leo answered.

His patient's eyes widened in shock.

"It looks like she's about six to eight weeks along," Chakwas confirmed. "That would put the time of conception somewhere between three to five weeks before the camp was liberated."

It was clear that the woman had no idea of her condition. She stared off into space with a resigned look. As if the universe, or multiverse, was out to hurt her personally.

Leo had a sick, terrible feeling in his stomach. For form's sake, he asked a question he was sure had an unhappy answer. "Do you know where the father is? Do you want us to find him?"

The answer was a single word that confirmed Leo's suspicions. "No."

Leo looked back to Chakwas. "With her physical condition, pregnancy is dangerous."

"I know. But I can't justify leaving her here." Chakwas walked over and took the girl's hand. "I'll see to it that her condition is noted and I will assume control of her treatment. She'll be fine, Doctor Gillam."

Leo could see Chakwas was convinced. He nodded. "Okay." He cleared the patient for transfer to the _Lumwe_ and went on to the next. "I wonder how we missed that?"

"The first medical teams examining the Retzoff survivors were exhausted by the time I got here two weeks ago," Chakwas pointed out. "I'll have to look on her chart, but I suspect we'll find that one of the younger physicians was responsible. He or she was exhausted, sleep-deprived…"

"It's easy to make a mistake then," Leo agreed. "Especially with emotions as they'd be, seeing that camp for the first time. And maybe, if it was one of the non-Human doctors, they might have not recognized the earliest stage of Human pregnancy."

"Also possible." Chakwas was already at work on her next patient. "Practicing medicine inevitably leads to moments that can leave a physician emotionally compromised. Practicing medicine in this situation, seeing these people…" Chakwas shook her head. A grim look crossed her face, drawn and tired as it looked. "I can't help but wonder what went through the minds of the camp's medical staff. We know they had one. How could a doctor taught to heal accept such widespread abuse?"

"No one is ever the villain in their own eyes," Leo said. He was already scanning the next patient. This one, a male of somewhere between sixteen and twenty, had a thousand yard stare and an expression that bordered on catatonia. Leo touched the young man's shoulder and said, "You're doing just fine. And you're never coming back to this place." Once an orderly moved the patient on, Leo continued to speak to Chakwas. "As far as those SS doctors are concerned, their obligation to medicine begins and ends with what the SS and its leaders says it is."

"Those men aren't real doctors," Chakwas hissed.

"We know that, but they think they are." Leo shook his head. "There's the scary thing about this kind of thing, about Nazism and all of the other systems like theirs. They twist and corrupt everything, every institution, every occupation, to accept their cruelty. Doctors aren't immune to it. Nobody is. It's why we have to win this war."

They finished their current pair of patients. While the ward wasn't empty, it was clear they had reduced the population of the ward by a significant amount.

"I'd better get my bags," Chakwas said. She extended a hand toward Leo. "Take care, Doctor Gillam. I look forward to seeing you again sometime."

"Good luck on your new posting, Doctor Chakwas," Leo answered.

* * *

Jarod, Lucy, and Tom Barnes gathered in the Standard Care Ward for the test. "I hope this is worth all of the time and work we put into it," Barnes muttered.

"Hold on, it's Zimmerman." Jarod keyed his omnitool. Zimmerman appeared on the screen it was projecting, clearly back on the _Lexington_. "Doctor?"

" _I've completed the testing at the other sites_ ," said Zimmerman. " _How is your progress?_ "

"I was just about to turn it on," Jarod said.

" _Then, by all means, do so._ "

Hiding his slight irritation at Zimmerman's ego, Jarod looked up. "Computer, activate Emergency Medical Hologram program."

A holographic figure formed from nothingness, clad in a Starfleet uniform with medical blue on the shoulders. Jarod was not the least bit surprised to see that the figure was the striking image of Zimmerman himself. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the hologram stated.

"This is a hardware test," Lucy said.

"Ah. Of course." Much to the surprise of the others there was a _hint_ of impatience and irritation at this fact in the hologram's voice. "And how, precisely, did you intend to test me?"

" _Let's start with a standard medical scan_ ," Zimmerman said.

"Okay, start with me," said Lucy.

The EMH picked up a Starfleet medical tricorder from a nearby rack. He pulled the scanner piece from the end of it and ran it over Lucy, from head to stomach, while looking at the display. "No medical issues detected. All organs functioning properly. Body mass is well into acceptable levels. Congratulations, young lady, you are the picture of health. Although I am noticing an above-normal level of stress indicators."

"I've been in a hospital full of concentration camp survivors for two days," Lucy replied. A frown crossed her face.

"Ah. And there are some peculiarities in your body's bio-electric levels. I recommend you get a full workup to identify the cause of the issue."

" _Let's see one more scan_ ," Zimmerman said. " _And allow the EMH to select his subject_."

"Right."

The EMH nodded to Zimmerman and Jarod and looked between him and Barnes. The latter crossed his arms and frowned when the EMH turned his tricorder toward him.

"Well. Hrm. I'm reading glucose levels above recommended levels, and quite a few chemicals in your digestive system… what precisely have you been imbibing?"

"Soda," Barnes answered. He held up his canteen. "Pop."

The EMH scanned the canteen. An expression of disgust came to his face. "Sir, I must recommend you get rid of that substance immediately. Remove it from your diet."

"Leo's been on me for years to cut back on soda, and it didn't work for him either," Barnes retorted. "So why don't you go frak…" He stopped at seeing Jarod's intent look. "Right, a test."

"Well, if you want to go on poisoning yourself, that's fine by me."

Lucy shook her head. "Okay, this thing is way too acerbic. Are we really going to inflict its personality on these people? They've suffered enough."

" _I may make some tweaks to the personality algorithms,_ " Zimmerman conceded.

"What about the ethics programming, Doctor?" Jarod was looking at the screen with concern. "This thing had no problems blurting out medical information about Lieutenant Lucero and Lieutenant Barnes. That's not ethical in medicine."

Zimmerman fidgeted. " _Yes, well, that may be an artifact of the testing mode. He has to demonstrate his knowledge and ability as a medical doctor, and that means speaking about what he is examining."_

"

Sounds like a pretty damned bad bug if you ask me," Barnes grumbled. "I wouldn't want to be treated by this thing."

"I'll have you know that I am composed from the medical knowledge of Starfleet's finest doctors," the EMH protested. "My ability to make accurate medical judgements is unequaled."

"And that might be the only thing you're good for, you frakking…"

"Okay, the test is done," Jarod said, interrupting them. "Computer, disengage EMH."

The holographic counterpart of Zimmerman faded away into thin air.

" _I'll get to work on final coding updates_ ," Zimmerman said. " _I should have them for you before the_ Lexington _departs tomorrow._ "

"Thank you. Jarod out."

"Well, at least we're done with that," Barnes sighed. "I just want to get back to my real job."

"You said it," Lucy sighed.

There was something in her voice that told Jarod she was being the most affected by what they were dealing with. With her abilities, Jarod wasn't surprised. She could sense the misery and fear and loss from the camp survivors directly. He wondered, briefly, if she felt such things like they actually belonged to her in the first place?

"Well, we'd better finish up down here," said Jarod. "Let's run some more equipment tests before we call it a day."

* * *

Robert was finishing up daily paperwork in his office when he got the call. Admiral Drelini appeared. The Dorei woman, one of the Alliance's best field admirals and commander of the 9th Fleet, went right to business. " _The Reich has launched a counter-offensive adjacent to your current sector. They appear to be attempting to retake the Pleiades Cluster and their major colonies on Alpina and New Westphalia._ "

Robert nodded. It explained some of his nervousness lately, the feeling of something being about to happen, which was common enough when you were on the front of a war. "Do you need anything from the _Aurora_?"

" _We need to make sure all civilian vessels are gone from the area of New Brittany. Issue an immediate Level One evacuation order. All non-combat ships are to jump to safety elsewhere, regardless of previously-planned destination. As soon as this operation is complete I want you to withdraw the_ Aurora _to rendezvous with the_ Epaminondas _Battle Group at Delta Korva. We'll need every available combat ship for the counter-attack._ "

"We'll get on that immediately, Admiral. Dale out." Robert immediately hit the intercom key on his desk. "Bridge, we just received an evacuation order from Command. I want all medical personnel and patients evacuated from the Field Hospitals immediately. Bring all transporters online and have _Koenig_ launch to assist the evacuation. Launch our runabouts too if you must."

" _Acknowledged, Captain_ ," Jupap replied.

Robert got up from his seat and went out to the bridge. "Go to Code Yellow and standby for shields," he ordered, and the officers present went to work on it. Julia, Angel, and Cat were the only senior officers on the bridge given all of the officers sent down to New Brittany or off-duty. Julia moved over to her chair while Robert assumed his. "Put the fighters on standby."

"Is it bad?" asked Julia.

"The Nazis are striking toward Pleiades," Robert replied. "Drelini wants an evacuation of non-combat personnel from New Brittany."

"Incoming signal from the _Lexington_ ," said Jupap.

"Put Ben Zoma on."

The Starfleet captain appeared on the screen. " _We've heard of your evacuation order, Captain_ ," Ben Zoma stated. " _I've ordered my transporter crews to assist. We'll take on as many patients and medical staff as we can_."

"Thank you, Captain." Robert nodded. "Your help is apprec-".

Before he could finish, Caterina spoke up. "Captain, I've got warp signatures on long range sensors," she said. "They're consistent with anti-matter pulse drives."

Robert turned away from Ben Zoma's image to face Cat. Julia did the same. "What's their course, Lieutenant?"

Cat was already making that determination. And the answer was easy to guess given the look on her face. "They're on their way here. They'll be in range in about forty minutes."

"They must be racing in at maximum warp to get here that fast," Julia observed.

Robert was already turning back to Ben Zoma. "Did you get that, Captain?"

" _Yes_ ," he answered. " _We have already commenced the evacuation._ "

"We're doing the same. I want to get you and the hospital ships out of here before the enemy enters range."

"Have your science officers keep a close eye on their short-range sensors," Julia added. "They might have sent cloaked attack ships ahead of their main force."

" _We're already running regular sensor sweeps_. _I will keep you informed if we find anything_."

Robert returned to his seat. By the time he did so Ben Zoma's image was gone from the holo-viewscreen. "We'll need to do the same. Jupap, set the jump drive for…" He considered his options for a moment. "...Charing Station, C502. We'll start jumping hospital ships out if we need to."

"Doing so now."

"The evacuation?" he asked Julia.

She nodded back after checking her station. "Already underway."

That was it for the moment. All they could do was watch and wait.

* * *

The short timetable being given for the evacuation had made one thing abundantly clear: they were not going to get everyone out.

Leo hated that thought. If the planet fell to the enemy, the hospital patients would go right back to the inhumane conditions the Nazis had kept them in, if they weren't murdered out of hand. But they just didn't have the time to get everyone out. Especially Critical and Intensive Care patients, who were in delicate, even fragile, conditions that defied the use of transporters or shuttle flights. They were left with no choice at the moment but to focus on getting the more-stable patients to safety.

The chaos in the Standard Care Ward was barely contained as patients were secured to their beds and rolled out. A babble of frightened and uncertain voices threatened to overwhelm the necessary verbal communication between doctors and orderlies that kept the evacuation going. Leo finished securing straps to keep a middle-aged woman secure on her bed even as she weakly resisted. "No," she pleaded. "Please."

"This is for your own safety," Leo assured her. "They'll come off as soon as you're on a ship."

"No… I don't want to be tied down," continued the protest.

"I promise you, it's just to keep you from falling off, they _will_ come off once you're safely on a ship." Leo could say no more as an orderly, a Tellarite volunteer, came along and began pushing the bed away. He moved on to his next patient.

"How is it going?" Leo looked to his left. Franklin was now standing beside him.

"I think we can clear the Standard Ward," Leo answered. "Where's Doctor Jankowski?"

"He's already on the _Halwell_. I'm going up to the _Renari_ with the next evacuation load."

Leo frowned. "Who's staying behind to watch the patients we can't get out?"

"T'Perro and Crusher have volunteered." Franklin had a guilty look on his face. The unspoken fact is that he would have done the same if he could, but he was undoubtedly operating under orders from Earthdome to vacate the front if he was at risk of death or capture. "With a small staff."

"I'll stay too," Leo said.

"Are you sure about that? Two doctors will be…"

"...not nearly enough, and you know that," Leo pointed out. He nodded to an orderly to move his next patient onward.

And Franklin did know it. Just as Leo knew that this was dangerous, one of the most dangerous decisions he'd ever made. There were only so many friendly troops on the planet, there was no telling how many enemy troops would be landing, and no telling when, or if, the Alliance could return in force. His own survival was much more likely if he agreed to evacuate.

But that was something Leo simply couldn't do. Even thinking about it brought that poor fourteen year old in Intensive Care back to his mind. She, and many others, would live or die based on his decisions in the coming hour.

"Okay," Franklin said. "I'll inform the others."

* * *

"He's going to _what_?!"

Leo's decision, relayed by Jarod, made Robert want to beam down and knock sense into his friend. "He does know there's no telling when we can get back to get him out, right?"

" _He knows_ ," Jarod replied.

"Don't tell me you're all staying with him," Julia sighed.

" _Of course not. You need us up there. We're preparing to beam back up as soon as the last evac shuttle launches."_

Once the channel cut Robert shook his head. "He's being stubborn," he grumbled.

Julia replied with a nod. "I know. And at the same time, he's doing something he is convinced is right."

"Yeah."

"Cat, status on those Nazi ships coming in?"

"Eighteen minutes out," Cat answered. I've been analyzing the warp signatures' power source. It's not good news."

"How many ships?"

"Somewhere between eight to ten." She looked at him with clear worry on her face. "And one of them is a dreadnought."

"If that's true, we'll need the _Epaminondas_ and her battle group to retake the planet," Julia said.

"Assuming that's where Relini wants us."

* * *

"I'm staying too."

Jarod and Barnes looked at Lucy as she said those words. Neither sighed or reacted negatively to her announcement. Both understood it. "Keep an eye on Leo's back then?" Jarod asked.

"Of course," she said. "I'll keep an eye on him. If we can get out on our own, we will. If not…"

"We'll be back for you," insisted Barnes.

"Only five minutes until those Nazi ships make orbit." Jarod's hand movements brought the blue light of his omnitool to life. He tapped the hard-light key for his comms. "Jarod to _Aurora_ , two to beam up. Lieutenant Lucero is staying."

" _Understood, Commander. Transport is imminent_."

Lucy nodded and swallowed. She had the feeling she needed to be here, to help Leo and the others survive, but that didn't mean she was eager to be stuck on a planet full of Nazis. If Meridina had beamed down, she would feel a whole lot better about this…

 _This won't be the first time you've been in a fight without her_ , Lucy reminded herself. _You can do this. You did this on Gamma Piratus, and you're even better now._

That was the thought she kept in her head even as Jarod and Barnes were pulled away by twin columns of light.

* * *

The minutes continued on. One by one the various civilian ships in orbit - cargo ships and hospital ships - made the jump to warp. Some of the planetary elite fled in interstellar-capable yachts, clearly hoping to escape the fighting and any Nazi revenge should the planet fall back to their hands.

Jarod stepped onto the bridge. "Tom's already on his way to the _Koenig_ ," he said, making a beeline for Ops. Jupap immediately relinquished the post and went to his backup post along the starboard side of the bridge at Communications. Nick Locarno had already reported to the helm, meaning the entire bridge crew was now gathered.

"Where's Lucy?" Julia asked.

"She decided to stay with Leo and watch his back," Jarod answered. "So did Nasri."

"I hope General Chaganam has his troops ready to protect that hospital," Robert murmured.

Julia looked over at a data screen. "It looks like he's got the Turians' 8th Regiment and a division of Dorei troops in the area. A regiment of the Free Worlds Legionnaires is going to hold New Rennes. A hundred or so freelance mercenaries." A slight smirk crossed Julia's face. "I wonder if Massani is down there."

Before Robert could ask who she was talking about, Cat spoke up. "Enemy ships coming out of warp."

As she spoke, the holographic tactical map by Julia lit up. The planet dominated the picture while eight angry red markers now blipped into existence. Robert frowned. The enemy had come out of warp in a position to try and pin them against New Brittany. Whomever it was, they didn't want the _Aurora_ and the other ships to escape.

"Not just any Reich ships," Julia murmured, now looking at the holo-viewscreen. Robert did the same thing and frowned, recognizing the familiar dark coloring adorning the Reich warships instead of the customary gunmetal gray.

"The SS," he said. As he did so, his mind went back over two months to 452TD and the Nazi trap during the failed raid operation. _SS ships showed up at the end to try and trap us too._ He felt a sudden suspicion that the timing of that attack had not been a matter of luck.

"The dreadnought's IFF code is reading as the _Baldur von Schirach_ ," Jarod said. "It was one of the ships heavily damaged at the Battle of New Pommern three months ago."

Before Robert could inquire further, a voice came from the bridge speakers. " _This is Captain Gilaad Ben Zoma of the Federation_ Starship Lexington _to Reich warships. As the Federation is militarily neutral in this conflict and my ship is here for medical and humanitarian operations only, I must formerly request that you_ …"

The Nazis, unsurprisingly, didn't even let the Starfleet captain finish his _pro forma_ request. Robert suspected even Ben Zoma knew they wouldn't, but went through the motions to leave no doubt in the Federation as to what occurred.

The _Schirach_ fired its bow super-disruptor assembly into the _Nebula_ -class ship's shields. The large green energy beams slammed savagely into the blue energy shields protecting the Federation starship. The _Lexington_ 's shields bore the blast without failing. "Their shields are down to thirty-two percent," Jarod said.

"Link us with Ben Zoma. We're going for the weak spot in their formation." Robert looked to Julia. "Combat launch the _Koenig_."

Julia nodded. She knew how he thought, that he hadn't wanted to risk the _Koenig_ being crippled if he could avoid it, but the situation would require the extra firepower to make sure they all got out. " _Koenig_ is combat launching," she confirmed. Although no one could see it directly, everyone could image the sight of the attack ship forcefully decoupling itself from the airlock and flying backward from its protective dock in the back of the primary hull. "The other ships are signaling readiness to follow our lead."

Robert was already looking over his tactical display. The _Aurora_ and _Lexington_ were joined by a Dorei starbird, two Colonial Confederation destroyers, and a wing of Turian frigates supporting their ground troops. "Hold the Colonial and Turian ships back to protect the remaining civilians as best as they can. I want that starbird with us to blow away that Nazi cruiser." He identified a Nazi ship anchoring the enemy formation over the North Pole of New Brittany. "Let's go!"

Even by this point shots were being exchanged with the Nazi ships. The fire grew furiously as the _Aurora_ and her ad hoc formation plunged toward the enemy. The enemy superdreadnought fired again, this time skimming the shields of the _Aurora_ near one of her nacelles. Indeed, it quickly became obvious that the bulk of enemy fire wasn't at the helpless civilian ships or their lighter protectors, it was at the _Aurora_. _We're the target_ , Robert realized. _They're after us. Maybe this whole operation is after us_.

At Angel's command, azure and amber energy lashed out at their foes, joined by the furious amber energy pulses coming from the _Koenig_ 's pulse phaser cannons. The enemy cruiser ahead took the hits on the shields and kept firing back. The _Lexington_ joined in on the attack with her phasers and a barrage of photon torpedoes. The Dorei starbird beside them fired purple-hued plasma cannons into the enemy light cruiser adjacent to their main target, causing red shields to flare while silver-white solar torpedoes from the Alliance-affiliated ships smashed against both targets.

The range grew close, and Robert was afraid the enemy cruiser might very well ram them to stop them, but as they approached the last kilometer Angel's fire found its mark. Thick pulses of sapphire energy from the _Aurora_ 's pulse plasma cannon battery hammered down the shields of the enemy _Sedan_ -class cruiser and began blasting into the armored hull. As a spread of solar torpedoes threatened to break the enemy ship in half, the phasers and photon torpedoes on the _Lexington_ found their targets in the enemy ship's drive section. The SS cruiser was reduced to flaming debris as the _Aurora_ and the other ships flew past.

They didn't get away unscathed. Missiles from the other enemy ships converged on one of the Colonial Confederation destroyers until its shields nearly disappeared. A thick emerald beam from a second enemy heavy cruiser moving up behind them speared the rear engine section and blew the destroyer apart. "Missiles inbound on the _Serene Care_ ," Jarod said. "She's trying to evade but…"

Robert could only watch in horror as missile after missile found the hospital ship, carrying thousands of sick and wounded patients and medical staff with her crew. Her shields took the hits with bursts of blue light. But with more shots incoming there was no way they could get to warp before taking a deadly blow. One missile hit finally found hull, blowing debris from the rear of the ship. Another missile came in, looking very much like a kill shot…

...and struck the Turian frigate that threw itself in front of the beleaguered hospital ship. The mass effect shields, backed by deflector shielding, absorbed the first missile and then another.

But they couldn't absorb the super-disruptor blast from the enemy superdreadnought. The thick emerald beam speared the Turian ship and blew it apart. The same beam grazed the hospital ship, sending more flame and debris from its wounded hull.

" _Serene Calm_ reports that their warp systems are damaged, they're not sure they can make it to warp."

" _We're on it_ ," Zack's voice said. The _Koenig_ swept in above the hospital ship. A ribbon of blue light emerged from the ventral hull of the attack vessel and gripped the bow of the _Serene Calm_. " _We've got them in tow. IU jump in three, two, one…_ "

The _Koenig_ created a swirling green vortex of light in front of it and pulled the larger _Serene Calm_ into the vortex as more fire converged on their location. They were gone mere seconds before another disruptor shot struck the vortex wall with enough energy to violently collapse the jump point.

One by one, the remaining friendly ships jumped to warp speed. The _Aurora_ and _Lexington_ waited until they were all gone before they did the same. "Any sign of pursuit?" Julia asked.

Caterina took a moment to respond. "No. I'm not reading them going to warp. It looks like they know they can't catch us."

"They could catch the hospital ships," Jarod pointed out. He turned in his chair and looked at Robert and Julia with a furrowed brow. "But not us."

"And we're the ones they're after," Robert said. "452TD, now this… That has to be the reason."

"We'll report this to Maran." Julia couldn't keep the worry off her face for another reason. "And hopefully, we'll be going back soon to get Leo, Nasri, and Lucy back."

"Hopefully," Robert agreed.

* * *

On the bridge of the _von Schirach_ , Fassbinder watched with irritation as the _Aurora_ successfully escaped into warp.

"The enemy ships are out of range." The report was from one of the bridge officers.

"Did the enemy abandon their ground troops?" asked _Oberführer_ Wolfgang Schiller, the dreadnought's commander.

" _Ja._ I am reading troop concentrations around New Rennes and Renardville. The enemy is generating a theater shield covering both sites."

"They will not endure our firepower for long. Prepare for orbital bombardment."

Fassbinder felt a wave of irritation at that. Schiller was being impatient. He spoke up immediately. " _Herr Oberführer_ , with all respect, our orders are to preserve the planet."

"Why? The Bretons aren't Aryans anyway." Schiller's expression showed his frustration. "We need our troops for other worlds."

"Our orders came directly from _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ Kranefuss. The planet must be taken intact. The Reich needs its food supplies untouched."

Schiller's face briefly twisted into anger before he restored control of himself. "I do not recall asking for your ' _advice_ ', _Standartenführer_. I do not need you to tell me how to run my ship!"

Fassbinder bristled at having his place questioned. But he could not afford a fight with Schiller. "My apologies, _Oberführer_ , I overstepped my bounds."

Mollified, Schiller returned his gaze back to the screen. "If not for the illustrious _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ , I would already be bombing this wretched planet to rubble. But I am aware of them and will follow them. Comms, inform _Gruppenführer_ Fischer that we are ready to deploy his troops."

" _Jawohl_."

Fassbinder waited for another moment before saying, with great care, "With your permission, _Oberführer_ , I will leave to join our landing forces."

"Very well. Make sure I am kept informed."

" _Jawohl_."

"You are dismissed."

With that permission, Fassbinder left the bridge to find transport down to the planet.


	54. Episode 2-11-3 Under Fire

Between his education and interaction with other people, Leo had become familiar with various sayings. "Crossing the Rubicon", "Past the point of no return", and such. The idea of taking an action that cannot be reversed and committing yourself until the very end.

He knew that was what he had done when he decided to stay on New Brittany regardless of the danger. And it gave him a feeling of peace now that the point of no return had been passed.

If anything undermined that, it was that his staying meant Nasri and Lucy had as well, and if anything happened to them he would have played a part in that.

But there was no time for that now. Right now the Field Hospital had to be set up to receive wounded in addition to its remaining patients. The Critical and Intensive cases that couldn't be evacuated still needed their usual care. In short, he was going to be busy busy busy, and that kept Leo's mind occupied.

Currently he was overseeing the Critical Care Ward, doing rounds. "Doctor Gillam." T'Perro approached him from the door. "Doctor Crusher asked me to find you and see if you know the access codes to the supply locker."

Leo shook his head. "I was a visiting physician only and they never told me. They didn't tell you?"

"I'm afraid not," the Asari answered. The translation programs rendered her voice into an accent that sounded like refined English. "Jankowski was supposed to relay the codes to Crusher before leaving."

"But he didn't." Leo activated his omnitool and used it to connect to Lucy. "Gillam to Lucero."

" _Lucero here_."

"How busy are you?"

" _Doctor Crusher asked me to double-check the security systems for the hospital. In case we get attacked._ "

"There was a mix-up and nobody provided the access codes for the secure storage room. We've got vital medicines and equipment in there we're going to need access to."

" _Great. Well, I can try to hack it. These new engineering omnitools have direct accessing abilities even our best multidevices never enjoyed._ "

"If you have to break the door down, go ahead. But please don't do anything to damage what's inside."

" _Understood. I'll let you know when I'm done. Lucero out._ "

"Thank you, Doctor Gillam," T'Perro said.

"You're welcome. Although Lucy's the one who will deserve the thanks." Leo signed off on his current patient's status and left the sleeping man to continue resting. "How are the preparations going?"

"The military doctors will handle the triage cases for their soldiers. The Standard Care Ward should be ready to receive new patients soon."

"Let me know when they start coming in."

"Of course." With nothing else to say, T'Perro walked away. 

* * *

Fassbinder was cleared to transport down several hours after the first landings. _Gruppenführer_ Hermann Fischer, head of the 34th SS Panzer Army, had made his invasion HQ the town hall of a rural village called Grinouville-sur-Crissons. Fassbinder entered this HQ and brought up his arm in a salute and a bellowed " _Heil Sauckel_ ".

" _Heil Sauckel_ ," echoed Fischer, before he turned back to the holographic display of the area. Grinouville-sur-Crissons was along the Crissons itself, a small river flowing down to the sea near New Rennes. They were still in the upper reaches of said river. The ten landed divisions of SS troops, a mix of infantry, power-armored _Panzergrenadiers_ , and armored fighting vehicles, had already secured their foothold in a fifty mile radius around the original landing point, about four miles from Grinouville-sur-Crissons. Fassbinder looked with approval upon the tactical plots showing that the enemy was in retreat.

" _Standartenführer_ , welcome," said Fischer. " _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ Kranefuss will be pleased with the speed at which we are securing our hold on this world. We have identified enemy forces of several origins. Alliance alien troops, those of the Turians, and those with the large walking tanks they call 'BattleMechs'."

"Are they enough to hold us from the city?"

"It may be a difficult fight, but we have the force to punch through," Fischer assured him. "Is there anything in particular that _Oberst-Gruppenführer_ Kranefuss wanted from your presence?"

"I must get to one of their field hospitals," Fassbinder explained. "There are subjects of interest to the _SS-Reichführer_ that I must recover."

Fischer seemed to consider that. "Which hospital? We have identified four on the planet. Possibly five."

"The one near New Rennes."

"There are two in the vicinity of New Rennes." Fischer indicated the map. One of his subordinates helpfully highlighted the structures.

Fassbinder remained quiet as he thought about it. Not just thought, but felt. He could feel a cool thrum within him that clarified his vision. It granted him an insight he would have otherwise not felt.

And it confirmed what he suspected.

Fassbinder indicated one of the hospitals that, coincidentally, was located beside what had been the Retzoff KZ on New Brittany. "There," he said. "That is where my subjects will be. It fits their mentality to be tending to the _untermensch_ and insubordinate that are kept in the camps."

"I will dispatch a division to force their way through," Fischer said. "But no more. I cannot afford to let my troops be cut off from each other without further support, _Standartenführer_ "

"Very well. And while your troops prepare the way for my detachment, I will arrange for an agent to provide further intelligence," Fassbinder offered. "I will need a secure communication station."

With the help of one of Fischer's junior officers, an _Untersturmführer_ , Fassbinder was directed to a comm set that could send and receive transmissions from SS operative comm units. Once Fassbinder had control he was quickly able to send the signal out.

Several minutes passed, during which Fassbinder was becoming irritated, before Andre Faqin's face appeared. " _Yes,_ Standartenführer _?_ "

"Where have you been?" Fassbinder demanded. The last thing he needed was for Faqin to have compromised anything.

" _I was away from the house when I received your signal. My landlord required assistance._ " Faqin smirked. " _He wanted to burn his Alliance credits for fear that he would be discovered with them when the SS reclaimed the city._ "

Fassbinder's irritation declined slightly. "And did he?"

" _Yes. But I recorded it with the set you provided._ "

"Good, agent. But I have another task for you. I would like you to return to work."

Faqin showed his confusion. " _Sir? Are you sure? I would not want to be seen as a collaborator_ …"

"Do not worry. I will ensure your true loyalties are honored," Fassbinder assured him. "But I need an agent inside the hospital to confirm who is present and where they typically are."

" _Very well, Standartenführer. I will contact you when I can._ "

"Good. I will speak to you later, agent. Fassbinder out."

While around him the staff of _Gruppenführer_ Fischer continued their work of organizing and overseeing the attack, Fassbinder was left with nothing to do. Nothing but waiting.

Waiting… and preparing, which he started by taking out another _Reichpfenning_ coin.

* * *

The mess hall felt empty given the activity it had shown when Leo arrived. A few orderlies and a couple of the nurses getting late lunches were the only people in evidence.

The real surprise came when Leo stepped up to the food line and found something he hadn't expected. A steaming large pot was filled with a familiar substance for him: sausage stew.

"Ah, Doctor Gillam." Hargert stepped up on the other side of the food bar. He put on an even fresher pot of the same stew. "I was hoping to see you. You must keep your strength up."

"Hargert, what are you doing here?" Leo asked.

"Keeping the staff well fed, of course," Hargert said. "Albert will be attending things on the ship until they return for us."

"But… if they don't…"

"Then I will probably be killed by the SS." Hargert shrugged. "So be it. ' _Nie weider_ ', Leonard. It means more to me than not becoming a Nazi myself. It means I, and Germans like me, will never again allow these evil men to scare us away from doing the right thing. You and your colleagues and patients need good food, and I am here to provide it."

Leo could only nod in reply. "Thanks, Hargert."

"Now, stew alone does not a meal make," Hargert said. "I have some roast beef sandwiches for you as well, and more strudel baking."

Considering what Leo expected soon, he asked, "Have you been given any stores for our Turian friends? They can't eat our food."

"No, they cannot. But dextro-based foods can still be cooked, and I have found a number of effective recipes for Turian foodstuffs that your patients will, I think, enjoy," Hargert said. "Now please excuse me, I must check on the chicken soup for the little ones."

Hargert left Leo to gather his food. He looked to the tables and found an empty spot, one of many, that he claimed to begin eating.

A short time later he was joined by T'Perro. The Asari doctor looked over the stew thoughtfully before trying it. "This is quite good," she said after a second spoonful. "The cook is your ship's cook, isn't he?"

"He is," Leo said after gulping down a bite of roast beef sandwich. "And he is very good at his job."

"A good meal is important in these occupations." For a moment T'Perro looked around the hall. "Doctor Crusher and I have considered seeing about hiring on more local help. Perhaps even physicians."

"Good luck with that. The locals know what will happen if the Nazis retake the planet and they're identified as working for us." Leo sighed. "It feels like the calm before the storm around here."

"It is."

"So, why did you volunteer to stay behind?" Leo asked.

"Why did you? From what I know, if captured by the enemy you will be shot out of hand simply due to your ethnic background."

"And you'll be shot for being an alien," Leo pointed out. "So it seems we're both screwed if our soldiers don't hold them off."

"Indeed. Peculiar that Doctor Crusher is the only one they would likely not kill out of hand." T'Perro swirled her spoon around in a bowl of stew. "If you must know, I am here to get a taste of field medicine. It may be relevant to an enterprise I am committed to."

"Oh?"

"You have heard of the Andromeda Initiative?"

Leo had to think about it for several seconds before nodding. "Yeah. Some woman from M4P2 Earth, I forget her name, was interviewed about it by one of the Alliance news networks."

"Doctor Jien Garson. A charismatic, bright woman. She is funding a large expedition that intends to colonize the Andromeda Galaxy with sleeper arks."

Leo blinked. "Wow, that's… ambitious."

"It is." T'Perro took another bite before continuing. "I have joined the Initiative with a Human colleague of mine. We're due to leave by the end of the decade."

"So… you're just going to leave the galaxy behind," Leo said. "Like that? Just head off to an unknown galaxy."

"Yes. I expect it will be quite interesting. And certainly final. Over six centuries in cryo-sleep to get there. Most of my contemporaries will be in the matriarch stage by the time we arrive." T'Perro grinned thinly at that. "I suppose it is something to walk away from everything you've ever known in life to embark on a bold new future in the unknown."

Leo returned the grin. "I know something about that actually. Although what I did wasn't quite as final as taking a centuries-long cryo-sleep trip to another galaxy."

"A good point."

"So this is getting you experience for the kind of field medicine you might have to practice in the colonies your Initiative will be forming."

"Yes." T'Perro nodded. "And I am evaluating multiversal sources of medical technology to see if we should include them before we leave. Your cortical stimulators, for instance, and some of your medications. Certainly some of the gene treatments may come in use. And the Initiative will probably be buying replicators before we leave."

"I would imagine so."

Leo took another bite after saying so. Other questions formed in his mind concerning this sort of operation, the kind of intensive planning it required, as he chewed and swallowed.

Before he could ask, an Asari nurse appeared at the mess hall doorway. "We have casualties coming in!" she shouted. "The first medevac shuttles are three minutes out."

T'Perro reacted by quickly downing what was left of a roast beef sandwich while Leo got as big a spoonful of the sausage stew as he could. "A pity", she said after gulping. "I hope our host will keep the stew warm."

"Knowing Hargert, he'll have it ready for us when we get back," Leo said. He took one last spoonful, so rushed he only filled half the spoon, and gulped it down. With a final drink of his coffee, he went off to join T'Perro and the nurses and orderlies rushing from the room.

* * *

The staff had barely gotten their Triage Ward ready in time before the medevac shuttles started arriving. Turians and Humans alike came through the doors as both medics and patients, the former declaring the injuries and status of the latter for the benefit of the physicians.

Leo's first case was a male Turian soldier with blackened and charred personal armor. "Vitals are low but stable. Wound consistent with a disruptor shot." Leo saw the nurse was a Bolian. "Get the dextro supplies and provide standard disruptor wound care for Turian physiology. He should be fine."

"Yes, Doctor."

The next case was another male Turian. Leo scanned him while a male Turian medic looked on with concern. Leo could see why. "Direct disruptor wound, energy penetration of the armor and shielding, internal damage extensive but treatable. Send him on to Doctor T'Perro for stabilizing until we can operate."

"Yes Doctor," answered the medic.

The roar of another arriving shuttle told Leo this was just beginning. He returned his attention to the next stretcher. Turian female, soldier, missing left leg and left arm and torso perforated with shrapnel and plasma burns. This was a borderline call, but her vital readings - still strong - decided it for Leo. He had her sent on to the nurses for wound care and assignment to Critical Care. A quick glance up told him that Doctor Crusher was still tending to another of the patients he had cleared for further care. They'd already worked through the first batch.

All but one, it turned out, as another stretcher came in bearing a Turian male who looked like he'd been put through a blender. Blue blood coated what was left of his personal armor and several remaining wounds. Leo could see the Turian was alive and, more importantly, in excruciating pain. The mandibles of the Turian's mouth were halfway open and a low moan was coming from his throat. His eyes were focused, with great pain, on one of the medics and then on Leo.

For a moment Leo felt immense frustration. The military had insisted they would handle first stage triage to lessen the strain on the Field Hospitals. Now it was Leo who had to make that painful decision, the decision no doctor ever wanted to make but could be forced into during a critical resource situation: the decision that a patient had to be left to die. But it was clear that heroic efforts would be needed to save this soldier, efforts that would take away from the treatment of several more casualties that would likely be saved.

Leo glanced at the medic, who was looking intently at the patient. "You know each other?" he asked.

There was a catch in the throat of the medic before he answered, "Yes." There was a shade of guilt in the reddish-brown eyes of the Turian medic that told Leo everything he needed to know about why this case was brought to him. He knew this was a waste, but whatever the soldier was to him, the medic hadn't been able to accept the judgement of the Turian military doctor at their mobile hospital.

Leo sighed. With a touch of his omnitool he updated the soldier's record with a literal mark of death that would tell the triage nurses to leave him alone, that he was too far gone.

A part of Leo protested this. That part screamed _I can save this man!_ But the rest of him knew the price of that, the lives that would be lost because he was too busy saving one.

The intensity of the soldier's agony-filled eyes bored into Leo. Almost as if he knew Leo's choice, as if asking him _You fought for Joshua Marik, why not for me?_ Leo forced that thought out and reached over to the nearby medicine tray. A bundle of hyposprays were ready with their contents marked. He found the one with dextro-compatible morphine and picked it up. Leo pressed the device to an intact section of the Turian's carapace-covered flesh, right on the part of the neck where the Turian equivalent of the carotid artery was located, and gave him a dose that no living patient would ever be given outside of extremely special circumstances.

Within seconds the intense look in the Turian soldier's eyes went away. The moan stopped. A contented little sigh of relief was the soldier's last sound before his eyes, now free of pain and, with it, much coherent thought, closed quietly.

"Put your friend in the far corner," Leo instructed the medic. "He's not in pain anymore. That's the best I can do."

"Yes, Doctor," was the medic's response. There was gratitude in it. "Thank you for that, and I apologize. I acted inappropriately."

For a moment Leo nearly spoke to give emotional support to the grieving alien. But he knew Turians took a strong view of duty, and shirking it for personal reasons was shameful in their culture. Trying to comfort could too easily backfire. So he said nothing more to the medic.

Leo might have taken the time to further consider the harsh necessities of battlefield medicine, and indeed he knew he would later, as he always did when these situations were over. But right now he had more patients coming in, with the roar of VTOL engines telling him that the Inner Sphere wounded were now coming in as well.

"No rest for the weary," Leo murmured. 

* * *

Fortunately for Leo and his two remaining compatriots, reinforcements came during the evening. Field Hospital Bravo was deemed too vulnerable to enemy attack and had been evacuated completely, with all patients and medical personnel pulled back to Charlie. Four doctors came from Bravo: a Turian physician, a physician from the Free Worlds League, an Alakin, and another Alliance Human like Leo, Dr. Ocasio. With their arrival, Leo was able to get out of the Triage Ward after eight grueling hours of dealing with incoming casualties and another two hours in the OR. It was nearly midnight by his internal clock.

Nevertheless Hargert came through for him, waking up from a nap to get fresh stew and freshly-baked garlic baguettes that sated Leo's growling stomach. A cup of rich black coffee helped jolt him to wakefulness.

"Are you sure about that?" Crusher eyed his coffee. "You're due for sleep soon."

Leo shook his head. "No, actually, I told Doctor Ocasio I'd cover his overnight watch in the Critical and Intensive Wards. The man's been up the better part of thirty-six hours and needs his sleep."

"So do you, Doctor," Crusher reminded him pointedly. She took a bite of a pasta dish Hargert had prepared for the dinner meal. Stress was increasing lines on her face.

"We all do, frankly." Leo sighed. "Do you know the part I always hate?"

"The part of what?"

"Triage." Leo frowned. "I hate having to put the 'no' mark on patients because they're too wounded to be stabilized quickly. I hate having to leave them to die."

"Every doctor in this job feels that way," Crusher said. "I've always asked myself if I could have saved those patients with just a little time. In the end, though, it's an unavoidable part of our work. And we have to live with the choices we made."

"Agreed."

"As for the overnight watch, how about we split it? I'll take from 2400 to 0400, you come on at 0400?"

Leo almost said no. Crusher was clearly exhausted as well. It was when he looked into her tired face, and the concerned look there, that he knew she would never accept "no" for an answer. He sighed and nodded. "Sure."

* * *

When the time came, Leo arrived at the doctors' station between the Intensive and Critical Care Wards at 0356 with a mug of black coffee and a breakfast ham and cheese omelette fresh from Hargert's kitchen. He found Doctor Crusher making final notations on a digital reader. "Someone did us all a favor and replicated a couple of nice double-sized beds for the quiet room," he told her.

"I'll take it," she said.

"Any cases come up?"

"The fourteen year old Jane Doe in Intensive showed an increase in her white blood cell count," Crusher revealed. "I would almost think she had a systemic infection, but I've found no signs of one in the scan."

"She may have an autoimmune condition, then." Leo accepted the reader and looked over it. "We can't know anything for sure until she comes out of that coma."

"No sign of any neurological change." Crusher stood. "But for now, one of those beds sounds just about right."

"I'll see you in the morning," Leo said, watching her leave.

His routine went off regularly. He looked over Crusher's notes for the last four hours, as well as Ocasio's notes from the previous shift, while finishing his breakfast. By 0430 he was making his rounds in both wards, dealing with patients who were asleep, or at least mostly so.

Due to the planet's rotation period the sun was already well into the sky by 0545, when Leo sat back down to log his findings for the last round and catch a cup of coffee. He was partly through it when Lucy stepped into the door looking refreshed. "Good morning," Leo said to her.

"Good morning," Lucy replied. "Did you actually sleep? Or did I go to the trouble of getting those beds for nothing?"

Leo smiled at her. "No. I made use of one. And I'll have it again later today, I hope."

"Good." Lucy slipped into a chair and started nibbling on what looked like a breakfast burrito. When she swallowed she said, "So, I've triple-checked all of your gear, all of your equipment, and I put an override into that storage vault so you and the others can get in there whenever you need. The system will recognize your retinas and your DNA to let you in."

"Great news." Leo folded his hands together. "What about the holographics? We could use the extra hands."

"Are you sure?" Lucy frowned. "That thing's got atrocious bedside manners. I don't know if I'd have him treat camp survivors or wounded soldiers."

"Maybe not," Leo agreed, "but we need more hands. It has the medical skill and knowledge to treat Standard patients at least."

There was no arguing with that logic. Lucy drew in a sigh. "We were pretty much done. Zimmerman just had some final coding he wanted to do relating to the system's personality, to make it less acerbic and, frankly, give it more respect for confidential patient information. During testing the program had no problem blurting out medical information."

"I guess confidentiality and testing the program's competence didn't go together," Leo mumbled. He didn't like the thought of the program just blurting out information that might be best kept private. His mind wandered to the girl that he and Chakwas had found the other day to be pregnant, and the thought of how the EMH might have handled that delicate situation if it had been programmed the way it was.. "Is there an easy way to program the system to follow confidentiality ethics?"

"Jarod might have managed it, but Zimmerman's coding is… it's really complex, and I honestly don't want to fiddle with a single line of it."

"Right. So, any suggestions?"

Lucy started thinking on the problem. "I could alter the access permissions, I guess. Give you command authority that would let you give the EMH orders. Then you can just tell him not to divulge information loudly or whatever other tweaks he needs. He'll probably still be acerbic though, and he may even resent the commands."

"That's fine, I'd rather he resent me than spew out to strangers that some poor girl they brought in is pregnant. Or was." Leo glanced at his monitors. Everything was running smoothly. "How long until this is done?"

"How many of the doctors do you want to give this access to?"

"All of them."

Lucy's omnitool came to life. Using the two handed-controls - joint keypads generated, one on her forearm by the tool proper and the other a series of keys generated under her left hand. She started tapping away while a holo-secreen showed lines of code. After several seconds she nodded. "Okay. Try it out. I've given you all permissions to turn the EMH emitters on and off, and to issue binding commands."

"Computer, activate the Emergency Medical Hologram in my office," Leo requested.

The EMH shimmed into view. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"Too many to count," Leo muttered. He cleared his throat. "From this point on, you are to exercise discretion when discussing the medical information of a patient to ensure patient confidentiality. There isn't a lot of privacy in the wards, so outside of time-critical information necessary to a patient's health and life, I want medical conditions and issues relayed to the physicians on-staff by electronic notification, not verbal remark."

The EMH actually looked annoyed at that. "You're aware that my testing protocols are only temporary, yes?"

"I am. But your creator isn't here to shut them down right." Leo smiled softly. "And because of how sophisticated your program is, we don't want to risk problems trying to do any modifications ourselves, including removing those protocols. This is the best fix we have."

The way Leo had put it mollified the EMH. "I see your point. Very well. Command input logged and implemented."

"Go ahead and make the rounds in Critical Care," Leo continued. "I'm going to talk to…"

There was a tone from Leo's omnitool. " _T'Perro to Gillam._ "

Leo tapped the blinking blue light to accept the transmission. "Gillam here."

" _Can you meet me in pharmaceutical storage? We may have a major problem._ "

* * *

Leo and Lucy found T'Perro with Doctor Amelia Lang, a middle-aged woman with graying chestnut hair and dusky brown skin from the Regulan Free States in the Free Worlds League, and Doctor Niria Gaterius, an older Turian physician. They were standing in the middle of the storage room for the hospital's many medications.

Immediately Leo could tell there was a problem. One area was very low, dangerously so, on stock. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What's missing?"

"Not so much missing as used up," Lang noted. Her English was touched by an accent that made her sound as if she were from British India. Her Anglo-Indian descent was easily noticed after a few moments of observation, with a hint of African ancestry in her cheekbones. "We are nearly out of dextro-compatible medications."

Which explained the sour look on Galerius' face. Leo swallowed and shook his head. Without those medications, treating Turian patients would be impossible. "We'll need to replicate more of what we can," he said.

"The replicator can't manufacture everything," Galerius pointed out. "It seems that the Humans from F1S1 messed up our evac from Bravo. They were supposed to clear out the pharmacy and reserve storage of all remaining medications. They did not do so."

"The 2nd Legionnaires did all they could," Lang protested, sensing the rebuke in the Turian's words.

"Which is why our medical supplies got left…"

"We can't afford to fuss like this," Leo insisted. He looked to Galerius. "Doctor, can we ask the 8th Regiment for their stores?"

"They're running low already," Galerius insisted. "Hospital Delta never carried more than a few emergency dextro-compatible supplies. And Able is already under shelling. We need what's left at Bravo."

"Which the Nazis took last night?" asked Lucy.

"Unfortunately, yes," Lang said. "So getting to those supplies will be impossible."

Lucy was already letting some ideas run through her head. "Maybe not entirely impossible. I can rig up a short-term stealth or cloaking device to a shuttle and fly it in. Give me enough backup and I can get in and out before the Nazis know what hit them."

"That sounds far too dangerous," Leo protested.

"It is dangerous." Lucy nodded in agreement. "But if we don't, some Turians are going to die, right?"

"We'll run out of some of our most important treatments before the day is over," Galerius revealed. "Every Turian in the Intensive Ward will be dead by tomorrow if we don't get re-supplied."

"Then we don't have much choice," Lucy pointed out. "Let me speak to the general in charge."

"The human general from the League, Chaganam, could help," Galerius said. "General Lukasian might even be able to get you a Platoon in support. I can connect you to him."

Lucy nodded. "Make the call."

"Good luck, Lucy," Leo said to her. "Make sure you come back." He turned his head to the others. "I'll head over to the pharmaceutical replicators and make whatever dextro-compatible medications I can to tide us over."

"I'll inform Crusher and Gureep," said Lang, just before she walked out.

* * *

Andre Faqin was welcomed with no questioning when he stepped into the main entrance of the Field Hospital. He wasn't the only one, as the more hopeful, or those genuinely supportive of the medical efforts, were also heading back to work as janitors, orderlies, food staff, and other support jobs for the off-world medical personnel. Faqin shook his head and allowed himself a partial thought at these fools, who had earned themselves an execution as soon as the SS retook New Rennes.

It wasn't that he was particularly loyal to the Reich. Nobody could accuse Faqin of being loyal to anyone but himself. But he knew full well how powerful the Reich, especially the SS, were, and even now he found the idea that they would lose the war laughable. It simply wasn't possible. As far as he was concerned, the Reich was intentionally letting the enemy win to uncover secret dissidents in the far colonies so that they could destroy them all when the inevitable counterattack swept through. And isn't that what was happening even now?

The New Breton man accepted his work ID at the main security station from one of those grotesque aliens, a purple-complexioned female with blue face markings and little tentacles in a crest instead of actual hair. _You should have stayed in your home universe_ , he thought. Fassbinder's troops would kill her without a moment's hesitation.

But now was not the time for that thinking. He had to get to work, sweeping and mopping, and confirm who was still here for his employer.

 _Fools. Poor fools_ , he thought. _You should have all stayed out of this universe_.

As Faqin stepped around a corner he nearly ran into a young woman in an Alliance uniform, her light brown complexion enough to tell him she would be another of Fassbinder's victims soon enough. He frowned and started to speak when she turned to face him and he stopped. He forced thoughts from his head at seeing the bewildered look on her, the intensity in her blue eyes, and for a moment he felt like she was in his head.

"You'll be needed in the machine shop," she said to him, more than a little irritation in her voice. "And you might want to watch where you're going for now on."

Faqin nodded and said nothing. His mind raced with recognition, though. This was one of them, one of the images Fassbinder had shown him. A member of the _Aurora_ crew. He would have to get a message out, definitely.

But first, he had to continue his round of the hospital. Fassbinder would not be happy if he didn't provide an accurate accounting of them all.

* * *

Lucy remained deep in thought on what she was planning while she walked on from her run-in with the local sweeper. She'd cobbled together a rough emissions cloaker from some of the communications hardware, but it wouldn't have the cloaking capability she had hoped for. There weren't parts for that. _So we won't be invisible, just hard to detect on sensors. Well, we can work with that_.

Her omnitool activated. A Turian man in field uniform armor appeared on the screen generated by the device. " _Lieutenant Lucero_?" he inquired.

"Yes," she answered.

" _Doctor Galerius informed me of your problem. I can get you a team that can slip behind enemy lines and hit the Bravo hospital. But your window of opportunity is very short and you need to meet them immediately._ "

"Have them land on the hospital roof." Lucy started moving that way. "And I'll need a few minutes to get the dampening generator hooked into the shuttle's system."

" _You'll have them._ "

While working her way up the stairs leading to the VTOL landing pad roof - currently unoccupied - Lucy felt her heart begin to beat faster. At first she thought it was simple anticipation of the mission, and the dangerous insertion behind enemy lines. But as she thought about it, or rather as she came into tune with that energy that resonated within her, Lucy realized it was something more. Something was going on.

Something about that local man. The way he'd moved. The flicker of recognition that had gone through his features and the sense that he was wary in a way that didn't fit with a normal situation.

Lucy tapped her omnitool's comm key and said, "Lucero to Gillam."

After a few moments Leo responded. " _Gillam here_."

"There's something wrong, Leo," she said. "I can feel it."

" _Can you be more specific?_ "

"There's a man working as a janitor. Brown hair, light complexion, stocky but not overweight. I ran into him earlier and it felt like he was up to something. I mean, as if there's something going on with him."

" _I see. I'll alert building security and ask them about this._ "

"Just be careful until I get back."

" _The same to you, Lucy. Gillam out._ "

By this point Lucy was hearing the high-pitched roar of a mass effect propulsion engine. She looked up in time to see a small assault shuttle fly in and come to a stop on the landing pad. It didn't look like she thought it should, lacking the sharp angles and look of Turian ships.

The explanation came when it opened, and a female figure with purple skin and reddish facial markings stepped down. The Asari was carrying a mass effect rifle affixed to her back and a pistol on her hip. Brilliant blue-gray eyes focused on her. "Fallina," she said. "I'm Fallina Leysi, of the Armali Watch. General Lukasian already briefed us."

"I'll need a few minutes to get this dampener fixed to your systems," Lucy said, holding up the device. "And then we'll be ready to go."

"Right." Leysi showed her in. The cargo area had another six Asari, all armed and looking ready for a fight. "Ever fight with Asari commandos?" she asked.

"No."

"Well, just remember, if we run into trouble, stay back and let us deal with it." Fallina smirked. "These crazy humans never know what hits them when they run into biotics."

Lucy smirked at that. "They never see me coming either. I'm trained in the Gersallian art of _swevyra_." She got on her knees in the rear, at the engine access panel showing on her omnitool display. "Between your biotics and my power, I would almost feel sorry for the SS assholes we run into. But first things first. I need to get this installed."

"We'll lift off as soon as you're ready."

* * *

Faqin's first round was in the Standard Care Ward. The majority of the patients were wounded soldiers who were too busy resting or exchanging stories to notice him. He ran his sweeper up one aisle and down the next while trying to maintain the alertness he needed.

He was disappointed by the first white coat he saw. The woman was clearly not one of those he was on the lookout for. She looked over Faqin with momentary curiosity before getting to work on her patients. He paid her no further heed and continued on. 

* * *

With the other physicians busy or resting, Doctor Crusher was the only one Leo could get in touch with before he got to the small security office for the Hospital. " _Are you certain about this_?" Crusher asked over the comm from her current position in triage. " _Lieutenant Lucero is under pressure like the rest of us. She could have a case of anxiety that is causing paranoia._ "

"Not Lucy," he answered. "If she says there's a problem, she means it. I'm about to check with the security staff about this guy to see who he is. If it's nothing, it's nothing, but if this guy is up to no good we need to be ready."

There was only a moment of silence on the line before Crusher responded. " _Let me know how it goes. I'll be expecting you in Triage. Crusher out._ "

Leo lowered his forearm and continued on his way.

The Field Hospital's security staff had been provided by the military. It was mostly made up of mercenaries, in truth, private contractors hired from a myriad number of sources who by their presence freed up military personnel for other duties. It was easy duty for them given the patients were either walking skeletons or wounded soldiers, with little chance of a merc getting caught up with an unwanted situation of having to restrain someone.

Even the chief of security was one such mercenary. Roger Taylor was a former FedStars Marine, of African-American background like Leo. He kept his head bald. "Can you describe this fellow?" he asked Leo after an initial explanation.

"Brown hair, Caucasian, supposedly stocky."

"Hrm." Taylor brought up his forearm and tapped a key on a multidevice. Leo found it interesting that he hadn't updated to omnitools yet. "Looking at the records, we've got a couple of locals that fit that description. Do you know what he does?"

"Janitor duties, I think."

"Hrm." Taylor went over the list. "Looks like I've got a match. Andre Faqin is the name given." Taylor looked to Leo. "Is there a problem with the man?"

"Lieutenant Lucero reported he was acting suspiciously earlier."

"Suspicious in what way?"

"She didn't explain. But I trust her judgement."

Taylor considered that. "He's a local," the man finally said. "No telling how many locals might have been in bed with the damned Nazis. Probably how some of these poor bastards survived for centuries." Taylor tapped a key on his multidevice and began typing on the resulting hard-light keyboard it projected in front of him, allowing him to use both hands to type with a speed Leo associated with professional secretaries. "I'm putting out an alert to my people to keep a discreet eye on the man. I can't afford the manpower to shadow him completely, you understand. Not without stronger evidence."

"I understand," Leo said. "And I appreciate…"

His omnitool lit up around his left forearm. The voice that spoke was Crusher. " _Doctor Gillam, you're needed in the ICW right away._ "

Leo could waste no time. He knew precisely what that meant. "Sorry," he said to Taylor, an apology for having to cut their meeting short.

"No need, Doctor," the older man said as Leo rushed from the door.

* * *

Leo arrived in the Intensive Care Ward and met with Doctor Crusher and Nasri, who were already at the adolescent/early-teen Jane Doe. He walked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Steady drop in blood pressure began two minutes ago," Crusher answered. "Scans show her heart is failing. Brain activity is unchanged."

Leo nodded and moved to the other side of the bed. "Our earlier scans showed organ damage at the cellular level." He checked the latest scan results. "We may not have a choice," he said to Crusher. "We might have to replace her heart."

"I agree." Crusher was frowning. "But with all of her other organ problems, her heart may not be the only one she needs replacing. And our raw biomatter stock for the replicators is already running low. This may be a triage situation."

Leo shook his head. "That's not for certain. And I'm not leaving a child to die because she _might_ be unsaveable." He looked over at Nasri. "Get an OR prepped. Tell Dr. Ocasio what to expect."

"Right away, Doctor."

Leo looked to Crusher next. He was trying not to be aggressive, but the challenge he was laying at her doorstep was clear. He was making a call to save the Jane Doe even if it meant defying triage procedure. And it would be up to Crusher to object and seek to overrule him.

Crusher nodded to him. Her hand revealed a hypospray, which she used on the patient. "I'm giving her a stabilizer, it may help."

"Thank you."

There was nothing more to say. The two physicians went back to work trying to save their patient. 

* * *

Faqin was starting to lose patience. And what's more, he was starting to become paranoid. He couldn't help but feel like everyone was starting to watch him.

This meant he had to be even more careful. Not so much because he believed he had been compromised, but because fear and paranoia could cause him to make sloppy mistakes.

Still, it was better to make sure of things. He needed to confirm if any of the other _Aurora_ personnel were here. The most likely candidate for that was the doctor he had seen before. He thought he remembered the name. Now he just had to have a way to ask about it.

He took his chance at seeing an orderly, another Human. "Have you seen Doctor Gillam?" he asked. His English was atrocious and he was relying on French, suitably translated by whatever means others had. "He had asked me to do extra mopping in the Child Ward, and I need to see if it was covered."

"I'm not sure where he is, but you should probably see to that mopping," the woman answered. "Some of the little tykes are still sick, you see. Poor things can have trouble keeping down food, even half-starving as they are."

"Poor things, yes." Excited, Faqin stepped away. He kept sweeping until he had an opening to slip into a closet. He pulled out his communicator from his belt and opened the line. "There are at least two still here, _Standartenführer_ ," he informed Fassbinder.

" _Good. Be prepared. I will not take long._ "

With that the call ended. Faqin's job had been done. It was time to leave. He opened the door to the closet to walk out.

He never saw the blow that sent him into quiet blackness.

* * *

The OR was ready when Leo and Crusher arrived with their stricken patient. Doctor Ocasio met them at the door in OR scrubs. The Hispanic gentleman, with dark bronze complexion and silvery hair still flecked with black strands, helped them move the patient to a surgical bed. "The replicator is building the new heart now," he informed the other two doctors. He said nothing about the issue of triage, much to Leo's gratitude.

"Blood pressure is still falling."

"Get changed."

Leo and Crusher left the entryway and went to the nearby station to switch into operating suits. Ocasio pulled the bed with their patient into the actual operating theater. The protective energy field that helped keep the inside sterile yielded to him and the stretcher in question.

"We don't have a lot of time for this," Crusher said while pulling on the surgical bodysuit. Its pale blue color matched the general coloring of the OR theater and area. "She's a borderline case."

"I know." Leo pulled on his own. "I can manage this with Ocasio and Nasri, if you're worried about the rest of the facility."

"If this is going to be done, I'm going to be there," Crusher insisted. "I want that girl to live as much as you do. But I also want to know that you can make the call if you have to."

Leo met her eyes and said nothing for several seconds, time he spent finishing the securing of his bodysuit. Once it was done, and he was covered head-to-toe in the pale blue material, he finally nodded. "I understand that. And if I have to, I'll make the call."

Crusher nodded, showing her satisfaction. "Let's go, then. We have a lot to do in order to stabilize her."

* * *

The Asari combat shuttle penetrated enemy lines in the company of Turian fighters and a supporting wing of Dorei aerospace fighters. The sector was one at the line where the Turian defenses met those of the Free Worlds League's troops, giving Lucy a view of the ten-to-thirty-meter tall BattleMechs stomping along the front, exchanging fire with SS armored vehicles. Tanks from the League rumbled along their taller cousins to provide further fire support.

"We're landing in two minutes," Fallina informed her commandos. The battlesuit-clad Asari all commenced a final check on their firearms. One, a particularly tall Asari, was carrying what Lucy figured to be a full fire assault rifle, and was loaded down with tactical webbing full of specialized containers to carry medical vials securely. Another had a sniper rifle, and the others had smaller weapons, presumably submachine guns and pistols. Fallina had a gun fixed to the small of her back, where Commander Shepard had often carried her shotgun.

Lucy patted at her right hip, where her _lakesh_ was clipped to her field action uniform belt beside the holster carrying her pulse pistol. She drew in a breath and focused. The tension cleared from her mind slowly and allowed her senses to focus, through her power, at the site they were coming in toward.

Even before the side of the shuttle opened up to allow them to jump out, Lucy knew what they were going to find. Bravo had been two-thirds the size of Charlie, but the Field Hospital had still been a sizable prefab structure with multiple entrances. The shuttle had landed them in one of the emergency entrances, for troops being brought in for treatment. "T'Sana, T'Lira, on point," Fallina ordered as the commando team exited the shuttle. Lucy stepped out beside Fallina. "Karina, find your spot."

"Take me up," the Asari with the sniper rifle ordered the pilot. The shuttle pulled away, leaving the rest of the team at the entrance.

The two lead Asari, one holding up a pistol and the other already generating a biotic field around herself, entered the door first. The rest of the team followed. Lucy looked around. There wasn't much in the way of damage to the site. But the emptiness was unsettling. It made her think of zombie movies or other post-apocalyptic films, where the structures of everyday life were made sinister by the lack of life within them.

"No sign of life in the building," the Asari named T'Sana said. She had her omnitool up and active. "It looks abandoned."

"Let's hope they haven't broken into the medicine vault." Lucy nodded to Fallina. "Lead the way."

Fallina made a hand movement and they began to walk through the corridors of the building. They were nearing one of the ward entrances when the stench hit them for the first time. Lucy almost gagged and wished she'd never learned just what it was she was smelling. "Someone must have been left behind," she said to Fallina.

"And the enemy executed them." A hard look crossed the Asari commando leader's face. "Savages."

The stench felt like it was getting more powerful as they drew nearer to their final destination. The door to the secure pharmacy vault was not very different from the other doors. And it certainly wasn't built to resist things like a bank vault's door was. Lucy figured the biotics could blow the door off easily. She probably could force it open with her own abilities.

But at the same time, anything violent might cause damage on the other side of the door. So instead of that choice, Lucy stepped up to it and brought her omnitool online. "This won't take long," she assured the Asari. "I just need a few minutes…"


	55. Episode 2-11-4 Under Fire

The operating room was not a place for idle talk. Even though modern medical science had eliminated the need for cutting into a body and all of the delicate work that required, manipulating the inside of any body - whatever the species - was delicate work and would always be so. One wrong move, just one, could cause severe or fatal damage to the patient.

Leo was grateful to feel the cool sponge pressed to his brow to clear off the sweat. His hand remained in precise place, holding the director wand over the chest of the comatose young girl while his other hand utilized the controls that directed the system in what he was doing. They had made four incisions in the chest to accommodate the need for an external pump to circulate blood while this critical part of the operation occurred. With the wand and the attached system Leo was finishing the last cut, removing the sickly, dying heart completely from the girl's overtaxed body.

"Inferior vena cava is now cut," he announced. "Moving on to the superior."

Ocasio was standing nearby, checking the measurements of what Leo was doing against the fresh human heart inside of the replication chamber. With their patient's blood type and cells the heart had been crafted specifically for her body, easing the transplant process and reducing the risk of any sort of rejection. Crusher was across from him monitoring vitals. "Pulse rate is remaining steady," she said.

"Beginning final severance." Using the holo-display projected by the wand, Leo ran the instrument along the superior vena cava. Micro-transporters removed cells and organic matter, effectively cutting the massive blood vessel. Leo kept his movement slow and deliberate, cutting away only as much as he needed to. "Superior vena cava is cut away," he said.

"Activating organ transporter." Crusher pressed a key on a control panel beside her, then several more in sequence. The Jane Doe's heart appeared in a flash of white light in a nearby receptacle. "Preparing to transport replacement. All vitals are still holding steady."

"Transplant is ready," Ocasio said. "All measurements match."

Leo allowed his arm to relax for the moment. Now was the hard part; putting the heart back in and getting it started. He looked to Nasri who ran the sponge on his forehead again, clearing away the sweat again.

"Transporting."

Crusher's gloved finger hit the appropriate key. The systems lined up the new heart and beamed it in, every vessel lining up as was necessary. Leo brought the wand back up and began using the regenerator function. It was the dermal regenerator writ large, carefully calibrated so that the regenerator field was precisely small. The cells of the superior vena cava began to link up to the cells of the heart transplant, reforming the vital vein.

Slowly, precisely, the work continued.

* * *

In the abandoned husk of Field Hospital Bravo, Lucy's omnitool whirled around her left hand, hovering over the access control for the pharmaceutical storage vault. One last character, in Latin alphanumerics, was displaying on her omnitool screen. "Here we go…"

A "Y" appeared and the omnitool blinked green on its display. The door slid open.

"Excellent work," said Fallina.

With two exceptions, the Asari commandos followed Lucy into the room. The pharmaceuticals had been only partially removed. Lucy pondered that fact as she examined shelves full of hypospray-compatible vials and pill bottles. "It looks like at least half of the stocks weren't pulled out," she said. "That's a little odd. I know it was an emergency evacuation, but Bravo had time to pull out all of the patients. Why so little of the pharmaceuticals?"

"Miscommunication," proposed one of the other Asari. "Evacuations can be chaotic."

"Yeah." Lucy thought of evacuations and remembered the Facility and the evacuation caused by the Daleks. Everyone had gotten out, but she was sure they'd left behind more than a few things. "But something feels off about this…"

"I think I know why the dextro-meds weren't taken in the evac," Fallina said. Everyone looked to her and to shelving marked with both Latin and Turian alphabetic characters.

The shelves were _empty_.

"What the hell?" Lucy walked up and scanned the area with her omnitool. "This doesn't make sense. Where did they go?"

"Nowhere, according to the Hospital inventory." The computer expert of Fallina's team was operating one of the computer terminals. Lucy thought she remembered the name Niara for the Asari. "They're supposed to be there."

"Then where…" Lucy continued scanning and looking. "Maybe they got misplaced."

"All of them?" Fallina's skepticism was evident in her voice.

"I know, it doesn't seem likely." Lucy smirked. "But you would be surprised what people can misplace when they're not thinking." A thought crossed Lucy's mind. "Niara, isn't it?"

"Niata," corrected the computer expert commando. "Yes?"

"Niata, do you have the inventory codes for the dextro-meds?"

After a moment of checking Niata answered, "I do."

"Transmit them to our omnitools," Lucy said. "Then we'll just scan through the room until we find a hit."

A small grin came to the Asari's face. "I wish I'd thought of that first." The tones of Niata working away on the hardlight keyboard sounded for a few moments. "There we go, I just transmitted the data."

Lucy activated the scanner function on her omnitool and started waving her forearm around. Fallina and the others were copying the same. "Wait," said Fallina. "I think I have something."

Lucy looked to the Asari and followed her scan returns to some of the shelving further in. They converged on it with the others. Lucy read the characters along the shelving side and frowned. "This shelf is for the Dorei-specific medications," she said.

Fallina picked up a vial and scanned it. "This is an antibiotic, dextro-compatible," she said.

"They're all dextro," another of the Asari said, running her omnitool over the entire shelf.

"But look at the labeling," Lucy said. She held one up and read the Latin characters. "This is Turian medication, but it's listed as Dorei."

"That's not right." Fallina was frowning. "The Dorei aren't dextro-compatible, right?"

"No," Lucy said. "They're levo-compatible, just like us."

"Then if this medication had been given to them…"

"...it would either be entirely non-effective, or fatal," another of the Asari said.

Lucy swallowed. No wonder she had felt something was wrong. "This isn't just an accidental mis-shelving," she said. "This is sabotage. Someone was trying to sabotage us from the inside. I mean, think about it. Dorei dying because someone replaced their meds with Turian meds? The Turians would be accusing our people of incompetence, and we'd probably claim the same on their end."

"Reich agents must have gotten in here."

"Maybe." Something about that didn't seem right either. Would the Reich have cared about something so small? Then again, a small-time operative might have just been looking for minor sabotage. "Anyway, we need to get going."

"Selmissima." Fallina looked to the tall Asari with the assault rifle and medical containers. "Let's get these things packed up."

"We'll let the pharmacists back at Charlie sort through them and figure out which medication is which," Lucy said. She sniffed. "Is it just me, or is that smell worse in here?"

Now that they'd found their objective, the stench of dead flesh was something they were noticing more easily. Fallina nodded and agreed. "You can join Niata in looking for the source, if you want." She was already accepting one container from Selmissima. "We'll get the Turian meds secured, and any other meds from the doctors' list we can find."

Lucy nodded and walked back to the computer desk, where Niata was already standing up. The two started exploring further into the vault, toward the rear shelves. "Cold storage is back this way," Niata noted.

"Anything we need from there?"

"There might be a couple meds, but the critical items on our list wasn't listed for cold storage," Niata noted.

"Still…" Lucy felt a tremor within her being, like if she was a living metal detector and cold storage was a piece of metal she was coming into contact with. She followed that sense until they arrived at the heavy metal door. "Is it just me," Lucy began, "or is the smell coming from inside?"

"That wouldn't make sense," Niata said. "The cold storage vault is supposed to be…"

"...sealed." Lucy pointed to the area near the door handle, where there was a clear gap in the frame. "But it's not."

"That… that looks like damage." Niata showed bewilderment. "But that's not from a weapon. It's like something strong gripped so hard that it warped the seal."

That worried Lucy. "I don't see how anyone could have done that. Not with this material."

" _Maybe_ a Krogan," Niata said. " _Maybe_."

More curious than ever, Lucy grabbed the lever lock and pulled it. Niata opened the door.

The stench was almost physical in its intensity. That horrible smell of rotting flesh and waste from a dead body, something Lucy was all too familiar with when raiding nasty places in multiple worlds back in the Facility days, directed them into the cold storage room. The air still had a hint of cold to it, but it was obvious that the cold had been turned off.

"Someone must have shut down the locker during the evacuation," Niata said.

"Or the generator was taken. The vault door's battery backup must have maintained the security system and internal computers, but wasn't enough for the cold storage air conditioning." Lucy activated her omnitool's scanner. Immediately she got a result. "No point in picking up these meds, the lack of cold will have spoiled them. But there's something this way…"

They walked through the dry room, past the shelves of ruined medication, and thus toward the back of the cold storage vault. The smell grew in intensity and rankness as they walked. Lucy wished she had a breather unit, anything to get away from this horrid stench.

The body was in the last row. There was no telling who it, or rather she, had been, just the remains of what looked like a standard medical jumpsuit. Someone had smashed the dead woman's face in with such raw fury that there were no facial features, no jaw or dental remains, that could identify her. There was no hair left either. "Somebody didn't want this woman identified," Niata said.

"At least not quickly." Lucy knelt down beside her. "We need an empty vial. Something to collect biological samples from for DNA analysis." She activated her omnitool's scanning function again and looked to see if it could read the DNA. But her engineering-specialist omnitool had no such function, nor any way to help secure samples.

Niata leaned over with what looked like silk in her hand. She dabbed the cloth in the dried blood of the woman's ruined face. But it wouldn't take. Not to be deterred, Niata took her combat knife from her waist and began scraping at the blood. The scrapings she put in the silk cloth before tying it into a bag. Seeing Lucy's look, Niata smiled. "I had a lover who's in C-Sec. He told me a few stories about evidence collection on the sly."

Lucy, meanwhile, had her own idea. She took a tool from her belt, a powered bolt wrench, and scraped the edge along the visible flesh of the dead woman's arm. Dead skin cells, pale bronze in coloration, flaked off under the strength of the scraping. Lucy made sure to collect an ample amount of dead skin before she stood up. _Too bad I don't have an evidence bag or something_ , she thought to herself.

Just as the two emerged from the cold storage part of the vault, Fallina's omnitool activated. "What is it?" she asked. "Given your faces, whatever you found wasn't good news."

"Nothing from cold storage. The climate control was off." Lucy frowned. "And we found a dead woman in there who had her face turned to hamburger."

Fallina frowned and shook her head. "It may be linked to our medical saboteur."

"That's it," said Selmissima. She stood up with the last container and thrust it into Niata's hands. "We have everything we can carry."

"It's time for extraction." Fallina gestured to the door while triggering her omnitool. "Karina, Casari, we're ready to get out."

" _We're clear of enemy forces here, ma'am, but I suggest you hurry._ "

"Why?" Fallina asked.

" _Because we just got word from General Lukasian. The enemy's just launched a new attack._ " The sniper's voice remained matter-of-fact. " _It looks like they're trying to pound their way through to New Rennes. And Hospital Charlie is right on their line of advance_."

"We're on our way." Fallina gestured forward. "Come on, huntresses, double time! You too, Lieutenant Lucero, and I hope you can keep up."

Lucy, despite the situation, grinned at that. "Funny," she said, "I was about to suggest the same to you."

And she began running with them, keeping pace with almost contemptuous ease.

* * *

Leo had made it through to the last attachment, the aorta itself, when the machines began beeping.

"Her vitals just dropped. Respiration rate and O2 levels are lowering."

"I've almost got it." Leo continued running the wand along, directing the tissue regenerator to bind the new heart to the Jane Doe's aorta. "Just another minute."

"She may not have a minute."

Leo nodded at Crusher. Sweat dripped dangerously close to his eye. "Sponge," he said, and Nasri immediately tended to him.

"I'm setting the oxygenation rate of her blood higher." Crusher was back at work. "But it looks like her lungs may be failing."

"Do we have any dizaproregene ready?"

Crusher gave him a harsh look. "With how weak her body is, dizaproregene is enormously dangerous."

"A measure of last resort," Leo said, even as he focused on reconnecting the aorta.

There was no reply from Crusher about that. Leo wasn't surprised. He knew that if he was turning to dizap, the girl was already likely to die. But doing anything less seemed criminal.

"Honestly, if you get to that point, we're facing the triage question."

Leo refused to look her way. He wanted to. He wanted to look into Crusher's eyes and see if there was pain there, or resolve, or guilt. "You think we'd be wasting it?"

"In our resource situation? Yes, Doctor, if you use dizaproregene on this patient, it will be a waste. Her survival chances are already going too low to justify it."

"She'll stabilize as soon as we get this heart pumping." Leo remained focused on that task. _Almost there_ …

A very low tone came from their omnitools. Ocasio was the only one who could safely check his. "There's an emergency alert," he said. "Doctor Galerius needs us in Triage within the next ten minutes."

"We'll be done by then," Leo said. "One way or another."

"What's the alert?" Crusher asked.

Leo couldn't afford to turn and look at Ocasio. He couldn't see the grim look on the Hispanic doctor's face. "The enemy has thrown more troops into the battle," Ocasio said. "They may be advancing on the hospital."

The gulp nearly finished forming in Leo's throat. But he wouldn't let it. One crisis at a time. That's all he could deal with.

* * *

Fallina was the last to jump into the shuttle on the hospital roof. In the distance Lucy could see small forms moving toward the hospital. Forms too large, at this distance, to be ordinary soldiers. "Looks like we just missed a fight with _Panzergrenadiers_."

"They make a mess inside of those suits if you hit them with the right biotic combination," one of the Asari - T'Sani? - said.

Lucy was already feeling sick from smelling the dead bodies in the hospital. That mental image was something she wasn't eager to contemplate, not even for Nazis. She glared at the Asari in question.

Fallina was already on comms, reporting their success and issuing a security alert. "We need to find everyone who handled logistics in the Bravo Hospital," she was saying to the images of General Lukasian and General Chaganam on the wall of the shuttle's passenger compartment. The Turian general had joined Chaganam, in the field uniform of a Free Worlds League officer, at the main HQ for the Coalition forces on New Brittany. "Someone labeled the dextro meds with labels as Dorei-specific medications."

Both commanders gave her an uncomfortable look. " _I am no physician, but wouldn't that be poisonous to the Dorei troops?_ " Chaganam asked.

" _It would_ ," Lukasian confirmed. The Turian's concern was clear. " _Either poisonous or completely ineffective. Either way, dozens of Dorei soldiers might have died if Bravo hadn't been evacuated_."

"Someone might be attempting to interfere with our alliance." Lucy stepped up beside Fallina. "Someone trying to turn us against each other."

" _The Nazis having agents in the planetary population is the most likely cause_."

Chaganam had made a good point. But something about this felt _familiar_ to Lucy. Something was nagging at her about this.

" _That's a priority for later_." Lukasian raised a three-fingered hand and gestured as if to move away the issue. " _Right now you're needed back at Hospital Charlie. A fresh enemy division is moving into the area._ "

" _The 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Legionnaires is in position to counter-attack them on that front. But we may not be able to keep them out of the hospital grounds. And there's not nearly enough time for an evacuation._ "

Lucy didn't need Chaganam to say more. The SS, if they got into the Hospital, would start killing patients and medical staff left and right. There would be no mercy. _Leo, Nasri, Hargert, they're all in the line of fire_.

"We'll do what we can to protect the patients, General," Fallina pledged.

" _Spirits go with you. HQ out_." Lukasian cut the line.

"You all heard that," said Fallina. "As soon as we get back to that hospital, we'll find a defensive position and coordinate with hospital security."

Lucy found herself nodding with the others. Now she _really_ regretted not wearing her body armor.

* * *

Leo felt a surge of misplaced relief when the last strands of regenerated tissue finished linking the Jane Doe's aorta to her new heart. "Okay. Let's begin cardio stimulation and get this heart going."

"Her O2 levels are still in decline."

Leo nodded to accept that while Doctor Ocasio manned the cardial stimulation device. Using remote, wireless receivers placed into the transplanted heart, the machine began to jolt the muscles in the replicated organ to bring it into operation.

Of course, this was the trickiest moment of the operation. There was no one hundred percent guarantee the new heart would function. Anything from a flaw at the cellular level to too much energy through the stimulator could keep the heart from starting to beat. And if that happened, the patient would die, pure and simple.

"Beginning stimulation," Ocasio said. "Cutting power flow… no response."

"Again."

"Respiratory rate is in decline." Crusher shook her head. "It looks like cellular damage to the lung has shut down several bronchi clusters."

Leo couldn't hide his frustration at that. Whatever had been done to this girl, the cellular damage was clearly the worst in terms of her ability to live. _How did they manage this? Was this a new Nazi weapon?_

"Still no response to cardial stimulation."

"Again," Leo said simply. They had a few more tries left, certainly. But once he was past the sixth… no, no, that wouldn't happen. This wouldn't be for nothing.

"EEG readings are declining."

"Push the oxylin."

"20ccs." Crusher did so.

"Third pulse. Still no autonomous heartbeat."

"Again."

"Even if her new heart starts beating, her lungs may not last," Crusher warned.

"5ccs of dizaproregene will deal with that."

There was disapproval in Crusher's eyes. "That's too much. Her system won't handle it."

"Anything less and she won't regain enough lung function."

"Then call it," Crusher said.

"Fourth pulse. Still no response."

Ocasio's report was met with an immediate "Again". Leo didn't take his eyes off Crusher's. There was challenge in them. She could overrule him. She could assert her seniority as a physician, as a medical officer, and order Ocasio to give up. Ocasio could make the same call, although as a civilian volunteer physician with little surgical experience, his authority over them was more uncertain.

But she didn't.

There was silence as they waited to hear from Ocasio on whether this worked. If it didn't, Crusher would be right. A sixth attempt might work, but at this point, if the heart wouldn't start… Leo knew it would be the end. And Galerius, Lang, and the others needed them out in Triage. Especially with combat casualties coming in.

If there was no response, Leo would have to give up. He would have to let another child die.

And it was clear that Crusher could see how much pain that thought was causing him.

"Fifth pulse." Ocasio's voice made clear the result.

Leo let out a breath. His heart began to ache.

"Wait." Now Ocasio's voice picked up. "I am getting a response. The heart is beating. 70 beats per second."

This time Leo's exhalation was one of relief. Relief that was not entirely earned.

"The O2 count still isn't stabilizing," Crusher said. "The damage to the lungs is too extensive."

"Do you have the 5ccs of dizaproregene?" Leo's question hung in the air for a moment, even as the machines toned away in relation to the dying girl on the bed. "It may be our last chance."

Crusher looked at him intently. "You could kill her."

"She's dying already."

Crusher clearly went to say something but stopped herself. Her mouth moved as she played out the conversation to come. Leo could see she was not convinced this was the best way to deal with the situation. Every minute they were fighting to save a girl who might never wake up was a minute they weren't saving the lives of soldiers and civilians coming into their hospital. Leo knew that if she made the decision to withhold the medication, it was medically justified. It was perhaps one even he would make one day.

Crusher, in the end, did not assert seniority. She simply reached over to a medical tray, pulled the appropriate vial out, and after a moment placed the hypospray over the girl's neck on the jugular vein. A very slight, virtually inaudible hiss sounded and the vial emptied its contents right into the Jane Doe's body.

For several seconds there was no response. The only sound in the OR was the machine reading the patient's heart beat and neural activity. Leo felt almost numb with tension. Possibilities raced through his head. Had he done everything right? Had he made the right calls? Had he wasted time and resources on someone who simply couldn't be saved? Was he, even now, causing deaths by not giving this up?

 _Dear God, please_ , he pleaded in his mind and in his heart. _Please, I've done everything I can._ He put his hand on the girl's shoulder, as if to wake her. _Please_.

"Doctor Gillam." The sound of Crusher's voice led him to look her way. Her eyes had a gentle look to them now, and the same was true with her voice. "There's nothing more we can do. It's out of our hands now. We should go."

"Doctor Crusher is right." Ocasio spoke up next. "I will stay and monitor her condition, but you are needed in Triage."

Leo closed his eyes. He needed to. They felt so heavy. His heart felt like a heavy lump in his chest. All he could think about was if he did something wrong, if he missed something, if he had failed to save this girl…

"Right," he breathed. "I'm sorry."

"I know. We're all tired."

Leo drew in a breath and nodded to Crusher and to Ocasio. "Let's go."

* * *

The assault shuttle was flying in low and fast, a dark shape with low-slung engine nacelles against the debris of the countryside outside New Rennes. From his place of prominence in the cockpit behind the co-pilot, Fassbinder observed with appreciation the burning remains of enemy war machines and soldiers. One of the F1S1 "BattleMechs" was a broken mess zooming by on his right, undoubtedly victim to SS Panzers.

They were arranged ahead, those same machines. Tracked with anti-grav backup mobility, large disruptor cannons mounted on turrets much like the old chem-propelled tank guns of Hitler's panzers, the same panzers that had conquered wide swaths of Eurasia and Africa for the banner of the _Hakenkreuz_. SS lighting bolts and that same _Hakenkreuz_ were displayed proudly on the turrets of the war machines, as they were on the great armored _Panzergrenadier_ soldiers fighting alongside them.

Ahead of the shuttle, SS aerospace bombers already blasting enemy troops. One of the bombers blew apart after taking a mass effect-propelled anti-air shell from one of the Turian AA emplacements. Said gun blew up seconds later from another bomber's attack.

" _Gruppenführer_ Fischer has a new alert, sir," the co-pilot said. "Orbital visuals confirm that an enemy force is moving to counter-attack. Our troops may not make it to the target."

"Then we will make do." Fassbinder looked back to his men, a squad of four _Panzergrenadiers_ and two squads of light combat-armored _Stosstruppen_ from the Waffen SS. "Remember the briefing. Our primary objective are those individuals. They must not be killed."

"And the _untermenschen_?" asked a _Unterscharführer_.

"Consider them a secondary target of opportunity." Fassbinder smirked. The hospital loomed ahead. "If we must, we'll leave some alive in order to secure the targets. If we have the chance… exterminate them."

* * *

Leo and Nasri were working together as the combat casualties came in. A Free Worlds League MechWarrior was the next to be brought up. Leo looked over the woman's plentiful cuts and lacerations, creating angry red splotches of blood on dark skin, and immediately ordered Nasri to administer a painkiller while he examined the scan. "Injuries consistent with a partial canopy collision. Blood loss is severe but not critical, no critical damage to organs… but it looks like the toxic coolant in her cooling vest got into her bloodstream. Mark yes and send her to Doctor Lang for priority chelation and synthblood transfusion."

The next patient was a Turian trooper with disruptor burns. Leo was in the middle of marking her to be treated when the first explosion sounded outside.

The Triage Ward entrance was controlled chaos at the best of times. But clear panic was coming as some of the orderlies, heading out with medics to bring in more cases, returned screaming. "We're under attack!" one voice shouted, then another.

Galerius straightened up from where she was treating another Turian. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Enemy assault craft, they're landing outside of the hospital!"

As she demanded to know how many, Leo thought back to what Lucy had said. That she'd been worried about something. His finger went for his omnitool's comm key. "Gillam to Security, I need defense teams to Triage Ward, now! They're attacking the hospital!"

" _Teams already on their way_."

"Evacuate the Triage Ward, now!" Crusher was in motion as well. Orderlies and nurses, including Nasri, began to grab beds and push them toward the door.

Leo ran over to join her. He took the bed of the MechWarrior he'd examined barely a minute before and pushed her to the door, where a Turian medic took her and moved her on. He turned back into the Triage Ward as, from the far hall, armed security troopers appeared at the door and moved on toward the exit leading to the main entrance.

They barely got there when an explosion blasted through the wall and sent them flying. German-accented voices screamed, "Stop! Stop or you will be shot!" Leo watched as a hulking set of powered armor, one of the _Panzergrenadiers_ , stomped into the Triage Ward beside men in combat armor.

A hand grabbed him and pulled him into cover behind an overturned bed. Crusher and Nasri were in cover with him, as was a League soldier with a tourniquet around his wounded leg. From behind cover Leo heard more shouts and weapons fire. He turned his head in time to see a disruptor beam shoot a fleeing Turian medic in the back. He was vaporized instantly.

"Cease fire and you will not be harmed!" a voice cried out.

Leo felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He couldn't keep the shock off his face. "I know that voice," he murmured.

"What?" Crusher looked at him.

"It's him." Leo was still having trouble believing it. "Fassbinder. He's alive."

"Attention," the voice continued. Now it was booming over the hospital PA system. "I am _Standartenführer_ Fassbinder of the _Schutzstaffel._ I am here to collect several noted enemies of the German Reich. That is my only purpose, and if my mission succeeds, I will leave you without further harm."

Leo felt his throat go dry. He already had a feeling who Fassbinder was after. It would explain the spy, after all.

"I am aware that among you are members of the crew of the Alliance vessel _Aurora_ ," Fassbinder continued. "In particular, I seek two officers. Doctor Leonard Gillam and Lieutenant Lucilla Lucero. Upon their surrender I will leave and the SS will spare the remaining staff and patients of this facility. For every minute that I am defied, my troops will execute one of your people."

Leo swallowed. Lucy wasn't here. She was still out with those Asari commandos. Fassbinder would never be satisfied with that. He was about to kill innocent people.

Nasri looked to Leo and frowned. "Don't," she urged.

"I can't let him kill anyone," Leo said. "Maybe he'll be satisfied with me."

"You don't know that." Crusher shook her head. "He might kill you instead."

"No." Leo shook his head. "No, I think he wants us alive. He wants me alive." Leo activated his omnitool and started operating the comm channel. "Without a ship in orbit we're limited by comm range, but I'm hoping Lucy will pick this up."

" _Unterscharführer_ , execute a prisoner."

" _Jawohl_."

Leo immediately rose above the bed and shouted, "Wait!"

One of the infantryman had been about to shoot a Turian medic in the head. But he didn't. All eyes turned toward Leo.

Leo, in turn, was looking right at Fassbinder. The SS man smirked. "Ah, Doctor Gillam," he said. "It has been a while."

"Not nearly long enough for me," Leo grumbled. "I guess you survived your fall at Gamma Piratus."

"Transporter enhancers are useful, _ja_?" Fassbinder looked around the room. "Where is Lucero?"

"Not here."

"No?" Fassbinder's smug smirk became more of a smug grin. "My agent saw her earlier today."

"Andre Faqin."

The name drew no response from Fassbinder. "Where is she, _Herr Doktor_?"

"Like I said, she's not here," Leo said. "She went out into the field."

"Really?" Fassbinder made a show of looking at his timepiece. "You know, your minute is almost up."

"I can prove she's not here," Leo said. "The hospital logs will show her leaving."

"Logs are so easily doctored, though. And I'm afraid I don't have the means at hand to discern real records from fake." Fassbinder looked to his watch. "Five… four… three…"

The far door opened again. Leo looked that way and shook his head. _No_ …

Fassbinder looked to the door. A brief smirk turned into a scowl. "The gelding," he grumbled.

Hargert walked into the Triage Ward still wearing his cooking apron. The old man had a faint, deceptively-welcoming grin on his face as he took another step into the Ward. "The monster," he retorted.

"What are you doing here, old fool?"

"You demanded my presence, did you not?" Hargert stopped walking. "I am a crewmember of the _Aurora_ , the same as the good _Doktor_."

Fassbinder laughed at that. "You are a pitiful old gelding, a failure to your Race, a mere _cook_."

Hargert put a hand to his heart. "Oh, such an insult. I am no mere cook."

"No." Leo felt a warmth in his voice that matched the warmth in his heart. A warmth only equaled by his fear. "He's not."

Fassbinder drew a disruptor pistol from his belt holster. "Where is Lucero?" He held the gun up to Hargert.

"She is not here."

"I will shoot you, traitor."

"Then shoot." Hargert shook his head. "Do you think I am afraid of you, monster? No. I meant what I said before, SS man. _Nie weider_. We will never be afraid of you and your filth again. And we will not stop fighting until the German people of this universe are free of you, just as we have been for centuries."

Hargert said nothing further. Leo looked from him to Fassbinder. He was tense with anger and hate and the look in his eye told Leo he wanted to shoot Hargert right then and there. "Just wait!" Leo shouted. "She'll be back soon!"

Fassbinder didn't react immediately. Slowly, with visible surprise to his subordinates, he lowered the gun and returned it to his holster. Leo breathed a sigh of relief, even as he wondered why the SS man had stopped.

That relief turned to outright confusion a moment later when the smirk reappeared on Fassbinder's face.

The SS man brought up his gloved right hand and held it toward Hargert. His fingers looked like he was trying to grip a wire between his thumb and his index and middle finger. His blue eyes locked onto Hargert with an intensity that seemed bizarre for the moment.

A hacking, choking sound came from the old cook. Leo turned and watched in shock as Hargert's hands went up to his throat. He slouched over, as if about to fall to his knees, sharp wheezes and choking sounds coming from his throat. Finally he went down to his knees.

A low, satisfied chuckle came from Fassbinder's throat. "I will enjoy this," he rasped.

* * *

Leo wasn't the only one watching Fassbinder.

Inside the Asari-crewed shuttle, Lucy stared at the screen in shock. "That's… oh God," she gasped.

Fallina was watching with her own sense of profound surprise. "How is he doing that?" she asked Lucy. "That's not biotics."

"He's using life energy like I do," she answered. "But wrong. Twisted and dark." Lucy brought up her forearm and began entering commands into her omnitool as it came to life. "And if he sees us coming we're screwed. I need to distract him."

"With what?" Selmissima asked.

"Something unexpected," Lucy replied.

* * *

" _Herr Standartenführer_?" one of the SS field men asked, showing utter confusion.

"How is he doing that?" Crusher asked from behind the bed.

"Stop!" Leo cried out.

"This is the power you deny," rasped Fassbinder. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and toward his eyes. His face was turning red from sheer effort. "Do you not feel death coming, gelding? Don't you fear it? The pitch dark that you belong in, traitor? You and your kind… you false Germans… I will cast you all into that endless void! You deserve only oblivion!" A trickle of blood started to flow down from Fassbinder's nostrils.

Hargert went down to all fours. His lips were turning blue.

Leo tensed up. He wondered if he could break the choke hold by knocking Hargert away. He didn't think he could make it to Fassbinder before his men opened fire. "Please don't kill him," Leo pleaded. "Whatever you want us for, you can use him for too."

Fassbinder didn't seem to care. He kept his death grip up. Leo watched as his eyes seemed to flash from blue to gold for a moment, just a moment. And it seemed certain that Fassbinder would keep that grip until Hargert was dead.

And that there was nothing Leo could do about it.

Several meters away, a humanoid form coalesced into existence. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," asked the EMH. The hologram looked around with befuddlement.

Fassbinder's head whipped around to face the sudden newcomer. His concentration slipped and with it his grip on Hargert. "What is this?" Fassbinder demanded while Hargert began to breathe again.

"I could ask the same." The EMH looked over the invaders. "Bringing firearms into the triage ward is strictly prohibited outside of security personnel."

One of the SS troopers held up a scanner. " _Herr Standartenführer_ , this is a hologram."

Fassbinder opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as another ripple in mid-air coalesced into a second EMH. "What is the nature of the medical…" The second EMH looked at the first, his identical twin. "This is not appropriate use of my program," the second EMH complained.

Leo fought to keep a grin off his face. _Lucy_ was the thought that went through his head.

"Destroy them!" Fassbinder shouted. At that command disruptor beams struck both holograms. Their forms were distorted by the blasts until they faded away.

After a moment, both promptly reappeared. "That really isn't necessary," one stated.

Fassbinder clenched a fist and drew his gun.

That was when the wall exploded.

* * *

The commando shuttle flew right up to the side of the Hospital before Fallina and her team jumped from the side. In cooperation with each other, the Asari commando unit generated a massive biotic pulse that blew the first floor wall down completely.

In that moment of surprise, Lucy raced forward. Her _lakesh_ extended to its full length with a sharp metallic shriek. She cleared the fallen wall and the dust, and even as they started to react, she was on top of the SS troopers. Her blade cut cleanly through the arms of one, causing him to cry out as his dismembered limbs, and the gun they carried, hit the ground. She twisted and slashed out again, a cut that found the neck of a second foe, and a third swipe took the legs of the next.

Sensing the intentions of the nearest armored _Panzergrenadier_ , Lucy twisted slightly and avoided a kill-shot from the machine's arm-mounted disruptor. A fourth SS trooper disappeared in a surge of green energy that consumed him, a victim of that miss. She reached out with a hand and let the power within her reach out as well. Her power gripped the armored trooper and sent him flying into a second armored trooper. Both went to the floor.

The third and fourth of the enemy armored troops might have gotten her, but they were already facing a new problem, made clear by the dark matter energy that had formed around them, locking them in place. Two of Fallina's Asari maintained the stasis fields while Selmissima, the tall one with the assault rifle, was sending the light combat-suited infantry scurrying for cover. The two stunned armored troops were left sitting ducks to Niata, who was already ripping the weapons off of one with biotic fields.

Lucy at last turned to Fassbinder. Hearing his voice over the comms, seeing him in the visual channel, that had been enough of a shock. But sensing him, _feeling_ the malevolent cold of his active power, was worse. The idea that the Reich was starting to look for these powers and to train their own, especially SS, in their use… that was a threat that made her stomach churn. The things that these evil men could do with that power, the ease with which darkness could corrupt them...

Fassbinder started to level his gun toward Hargert. "I'll kill the old…"

Fassbinder's threat against Hargert's life stopped abruptly when Lucy thrust an open palm toward him. The power of the energy within her followed her will. Invisible force slammed into the SS man and sent him flying into the nearest wall.

"Lucy, look out!"

Leo's warning coincided with the sense of danger Lucy felt within. She swung to her right with her _lakesh_ and caught the disruptor beam before it could vaporize her. The beam reflected off her _lakesh_ and hit one of the SS troopers. He was blasted back and hit the ground, unmoving.

The trooper who fired never fired again. Fallina crashed into him in a flash of dark blue energy. The biotics-powered charge sent the SS soldier flying into the nearest wall, where he fell and stopped moving.

Fallina turned and faced one of the _Panzergrenadiers_ currently aiming toward her soldiers. The shotgun in her hands went off and blew a massive hole through the torso plate of the enemy powered armor suit. It collapsed to the ground. Fallina turned and fired a shot that caused an SS infantryman's torso to explode in a messy way.

The loss of the fourth and last of the _Panzergrenadiers_ was to the combined biotics of two of the Asari commandos. Intense dark matter forces rippled and coiled over the armored suit until it began to tear away. The weapons went down, and defenses, and soon the entire suit was in tatters and the pilot within exposed. A single gunshot from one of the Asari put him down.

The remaining SS forces, deprived of their heavy support, retreated from the Triage Ward. Fallina spoke into her comm. "What's our status?"

" _They're retreating for their shuttle_ ," her pilot replied.

Lucy almost celebrated until she felt the change in the atmosphere. Or, more accurately, the lack of presence. She turned to where she had thrown Fassbinder, just to find that he was gone. "Did anyone see where their commander went?" she asked.

"I thought I saw him run toward the interior of the hospital." The reply was from one of the orderlies in the room. "But I can't be sure."

Lucy frowned and tried to focus on her senses, on her energy, to feel his presence. Given the malevolent nature of it, it would stick out like a sore thumb.

"I think he's this way," she said to the others. "This way."

"T'Sani, Niata, with us, the rest of you, stay and help with wounded." Fallina hefted her shotgun and followed Lucy into the hospital.

* * *

Fassbinder felt shame and rage burn inside of him as he ran further into the hospital. Months of training, of pushing his limits, all of his work… and he was still weak compared to Lucero. He would be the laughing stock of the SS for this defeat.

 _Perhaps not all is in vain_ , he thought. _Perhaps I can hold out until our main force arrives_. He knew that was a long shot at best, but he would not give up. Not on this. He was so close to getting what he needed. His plan was all laid out. And he would find his destiny with it

Fassbinder was so busy he didn't see the closet door nearby slide open. As he walked past it his senses came alive with warning. Curious and concerned, he turned toward the door with a hand going to his pistol.

That was when the force hit him, full strength, and sent him into unconsciousness.

* * *

The sense of malevolence went away. Lucy stopped where she was and looked around. "Oh come on," she muttered before concentrating. He had to be out there.

But try as she might, Lucy felt nothing.

"Dammit," she grumbled.

"What is it?" Fallina and her team approached.

"I lost him. It's… where could he have gone?" Lucy began looking around again. "We'll need to put up a watch. He's too dangerous to be ignored."

"I'll get in contact with Security," said Fallina. "But if you ask me, I think he took off to the nearest exit. He knows he's a dead man if we find him."

"True." But something about that didn't sit right. Lucy had a feeling that Fassbinder, whatever had happened, was somewhere else, or had some other plan.

And she already knew this would not be the last they'd seen of the SS man, whatever happened.


	56. Episode 2-11-5 Under Fire

It was starting to get dark outside when Leo finally had a moment to step away from the Triage Ward. Even with Alpha getting most of the casualties during their difficulties, enough had come in from the nearby fighting to keep all of the doctors busy while the mess from the attack still had to be cleaned up.

He knew Lucy and Hargert were waiting for him in the mess, but he had another stop to make first. He returned to the Intensive Care Ward.

An Asari nurse met him at the door. "Jane Doe #3," he said. "The adolescent girl. Is she here?" As he said the words his heart pounded with fear. Despite all of the excitement of the SS attack he hadn't forgotten about his biggest effort of the day. He hadn't stopped wondering if she had recovered, or if all of his work had been for nothing.

As those thoughts went through his head, the Asari nurse was looking over the list. "I'm not seeing a Jane Doe #3…"

Leo's heart plunged into his stomach.

"Wait… oh, there she is. Zahra Mercier."

That brought Leo to stare in shock. "Wait, we have her name?" he asked. "How…?"

"She's awake, Doctor," the Asari answered. "She woke up about two hours ago."

With his heart hammering in surprise and joy, Leo thanked the Asari and ventured into the ward.

The young girl with the new heart looked asleep when Leo stepped up beside her bed, in the curtain-covered alcove assigned to her. It was only when he sat down that she moved. Her eyes opened slightly, enough to show their deep brown color. " _Monsieur Docteur_ ," she said, and Leo's auto-translator rendered it into "Mister Doctor" accordingly.

Leo thought his mouth was going to go dry when he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Zahra blinked and tried to move an arm. She managed it just enough that her hand came off the bed. Leo took it. "Weak," she finally said.

"That's not surprising. Your body took a lot of damage. We gave you a new heart earlier today."

That was answered with a weak nod. "I thought I was to die. The… the blast… wave… I do not know the word?"

For a moment Leo considered telling her to stop speaking, to conserve her strength. But he stopped himself. She _needed_ to speak, it seemed. Needed to share what had happened. "If you want to tell me what happened, I'm ready," Leo said.

"Can I have a drink first? I am thirsty."

Leo stood and reached for the tray the nurses had thoughtfully left, with a plastic cup and an insulated pitcher of cool water. He poured her enough for a drink and brought the cup up to her lips. Her arm tried to intercept the cup to take the drink for herself, but the limb - horrifying in its bone-thinness - flopped onto her belly. Leo was left to pour the water carefully into her waiting lips, giving her time to swallow each sip until she nodded and he pulled the cup away. "How is that?"

"Better." Zahra licked at her lips. It was painful to see a girl her age in the shape she was in, bone-thin and nearly a living skeleton. Even after days of seeing these patients, it still hurt Leo to think of the suffering that went with such a condition. "The _Boche_ … they did something. There was a… a thing in the barracks. On the ceiling. It lit up."

Leo nodded. "Okay. Do you mind if I share this with others, Zahra? If you do, I won't. I'm your doctor, anything you tell me stays between us unless you tell me to share it."

"Please do. Please tell everyone," Zahra insisted, with as much heat as her voice could manage. "Something in the ceiling. I saw it light up. Mama… Mama pushed me to the door. She screamed for me to get out. I ran. I was the first to run. I remember a loud noise, like a thunderclap, and I looked back…" Zahra's eyes opened more, and it was clear it was from horror at the memory. "There was a… wave… a blast… energy… it hit people and they fell. I kept running. I didn't want it to hit me."

She went silent for a moment. Leo took her hand and waited patiently for her to continue.

"And then I had… pain. In my belly. My heart. It hurt so much." Tears formed in her eyes. "I tried to scream but nothing would move. I just fell over. I… I thought I was going to die. And then I felt nothing. And I woke up here."

"I'm sorry."

"My parents, my uncle and cousin… they are dead?" The way she said it, it was clear Zahra was already certain of it.

Leo sighed and nodded. "Yes, I think. We found four remains in the mass grave with genetic relation to you. You may be the only survivor of that barracks. I'm sorry."

The look on Zahra's face didn't change for a moment. Tears formed in her eyes as the impact of the confirmation hit home for her. Her face twisted into visible pain a moment before she began to weep softly.

There were all sorts of things Leo could have said. He could have expressed further condolences. He could have promised that he would help her (and he would, to the best of his ability). He could have encouraged her to live for her slain family.

He said nothing. All he did was hold her hand. Because, for that moment, he knew it was the only right thing he could do. 

* * *

After Zahra cried herself to sleep and Leo saw to her further treatments for the evening, he went to the mess hall. He barely had time to sit before Hargert was at his side, bearing a bowl of sausage stew and a plate of salad. Seeing (and smelling) the fine food made Leo realize how long it had been since he ate, and his stomach growled in anticipation. Leo took to both in alternating bites.

Lucy joined them a moment later. "There you are," she said, putting down her half-finished bowl of sausage stew.

"How is your patient?" asked Hargert.

Leo swallowed a bite of salad. "Alive. Grief-stricken. Her name is Zahra Mercier."

"Poor girl." Hargert nodded. He looked none the worse for wear given the day's events.

"What you did today, Hargert…" Leo put his utensils down and looked directly at the man. "...he would have killed you. Hell, I think he hates you the most of all."

Hargert answered that with a thin smile. "I knew he might kill me. I simply had faith that the rest of you might stop him." He directed the smile at Lucy, who smiled back. "Thank you, _Fraulein_."

"You don't have to, Hargert," Lucy said. "It's what I'm here for." She frowned. "What worries me is that he was using powers like ours. The Gersallian _swevyra_ , I mean."

"After seeing you and Rob and Meridina using it, he must have gotten some ideas."

Lucy nodded at Leo's suggestion. "And because of what he is… he's already being corrupted by it. He's falling into darkness. That's going to make him all the more dangerous."

"Assuming the SS does not punish him for failing today," Hargert said. "We have beaten him twice now."

A sick feeling was swirling in Lucy's gut at that. "Did we?" she asked.

"What?"

"Did we stop him, Hargert?" Lucy looked to him. "I… if I remember SS rank structure right from our intel briefings, his new rank is higher than his older one. He's been _promoted_ since Gamma Piratus. Why would they promote him when we beat him?"

Hargert's smiled vanished. So did Leo's. "We need to tell Rob and the others," Leo said. "And Admiral Maran. You don't think he could have taken anything from the Facility, do you?"

"I don't know," Lucy said. "I mean, from what I remember, none of his teams actually secured the computer cores, and they didn't get the control room. Not entirely. But maybe they got something…"

"I would think so too." Hargert was frowning now. "How else has he been promoted?"

"Dammit." Lucy rubbed at her forehead. "And then there's the other thing."

"What?"

"The issue with the Turian meds," Lucy said. "Someone at Hospital Bravo put them in containers labeled as Dorei-specific meds."

The news shocked Leo. "They did _what?_ But… the Dorei are levo-compatible like us, giving them Turian meds…"

"Yeah." Lucy brought a container out. "And what's more, there was a murder at Bravo. Some poor woman got her face pummelled into bloody goo."

The news rocked Leo to his core. Sabotage and murder? "An SS agent?"

"Maybe? I don't know. We know they had them. But it just feels… off." She opened the container. Inside was her bolt wrench. Little clumps of dead skin cells were still visible on the inner rim. She reached further in and pulled out a silk cloth to lay flat on the table. Clumps of dried blood were visible on it. "We got genetic samples from the body. I mean, these will work right?"

"They might." Leo lifted his left arm and activated his omnitool. "I'll see if my scanner can get a good gene print off of them." At a touch of a key the scanner activated. Waves of blue light ran over both samples. The omnitool screen appeared and showed a partial genetic profile forming. "The blood's degraded, but with the skin cells to confirm…" A nearly-complete helix formed on his screen. "There it is. An intact genetic profile." He used his hands to manipulate a hard-light control that emerged from the omnitool in mid-air under his hands. "I'm accessing our database now. Let's see if we can…"

A result popped up. Leo's jaw dropped open in utter shock.

Lucy moved up beside him and read the result.

 _Profile Match: Doctor Amelia Indira Lang, Force Commander, FWLM._

Leo's finger was already hitting his comm key. "Gillam to Security! This is an emergency, find and detain Doctor Lang _now!_ She's an imposter!" 

* * *

There were people that Specialist Kevin Lewis wanted to shoot. At least sometimes. The annoying neighbor who ratted him out on his stash of porn vids when he was growing up. The kid at school who punched his lights out. The asshole recruiter who told him that the mercenary life was far more exciting than normal military service in the AFFC.

That's how a kid from a medium-sized city on Grosvenor, a boring planet in the Federated Commonwealth's Crucis March where there was nothing of interest to the Inner Sphere or the Multiverse as a whole, wound up in Rawling's Raiders, a small-time merc outfit that was supposed to specialize in anti-pirate defense for the Periphery. Lewis had imagined seeing amazing Periphery locales, exotic lovers, and all the other things the frontier was supposed to be.

But instead, his first assignment was to the contract with the Free Worlds League to work in Universe S4W8, protecting Coalition facilities in League-held areas. That meant fighting Nazis, who were even more terrifying than the Clans with their hulking power-armored troops, and being bored in damned field hospitals. He was responsible for the locals' "civilian" exit overlooking their vehicle park and mass transit pick-up location, checking IDs and making sure only authorized locals were coming in.

A moment of excitement came when Mister Taylor, in charge of security for the hospital, had called for a security alert. They were ordered to detain Doctor Lang, if found, as a suspected imposter. Maybe, if he was lucky, Lang would try to get through _his_ door, and Lewis would get to do something useful! And maybe even get a bonus from the capture to boot!

Instead, all he saw that night was a beautiful nurse walk up to him. She was Caucasian, with beautiful blue eyes and long dark hair and a body to die for. Lewis was certain she couldn't be a local.

She wasn't alone though. She was pushing a bed. The man on it was one Lewis knew he'd seen before, a local. He was unconscious, or maybe just sleeping.

She smiled at him. "I'm just taking Mister Faqin out to his vehicle. He had a bad day. I'll bring the bed back later."

Lewis almost agreed, but he knew he'd be in deep shit if he did. "We're on the lookout for someone, ma'am, I'm afraid I have to have the bed examined."

"I already had it secured by a doctor," she answered. "The holographic one. Here, let me." She looked to the side. "Computer, please activate Emergency Medical Hologram."

The bald-headed man in the Starfleet uniform appeared beside her. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"I need to get this poor man to his vehicle, we need the bed," the nurse said sweetly. "And you already scanned him. But the guard didn't see it."

The EMH rolled his eyes. "What is it with you people and calling me for… never mind." He let out a frustrated breath before activating a specialized omnitool that formed over his hand, integrated by Zimmerman into the EMH program. "It looks like this fellow exhausted himself by working too hard. Wake him up and send him home. I recommend he be relieved of duty for at least twenty-four hours." The EMH glared at her and then Lewis. "There, is that it? Or do you have another mundane, decidedly non-emergency task for me to handle?"

"Uh, no Doc," Lewis said. "Nothing at all."

"Fine. Thank you and have a wonderful evening."

"Disengage hologram," the nurse said. The EMH vanished.

"Alright ma'am." Lewis nodded. "You're good to go."

The nurse smiled at him and pushed the bed out.

But contrary to what she said, it didn't come back. Nor did she.

* * *

It was late when Leo finally saw Doctor Crusher again, in the doctors' watch station between the Standard and Critical Care Wards. "Well, it's been a busy day."

Leo nodded. Before he could speak a distant thunderclap sounded. The fighting was still roaring on close by. "A very busy day."

"I saw that our patient woke up."

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "Her name is Zahra Mercier."

For a moment, there was silence between the two physicians.

"It's odd," Leo said, breaking the silence. He gave a thoughtful look toward Crusher. "Medical ethics, I mean. I was in the wrong, but I was right."

"Oh?"

A dull thump of a headache caused Leo to press his forefinger and thumb against his temples and massage his forehead. "You were right about that surgery. By every principle of triage, I should have quit. Zahra's survival was a one in five shot at best. Her system barely handled even five ccs of the dizaproregene and that didn't even fully heal her lungs. All of that effort would have been wasted. While we were needed on the Triage floor. And when we don't even know when, or if, we'll get re-supplied." Leo shook his head. "I made the wrong decision."

"Maybe from a triage stand-point," Crusher said. "But the fact is that if I'd ordered you to stop, our patient would be dead right now." There was something in her voice, a measure of realization, and pain to go with it.

"We were both wrong. And both right. But maybe you were more right than I was." Leo tapped his finger on the desk. "All of that time we were in the OR, saving someone who was likely to die, there were how many patients coming into Triage? Those are people who may have died because help didn't get to them in time. All because we were busy saving one life."

"The life of a child."

"I know. But under medical ethics, is that more important than the lives of adults?"

"I…" Crusher stopped. "I suppose some people would say yes. That children are the future. But I don't want to go down that road of deciding whose life is more important."

"Me neither."

There was another few moments of contemplative silence between the two. "Maybe the important thing is that we don't know these answers," Leo said. "We have to know that we might be wrong. If we start thinking everything we do is right, well…"

He let the sentence hang so Crusher could complete the thought. "...we lose sight of our limitations. And we start thinking we have the right to make tough choices without thinking about them."

"Yeah." Leo rubbed at his eyes. After all of this he just wanted to get some sleep.

His omnitool flashed into existence, at least in part, forming the light around his wrist and the back of his hand. With curiosity he pressed the light to open the channel.

" _Attention all Hospital personnel, prepare for immediate evacuation. I repeat, prepare for evacuation._ "

"What?" Crusher stood. "Evacuation? To where?"

Leo's omnitool registered a second communication coming in, and the voice he heard brought a smile to his face.

"Aurora _to Gillam_ ," said Jarod. " _Hold tight. We're on our way._ " 

* * *

The _Aurora_ dropped out of warp nearly within weapons range of the _Baldur von Schirach_ and her battlegroup of warships. In the seconds afterward, a number of other ships dropped out of warp around her. Four _Predator_ -class destroyers, a _Scorpio_ -class attack cruiser, and two _Trigger_ -class attack ships led by the _Koenig_ came in with the first wave.

"Enemy warships are responding to our arrival." Caterina kept her eyes on sensors. "They're getting ready to fire."

"Hit first," Robert ordered.

Angel answered with a gleeful "Yes sir" even as she triggered the forward weapons.

The _Aurora_ and her fellow ships launched into an immediate attack that pummeled the nearest enemy ships. The _Sedan-_ class cruiser Angel targeted retorted with disruptor fire that drained their shields even as their weapons pummeled away at the enemy cruiser. Solar torpedoes blasted the swastika insignia on its bow, turning it into debris and wreckage.

The _Koenig_ , leading the formation of _Trigger_ -class ships that resembled her so closely, went in phasers blazing. Multiple heavy phaser cannon shots took down the shields of the enemy cruiser and allowed the attack ships' torpedoes to gut the ship.

The arrival of the _Aurora_ attracted the attention of the _Schirach_. The SS-crewed dreadnought was already turning to bring its terrible battery of spinal mount super-disruptors to bear.

Which is exactly what Robert and the others planned. "Send the signal to the others," Julia ordered, while Robert waited in quiet patience. This was one part of this return mission that couldn't be left to chance.

Thankfully, it hadn't been.

Within moments of the signal, another surge of radiation flooded the sensors of every ship in the system. And Robert and the others watched in satisfaction as the _Starship Lexington_ dropped out of warp.

And like them, she hadn't come alone.

Not even a moment later two _Excelsior_ -class starships, marked as the _Charleston_ and the _Lakota_ , came out of warp beside the _Lexington_. Not to be outdone, a pair of _Saber_ -class ships also arrived, as well as an older _Miranda_ -class and a new _Intrepid_ -class called the _Stargazer_. And, last but definitely not least, two large _Galaxy_ -class starships warped in.

" _This is Captain Higginbotham_ ," said a voice, coming from the _Galaxy_ -class _Madison_. " _Focus fire on the enemy dreadnought_."

"Let's do the same, Angel," Robert said.

The first super-disruptor shot was already firing, hitting the _Aurora_ directly. Jarod quickly checked their shield effectiveness status. "Shields down to sixty-eight percent."

The _Schirach_ had gotten in the hit, but it was soon evident that she was in trouble. Not only was the _Aurora_ 's powerful bow array of pulse plasma cannons and phaser weapons tearing away at her, but the entire Starfleet task force that Captain Ben Zoma had called in were coming right for the SS dreadnought. Amber beams of phaser fire from the various ships all struck against the crimson shields protecting the giant ship. The combined firepower of the several Federation starships got the shields down low enough that the SS ship's hull took several direct impacts from photon torpedoes.

Disruptor shots retaliated against the Federation strike group, both from the _Schirach_ and from her escorts, under fire from _Aurora_ 's escorting ships. The space around New Brittany was lit up with the amber and emerald streaks of phaser and disruptor fire, accentuated by the powerful pulses of azure energy that erupted from _Aurora_ 's main battery and the main battery on the _Scorpio_ -class cruiser, even now savagely tearing into a burning _Dresden_ -class Nazi cruiser.

A missile from the _Schirach_ blasted the nacelle off of one of the _Saber_ -class ships. Another caused hull and system damage to one of the Alliance _Predator_ -class destroyers. Much of the _Schirach_ 's fury was still bent on the _Aurora_ , which took another super-disruptor hit. "Shields down to forty percent."

"I'm maintaining evasive maneuvers," Locarno added.

The dreadnought didn't get a chance to fire its spinal mounts at the _Aurora_ again, as Locarno's maneuvering put it out of the firing arc. The _Koenig_ and two of the other attack ships came in on the bow of the enemy dreadnought with phasers and torpedoes blazing. With the _Idaho_ \- one of the two _Galaxy_ -class ships - blazing away with phasers and disrupting the dreadnought's forward shields, the _Koenig_ and her cousins were able to batter through them enough for their solar torpedoes to make direct impact on the emitters before they could fire again. An explosion consumed the open ports in the bow of the great enemy dreadnought.

"I'm picking up power surges," Cat said. "I think they're going to warp."

A moment later that prediction was confirmed. The _Schirach_ , and the three surviving ships with her battle group, disappeared in flashes of bright light.

"Stand down from combat, running status Code Yellow."

"I've already received the confirmation from General Chaganam," Julia added. "They're getting ready to evacuate."

"Signal the other ships. Use light fire, keep the enemy pinned down so their troops can disengage. Jarod?"

"I've already sent the signal," Jarod confirmed. Moments later interuniversal jump points began to form on the screen. DropShips from Universe F1S1, troop transports of Alliance build, and a Turian regimental-sized troop carrier emerged from the points. Another series of points brought in a series of hospital ships and passenger vessels converted to provide the same. "Leo's signalling."

"Put him on."

Leo appeared on the holo-viewer. He was sitting at a doctor's watch station. " _Hey_ ," he said. " _Nice timing_."

"You're welcome."

" _I've got news. Some of it bad. Even scary. But what's this about an evacuation?_ "

"We're doing this on a tight timetable," Robert replied. "The Reich's sending reinforcements to take and hold New Brittany. We don't have the ships or manpower to hold this planet and the others. The Coalition Command decided to write New Brittany off, but they let us bring in ships to evac the troops and hospitals. The _Epaminondas_ and her battle group are following us in to cover the withdrawal."

" _And what about the people? Rob, some of these folks worked with us, if the SS get wind of it_ …"

"General Chaganam is already sending out a public signal, anyone who worked with our occupation forces is getting a free ticket off-world," Robert answered. He was frowning a little. "It's the best we can do. Maybe when we start getting Inner Sphere ships ready for this war, or we get the Clans participating, we can come back. But right now…"

" _Yeah. I get it. Triage_." Leo sighed.

"You said you had news," Julia said. "What did you mean?"

" _Some things have happened while you were away. Lucy and I will share them with you when we get back to the_ Aurora _, but right now I'm going to join Doctor Crusher in getting our patients ready for the evacuation. I'll see you when I get back up there. Gillam out_."

After Leo disappeared, Julia gave Robert a concerned look. "What do you think he meant by that?"

Robert didn't immediately reply. But there was no denying the sick feeling he had that something was going on, something bad. "I don't know," he said. "But we'll just have to find out. Go ahead and secure us for evacuation work. Cat?"

Caterina already knew what he would be asking about. "We've got the Reich force on long range probes. At their current warp velocity I think we have about ten, eleven hours."

"The _Epaminondas_ is still thirty minutes out, but we should be able to complete the evacuation within ten hours with their help," Jarod added.

"Alright. Let's get this evacuation going, then. And this time, we're not leaving _anyone_ behind."

* * *

 **Tag**

Leo and Lucy delivered their news to the others. They added the recorded visuals from the hospital. The response was complete quiet.

"I don't believe it," Robert mumbled, looking at the image on the conference room holotable. "Fassbinder's alive."

"Are you sure this isn't a clone?" Julia asked.

"He looked like the original to me."

"And moved like him," Lucy added. "And that's not the worst part."

"He has _swevyra_ ," Robert mumbled. "Probably learned how to access it by watching us."

"Given his behavior before, and his ideology, he will certainly fall." Meridina shook her head in disbelief. "Reich _swevyra'kse_. They will be far more dangerous if this becomes widespread."

"That's still not the worst part," Lucy insisted. "He's not an _Obersturm_ -whatever-it-was anymore. He's something called a ' _Standartenführer_.' That's the _highest_ rank we've seen him have. He didn't even have that on Gamma Piratus."

"Wait. That doesn't make sense," Angel said. "We _beat_ him. We kicked his ass out of the Facility after killing all of his guys. Why the hell would the Nazis _promote_ that piece of crap?"

"Unless th' scunners got somethin' from th' Facility," Scotty suggested.

"I suppose it's possible." Jarod shook his head. "Maybe they got some data from the general system."

"Whatever it was, this is big news, and we need to report it to Maran immediately." Robert tried to hold back the sick feeling in his stomach. "Was that all?"

"I'm afraid not." With a nod from Leo, Lucy brought up the information from the dead body in Bravo. "Someone attempted to pass off Turian dextro-compatible medications as Dorei-specific. And they murdered Dr. Lang in the process."

"The evacuation is still on, but there's been no sign of the imposter Lang for hours," added Leo. "So whoever it was got away."

"Well, it's probable the SS had agents from the local population infiltrate the hospitals."

"I'm… I don't feel like that's the answer," Lucy said to Jarod. "There's something more to it than that. A local Nazi spy killing just one doctor and swapping medical labels? I mean, maybe, but it feels like they would do something bigger if they were moving toward active sabotage. Something that hurts us immediately and directly. Faking a pharmaceutical mix-up would cause strain in the Coalition, yeah, but hardly worth the effort if you're an SS or military intel agent."

"Yet it is sabotage that might be done without being directly detected, if done right," Meridina pointed out. "At a low enough risk to the agent, it becomes worthwhile."

"Maybe… but I still don't buy it. It doesn't… I don't feel like that's the answer here. It's just too subtle and it lacks the immediate payoff."

"Nazi spy or not, why did they leave Lang's body in Hospital Bravo?" Julia asked. "If Bravo hadn't been evacuated, the body would have been found."

"I think I have the answer to that," said Leo. "Lang was responsible for moving the pharmaceuticals. She would have realized the switch happened. Given her authority and access to records, she might have even figured out who. Killing her buys time for the saboteur, and by replacing her the saboteur got a chance to try something else. They probably figured the Nazis would sweep the vault and deal with the remains. And maybe they figured we would never risk sending anyone back."

"Either way, that's another matter for Admiral Maran to take up." Robert stood. "The evacuation of New Brittany will be complete within the next four hours. We'll be getting out of here with an hour to spare before the Reich reinforcements show up. Let's keep everyone on alert for now… with two exceptions." He looked to Leo and Lucy. "You two need a break. I'm relieving you of duty for the next 48 hours."

"You won't get any complaints from me," Lucy answered.

"If you don't mind, Rob, I have a couple things to check on in the medbay," Leo said. "But I'll stay off-duty while I'm at it."

"Excellent." Robert smiled and nodded. "Enjoy your two days off."

"Or we shall be forced to take drastic measures, I suspect," Meridina added, giving Lucy a bemused look.

"Oh? As in?"

"We'll sic Julia on you," Robert clarified.

"Like I'm not even in the room…"

After Julia's _sotto voce_ remark, the assembled filed out of the room. All except Robert, who looked back down at the planet.

"I sense your discomfort," said Meridina, who was now standing beside him. "It is Fassbinder, isn't it?"

"I've seen him in my dreams, Meridina," Robert admitted. "I've seen him with golden eyes and vicious power. And now… now it turns out he _is_ alive, and that he's learning how to use it."

"Yes. I am worried. But not too worried." Meridina looked at him. "Without a being to guide him in learning how to connect to his _swevyra_ , his efforts will be… like a child left to learn how to walk, how to feel and speak, without any guidance. He will not pose a horrible threat."

"I hope you're right." Robert looked down at the planet. "I just wish I could sense where he was. What he was doing here, and why he has the SS after the _Aurora_."

"Give it time…"

Meridina left him to his thoughts at that point, and Robert spent the time looking out the window again. Questions assailed his mind. What was Fassbinder up to? How did he get promoted for failing to take the Facility on Gamma Piratus?

 _What is going on here?_

As there was no answer forthcoming, Robert eventually left the conference room.

* * *

Fassbinder woke up in a locale he found familiar. He had seen it in video images for a few weeks now: the basement of Andre Faqin's home. The SS officer sat up in confusion. Faqin remained asleep, and utterly still, across from him.

"Congratulations," a woman's voice said. "The Alliance and its allies are withdrawing. Your people have reclaimed the planet."

Fassbinder turned and faced the woman in question. She was wearing a sleeveless blouse and slacks that made her look very casual and hid none of her physical beauty. At first Fassbinder didn't know who she was save the familiarity of her face, but as he considered the face and made the appropriate changes, he let out a growl of anger. "You!" And he lunged for her.

But he never reached her. The dark-haired woman reached up and out her hand and gripped him with... literally nothing. "You're rather ungrateful," said the woman. "I'm the only reason you got out of that Field Hospital alive. If I hadn't reprogrammed their holographic doctor to ignore you and slipped you out with Faqin, you would have been found."

Fassbinder spat out curses in German. "You little _untermensch_! Brown bitch! Did you think you would go unrecognized by lightening your skin?! I remember you, Lucero!"

The blue-eyed, dark-haired woman who, aside from flawless Caucasian skin tone, resembled Lucy Lucero completely cracked a grin. "I am not Lucero. Surely you can sense that, even with your poor grasp of your potential."

Fassbinder forced himself to calm down for the moment. As he did, he could sense what she was saying and that it was, surprisingly, true. While she looked like Lucero, she didn't _feel_ like Lucero.

"Go ahead and put our new friend down," a new voice said.

The fake-Lucy did so. And then she stepped away and toward the nearby stairs, where a second female was stepping down. Fassbinder focused on her. She had pale blue eyes, long golden blond hair, and a body that was both beautiful and sensually displayed by the low-cut and tight red dress. "And that is what we are here to be, Fassbinder," the woman cooed. "Friends."

Fassbinder looked at them intently. "Who, what are you?"

"As I said. Friends."

"Friends with mutual enemies," the fake Lucy added.

Fassbinder considered that. He sensed the truth from the power growing within him. "You are enemies of the Alliance?"

"Very much so," the gorgeous blonde said. "And it's taken us a lot of effort to get into position to approach you. And I do mean _you_ , _Standartenführer_ Fassbinder."

"You have the Gift. The power of God. The means to further God's Plan."

Fassbinder continued to look at each in turn. "And what does that mean. What do you want?"

"To help you fulfill your potential, _Herr Standartenführer_ ," the fake Lucero said. "To train you to use your power to the fullest potential."

"And to help you face our common foe," added the blonde. "The Alliance. And the crew of the _Starship Aurora_. They are impediments to the Plan."

"And the keys to your future destiny."

"Yes." Fassbinder nodded. "They are. They are all that." He thought on it a moment "And you wish to help me against them?"

"As I said, they are our enemies. You are their enemies. So you should be our friends." The blond stepped forward and offered her hand. "We are the Cylons, and we offer you and your Reich our assistance in defeating the Alliance, the _Aurora_ , and any who stand opposed to God's Plan."

Fassbinder considered it for a moment. Slowly, a grin formed on his face.

He extended his hand as well. "Your offer is accepted," he said. "Let our enemies tremble." 

* * *

When Leo arrived in the medbay he went to his office. It was only when he got into his chair that Doctor Singh appeared, a disapproving scowl on the New Punjabi woman's face. "You should be resting," she said. "You've done enough."

Leo smiled at her and held up a hand in surrender. "I'm not here to run a shift or make rounds, I'm just going to check a few things before I go to my quarters for the night."

Singh gave him a look that spoke of her disbelief. "If you're not out of the medbay in an hour, I'm going to personally drag you out," she threatened jokingly, or rather half-jokingly.

"That won't be necessary, I promise." Leo pointed to the clock on the wall. "But just to be clear, I'm not counting the hour as starting until we're done here."

Singh shook her head and walked out.

With that done, Leo patched into the _Aurora_ 's communications system and sent a hail through the Coalition network to a colleague. After several seconds Doctor Crusher appeared on the screen, sitting at a desk of her own. "I see they hauled you up too," he remarked.

" _Admiral McCoy's orders_ ," Crusher answered. " _I'm on the_ Lexington _right now. Captain Ben Zoma and Captain Amundsen of the_ Charleston _were crew on the old_ Stargazer _with my late husband, so we're going to do some catching up."_

"Sounds good to me." Leo nodded. "It's been a hell of a week, hasn't it?"

" _Yes, it has_ ," she agreed. " _Have you settled back in?_ "

"I've been ordered off-duty for the next two days and they're threatening to toss me out of medbay if I stay too long," Leo answered, chuckling afterward. "So yeah, I am."

" _That's good to hear_." After a moment Crusher nodded at him, an appreciative gesture. " _It was good working with you, Doctor Gillam. Hopefully we can meet again in a less stressful environment. Perhaps the Second Multiversal Medical Symposium that's going to be held on Betazed in four months?_ "

"Sounds interesting," Leo admitted. "I'll see if I can make it."

" _I look forward to introducing you to some of my Starfleet colleagues. In the meantime, I wish you and the_ Aurora _the best of luck. Crusher out._ "

"Good luck to you too," Leo managed, just before Crusher ended the call. He sighed and took a look at the backlog of paperwork. The sight made him wince. He was going to be spending a lot of time clearing that backlog.

But not tonight. Tonight he had once last stop before he let Singh chase him from the medbay. He left his office and went to the urgent care area, where some of the cases from Charlie were being kept.

Zahra Mercier was in a bed looking very surprised, and thrilled, at the advanced technology of the _Aurora_. He walked up to her bed. "Hey."

"Hello." Zahra looked at him. "I am getting better?"

"Slowly but surely. You'll be heading to a survivor hospital until you're strong enough for outpatient care." Leo pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "You may still need a surgery or two to deal with the problems inside of your body. And you'll definitely need weeks of monitored food intake to recover from your near-starvation."

"I think I understand." Zahra frowned. "But where will I go? My family is dead. I can never go back home…"

"I've already marked a contact in your file. Doctor Pierre N'Djehoya. He's a friend of mine from New Liberty, and when the hospital doctors say you're fit to leave, he'll be contacted to bring you home." Leo took her hand. "On New Liberty you'll meet kids your age, from all sorts of ethnic and national groups. You'll get an education."

"And then your people, your State, will decide what I will do?"

"No." Leo shook his head. " _You_ decide what you'll do with your life. You'll decide who you marry, or even if you'll marry. If you have kids. What you'll do. That's all for you."

Zahra nodded. A distant, sad look filled her eyes. "But I'll still be alone. My family is gone."

"That's the thing about New Liberty," Leo answered. "A lot of people there are like you. They lost loved ones to the Nazis, or people like them. They know what it feels like. And they'll be there for you. And your family…" Leo tapped his heart. "They're still there. They're with you right now. You'll remember them. And that means they'll _never_ be truly gone. That's something the Nazis will never take from you."

For a moment she didn't respond. And Leo didn't blame her. He knew the pain she was in. The shock of loss. And the suffering of what the Reich had done to her and those she loved. He just hoped she would recognize what he was saying was true.

And given the small smile that appeared on her face, it looked like she did.

And that, for Leo, made everything they had gone through worthwhile.


	57. Episode 2-12-1 Common Ground

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Koenig; 10 August 2642. Commander Zachary Carrey recording. We've been detached from the_ Aurora _to take part in a joint training exercise with members of the Citadel Council races' special forces. We're currently on our way to the rendezvous point to meet with the ships carrying the strike teams we'll be hosting aboard for the duration of the exercise._

 _Given that we have already embarked Commander Kane and a team of his Marines from the_ Aurora _, my little ship is approaching standing-room-only in available living space. But we'll make do._

The mess hall on the _Koenig_ was now split in half, much to the irritation of the crew of the attack ship. Wall partitions set up by engineering crews from the _Aurora_ had turned half of the space once used by the crew for communal eating into a bunk room for the incoming special forces troops.

Zack finished a grilled chicken sandwich at one of the remaining tables. Across from him, Tom Barnes and Magda Navaez, both Lieutenants and serving as his Chief Engineer and Operations Officer respectively, were sharing complaints about the situation. "Hot-bunking, I mean… it's bad enough that the sleeping spaces are like frakking closets." Barnes was frowning intently. "Now we'll have people sleeping in our bunks when we're on duty."

"You think you have it tough? Do you have any idea what all of these extra people are doing to the life support systems?" Magda asked before taking a bite of chicken soup.

"Uh, yeah, actually, I do," Barnes retorted. "I had to spend half a day installing additional life support tanks to ensure we have the capacity we need." After a moment of considering his grilled chicken sub, he added, "And why are we all eating chicken anyway?"

"Habit?" Zack proposed. He finished another bite and said, "I'm not really a tuna guy, and if you ask me, the replicators never get pork or beef right. But they're good with chicken."

"I just want to get these exercises over with." Magda gave him a look. "Why did you volunteer us for this again?"

"Okay, one?" Zack held up a finger. "I didn't volunteer us. Robert and Admiral Maran did. I just didn't object. Two…" He brought up another finger. "...I think we could use the practice. Most of our operations lately have been simple combat support. We could use a week of prolonged operations to get the new crewmembers situated. Finally, three…"

Just as Zack lifted his third finger, Barnes chimed in with, "...we don't have to get sucked into whatever diplomatic niceties the others are going to go through with the frakking Batarians."

Zack nodded in Barnes' direction. "I hate that damned dress uniform. Plus, let's face it, our first contact with the Batarians consisted of this ship shooting them in the face."

"After they raided Yamalia for slaves," Magda reminded him. Her expression darkened.

"Pretty much." Zack wolfed down the last bit of his sandwich. "Anyway, I think my point is made."

"It is. I just…"

" _Bridge to Commander Carrey_." The voice was that of Ensign Jean Hajar, the navigation/engineering dual-specialty officer who was one of the sixteen or so actual officers or officer-candidates on the ship. A former Starfleet officer, she was relatively new to the crew herself. " _Sir, we've arrived at the rendezvous point. The_ Tokyo _and_ Ravelicus _are already here and waiting to commence transport._ "

"I'm on my way to the transporter station," Zack said. "Go ahead and let Kane know to meet me there."

" _Yes sir._ "

"You two enjoy the rest of your lunch," Zack said. "It's time for me to go meet the guests."

* * *

Commander Kane met Zack at the Transporter Station. It was located on Deck 1 just aft of the central lift station that would take them to the bridge deck if they wanted. A teal-complexioned, blue-spotted Dorei man was at the controls, with the rank insignia of a technical officer. "We are ready to commence transport, sir."

"Begin."

The first five arrivals appeared in bright columns of white light joined by a loud buzz.

From the briefing Zack already recognized the Turian officer in charge for the entire effort. "General Victus." He extended a hand. "Welcome to the _Koenig_."

General Adrien Victus extended his own hand, with its two main fingers and an opposable thumb making Zack think of birds or dinosaurs. "Thank you, Commander. Allow me to introduce Guard Captain Vidinos." He extended his other hand to the second Turian with him. "He's in charge of our special forces team."

"Commander." Vidinos remained still, spine ramrod straight. It was clear he wasn't about to shake hands.

"Captain."

"This is Nisia B'Rani," Victus continued, indicating a serene-looking Asari woman in a plain, functional green bodysuit clearly made as a uniform. "She is the commander of Talein's Daughters, the Asari Commando unit for this operation."

"Commander." Nisia accepted Zack's hand. "A pleasure. My unit has worked with Humans before. I'm looking forward to continuing that with you."

"Of course." Zack nodded. "Welcome aboard."

Next was a Salarian male, wearing a blue-and-white suit of basic Salarian design. "Major Jato Lediks, Salarian Special Task Group 2nd Regiment," he said, beating Victus to the introduction. "It will be interesting to see your vessel in operation. It appears to have some distinctive characteristics that are not part of the standard Alliance _Trigger_ -class design."

"The _Koenig_ is one of a kind," Zack boasted.

That left the final figure. And given the smile that appeared on Kane's face, Zack was pretty sure of who the tan-skinned, red-headed woman in the Systems Alliance Navy uniform was. "Commander Shepard," he said, extending his hand as she stepped down from the transporter. "Welcome aboard."

Shepard accepted his hand with a grin. "Glad to be here."

* * *

Four hours and a mass relay jump later, the _Koenig_ was already underway and in interstellar space. Zack was in the conference room, the only one for his ship, with Victus and the others in attendance, along with Commander Kane. "I hope you enjoyed the tour, sir," he said after sitting down.

"Thank you for providing it, Commander." Victus sat in the chair opposite from Zack. "Your ship is the perfect vehicle for this training operation with its cloaking device and stealth capability."

"I trust your teams are getting situated?" Zack asked the assembled commanders.

The others confirmed quickly. Vidinos went beyond a mere affirmation or nod. "I'm pleasantly surprised, actually. From my experience, Allied System ships are far too soft. It undermines discipline."

Zack tried to keep his smile from becoming a smirk. "There's a lot of variation between species, I guess."

Kane chimed in at that point. "I have it on good authority the Klingons sleep on wooden planks."

Whatever point Vidinos had been trying to score hadn't come through. The Turian captain settled back in his seat. From her seat, Shepard gave Zack and Kane a slight grin.

"The exercises will take place on a number of planets in this cluster," Victus continued. "The goal will be to test infiltration, assault, and recovery missions on a number of targets guarded by Citadel-aligned security units. Each team will be assigned a specific sector and related mission. While you will operate independently, your efforts will be in support of one another. The _Koenig_ will participate through provision of tactical data to ground teams and evading detection by opposing space forces. Are there any questions?"

"How realistic is this going to be?" asked Zack. "Are we talking live fire, dummy rounds or simulated?"

"It will be non-damaging fire," Victus confirmed. "Our simulation computers are still being upgraded to take into account the various capabilities of your ships. We can't have an accurate simulated fire exercise."

"Understood, General."

"Now, tactical assignments will…"

Before Victus could finish his sentence, a tone went off over the ship's comm system. " _Bridge to Commander Carrey_." This time the voice was Lieutenant Creighton Apley, Zack's First Officer. " _Sir, we just picked up an automated distress signal from a nearby star system. It's from a ship IDed as the_ Nartalis, _and it says they're under attack._ "

Zack nodded and stood up. "Set an intercept course at maximum warp, Lieutenant, and engage. Go to Code Red. I'll be on the bridge shortly."

" _Aye sir_." As Apley finished speaking, a deep electronic klaxon sounded over the speakers in the conference room. Even here the sound of a few pairs of running feet could be heard outside, as off-duty _Koenig_ crew raced to their battlestations.

"Sorry, General, but I'm needed on my bridge."

"We'll join you," Victus said as he stood up. "I'd like to see what's going on for myself. This could present a security risk for our exercises."

Zack nodded. "Understood, General. If you'll follow me…?" 

* * *

**Undiscovered Frontier  
" _Common Ground_ "**

* * *

The _Koenig_ was still at warp when Zack stepped onto the bridge, followed by General Victus, Shepard, and all of the others. They took up unused standing positions near the rear of the bridge while Zack went for his command chair. Apley replaced Hajar at the helm. Hajar, in turn, manned the engineering control station. "Report," Zack said.

"We're still about two minutes out at current speed," Apley said.

At the tactical station, Lieutenant April Sherlily said, "Phasers on standby, solar torpedoes loading."

"Cloaking device is already engaged." Magda was settling in at Ops, having arrived just ahead of Zack and the others. "Long range sensors confirms the presence of at least one vessel, unknown configuration and power signature, and what looks like a Turian-built personal scout ship. But I've never seen this design before."

"It may be an older model in service to a private contractor," Victus said. "Some of the mercenary and local government organizations in this region buy our surplus and modify our equipment to fit their needs."

Zack nodded in appreciation of the answer.

"There's more to it," Magda said. "The distress call is going out in Citadel standard, but the underlying communications protocols and language standard aren't in the system."

"Let me see." Vidinos stepped up to Magda's station. Magda gave Zack an uncomfortable look, and he nodded in reply. Magda indicated her monitor with the data on the distress call on it.

Zack was already getting a feeling Vidinos was something of an ass, but he was still shocked to hear the dismissive chuckle that came from the Turian commander. "Commander, this is a waste of time. Don't bother answering the distress signal," Vidinos announced.

Zack looked at him with surprise. So, indeed, did others on the bridge. "What do you mean?"

"The signal's not from any of the proper Citadel species," Vidinos announced. "It's Quarian. They're probably running from whomever they've stolen from lately. We've got more urgent matters to deal with."

A very fragile, very tense quiet settled onto the bridge. Zack stood from his chair and faced Vidinos. "Captain Vidinos," he began quietly, moving within a few inches of the Turian's green eyes, "I don't know about how you handle things in your command, but on my ship, we _answer_ distress calls, no matter who's sending them. That is, in fact, one of our standing orders and required by the regulations of the Alliance Stellar Navy. And I bet it's standing orders for the Turian military too."

"You would be correct, Commander," General Victus said with firm approval in his voice. That approval turned to disapproval when he spoke again. "Captain Vidinos, I will speak with you when this is over. For now, step away from the station and let Commander Carrey and his crew do their jobs."

"Yes, General." Vidinos stepped over to the General and remained silent, but nothing suggested he was apologetic for what he had said.

By the time Zack returned to his seat, Apley was already beginning to speak. "We're coming up on the source of the distress signal now. Dropping us out of warp."

The hull thrummed as the warp engines disengaged. The cloaked attack ship slowed to sublight velocity toward a patch of asteroid belt in a G-sequence star system.

The holo-viewer came on and showed a brown-tinted ship slightly larger than the _Koenig_ weaving around one asteroid. A much smaller craft was doing the same, clearly trying to avoid the larger ship.

"The ship matches a common profile for Batarian raiders," Magda said. "But the power readings are all off. She's definitely not standard."

"Bring us in on an attack run vector," Zack said. But even as he prepared to give the order to decloak and fire, he stopped himself. _With the diplomatic talks due to start, I can't afford to cause an incident. We still don't know what's going on here_. "Prepare to hail the Batarian ship as soon as we decloak."

"Sir?" Magda looked back at him. "We're giving up the element of surprise?"

"I can't afford to command an unprovoked attack on a Batarian ship right now, not with these talks going on," he insisted, even though Zack didn't quite believe in what he was doing. "April, standby to fire when I give the order."

"Aye sir."

"Magda…. disengage cloaking device. Open a general channel." After hearing her console give the confirming tone, Zack immediately said, "Attention Batarian vessel, this is the Alliance _Starship Koenig_. We are invest-"

Before he could finish the Batarian ship violently spun about to face them, showing more maneuverability than any M4P2 ship Zack had seen before. "Wait, that's not possible," Apley insisted. "The Batarians…"

A moment later the _Koenig_ shuddered violently while yellow-orangish energy beams slammed against its shields.

Zack felt the tremor through the ship that resulted from the hit. "What the hell… evasive maneuvers! Return fire when able!"

The _Koenig_ corkscrewed to avoid another barrage of energy beams from the Batarian ship. Her own powerful pulse phaser cannons opened up with their furious amber light. They quickly crossed the space between the ships…

...and were stopped by a crackle of yellow energy.

Another barrage of energy shots hit the _Koenig_. "Shields at ninety percent." Magda was shaking her head. "That energy signature… they're firing _Ferengi_ weapons. And they have standard deflectors."

" _What?_ " Zack stared at her in a moment of surprise.

"They're coming in, full speed," Apley warned.

"They might have shields, but we've got pulse phaser cannons, and I'm willing to bet a ship that size can't power shields enough to stop our best hits." Zack focused his attention back on the viewer. "Attack Plan Romeo. Now!"

The _Koenig_ turned and maneuvered sharply as more energy beams sought it out in space. Occasional hits drained the shields of the attack ship further. But Apley was a great pilot, and Zack's chosen maneuver was meant to take advantage of the _Koenig's_ superior agility as a space vehicle. At the end of the wide corkscrew maneuver Apley pulled the ship into, the ship flipped "downward" and, in the process, brought the main phaser battery back into alignment with the enemy ship.

This time Sherlily fired everything she could. A full-powered phaser barrage battered at the other ship. Her shields started to compensate.

But the barrage continued, focused on the same area of the enemy ship's shields thanks to Apley's piloting and Sherlily's aim. From the forward launchers a pair of solar torpedoes raced out, and then another. The four projectiles, wreathed in white-blue light that made them look like energy projectiles, struck the Batarian ship's shields.

Save the last one. It hit bare hull.

An explosion blasted a large chunk from the enemy ship. At first there was no immediate sign of further damage and a parting shot from the _Koenig_ 's dorsal phaser array hit the shields. But after several seconds the Batarian ship suddenly lost power, as was confirmed by Magda. "I'm picking up severe power fluctuations. I think the hits to the shields and the hull overwhelmed the ability of their systems to handle the strain. Their main power systems have failed completely and I'm detecting feedback damage to their sublight drives. I'd say they're crippled."

"What's the status on that other ship?"

Magda was already checking her instruments. "I'm reading severe damage to the entire craft. I think it might have an eezo leak somewhere. I'd recommend we evacuate the occupants to our infirmary."

"Transport them immediately, and inform Doctor Opani she's getting guests."

"Yes sir." Magda sent the relevant commands.

"And what about the Batarian vessel?" asked Victus. It was clear from his tone of voice that it was just simply a question, but Zack knew that his decision here would be scrutinized regardless.

"We don't have the capacity for holding a lot of prisoners." Zack took a moment to consider things. "General, we can beam over some of your people to take over the ship. If you don't mind throwing off our training schedule we could even see about towing them, or waiting until a friendly ship can come and take over."

"Given the circumstances, I think a diversion is in order. Carry on."

Zack nodded. "Magda, please inform Systems Alliance command of our current status. We're closest to their space here. Inform them we'd like a cruiser to come out and take over for us."

"Sending transmission."

"Commander Kane." Zack turned his chair to face Kane. "Would you mind taking over that ship for me?"

"I'll assemble my team. Commander Shepard?"

"I'll get mine," she said. "We'll gear up and meet you at the Transporter Station."

"I would like to see this vessel for myself," Major Lediks said. "I will join your team."

Zack nodded. "Of course. And let us know if we need to scrounge up another watchman or two."

Kane, Shepard, and Lediks left the bridge. Zack shifted in his chair to try and get comfortable. But he was having trouble doing it. The weapons used, the technology… it was disconcerting to say the least.

"The Batarians have been embargoed by the Citadel for years," Victus said. "The fact that they possess technology from other universes means they've found a way around that. It is vital we learn what we can."

"We'll take the next step when they've secured the ship. In the meantime, I'm going to write my report." Zack stood. "Ap, you have the bridge, I'll be in my office."

"Yes sir."

"Commander." Hajar stood. "They may need an engineering officer to help secure the ship and examine whatever they find over there. I'd like to volunteer."

Zack considered it. Lediks was going to provide that… but he was clearly doing it for his own purposes, or rather, Salarian purposes. Having an Alliance officer to report on what the Batarians had on the ship? He didn't want to pass that up. "Alright. Go report to Commander Kane."

"I'll send up Ensign Driik while I'm at it." Hajar's offer would permit Apley to take the center chair once Zack was gone.

"You do that, Ensign."

Hajar nodded and walked off the bridge. Zack watched her go and looked back at the viewer image of the Batarian ship and the crippled little Turian, or rather Quarian, ship. _So where are the Batarians getting this technology?_ he wondered.

" _Opani to Bridge_ ," came the accented voice of Doctor Roliri Opani, the young Dorei physician serving as the _Koenig_ 's medical officer.

"Go ahead," Zack said.

" _I've gone over our patients in the infirmary. One is in pretty bad shape, but I think I can stabilize him. The other is doing well and should be awake in an hour or so_."

"Let me know when I can talk to at least one of them."

" _Yes sir_."

With nothing more to do, Zack left the bridge. He gave the ship one last glance and let himself think of what it might mean for what the others were dealing with.

 _Sorry Rob, Julia, but we may have just made your jobs far more complicated._

* * *

The Mass Relay System had shaped space exploration and settlement in the M4P2 Universe's Milky Way. The various star-faring civilizations had galactic-scale reach due to the mass relays, but despite this they took up barely 1% of the galaxy's volume. The nature of mass effect-derived FTL meant that ships had difficulties traveling at FTL velocities beyond relatively-short interstellar distances.

Gradually, Multiversal Contact would change this, as warp drive and other FTL systems like F1S1's Kearny-Fuchida hyperdrive were providing for greater range beyond the mass relays. But for the time being, with the exception of the Allied Systems' colonial zone in the Skyllian Verge, all space settlement and indeed activity happened within only a few parsecs of a mass relay.

This was why the _Aurora_ could be a quarter of the galaxy away from the _Koenig_ \- a distance that would take years to travel at the highest warp speeds even the _Aurora_ could manage _-_ waiting near a mass relay in the Attican Traverse just one mass relay jump away from the lawless, anarchic Terminus Systems.

She wasn't alone. Nearby a Batarian dreadnought had already arrived via the mass relay. It was launching one of its craft while both sides maintained a tense civility. No shields, no kinetic barriers, and no weapons were active… for now.

As the Marines still on _Aurora_ stood to attention, and the bizarre, somber, and brassily-strong tones of an alien anthem started playing rhythmically over the hanger bay PA, Robert Dale looked over his dress whites and decided he wanted to hate Zack for taking the easy job. Living on the _Koenig_ for a week plus and dealing with ground exercises and simulated combat sounded a lot better than what he and the others were about to go through.

The importance of the occasion was easily confirmed, as Foreign Secretary Onaran was already aboard and waiting with Robert and Julia. Due to cultural reasons it was deemed essential that all ceremonial and protocol elements for receiving foreign diplomatic delegations be upheld.

The craft that landed in the bay was a squat, ugly gray craft with mass effect-derived drives. It came to a virtually perfect landing at the assigned spot, barely twenty feet from Robert. After a number of seconds the doors opened and armored infantry stepped out, holding guns at what looked like a variation of parade rest.

The armored infantry were in helmets, so their faces weren't visible. The same couldn't be said for the delegation that stepped out. It was the first time Robert had seen a Batarian in the flesh before. Their heads had a bisecting ridge of cartilage that went over the top and presumably back down the back of the head, with no visible nose but rather nostrils embedded directly into the front of the face. Fine hair covered parts of the front of the face, giving parts of the pale brown skin a fuzzy look. Four dark, iris-less eyes looked about, taking in all of the sights with care.

Finally the Batarian man stepped forward. "I am Captain Robert Dale," Robert said, "Commanding Officer of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_. This is my First Officer, Commander Julia Andreys. And joining me is Foreign Secretary Lentiro Onaran."

For a moment there was no response. When the Batarian finally spoke, it was with a deep voice with a guttural element that was clearly not in other humanoid voices Robert knew. "I am Tahrad am Rimhar, Minister of Diplomatic Exchange for the Batarian Hegemony." By opening his mouth Tahrad had shown that Batarian teeth were pointed and sharp. "My people welcome this chance to settle our misunderstandings with the United Alliance of Systems."

Robert refrained from speaking the thought in his head. The thought that the Batarian idea of "misunderstanding" actually meant repeated raids by Batarian-backed slavers and pirates against Alliance colonies across the Skyllian Verge. The attacks had petered off during the course of the year, true, but that seemed to be due to the increased presence of Systems Alliance and Stellar Navy fleet units, and the improving defenses on colonies and other Alliance installations that made raids ineffective.

Onaran was the height of diplomacy, however, avoiding that blunt truth by stating, "The Alliance welcomes the Batarian government's diplomatic initiative. We hope that a permanent settlement can end the strife between our governments and pave the way for further ties with the Batarian people."

Robert could sense the immense bemusement Tahrad had at that statement, mixed with contempt as he tilted his head slightly to the right. Onaran sounded naive but he imagined that was the intent. The Dorei was drawing the Batarian out to test his reaction. If he felt any of what Robert was feeling, he would know that his sentiment was useless. Tahrad may be here to negotiate an agreement, but it wasn't going to any paving of the way for a closer future sort of thing. The Batarians, for whatever reason, thought they could get more out of diplomacy than upping the ante with their support of the slaver and pirate raiders.

Something about that worried him. But Robert wasn't sure what it was. He focused on his duties for the moment. "We're still waiting for the arrival of the Citadel Council's delegate to the talks," he said. "But until then, we have refreshments ready in Conference Room 1. Commander Andreys and Commander Meridina will escort you and your entourage."

Meridina showed no reaction to that, but Julia gave him a slightly sardonic look before she gave a diplomatic nod to the Minister and led him, and his bodyguards and aides, on their way.

Robert and Onaran followed enough to get out of earshot of the guards who stayed behind at the Minister's shuttle. "This is not going to be easy, is it?" Robert asked.

"Certainly not," Onaran lamented. "The Batarians are merely taking their conflict with us to another theater. I have no doubt that their proposals will be unacceptable and their threats violent if we fail to give them everything they want."

"So why are we doing this again?"

"Optimism from President Morgan. Perhaps the right mix of acceptable concessions will provide us with relief from the Batarians' criminal proxies." Onaran sighed. "And it will appease Senator Pensley's peace faction, of course."

Robert matched the sigh. "Of course." As they walked out of the landing deck to head for Conference Room 1, Robert found himself wishing he had joined Zack on the _Koenig_ for those training ops. _Even a bunk to sleep in sounds preferable to this diplomatic wheeling and dealing_. _And whatever's going on with that, Zack has to be having an easier time than we are_.

* * *

Zack had just about finished up his report when the ship's comm system activated. " _Opani to Carrey. Our patient is awake_."

"I'm on my way." He stood up from his desk and left his mostly-finished report to be completed later. He ventured to the lift and down to Deck 2. It was not a long walk to get to the infirmary.

The _Koenig_ 's infirmary was hardly the expansive, state-of-the-art medical facilities that Leo oversaw on the _Aurora_ , complete with a team of trained physicians and surgeons. It was a small unit with about twelve beds overall, two of them set up for immediate intensive care, and in the far corner an emergency surgical theater. As Opani had frequently told him, the _Koenig_ 's infirmary wasn't made for heavier casualties. There just wasn't enough space.

Opani had two nurses from the crew on staff. As with many crew, they were cross-trained in other specialties. Right now both were on duty attending to the Quarians they'd picked up. The unconscious one was in a white and red-hued suit, with a nurse obediently checking on him.

Doctor Opani was standing beside the other Quarian. Her dark teal complexion, one of the darkest teals in the spectrum of Dorei skin colors, was contrasted with the light purple of the spots running around the rim of her face and down her neck. Her dark purple hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head.

Zack knew that not every species had the same division of sexual characteristics as Humans and other Human-like species did. The Alakin and the Turians immediately came to mind on that point. The Quarians, however, did not, as the Quarian sitting on the biobed had very clear feminine traits. Which, he supposed, could be something entirely different for another species - Tom Barnes had often joked about the idea of finding a species where the males had the natural busts - but he figured this wasn't the case. Or would at least he would find out shortly. "Doctor, how is our patient?"

"Alive and healthy. Unlike her poor friend. His suit had a number of breaches that I had to patch up with the help of our replicator," Opani said. "She was of great assistance in the matter."

"Suit repair is something every Quarian learns early on," the female Quarian said. Her suit was dark blue and light violet in coloration with a band over the right shoulder and under the left arm. "For us, it can be a matter of life and death." Her accented voice was distorted electronically by the helmet of her environmental suit, with a light flashing as she spoke. Twin eyes shined through the dark color of the helmet face. "And I'm worried that he might still get an infection."

"Their immune systems are terribly weak," Opani said. "So I'm going to be working hard to keep our other patient from dying."

"Good, do what you can" he said to Opani before looking to the Quarian girl. "So, welcome, you're aboard the Alliance _Starship Koenig_. I'm Commander Zachary Carrey, the Commanding Officer. I'm pleased to meet you." He offered his hand.

After a moment's uncertainty and hesitation, the Quarian girl took the hand and let him have a brief handshake. "Thank you, Commander, for saving us from the Batarians. And I have some information you'll want to see. It may be why they attacked us."

"I'll be happy to look at it, Miss…"

"Oh." The Quarian made a disapproving sound. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar _Rayya_."

* * *

Conference Room 1 on the _Aurora_ was no stranger to diplomatic negotiations. Robert considered how many they had already held in the spacious room located toward the rear of the primary hull, on Deck 14. Back in the day, before they knew for sure the Alliance would be formed, Carlton Farmer had included the conference and briefing rooms in the _Aurora_ because it was to be the Facility's flagship, their standard-bearer, and that would require it to fulfill many roles that a normal starship might not be as equipped to perform.

And it was certainly a benefit to have it here, now, for these talks with the Batarians.

The surprise was that, as diplomatic negotiations went, this one was surprisingly quiet while being completely ineffectual. That was new: usually quiet meant general mutual agreement and respect, with dispassionate quibbling over minor details, while ineffectual talks tended to be full of passion and vitriol.

Tahrad am Rimhar looked almost bored as the preliminary discussions continued. The arrival of the Citadel Council's appointed representative and mediator would be the herald for full talks to begin, of course, but that hadn't stopped Onaran from trying to lay the groundwork while they waited. "It is not the purpose of the Alliance to block off any avenue of Batarian expansion. There are still other systems in the region where the Hegemony can easily assert a claim and presence."

"You miss the point, Minister Onaran." Rimhar kept his hands separate on the table. "The Batarian Hegemony has had legitimate territorial claims in the Skyllian Verge for centuries. If anyone determines who may settle which system, it should be us. Your people have already taken over several star systems we intended to colonize in the coming years."

"We found no indications of such intentions," Onaran answered. "You left no claim markers. No buoys. No outposts. Nothing to indicate to anyone that the system had been claimed. Our settlements were made in good faith."

"Good faith is irrelevant. You have taken worlds that the Batarian people have greater rights to. And we insist that you withdraw from those worlds."

"It would seem that we have one another's starting negotiating positions in mind now."

Robert lifted a hand as a motion he wanted to speak. When both ministers glanced his way, he leaned forward. "The territorial issues aside, what I would like to know is if you can guarantee that our people will never be subjected to slavery in your territories, and if the Hegemony will assist in suppressing the illegal trade in sentient beings."

A thin smile crossed the four-eyed alien's face. "I see you share the obsessions of the Citadel Council in this matter. I will tell you what we have long told them. What you call slavery is a respected and honored practice in our culture. The obligation of labor from those of lower status to those of higher status. We will not dismantle millennia of our heritage to satisfy alien hypocrisy."

Julia was quick to response. "Hypocrisy?"

"Your species all complain about slavery, but you all indulge in it. You simply refer to it as other names. Surely you have heard of the Asari-run planet Illum? They call it indentured servitude, but it is slavery. Beyond Illum, the Terminus Systems are full of members of the Citadel's species, and slavery is just as common there as it is in the Hegemony." Taraht clearly thought he was on a roll, and before anyone could object he continued. "Your own societies recognize this principle. Those of higher status force the rest to work for them. You compel labor from your criminals just as we do."

"Even convicted criminals still have basic rights," Robert answered. "And that includes not having an implant forced into your head to take away control of your own body."

"That simply means that you compound your hypocrisy with weakness."

Robert felt a surge of anger at the callous remark, and the tone behind it. But the way Tahrad seemed almost bored by the discussion held him back.

"As for your people being taken, the Hegemony does not condone slave-raiding into worlds with organized governments," Tahrad continued. "There are certain laws and rules that regulate the addition of new slaves to the Hegemony's economy. Of course, your worlds fall into a gray area due to our pre-existing claims upon them, and I cannot guarantee that overzealous agents of the Hegemony will refrain from deciding your presence on our worlds is sufficient justification for enslavement. It is clear from the first contact of our civilizations that criminals are willing to take the chance."

The reference to the attack on the Dorei colony of Yamalia was hardly the most subtle threat on the issue. Tahrad was being wordy and legalistic with that threat, but he had still issued it: withdraw from worlds we want or we'll continue to raid your worlds for slaves.

Julia once again spoke in reply, and there was no mistaking the smirk on her face. "Yes, they did take that chance. But I wonder how many decided not to bother anymore after what happened to those first raiders."

There was a slight slip in Tahrad's smile. Robert could feel the irritation the Batarian felt at being reminded of what happened when the _Koenig_ , under Julia's command, had stopped the slave-raiders with the help of the _SSV Tokyo_.

Before any further conversation could be continued, a beep filled the room courtesy of the ship's communications system. Nick Locarno's voice came over the speaker a second later. " _Bridge to Captain Dale_."

Robert noticed most of the sets of eyes in the room focus on him. He definitely had the room's attention. He tapped the blinking blue light his omnitool was displaying over the back of his hand. "Dale here. Go ahead, Commander Locarno."

" _An Asari personal yacht just came through the mass relay. They're requesting permission to dock._ "

"How big of a personal yacht? Can they go in the main shuttlebay?"

" _She looks like she'll fit into the support ship dock._ "

"Well, with the _Koenig_ gone, we're not using it for anything else. Go ahead and permit them docking clearance. Tell them I'll be there shortly to escort the Matriarch aboard."

" _Doing so now._ "

With the call ended Robert stood up. "Excuse me, everyone. I'm going to bring in our mediator."

No protests were made and he left. Robert made his way aft to the docking port for the _Aurora_ 's support ship dock, the _Koenig_ 's usual place. By the time he arrived the Asari ship was already docked. It was colored a deep purple and looked far too small for the dock's space, but was still large enough that it would never have fit in the shuttle bay or the fighters' hanger bay. Something of the shape reminded him almost of a manta ray.

His arrival coincided with an honor guard and the presence of Commander Meridina. All was ready when the dock door slid open.

A few Asari figures filed out, most wearing fancy, beautifully-colored jumpsuits. They were arrayed around a central Asari, a blue-skinned woman in a fancy black suit, one that was as inelegant as it was moderately immodest, with a cut-out part on the chest displaying part of her cleavage.

Beside her was the one sight Robert didn't expect. A Turian was with the company. He was of a striking gray complexion and wearing a suit that looked more like combat armor than formal wear. He looked at Robert with ice-blue eyes and an intent behind them…

There was something about him. Something Robert was sure he'd seen before. But he couldn't think of what it was.

If he had been given time to dig into his memories, then an identification might have been made, but he caught himself. Protocol was going to be critical here. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_." He smiled diplomatically and nodded. "Matriarch Benezia?"

"Indeed, Captain." The Asari's voice had a husky timbre to it, and the translation systems were treating it as a refined accent. "I received word that you have already received the Batarian delegation?"

"Yes, ma'am. We haven't started negotiations proper yet. Secretary Onaran and Minister am Rimhar are doing some preliminary discussions on our governments' current positions."

In an instant Robert knew that was not going over well. He could sense the instinctive distrust from the Turian. Benezia was a blank slate in that regard. "I expected you would do such," Benezia said. "This is your government's first proper diplomatic contact with the Batarians. But I hope you realize the Citadel Council may find this suspicious behavior. There are those who would argue that you could be looking to make your own deal."

"It is what I would expect, honestly," the Turian said. "Humans have always been an aggressive, impatient species."

"We've been logging the discussions to reassure you of the contrary, Madame Matriarch." Robert had to keep the smile on his face, but he couldn't help but feel that Onaran had miscalculated with his choices.

"I'm certain there has been no harm."

For a moment Robert considered asking to be introduced to her entourage, if only to learn more about the Turian. But they already had unnecessary tension. Making it worse didn't seem like the right thing to do. _I'll have to see if we have his image on record_.

"If you'll follow me, Madame Matriarch, I'll escort you to Conference Room 1." With her nod of assent, he took a step back before turning and leading them into his ship. 

* * *

Zack escorted Tali to the conference room on the _Koenig_. General Victus was already waiting with Nisia and Barnes. Shepard's voice was coming over the speaker. " _The crew's being more than a little uncooperative. And they were actively sabotaging the ship before we secured it._ "

"In what way?" asked Victus.

" _It looks like they were trying to destroy specific parts with explosives. And Ensign Hajar's already written off the computer cores from how thoroughly they wiped them_."

" _Although the wipe itself can be seen as evidence_ ," Hajar added through her own omnitool's communications function. " _The way that they wiped their computers was more than a simple deletion. There are a number of ways to thoroughly annihilate the data in a system, some being more thorough than others, some being quicker. I've seen this wiping method before_."

"Where, Ensign?" Zack asked.

" _When I was on the_ Tanzania _back in Starfleet. It's a method I found in use when we were trying to recover computer data from a ship abandoned by Breen privateers."_

"Ferengi, now Breen." Zack took his seat. "Any luck on identifying the shields?"

" _Not S5T3, I can say that much. The generator layout is all wrong. I would almost say they're Salehi Defense Corps Mark IIIs..._ "

Zack blinked. He recognized that company name. "As in D3R1?"

" _Yes. These generators are a lot like the models found on numerous ships built in the Colonial Confederation. But the emitter wavelength variance is off._ "

Barnes let out a sigh. "Hajar, was the variance setting closer to ten cycles per minute?"

" _Eleven point one_."

That caused Barnes to wince. "Damn. Arcturan knockoffs."

"Tom?" Zack looked at him. "What are you getting at?"

"Back before they launched the _Aurora_ , I spent some time doing the rounds of various outposts and stuff. I visited Abdis D3R1. And l hate that damned planet to this day." The aside was clearly not appreciated by the others, but Zack thankfully didn't feel it necessary to say anything as Barnes kept going. "Well, we had a ship come in with major power failures that nearly caused it to crash. It turns out the ship was from the Arcturus Free States or Freeholds or whatever they call themselves and that the captain bought knockoffs of Salehi Corps' shield generators from a source there. Of course, said knockoffs were pieces of crap and caused the failures when the captain's first mate tried some routine shield tests. Well, the head engineer I was working with knew this stuff already, and he told me how to look for these kinds of knockoffs. The uniform thing you find is an abnormally low variance rate. It allows the shields to look more powerful, but it makes them way more vulnerable to frequency matching firing algorithms."

"This could explain their power failures during the fight," Zack said.

"How could your defense technology have wound up in Batarian hands?" asked Nisia.

"That's the problem. It's not really ours." Barnes shook his head. "I mean, the Arcturans are… they're like Space Somalia, I guess? Or maybe some other… I dunno, anarchy-central, that's what the place is."

"The Arcturan Freeholds, or Free States, are basically a collection of settlements with almost no civil government and with residents uniformly devoted to keeping it that way," Zack added to clarify what Barnes had said. "The only reason the place isn't a pirate haven is that the pirates are too organized and controlling for their liking, and because the Arcturans know that they'd get stomped by their neighbors if they let the pirates in. Everybody has a gun and you don't live long if you don't know how to use it."

"It's like the Wild West, but with spaceships," Barnes said.

"Wild… West?" asked Tali, in a moment of curiosity that drew the attention of the assembled.

"It's the kind of world you would find in the Terminus Systems," Zack said, improving on Barnes' failed analogy. "And it's no surprise that Arcturan-built gear could wind up anywhere, even here." He looked to Tali. "Anyway, now that we have an idea on some of the new capabilities the Batarians are trying to field, our friend here has some information to share."

Tali seemed uncomfortable and for a moment Zack wondered if he had been wrong to put her "on the spot" like that. But after that clear moment of discomfort Tali brought her arm up and her omnitool activated. "My friend Kon'Fanim and I were on a scouting mission for the Migrant Fleet. We're leaving on Pilgrimage soon and this is part of our training on being away from home." Above the omnitool a series of figures and numbers flashed by. "We were just supposed to scout some empty systems in this cluster and report back. But when we were scouting this star system…"

Zack looked at the one Tali had indicated. "The Hylakos System," he said.

"...we found signs of mining that weren't in the latest reports on the extranet." Tali lowered her hand. "We landed and took readings of the mined sites. It was confusing. Whoever did it took a lot of effort, but there was no sign of element zero. And I can't think of anything that would be valuable enough for the effort."

"What did you find?" Victus asked.

"Basic minerals. Cadmium, lithium, and something like mercury. A liquid-state mineral, I mean, but it doesn't match mercury's atomic composition."

"Did you get a scan of it?" Barnes leaned forward. "I might be able to identify it."

"I can say I've never heard of this metal." Tali's large fingers tapped her omnitool and brought up a model of the substance. Barnes accepted it and displayed it on his omnitool. When his eyes widened, Tali asked, "What? You know this?"

"Yeah. Oh frakking yeah."

"What is it?", Zack asked his friend.

Barnes looked at him. "It's latinum," he said. "Almost pure latinum."

"Wait, what?" Zack sat up.

"What is this 'latinum'?" asked Nisia.

"It's a liquid metal that you can find in certain asteroids and moons," Barnes answered. "In societies with matter-replication technology, it can end up being used as currency because its atomic structure is too complex and delicate for a replicator to assemble. I mean, it's like gold and silver in older economies, or eezo in yours. You simply replicate some non-reactive mineral like gold to act as a binding agent and poof, you've got usable currency. And it sometimes gets added to other alloys for stuff. Latinum can be a protective material when alloyed with steel and some other minerals, mostly smaller things like household objects and appliances. You won't find it in starships or anything like that."

"And if the Batarians are finding latinum out here, then that gives them a ready cash source to go buying things on the Multiversal black market." Zack looked to Tali. "I'm guessing that's when the Batarians attacked you?"

"They came out of FTL almost on top of us. If Kon wasn't such a great pilot, they would have killed us with the first shot. I started transmitting the distress signal right away."

"And so here we are." Zack nodded to Tali. "Thank you, Miss… is it nar _Rayya_ or Zorah?"

"Zorah is my family name. I am from the ship _Rayya_."

"Well, Miss Zorah, thank you again. I'm afraid we don't have any space for quartering, but Doctor Opani can put you in a bed in the infirmary, and our mess hall replicators are available for you if you need something to eat or drink."

"Since you have Turians on board, your food is dextro-compatible?"

"It is." Zack nod.

"Then thank you, Commander. If you need anything, let me know. As long as I'm on your ship, it's only right that I help keep the ship working."

Zack nodded. Barnes smirked and nodded as well. "If I need the extra hands for something, I'll keep it in mind, kid."

After she left Zack looked to the others. "General, I'm going to issue a report on this to Alliance Defense Command."

"I'll inform Palaven and the Citadel. Although I expect there will be few, if any, consequences to the Hegemony. The Batarians always insist that pirates and slavers are 'criminal elements', and the Citadel has never gotten convincing, undeniable proof to the contrary."

"Right. I know how that goes." Zack stood. "Hopefully Commander Shepard and the others can find something over there. I'd like to know where these ships are based."

"I think we would all like to know that, Commander," Victus answered. He stood as well. "Please keep me informed."

"Of course, sir."


	58. Episode 2-12-2 Common Ground

For Kane and the others, moving around the wrecked Batarian ship was a struggle in more than one way. Some corridors were blocked by debris or remnant fires. The lifts couldn't work half of the time, even with the backup power sources brought from the _Koenig_ 's relatively-meager stores. And the Batarians themselves were not helpful captives.

After an inspection of the team looking through what was left of the engineering area, Kane walked back toward the bow of the raiding ship. Wediks and Shepard were still there with two other officers: Ensign Hajar and one of Shepard's people, a dark-haired officer she'd introduced as Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko. "Have you found anything yet?" Kane asked.

Hajar spoke first from a computer panel. "I'm still trying this data reconstruction program, but I don't hold out much hope. Their data wiping program is thorough to the point of physical data removal."

"I am hoping to find something in the access memory buffers," said Wediks from another station, which he was working on with his omnitool.

"And what about the ship itself?"

Hajar shook her head. "The ship's a total loss. That power overload and the resulting secondary explosions caused too much structural damage. We would need a cruiser-scale structural integrity field to risk any sort of sublight or FTL velocities."

"But I might be able to do something with the communications gear." Alenko was operating one of the consoles. Like Shepard he was in Systems Alliance standard issue battle armor, but without the white N7 designation present. "It looks like it was also damaged in the fight. But that's worked in our favor."

"Oh?" Shepard asked. "In what way?"

"Because the power overload fried out the connection between the comm system memory and the main computers. When they ran their data wipe process, it didn't carry into the memory."

Shepard walked over to him. "But wouldn't that mean that the overload also fried the system memory?"

"Only partly." Shepard and Kane could see Alenko visibly sorting through data sectors, some functional and some corrupted. "The wiring burned out first. So there's still some data left in the system memory I can use. Maybe some comm activity…" One of the icons on his omnitool display flashed green. "There. I've got something. It looks like an audio transmission that hadn't been cleared from memory yet."

"Can you put it on?" Kane asked.

"Let me see…" Alenko started pressing more keys. "Here."

The guttural tones of Batarian speech started crackling over the bridge speakers. After a moment the auto-translators kicked in. "... _targets in this side of the cluster. Allow me to move closer to the Humans' trade lanes! The prizes…_ "

" _The prizes do not merit the risk. At this juncture we cannot afford to alienate our trading partners by drawing attention, and we certainly cannot jeopardize the upcoming talks with the Multiversal Alliance. The Minister will have our eyes ripped from our heads if we ruin his plan._ "

" _But my men are restless. We haven't claimed prizes for over a month._ "

" _They will have to wait. If things go as planned, many prizes will come to them, and their portions from our contributions to the slave markets back home will be great enough that we'll all move up in caste_. _Your only worry at this point is to protect the latinum deposits. Let us worry ab-_ …" The voice dissolved into static-laden gibberish for a moment before the file ceased running.

"Well, that certainly sounds ominous," Shepard said. She looked toward Kane. "A plan involving the negotiations with your Alliance."

"I'll report it to the _Koenig_ immediately." Kane was frowning. "But I have another problem."

"How are they going to react when this ship doesn't check in?" Shepard nodded. "From the way it sounds, they might assume the captain decided to take matters into his own hands and move closer to the major trading lanes in this cluster. That won't make them happy."

Kane nodded. "Which means they'll be sending searchers when check-ins don't come on time." Kane pressed a hand to the side of his combat helmet. "Kane to _Koenig_. We've got some updates for you, and some bad news." 

* * *

With the meetings over Barnes headed back to his preserve in Engineering. With Hajar over on the Batarian ship his second, Lieutenant (j.g.) Ana Poniatowski, was working her off-shift time. The slight Polish girl with honey-colored hair didn't show any fatigue while covering the scant battle damage they had incurred. "The shield generators passed the post-battle inspection," she said while Barnes was tapping keys at the Engineering Master Systems Display. "I am a little worried about what looks like some stress damage on the port impulsor's power conduit."

Barnes brought up the relevant section. "Go ahead and assign a DC team to look it. And send Lang and Zeroll to check up on the starboard aft torpedo launcher. Our last diagnostic put up some warning flags I want them to look into."

"Yes sir." As Poniatowski said that she looked up with some confusion. "What is…?"

Barnes turned his head to follow what Poniatowski was looking at. The starboard-side entrance to main engineering had opened, and the Quarian girl they'd picked up was already stepping through the door. Barnes let out a little groan of frustration before making his way over to where she was leaning over to inspect one of the control surfaces. "Hey!" he called out. "You, over there, Tali-whatever it was!"

The Quarian turned to face him. "Tali'Zorah," she corrected.

"Yes, whatever." Barnes stepped up to just outside of her personal space. "This is Main Engineering. I can't just have you wandering around here on a grand tour, I've got a ship to run."

"I know, and I'm here to help," she said. "I'm an engineer too."

"Really? A fully trained engineer?" Barnes couldn't quite keep the skepticism out of his voice. "And in what fields? With what systems? Do you know how to keep a naqia reactor operating? Have you trained with plasma coolant lines? Do you know how warp drives work?"

"I've seen the diagrams on the extranet…"

"Yeah, I figured." Barnes shook his head. "I get it, I mean, you're fascinated with engineering, always reading stuff online about reactors and engines and vehicles. But I don't care how many net pages you've studied, kid, you don't have the education or training to work in here, and I've got enough work to do without you getting in the way."

"I _have_ training, you ignorant…" Even with her face obscured by the glassy plate covering it, it wasn't hard for Barnes to imagine a generic humanoid face twisted with irritation and frustration. "My people _live_ with this every day! I've learned how to run starships since I was a child!"

"There's a difference between patching up a bulkhead and fixing a plasma feed or a power conduit, kid." Barnes got closer. "Now, I'm busy, so I need you to go. Get up to the mess hall, get yourself some grub, go check up on your buddy, whatever. Just stay out of trouble."

Tali's body tensed with frustration. She let it out with a sharp, " _Bosh'tet!_ " and a string of Quarian curses as she turned and left Main Engineering.

Barnes made sure she was out the door before walking away, causing the door to close as he did. Poniatowski looked up from where she had finished delegating the engineering and damage-control teams. "Maybe you were a little harsh?" she asked.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But you've got to be that way with kids who think they know more than they actually do. Give them an inch and they take the mile."

"'Inch'? 'Mile'?"

"Centimeter and kilometer." Barnes shook his head. "Anyway, let's get back to it." 

* * *

Victus entered Zack's office with measured steps. The Turian general nodded to him. "Commander, you had something to report?"

"Yes sir." Zack motioned to a chair, one he'd replicated to be easier for Turians to sit in. "General, have you heard anything from your superiors?"

"The Citadel Council hasn't responded to my report. Palaven Command has. But my instructions are merely to be ready to support whatever course of action is decided upon by the other authorities. The Hierarchy has few interests in this region of space. Our presence is at the request of the Council."

"So you've got no new directives?"

"I do not. And I haven't received any news on a ship being sent out to take custody of the pirate vessel."

Zack nodded. "I haven't heard anything either," he said. "I even relayed Kane's last report. I sent it straight to Admiral Maran. But all I get back from Defense Command is to support whatever decisions the Citadel and the M4P2 governments decide upon."

"It would appear our superiors are uncertain of how they want to handle this information." Victus turned thoughtful. "It makes sense. Everyone wants the negotiations with the Hegemony to succeed. Your Alliance, the Citadel, Palaven… nobody will want to risk ruining that with an incursion into Batarian-held territory."

"But we're still quite a distance from the recognized Batarian claims in the Verge," Zack noted. "Even if these pirates are working for the Hegemony, or Hegemony officials, I can't see how dealing with them will undermine the talks."

"The Batarians are sensitive and prickly, Commander. It's easy to offend them."

"They're also slavers, and that offends _me_ ," Zack said. He was frowning. "So, General, what should we do? Like I said, I'm following your lead on this. We can't just sit here. Sooner or later, someone in this gang is going to be looking for their ship. They'll have to, if that signal was accurate."

"I'm in agreement."

"We don't have room for prisoners," Zack continued. "We can't kill them…"

"Technically, Commander, we can," Victus said in correction. "As pirates and raiders, they are subject to execution in the field if caught in the act."

Zack's jaw clenched at that. His head lowered for a moment. The thought within him was if he could do such a thing. Just… kill people out of hand. Not in a combat situation, not when it was killing an enemy before they could kill him, or those he was responsible for. It would be the cold-blooded execution of helpless prisoners.

A dark thought quickly echoed in his head, with his voice. _As if they'd think twice about killing you after you surrendered. They'd only spare you to put a chip in your head and sell you as a slave_.

"I'm not saying we should," Victus said. "But we may have to. If the Batarians realize their ship was taken by our forces, they'll move to avoid further compromising their operations."

"And they may also rush whatever plan they've got involving the talks." A sick feeling came to Zack. "Could they be planning an attack on the _Aurora_? If they've refitted ships with this technology…"

"I think that might be too brazen an act. The Batarians know how everyone else would see it." Victus shook his head. "Although if you can send a warning to them, go ahead."

"I've already sent them a message with the recovered audio file. I also sent it to Maran's with Kane's report." Zack put his hands together on the desk. "But that still leaves us with a big problem. That ship. We either have to destroy it and make it look like an accident…"

"...or we have to hide it."

"Hide it," repeated Zack. After another moment of thinking on it, he reached to a button on his desk. "Carrey to bridge."

" _Bridge here, sir_ ," answered an Alakin voice. Ensign Driik had clearly assumed a bridge watch to give Apley some time off-shift.

"Call all senior officers to the conference room, we're having an emergency meeting in fifteen minutes' time."

" _I'll inform them right away, sir_."

* * *

Experience on the _Koenig_ so far had been frustrating for Tali. Every instinct she had demanded that she be doing something for the ship, something to ensure it was going to keep working. It was the impulse of a lifetime that she could not easily ignore. Laying on her assigned bed in the infirmary, Tali let Barnes' words stew in her mind. _That smug_ bosh'tet. _How can people with so much technology be so small-minded?!_

True, she knew little about the actual mechanics of warp drive flight, and the electro-plasma system used for the primary power conduits was not the kind of thing you'd find on a Quarian ship, but the underlying mechanics of the latter were still easy to understand, and for the former… well, she could grasp enough, couldn't she? And she wasn't even asking to work on the warp FTL drive either! Just something to _do_ , something she could do and was trained to do.

"Well, I can see someone is frustrated," an accented voice remarked. Tali turned and faced Doctor Opani through the purple hue of her face plate. Internal systems adjusted to let Tali see the actual color of what was around her. The dark teal complexion, the dark purple hair, the purple spots… the Dorei were unlike any other species she'd seen before, on the extranet or in person. "How are you?"

"I am better than Kon." Tali looked at her friend, still unconscious on the nearby biobed. "Has he gotten an infection?"

"I believe so, going by his body's internal reactions. And I've consulted with Citadel medical databases on Quarian treatment . I think my regimen of medicines and anti-bacterials will control the infection and keep it from spreading." Opani settled onto the bed opposite from Tali. "I am fascinated by your species," she admitted. "But I'm also quite sad for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your immune systems forcing you to live your lives in those suits. The way this galaxy treats your people." Opani shook her head. "It saddens me that your people cannot enjoy the simple pleasures I have known my whole life."

"Maybe if we could find a homeworld…" Tali lifted her legs up onto the bed and rested her elbows near her knees. "We do what we have to in order to survive."

"I can understand that." Opani curled her legs under her. "So, what is bothering you? It's not hard to see you are frustrated."

"It's that fire-headed jerk you have running Engineering," Tali spat. "I went to him to help and he he threw me out. He treated me like I knew nothing about how to keep a ship running, like I was some inexperienced child."

"Maybe he's worried that you don't know enough about our technology?" Opani suggested. "I am certainly a physician, and I have surgical training, but I would never fail to step aside in a matter that demanded a medical specialist. That would be irresponsible of me."

"I am willing to learn."

"Learning takes time."

"I know! But…" Tali sighed. "You must understand, Doctor, that I grew up on a ship. Quarian children are taught from the time we are young to do what we can to help keep our ships working. We get taught how to fix bulkheads, replace air filters, rewire power systems and equipment, anything that might be necessary for us to know in a ship-wide emergency." Opani was now studying Tali's face plate intently, as if to discern the expression hidden beneath the plate. "Every instinct I have is urging me to help maintain this ship."

Opani contented herself with a single nod of her head. Some Humans might have responded by setting their hand on Tali's arm or shoulder. Opani had been around Humans enough to contemplate it, although most Dorei cultures had more intricate rules about physical contact between people in such contexts due to their contact-based psionics.

"I'm not stupid," Tali protested. "I know there are systems on this ship I could not work on without learning more about them. But I'm a trained engineer and there are plenty of things I could easily help with, if only that arrogant engineer would let me."

"You're referring to Lieutenant Barnes?"

"The one with the red hair? Yes."

Opani nodded. "To be honest, I'm not sure if even Lieutenant Derbely, our usual Chief Engineer, would have accepted your help. She is just as protective of the ship as Barnes is."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Tali demanded. "Everything I've been raised to do is telling me to find work on this ship while I am here. I'm not supposed to sit around like a small child!"

"I understand it is frustrating, Tali'Zorah. Perhaps if you took the time to read more about our tech…"

The tone of the ship's intercom stopped her, with an Alakin voice speaking afterward. " _All senior officers please report to the conference room. Commander Carrey has called an emergency meeting. I repeat_ …"

"I must go," Opani said, sliding off the bed to her feet. Sensing Tali was not appeased by the reading suggestion, she added, "I will speak with Lieutenant Barnes about this. Maybe he has work that he feels is safe for you, work you can do that will make him trust you."

"That is all you can do, I suppose," Tali lamented. "Thank you, Doctor Opani."

Opani nodded once before walking to the infirmary exit.

* * *

The senior officers of the _Koenig_ , General Victis, Captain Vidinos, and Nisia gathered on time in the small conference room on the ship, with Kane, Shepard, and the others visible on a holo-monitor from the battered bridge of the Batarian ship. " _There's absolutely no chance we can tow this ship_ ," Hajar said. " _There's too much structural damage_."

Barnes shook his head. "Even if there wasn't, I'd be against it. Our tractor beam can tow a mass that size for maybe an hour or two before we burn it out."

"Wouldn't that be enough?" Sherlily leaned forward. "We can tow it into interstellar space, maybe drop a specialized beacon so we know where we left it? Another ship can pick it up once someone decides what to do."

"Maybe." Magda looked from her colleague to Zack. "But let's be clear here. We have no idea what the capabilities of these Batarian ships are. They've gotten shield technology, weapon technology, and computer programming from other universes. The sensors on this ship looked standard, but that doesn't mean the sensors used on other ships in this group are. And most M4P2 sensor suites could possibly track the remnant radiation of a warp trail, especially one influenced by an operating tractor beam."

"In other words, we could give away that the ship was taken," Zack said.

"Exactly. At this point I don't think we can take anything for granted about these people. Unless we can find out for certain what they've been getting off the black market..."

" _We've tried everything with the prisoners, but nobody's talking_." Commander Shepard crossed her arms. " _And they act more like military personnel than pirates._ "

"That's not a surprise, Commander Shepard. Many of these Batarian criminal organizations use Batarians trained by their government for military service," Victus said, looking at the screen.

" _That's convenient_ ," Kane remarked. " _The Hegemony must have a lot of veterans they can talk into becoming pirates on their behalf._ "

Victus answered, "It's long been suspected, but we have no proof, and we're not likely to get any."

" _We could destroy the vessel_ ," Lediks proposed. " _The anti-matter reactor core they installed has numerous flaws we could exploit_."

"And what would we do with the crew?" Apley asked.

" _We have no room for them on your ship, Lieutenant. The obvious solution is to leave them on their vessel._ "

"You mean blow up helpless prisoners." Opani glared daggers at the Salarian on the screen. "That is monstrous!"

"No, Doctor, it's expedient," Vidinos retorted. "And advisable. They're pirates and slavers and by interstellar law they can be executed in the field for those crimes, if necessary."

Opani opened her mouth to continue her argument, but she stopped. A strained, haunted look came to her face.

"Maybe there's an alternative," Sherlily said. "What if we tractored them deeper into the asteroid field?"

Magda shook her head. "Without knowing how sophisticated their sensor systems are, I can't tell you if they'd pick up trace gravitons or not. Or traces of our impulsor drives. Even if they couldn't find the other ship, they'd know it was tractored away. Unless we can cloak and hope the cloaking field absorbs the trace radiation…"

"Cloaking and running the tractor beam? Nope, not happening," Barnes said, shaking his head. "The gravitons will mess up the cloaking field. I might be able to buffer the drive for a bit, keep it from leaving as strong a trail, but that's all I can promise you."

" _I don't like killing prisoners who surrendered_ ," Shepard said. " _We're better than that_."

"Isn't Human history full of occasions when Humans did that to each other?" The question was from Vidinos. "And I know what your people did on Torfan, Shepard. Don't try to climb on any moral high ground, because Humans don't have it."

" _I wasn't on Torfan_ ," Shepard retorted. " _And it doesn't change the fact that killing prisoners goes against interstellar law_."

" _You are in error, Commander._ " Lediks was speaking again. " _The interstellar law under Council rules clearly stipulates that pirates and slavers are subject to summary field execution._ "

" _Hostis universalis_ ," Zack murmured. When a few people looked his way, he clarified, "It's a legal term I heard during a command officer conference a couple of months ago. We were being reminded that under existing interstellar law in most universes, pirates and slavers can be considered _hostis universalis_ , 'enemies of all', and we have no legal obligations toward them. We can leave them to die in their broken ships if taking them would risk our crews." Zack frowned. "A few captains and legal experts even made the argument that we could just shoot them, if we wanted."

"Then it's clear all of our governments are in agreement. Let's stop wasting time."

"Before we render a decision, I want to know more about what we have recovered." Victus looked to the screen.

This time it was Kaiden Alenko who spoke. " _Ensign Hajar helped me recover more data from their comm systems' access memory. I think that I might be able to provide coordinate data on where some of the transmissions were being directed._ "

"Then we could possibly find one of their bases," Zack said, pleased. "Maybe even their main base."

" _That was my thought as well. We're still running data reconstruction over here_ …"

Alenko was interrupted by a tone over the _Koenig_ 's intercom. " _Bridge to Conference Room_ ," chirped Ensign Driik.

Zack tapped a button on the plain gray plastic table they were seated at. "Carrey here."

" _Sir, we have a ship approaching on long range sensors. It's using a warp drive field, approximately Warp 5 in velocity. Power signature and readings are not in the database. But it could be a Batarian ship. The mass readings, if accurate, indicate the vessel is of cruiser capability._ "

That caused Zack to frown. "Damn," he said. "What's their ETA?"

" _Fifty minutes._ "

"Keep me informed and have the transporter station prepare to evacuate the ship of our personnel. Carrey out." He looked to the others. "We're out of time."

" _I'll have our people prep for immediate extraction_ ," Shepard said. " _Ensign Hajar is going to standby to enact any plans you have in their engineering sections. Signing off_."

The team on the enemy vessel disappeared from the screen. The conference room went quiet. "It appears we have a decision to make, Commander," Victus said.

Zack nodded. They did have a decision to make. And it was the kind of decision he never wanted to face.

* * *

 _Personal Log: Commander Zachary Carrey, 10 August 2642. I have twenty minutes left. Twenty minutes in which I have to decide whether to condemn the prisoners we've taken to prevent their compatriots from knowing we're onto them._

 _I never expected to make these kinds of decisions. I never wanted to. I wish Victus would order us to blow up the Batarian ship and be done with it. But he's leaving me that decision. I think he's testing me to see what I'll do. If I'll do the "right thing" or not._

 _What is the right thing? I mean, these people aren't innocent. They're pirates. Worse, they're slavers. They would put control implants into every member of my crew if they got the chance. I shouldn't give a damn if they die. I'm not sure I actually do, in fact._

 _But… killing them for expediency, blowing them up after they surrendered… I don't know. It's one thing if their ship blew up while we were fighting. But this is an execution. And it feels…_

 _...it feels like murder_.

The sound of his door chime sounded as Zack finished his log. "Enter."

He had hoped it would be General Victus, coming to give him an order. But instead it was Doctor Opani who stepped in. "Commander."

"Doctor." He nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"Our Quarian guest, Tali'Zorah. She deeply wants to help the engineering crew. It's… cultural."

Zack nodded. "Well, she can go to Tom, I'm sure he'll…"

"He turned her down," Opani said. The expression on her face showed how unsettled she was at the moment. "And since you are friends I am certain you knew how he would respond."

"Yeah. The truth is, Doctor, this isn't the best time." He frowned. "And you know it."

Opani remained silent for a moment. Her blue eyes lowered for a moment before she focused on him.

"You seemed to give up on arguing against the 'kill them all' option," Zack noted. "I expected you to fight longer."

"Maybe I should have. But…" Opani shook her head. "I don't want to be merciful to the likes of those slavers. They've caused too much suffering."

"Including to you."

Opani's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," Zack said. "But your file mentions it. I… I can't imagine what it was like."

"It was Hell," Opani rasped. Old pain showed on her face, the pain and horror of what had once been done to her. "I was trapped in pure Hell."

"And yet you are against blowing these people up," Zack said.

"I don't know… I am, but I know what they do, and so I'm…" Opani's eyes teared up. She flopped into one of the open chairs across from his desk. "I am a healer. I am supposed to support continued life, not death. But what they do to people, slavery, it is a death, a living death… oh Deity, what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," Zack murmured, even as he thought on what she said. "It's my decision. I have to make it." He looked at his reflection. The thought of what was going on weighed him down. He looked to Opani again.

He had no gifts. He couldn't read minds, sense feelings, or whatever it was that Meridina was teaching Lucy and Robert. But he didn't need those to understand what her experiences had done to Opani. "A living death," he murmured.

For a moment he envisaged not doing anything. He saw the Batarian raiders find that they'd been discovered. They would run, reorganize, abandon one base to take up another… and then they would eventually attack, with who knew what kind of weapons and technology. Some people would die, and others would be dragged off to Batarian space to be turned into slaves. To go through what Opani had suffered, or what he'd seen on the faces of slaves from C1P2 back in the day.

He couldn't know that would be the result. But the thought of it, the risk, was too much.

It didn't make it any easier for Zack when he reached for his omnitool. "Carrey to Hajar."

After a moment Hajar responded. " _Hajar here. Sir…_ "

"Get it done. Now. We're almost out of time."

There was a short pause. " _Say again, sir?_ "

Zack knew what she meant. Hajar didn't like the decision. She was undoubtedly hoping he would specify something else. "Set off their reactor, Hajar. Blow up the ship. That is a direct order."

For several seconds there was a pause. A very subdued " _Yes sir_ " replied. " _Hajar out_."

Zack looked at Opani. She was returning the look. "Do you think you did the right thing?" Opani asked.

His silence was answer enough.

* * *

Zack stepped onto the bridge a few minutes later. Apley moved to the helm to let Zack take his chair. Victus was already present and standing with Lediks, Vidinos, and Shepard near the chair. "Commander." Victus nodded. "I see you made the decision. Thank you for not making me force the issue."

"You're welcome, General." Zack's reply was flat, emotionless. He tapped the key on his command chair to activate communications. "Carrey to Hajar. Are you done?"

" _I just finished. One flaw in their system is in the deuterium injectors for their reaction chamber, they can't handle an increased reaction rate that the system is safely rated for. They'll blow in a couple of minutes, at best, which will lead to a build-up of anti-deuterium in the reaction chamber until containment is overloaded. It should cause the near-vaporization of much of the ship and it should look like a mechanical accident, engineer negligence._ "

"Confirm that everything's going according to plan, then?"

" _So far so good. Reaction material levels are increasing. I'm already seeing signs of the deuterium injectors overstraining._ " For a moment there was nothing. " _Okay, injector 1 just failed. And the only reason I know that is from my own scans… the Batarians' safety systems are completely inadequate and I need beamout now. Now now!_ "

"Magda!"

"Transporter Station has her, Commander. She's beaming over now," Magda confirmed.

Zack sighed with relief.

The holo-viewer lit up a moment later as the Batarian ship was destroyed from within, the victim of the out-of-control antimatter reaction caused by their sabotage.

"Hajar cut that too close," Shepard muttered.

"She underestimated how badly the Batarian ship's systems would react," Lediks added. "This should help support the ruse."

"I've already cloaked the ship," Magda said. "The Batarian ship is still nearly ten minutes out at their current warp speed. I can't tell you if they detected the explosion."

"Will it work?" Zack asked. "What we did?"

"I'm scanning what's left now. I don't think there's any debris big enough to confirm they were hit by weapons. Maybe they'll identify weapons hits if they recover the right piece of debris and subject it to close analysis in a metallurgical lab."

"Not likely," Sherlily remarked.

"No." Magda turned in her seat to face Zack. "I recommend that the helm keep us a safe distance away to make sure that stray micro-asteroids don't give away our presence."

"Ap?"

"Already moving."

Zack said nothing more while his ship changed position. He was too busy with his own thoughts, his feelings, and the awful spectacle he had just witnessed. _I just killed prisoners. I left those men to die_.

"Commander."

Zack turned his head and looked to General Victus. "General?"

"I know it asked a lot of you. But you did what you had to do. Our situation demanded it."

 _I did what I had to do_ flashed through Zack's mind. It was a nice phrase, he guessed. If only it hadn't felt so wrong. He still wasn't sure it was necessary. And it felt so callous, so plain… who knew how people could apply the phrase to something terrible and wrong.

"It was duty, Commander," Victus continued. "I appreciate the cost for you."

"Thank you," was all Zack could say.

Silence filled the bridge until the appointed time came. The ship that dropped out of warp was at least four hundred meters long and twenty meters from top to bottom. The rear of the ship looked like it had been completely rebuilt, which explained the two warp nacelles in the rear section. The pylons lifted the nacelles just above the dorsal hull of the gray and dark red ship.

"The sensor traces I'm getting are definitely not from M4P2 systems," Magda said. "And this one is also using impulsor drives. For the weapon emplacements I'd say they're also of Ferengi origin."

Zack watched the ship remain near the cloud of fine debris left by the destruction of the first ship. "Anything else?"

"They're still just scanning." Magda kept examining her instruments. "They're being thorough. But I'm not seeing anything that would give up what's happened. They're not taking samples. Wait… now I'm detecting a transmission."

"Intercept it," Zack ordered immediately.

"I'm doing so now. Apley, I'll transmit coordinates to you, move us to that spot so I can get a better fix."

"Maneuvering us now."

Apley's hands moved over the controls with precision. _Koenig_ followed her unsuspecting quarry with the care of a hunting cat slipping through high grass. Asteroids big enough to be noticed if deflected off their invisible hull were avoided as much as possible and their speed tightly regulated.

Magda's focus was entirely on her screens. Colored light from her displays danced over her brown eyes as she used the _Koenig_ 's sensors and communications systems to pluck the offending signal from subspace.

The bridge remained completely quiet while these two did their work. Zack noted it and approved, and he could see that Victus did too.

Magda's attention shifted to another of her screens. "I'm getting an energy spike. They're engaging their warp drive."

With a flash of light the Batarian ship elongated and vanished.

"Did you get enough?" he asked Magda.

"I'm not sure. I can give you a general vicinity. But it's not in the direction they're going."

Lediks was the first to respond. "They may be resuming a prior patrol."

"I've still got them on sensors, Warp 5.5." Apley looked back. "Sir, I can catch up to them."

"No. No, I think tracking the signal is the better bet." Zack looked to Magda. "Anything?"

"I can give you a general vicinity," she said. "I'm already running calculations to narrow the field."

"Relay heading and coordinates to the helm. Apley, take us out when you're ready."

"Aye sir" came from two sources. Moments later, the _Koenig_ went to warp.

* * *

There was no change in the atmosphere of the _Aurora_ conference room. Robert couldn't quite believe it, either, given how the only thing that could be agreed upon was that neither side had given up anything of substance.

"The Batarian claim to the space around the Ren'kharam Relay is two centuries old," am Rimhar insisted. "Your new colonies have directly infringed upon that space."

"There were no indications of any prior claim when those colonies were established," Onaran replied. "Is it not general practice in M4P2 to place beacons outlining such claims?"

"The Ren'kharam Relay only connects to Batarian relays. Our claim was self-evident. You cannot hold it against us that we did not anticipate the use of non-relay travel capable of reaching the region."

"Nor can you blame our people for settling worlds where no prior use was evident." Onaran was remaining reserved, but it was clear he was tired of the fruitless back-and-forth with the obstructive Batarian diplomat. "We acted in good faith."

"If someone plants a house on your land and insists he saw no sign of it being owned, would you simply hand it over?" asked am Rimhar.

"If I could be sure of his good faith, I would work with him on a solution beyond base demands…"

Onaran never finished, as he was interrupted by Benezia. "The hour has grown late." She looked over the two. "It is best if we retired for the day. The session can resume tomorrow. We shall reconvene in fourteen hours."

"Agreed, Matriarch," Onaran said.

"Agreed." Minister am Rimhar stood up. "We shall return to our vessel."

"Of course, Minister." Robert didn't bring up the security escort that was ready to follow him. He simply nodded and watched the Batarians walk out. Once they were gone he turned to Onaran. The Dorei man had clearly been drained of any energy or enthusiasm by the long, fruitless session. "This doesn't seem like any negotiation."

"It is a tactic, I expect. They have started with maximum conditions to posture." Onaran shook his head. "It is frustrating. But I have faith it will improve."

Robert looked back to the door that am Rimhar had left from. He didn't have the same feeling. For all of his bluster, am Rimhar didn't feel like he was posturing. Robert got the sense that he was planning more than was evident. "I'm not sure," he said to Onaran. "I think am Rimhar has another agenda."

"Is that with the benefit of your Gift, Captain?"

Had another person, especially a Human, asked that, Robert would have been inclined to consider it as sarcasm. But Onaran wasn't being sarcastic. The Dorei included people like him, people who could exercise the "life force" powers that Meridina had taught him in, and accepted the uses of said abilities.

So he nodded. "I'm sure of it. There's something going on here that isn't obvious."

"If this entire negotiation is a Batarian intrigue, it will have to be something worth the cost they will incur once their deception is revealed."

An electronic tone sounded and a blue light started to flash above Robert's left hand. Jarod's voice came over the comms. " _Jarod to Dale._ "

Robert touched the light and brought the blue-colored omnitool to life, assuming the form of the familiar multidevices they had stopped using so recently. "Dale here," he said in reply.

" _We've received a transmission from the_ Koenig. _You're going to want to see this._ "

"Where?"

" _The Bridge Conference Room. And you might want to bring Secretary Onaran._ "

Onaran heard that. His head tilted slightly.

"We're on our way," Robert answered.

* * *

The entire senior staff had assembled in the bridge-side Conference Room by the time Robert and Onaran had finished going over the latest reports from the _Koenig_. Robert sat back in his chair for a moment and considered the implications.

Julia spoke first on them. "The Batarians have links to the Multiversal black market now. There's no telling what sort of technology they can buy through it."

"And since the buyers are officially 'pirates', the Hegemony will deny all knowledge of what's happened. They'll play up the new technology as seized from the pirates." Robert sighed loudly. "I knew am Rimhar had something up his sleeve."

"Do you think he knows?" asked Onaran.

"He's one of the higher ups in the Hegemony, isn't he? What are the odds he _doesn't_ know something." Robert shook his head. "The only question is how much he knows, and how these talks figure into the Batarians' actual plans. For all we know he might even be the Minister mentioned by the pirates."

Julia said, "Whatever they're doing, it's going to happen soon given the way they talked about it."

"It's got to be something more than a new wave of pirate attacks." Locarno looked from her to Robert and then to Jarod. "Even with new technology, the Batarians are still at a disadvantage."

"What is Commander Carrey doing now?" Onaran asked.

Jarod was the first to answer. "According to his last update, they're still tracking down the source of Batarian transmissions in that area. General Victus is considering attempting an attack, if the target is soft enough."

"Given their location in the galaxy, could Zack call in reinforcements by jump drive?"

"The spatial aspect isn't good. Maybe some ships on outer frontiers. But they're at the far end of the Verge, in the heart of Beta Quadrant. They can't call in any heavy fleet units."

"Still, at least he has that possibility." Robert tapped his hands on the table. "Okay, we know they're up to something, we don't know what they're doing or how. I want everyone on the ship to be on the lookout. Discretely. We can't let this spook the Batarians."

"I'll start going over their comm activity," Jarod said.

"And I will make sure Security is alert to anything further out of the ordinary," added Meridina.

"Good. With that done… let's call it a night, everyone." Robert rubbed at his tired eyes. "Whatever happens, we're going to be busy tomorrow."


	59. Episode 2-12-3 Common Ground

Doctor Opani checked in one last time on the infirmary before signing off for the day. The Gamma Shift nurse was fully briefed on the condition of the unconscious Quarian patient and possible special needs. She checked on Tali, asleep on the biobed she'd picked and with no issues showing on the biobed scanners.

Tired and hungry, Opani went to the mess hall, or rather the half that hadn't been turned into a sleeping area for the special forces troops they were carrying. She replicated a _kipatiran_ , a warm baked pastry with a vegetable and cheese filling, and a cup of cool fruit juice. An empty table was easily found, even in this reduced space, and she went to work on her food.

She was mostly done when Barnes sat down with a late snack of a pastry she had heard him call a "hot pocket". A replicated "soft drink" still fizzed in a plastic cup. "Hey Doc," he said.

"Hello."

"So, Zack said something about us talking?" Barnes asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, exactly. But I think that you may have been rude to our guest."

Barnes took a sip of his drink, which might have been an explanation for his sudden sour look. Or it may not have been. Opani waited patiently for him to respond. "Look, I'm acerbic sometimes, yeah, and I can be a jerk. But that doesn't change the fact that she has no training or experience with our technology and equipment. I don't care how good an engineer she thinks she is."

"She seems bright. Eager. This work is part of who she is."

"Sure it is." Barnes bit into his food and frowned. "Ugh. Christ, these replicators make anything and everything taste like ass."

"They always have," Opani pointed out. "Don't change the subject."

That prompted him to look at her, hard. "There isn't a damn subject, Opani. She's a kid and she's not working in my engineering department."

"Why are you so resistant to it?"

"For the same reason you wouldn't want some kid around who thought helping her daddy with bandages makes her capable of performing surgery," he retorted, and there was real heat in his voice. "In fact, that analogy works perfectly, because that's basically what you're asking me to do."

Opani was quiet for a moment, allowing Barnes to take another bite. She felt there was something about the way he was opposed to this, something more than the objections he was listing. "Why won't you give her a chance? You don't need her to run the reactor, just give her a task. Pair her with an engineer and…"

" _No_. _That's final_."

"Why are you being so obstinate…"

Barnes responded by standing up and grabbing his unfinished meal. He tossed it into the replicator and hit the reclaim button. Opani jumped up to do the same and followed him as he stamped out of the mess. "This is none of your damn business," Barnes barked back at her, already knowing she was behind him.

"This is personal," Opani shot back. "It has to be. What has that sweet girl done to you? Certainly you're not listening to the poison from the others about thievery?"

"No, no I'm not," he replied.

"Then why won't you work with her? Find her something to do? She can't be that much younger than you were when you started this. If you could imagine being in her place…"

Barnes whirled around so quickly that Opani nearly walked into him. "That's the problem," he said, his tone reflective of his broken patience. "Because I _can_ imagine being in her place. Because I _was_ in her place."

Opani looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"I've wanted to put together machines since I was a kid," Barnes said. Some of the anger had gone out of his face, replaced by the look of someone dredging through old memories. "I've always wanted to be an engineer. Like my parents. And I always thought of myself as one from the moment I passed my first engineering prep class in high school. And then everything with the Darglan Facility happened, and soon I was running ships and seeing myself as the engineer. But I didn't know jack crap about it, not really. I was still just the kid with a big head and ego ready to fry my brain out if it meant learning more about machines."

Opani remained silent.

"Then I met Scotty." Barnes smiled a little. "And I realized I didn't know jack crap. I still wouldn't know jack crap if he hadn't seen something in me and taught me what I was missing. Me being an engineer is because of him. It took a lot of time, training, and work to be able to do this job. So yeah, I get the girl's position because I've been there. I've _been_ her. And I made enough mistakes back then to know what can go wrong if I let that girl work our most critical systems." He let out a sigh. "So yeah, I get where she's coming from. And that's why I don't want her in Engineering. The kid shouldn't have even been out here, dammit. She sounds college age, not fully grown up. She should be taking classes, not flying scouting missions."

"Her people don't have your ways, or mine. Keep that in mind."

"Then whatever it is they do for higher education. But my point stands."

"I see." Opani rubbed at her forehead. "Thank you for your honesty, and sleep well."

Barnes nodded and walked on to his quarters.

* * *

Zack retired to his room. It was the only quarters on the ship that had been fitted to have only one occupant, and that had been at the insistence of Scotty and of Captain Farmer back in the day. " _The ship's commander needs his or her sleep_ " was their argument, and their recommendation was accepted.

It was only times like now that Zack realized _why_ the two Starfleet men had said that.

He sat at his desk in his white uniform undershirt and boxers. Zack's face reflected his sleeplessness and state of mind, how upset he was at what had transpired. In his mind he kept flashing back to the Batarian ship exploding on the viewscreen. Several dozen Batarians had been vaporized in that explosion.

They were pirates, slavers, and in a straight battle he wouldn't have thought twice about their deaths. But this was different. He kept wondering about it. Wondering if he could have found a solution. A way to keep them safely contained on the _Koenig_ , anything that might have seen them live. Anything that would spare him the knowledge that he had left those beings to die. That he had given the order.

His hand crept to his desk's computer control panel. He hit a key to activate his message recorder. "Computer, log this message, deliver when I give the word."

" _Please list recipient_."

Zack swallowed. "Clara Lydia Davis, currently residing on New Caprica, assigned to New Liberty Volunteer Corps as a nurse."

" _Recipient logged. Ready to commence message recording._ "

"Begin." After a moment to compose his thoughts, Zack started speaking. He told her how much he loved her. He told her he missed her. As he did so, he thought about what he was saying, about his feelings.

He didn't want to hurt Clara, so he never told her about some of those feelings. About the occasional dreams where Clara wasn't the one in his arms. The flashbacks to the virtual world his mind had once been pulled into, where Julia Andreys had become Julia Carrey as he had fantasized about so often. He felt ashamed of the fact that a part of him would always be in love with Julia, no matter how much Clara deserved every bit of his love. It made him feel unworthy of both.

Soon he got into the purpose of the message. It was nothing less than a confession, as if she could forgive him for it and grant him absolution. "I've killed in battle, I mean," he said. "I haven't counted how many ships the _Koenig_ has destroyed. I've got no idea how many people have died fighting my ship. But this wasn't that. I left those Batarians to die. To get blown up. Not in a fight, but as an execution. I… I keep thinking I could have saved them. I _should_ have saved them, should have done something… I just don't know what."

Zack went silent as he thought on that. That he had no alternatives save tipping off the Batarians to the loss of their ship, and risking that whatever plan they had in mind would be put into action. He was tormenting himself over a decision that was a lose/lose situation. As Victus had put it, he did what he had to do. And he would have to live with that.

He felt a quiet urge. An urge that ashamed him, even as he imagined the fiery sensation of his father's tequila pouring down that throat. He shook his head to get the thought, the desire, out of it.

"I made the decision," he said quietly. "Now I have to live with it." He stared off into space, and into the corners of his own mind, and dwelled for a moment on his thoughts. "I can live with it," he decided. "It wouldn't be the only bad thing I have to live with." He drew in a breath before shaking his head. "Computer, delete that entire message."

" _Message deleted. Would you like to try again?_ "

"No." Zack shook his head. "No, I don't think so." And with no further remarks, he slid into bed, wondering if he would be seeing that ship explode again in his dreams.

* * *

It was one of those nights again.

It had been weeks since Robert had dealt with the dreams that came to him, offering what he and Meridina believed were possible hints to the future. Now they were back and with a vengeance. He had glimpses of Fassbinder, the SS man thought dead on Gamma Piratus but recently determined to still be alive. The "Aryan ideal" German man's eyes went from deep blue to bright gold and yellow, darkness clinging to him and a sinister smile of triumph crossing his face.

Then it was the girl in red and gold again, crying out as her amber eyes shined with ethereal energy that sent power rippling over Robert. Nearby Julia was on one knee, stripped down to a sleeveless white undershirt and shorts, her face full of determination.

They were gone the next moment. Robert looked around at the Presidium of the Citadel, now beset by fires and smoking rubble. People cried out around him as, to his horror, shadowy figures with singular shining eyes impaled them on strange devices.

The Citadel Council chambers appeared around him. Broken metal forms were scattered before the platform leading to the guest podium. At the podium was a single figure, a Turian, covered in cybernetic enhancements and pieces. Robert had seen this image before. But never had he seemed so familiar.

"Our only hope to survive is to prove ourselves," the Turian said. "Servitude is preferable to extinction."

"We can fight them, we can win!" a Human voice urged. Robert briefly thought it was his, as it was a sentiment he felt within, but despite the haze of the dream he realized it was a woman speaking. And it was a familiar voice. "Can't you see? It's taken you over!"

Robert turned his head to face the direction of the voice. He felt surprise at recognizing the face. _Shepard?_

And then he was alone, in the middle of rubble and debris, his side hurting, and above him was a massive metal monstrosity with a glowing red eye staring down at him. It made a noise, as if the Devil was playing a trumpet through a synthesizer.

Maybe it was that noise that woke him up. Or maybe a part of Robert's mind was tired of the frightening imagery. Either way, he found himself sitting up in his bed. He quickly checked to make sure he hadn't woken up Angel, the instinct firing before his memory reminded him that she wasn't here now.

After the moment passed he found the dream was coming to mind again. The image of the cybernetic Turian was stuck in his head. He felt like he should recognize the figure. But the image blurred as he awakened, the dream distorted by that very waking.

When his omnitool display flashed the numbers 0402 at him, Robert sighed and laid back on the bed, turning to his side as he sought to get comfortable enough to sleep again.

* * *

In her life, Tali had slept on far less-comfortable things than the biobed in the infirmary, and her sleep had been quite restful. She woke up to find that only a single nurse was on duty, checking Kon's life signs. Tali did the same and confirmed for the nurse that he was still stable, or that his suit's sensors considered him stable, at least.

With her grumbling stomach in mind, Tali went to the mess hall and the replicator within. Only a few people were present in the room, mostly Humans wearing different uniforms from the ones she had seen Opani, Barnes, and the other ship personnel wearing. She remained clear of them and went to the replicator. She tapped the controls to see a list of dextro-compatible foods loaded into the system. The choices were as varied as she imagined they would be, and she selected a morning meal within seconds.

It was one thing to order the food, however, and another to endure it. She'd tasted replicator food before and knew that it never quite managed to taste proper, but this was utterly atrocious. "Forget it," Tali muttered to herself. She knew just what to do.

Nobody said anything when she returned to the replicator. First she had it reclaim her uneaten meal. But instead of walking away she activated her omnitool and interfaced it with the replicator. This let her run a diagnostic scan on the software and hardware. Seeing the latter made her grumble. She got onto her knees and pulled away the covering for the replicator's internals, revealing the various wires and cords that made up the device's guts. She went to work immediately on it.

Tali became so intent on her work that she was surprised when a voice said, "Are you sure you should be down there?" She swung her head over and up. Two humans, a woman and a man, were standing nearby. "I'm not sure Barnes will appreciate you messing with the replicator," the man said.

"I'm just fixing it," Tali answered. "The matter re-constitution system needs to be re-calibrated, it's completely off."

"Is that why everything's been tasting like crap?" asked the woman. There was something about the redhead with darker-toned bronze skin that Tali thought was interesting. She seemed to stand out compared to other Humans she'd met since arriving on the ship. "Because I've had replicated food before, this is something even worse."

"That's what I was thinking, so I was adjusting the internal systems and recalibrating the system. I think too many unrefined elements were being added. It would explain the taste."

"Well, don't let us interrupt you." The man nodded. "Your name was Tali'Zorah, right?"

Tali nodded. "It is."

"Commander Carter Kane, Allied Systems Marines." Kane offered his hand. Tali looked for a moment before carefully accepting.

"Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance."

Tali accepted Shepard's hand too. "I'm sure you want to eat. I'll be done in a minute."

As she went back to work, Kane said, "If Barnes finds out you're doing this, he's going to go on the warpath."

"I offered to help him keep his ship running well. He chose to ignore me. Well, he can, but I'm not eating terrible food because he and his crew can't be bothered to do a little maintenance on the replicators."

"Oohrah to that," Kane said. "I want my Marines to have edible grub, replicated or not. And they wouldn't let me bring a big store of MREs since we're all cramped in here."

"I just need to double-check this power line… connection to the computer switch looks good…"

After a few moments Tali slid away from the replicator. "Now try."

"Two mugs of coffee, black."

The requested items appeared in brilliant white light. Kane took one and handed it to Tali, taking one for himself. "Mmm. What do you think?" Kane asked after trying his.

"I'm almost convinced this is real coffee," Shepard answered. "Nice job," she said to Tali.

"Thank you. It was a simple repair." She stood up and put the panel back on. "Now I can enjoy my meal too." 

* * *

Given how badly the mess hall replicator was acting Zack had opted for eating in his quarters with the replicator unit there. As always replicators didn't quite get the oatmeal and buttered toast right, and the milk tasted bland, but it was at least filling.

He was done with the toast and mostly done with the oatmeal. He eyed the closet full of uniforms, which he would be pulling on next, and turned his attention back to his report. He'd had a pleasant enough sleep given the events yesterday and time to internalize what had happened. He wondered if he would have been even more bothered had he been forced to look at the Batarians before they died. If he could have seen their fear.

Zack chose to ignore that for the moment and focus on what he saw on his digital pad. Hajar had been running the night shift and provided meticulous reports. Long range sensors had detected another Batarian ship that was on a different course. Analysis of its course had further refined Magda's calculated point of origin for the transmissions to and from the now-destroyed Batarian raider. Whatever they were looking for was going to be easier to find.

The question would be raised soon: what would they do when they found it? Attempt an attack, a covert landing of troops? Should he try to torpedo enemy ships still in their dock spaces, should it be that kind of facility (he suspected it was)? He really wanted to get Victus' special forces groups into the place to see if they could get their hands on any further information about the Batarians' plans and goals. But risking his ship unnecessarily was not something he could do.

As his final bite of oatmeal went into his mouth, a tone sounded on the ship's speakers. " _Bridge to Carrey_ ," said the voice of Lieutenant Apley.

"I'm here, Ap," Zack answered.

" _We've got something on sensors. You're going to want to see this_. _I think we've found the Batarian base_."

"Be right up." 

* * *

Zack arrived on the bridge in time to find his command crew taking their proper positions. He went for his chair. "What do you have for me?"

"It's definitely a base," Magda answered. She gave her screen a close inspection. "I won't be able to determine how many ships are there until we get closer, but I'd say there are definitely a few ships, maybe as many as ten."

"Mass sizes?"

"Mostly raider-size. Maybe one or two cruiser-sized ones. I can't give you more accurate counts until we get within sublight sensor range."

"How long?"

"Two hours, twenty minutes," Apley answered.

"Okay." Zack nodded. "Status of our cloaking device?"

"Still operating within normal parameters," Magda said.

"Any sign of a graviton net? Tachyon detection grid?"

"Nothing. I'd be surprised if they could get something like that, even off the black market."

"Sometimes, Magda, I don't think anything would surprise me." Zack settled into his seat and, as he often had to, waited until they were in range.

* * *

Barnes ate breakfast in his quarters and double-checked the day's scheduling. Provided there were no alerts - and he expected there would be - someone would finally be getting to the mess hall replicator by about 1200 to fix it. It was the earliest he could get a repair tech to the job given the niggling little fixes needed from the fire they'd taken the prior day.

Ensign Ling arrived by the time breakfast was done. The Gamma Shift officer was that shift's Engineering Officer; now Ling would sleep in here due to the need for hotbunking. "Ling," Barnes said. "So, how's the husband?"

"He's fine. Our daughter starts school in a month." Ling sighed. He was mostly East Asian in appearance, but the darker tone to his complexion and the shape of his cheeks was from an African grandparent "I had hoped to go get some leave time, but in this line of work, with a war?" He chuckled and hid his obvious sadness. "Unless we're sent somewhere near Sirian space, it's not happening."

"Woh, sorry to hear that," Barnes answered. "The replicator's edible in here by the way. I'm hoping to get the mess hall unit fixed sometime today."

Ling blinked. "What do you mean by that? It's been fixed. I don't think it's ever been better."

Barnes had been turning away from Ling. That made him turn back. "What? What do you mean it's fixed, there was no scheduled…" He frowned.

"Everyone's saying that Quarian survivor we took aboard did it this morning. And I'm telling you, sir, the food's never tasted better. It made my noodles taste more like noodles than liquid polymer, and… sir?" Ling watched as Barnes literally stormed out of his quarters. He might have gone after him to find out what was going on, but with everything going on and knowing that at any time he might be called back to his post, Ling decided to climb into bed instead. 

* * *

Tali couldn't be too surprised that word swiftly spread on the small ship of her fixing of the mess hall replicator.

What she _hadn't_ expected was the number of people coming to her to fix small things.

"How _did_ you get your omnitool memory so full in the first place?" she asked the Human crewmember sitting in front of her in the mess. Tali looked over the results of the scans she'd had to run on the offending omnitool. "It looks like you were trying to load half of the ship's data into it."

"Our multidevices used to have two hundred megaquad storage capacity," the girl protested. "This thing locked up at just a quarter of that."

"An omnitool shouldn't be storing that much data," Tali said. "It's built with wide-frequency range data-streaming capability. Aside from vital programs and applications, everything you load onto it should be remotely accessed from dedicated data servers."

"Well… I'm still getting used to that," was the sheepish response.

Tali sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. I remember one of my friends, Mela, he once overloaded his omnitool trying to generate a welding flame. We had to spend a day fixing it. This…" She tapped a few more keys. The screen on the young crewwoman's omnitool unfroze. "...just needs a hard reboot cycle. There, your memory buffer is clear."

"Thank you. It might have taken all day for me to get it fixed by the tool shop," the girl said, her voice warm with gratitude.

Tali watched the girl leave and felt content. While she had wanted to help maintain the ship more directly, helping a ship's crew with repairs was at least a decent activity for her. Her father would be far happier than he would with the thought that she was doing nothing of use.

It looked for the moment like no one else was coming to ask her anything. Tali began to relax.

She stopped relaxing when the door slid open and Barnes entered. His eyes focused on her with clear frustration and anger in them. "You!" He stomped up. "What the hell were you doing?!"

"Excuse me?" Tali asked.

"Oh, don't give me that. I've heard all about the mess hall replicator. You're a guest on this damn ship, you do not open up equipment and start fiddling with it to see how it works!" Barnes slammed his hand on the table. "One thing wrong and you could cause food poisoning, or worse, to anyone who…"

Tali stood up. She wasn't as tall as Barnes, but she didn't have to incline her head so far to face him directly. "Listen, I've had enough of you thinking I'm that incompetent. I know replicator technology too! Lan'Durah taught almost everyone on the _Rayya_ about them when he brought the technology back from his Pilgrimage."

"Oh, really. Alright, let's play this game." Barnes activated his omnitool and went over to the replicator. "Let's see… matter stream regulators… within proper limits. Control systems… responding normally." Barnes' voice started to lose its angry energy as, bit by bit, his diagnostic showed green fields for every part of the machine. "...matter re-constitution matrix… calibrated correctly." He started to mumble. "Damn, like it's fresh off the…" He cleared his throat. "Computer, Barnes Order Number 4."

The replicator obeyed and a cup of hot cocoa with a marshmallow appeared. He took the marshmallow and dropped it into the frothy brown drink. After giving it a moment to melt he sipped the hot fluid. And there was no mistaking the look of shock on his face.

It tasted… _good_. Better than normal for a replicator, almost like the real thing. "Last time I tried this it was so hot I almost burnt my tongue off," he mumbled lowly. He took another drink and savored the warm, chocolate flavor on his taste buds, touched with the creamy remains of the marshmellow. Slowly he glanced toward Tali. She had crossed her arms. And he was certain there was a satisfied look under that featureless faceplate of hers.

"Well." Barnes coughed and set the cocoa down on the replicator. With a tap of the key the system reclaimed the beverage. "Um… crap." He rubbed at his forehead and couldn't help but notice everyone was looking at him. "Yeah, I've got nothing. I'm the asshole here. That's… hell, that's work worthy of my best, of Scotty's best. Recalibrating the matter re-constitution system to that level… it's brilliant. I'd love to…"

"Quarian!"

All eyes turned to the entrance to the mess hall. Three Turians entered, Guard Captain Vidinos in the lead. All focused directly on Tali. "Where'd you put it?"

"Put what?" Tali asked, confused.

"The auto-spanner that went missing from the toolkit of my squad's gunsmith," Vidinos answered. "Where did you take it, Quarian?"

"An auto-spanner? Why would I need an auto-spanner, why would I take _yours_?" Tali stood her ground as Vidinos and the men with him walked up to her. They spread out enough that they were clearly cutting off any avenue of escape. One of the Turians activated their omnitool and began to scan her.

"It's a new model, just issued by Palaven Command," Vidinos said. "The kind of new technology you Quarians just love to get your hands on. So, I'm going to ask again… _where is it?_ "

"I don't have it, I wouldn't _want it_."

"I'm not reading it, sir," the Turian with the scanner said.

"Any interference?" Vidinos looked to his man. "It wouldn't surprise me if her suit is shielded to prevent people from finding things. It's how Quarians would operate." As he spoke, Vidinos seemed oblivious, or perhaps simply uncaring, about the looks he was getting from the others in the mess hall. Barnes was staring at him in near disbelief.

"There's no null spots, sir, nothing to show shielding. She's clean."

"There, you see?" Tali said, her voice laced with irritation. "I don't know what problem you have with my people, but you can't just accuse me of being a thief…"

"I've been around enough Quarians to know what you people are like, always looking for new tech to take home, not caring who it belongs to," Vidinos retorted. He nodded to one of his men. "We'll find where you hid it. I'm sure you'll tell us after time in the brig."

By this point one of the other Turians grabbed Tali by the arm. "Hey!" she cried. "Let go!" A second Turian grabbed her other arm. "You can't do this! I didn't take anything!"

"Of course you didn't. That's what your kind always say." Vidinos turned around. When he stepped, his men stepped, and they began to pull Tali with them despite her struggling.

Vidinos only managed three steps before Barnes moved in his way. "Hey, Vidinos, I don't know who the frak you think you are, but you're damn well not a senior officer of this crew, and you don't have authority to put _anyone_ in the brig without our say-so."

"Stand aside, _Lieutenant_ , I'm the superior officer and you're out of order."

Barnes got into his face, scowling with fury. "Hey, asshole, I'm a frakking senior officer on this ship. I'm the Goddamned Chief Engineer. I don't have to do jack crap if you say it. Fact is you don't have jack crap for authority on this ship, I do, and I'm frakking tell you to _let her go_."

Vidinos may have noticed the gathering personnel, or he may not have. His soldiers certainly did see as the other half dozen Alliance crewmembers and Marines in the room started to move toward Barnes. But all Vidinos did was glare into Barnes' eyes. "I don't know why you care about this _suit rat_ " - and the emphasis made it clear Vidinos intended to fullest meaning in the slur - "but I've got three of the best special forces soldiers that the Turian Hierarchy has to offer, and I'm not letting the Quarian get away with stealing from us. We're taking her into custody, either in your brig or in our barracks. If you've got a problem, take it up with Victus."

"I'm not letting you take her anywhere."

"Who's going to stop us? You?"

"How about me?" another voice declared.

Shepard stepped up beside Barnes. She directed a glare of her own at Vidinos. "Lieutenant Barnes is right, Vidinos," she said to him. "On this ship, he's got the authority, not me and not you. So do what he says before he has _you_ dragged to the brig."

Vidinos' mandibles twitched. If his face had the same muscles as a Human's, he would be scowling, and Barnes and Shepard were both certain of that. "I want that auto-spanner found," he said. "It's property of the Turian Hierarchy."

"I'll have my people look for it when they can," Barnes said. "Now move on, you're causing a disruption."

"Let the Quarian go, men," Vidinos ordered. His troops obeyed. "I'm sure these Humans will learn the same hard lessons we did about the Quarians, right around the time the Quarian strips their ship bare."

With that parting remark Vidinos and his men stepped past Shepard and Barnes. They moved on to the exit door.

Kane stepped in before they could leave. The faint semblance of a smile crossed his face. "Hey, Guard Captain," he said. He brought up his right hand. It was gripping a tool that looked like a ratchet wrench with a small specialized motor assembly embedded in it. "A member of the _Koenig_ crew found this and gave it to me. It looks like someone left some fancy new auto-spanner in the armory over the course of the night. I thought the mark looked Turian, so…" When Vidinos moved his hand toward it Kane held it out and let him take it. "It's not bad either. Not as good as our latest, I mean. Ours has an auto-adjustment setting so we don't have to change the spanner socket out. One size fits all. Maybe your people should look into buying some from us."

Vidinos turned away to walk past Kane. He stomped out of the mess hall with his men just behind.

"That guy is an ass," Barnes grumbled.

"A bigoted one." Kane nodded to him. "It's a good thing one of your people found this. Guys like that can cause a lot of trouble."

"Did that asshole really think he'd get away with attacking us?" Barnes asked Shepard.

"Maybe. Sad thing is, Vidinos is a damn good spec forces officer," Shepard said. "It would be a lot easier to hate his guts if he were an incompetent idiot too."

"Life would be a lot easier if all the assholes were incompetent too."

"Yeah. If only." Barnes turned to Tali, who was now seated. His face was turning red from shame and embarrassment. "Hey, kid… Tali, right?"

"Yes," she answered.

Barnes drew in a breath and walked up to her. He slid onto the bench for the next table, facing her instead of said table. "Your work on the replicator was great. I mean, it showed real ingenuity, a bit of creativity…"

Tali remained silent. But the way she kept her arms crossed was anything but silent.

"Aw, hell… I was an idiot, okay?" Barnes said. "A big dumb idiot asshole who assumed and didn't check things out. You still want to work in Engineering while you're here?"

"I would. I'm a Quarian engineer, and it feels wrong for me to not help maintain a ship I'm staying on."

"Fair enough." Barnes extended a hand. "Let's get down to Main Engineering. Poniatowski and I will see where we can put you."

Tali's posture relaxed slightly. "Thank you," she said, in clear relief.

* * *

The quiet on the _Koenig_ bridge ended in the final minutes before their arrival. "I'm getting short-range scans of the system. Passive only." Magda went to work at her Ops station.

Zack turned in his chair to face her. "What do we have?"

"It looks like an A1-grade star," Magda said. "Reading four planets and a thin asteroid belt between the first and second. Three of the planets are gas giants, the innermost planet looks like it's a D-grade barren world, no atmosphere." After another few seconds Magda's attention clearly focused on one of her screens. "I'm detecting a faint power signature near one of the moons around the third planet."

"Just one signature?" Zack asked.

"With passive-only sensors, I wouldn't necessarily pick up ships in standby mode," Magda said. "Until we get closer I can't tell you anything more."

"How much closer?"

"Sublight range."

Zack thought on that. The _Koenig_ 's Darglan-designed cloaking device was just as good as something the Romulans could field, if not better, but there were still plenty of ways to give themselves away depending on what the Batarians might have with them. "What's the fourth gas giant like?"

"It's an ice giant-type. Methane, ammonia, water, and sulfur are the primary components of the atmosphere, various other elements. The magnetic field is on the higher end for ice giants, though, approaching small Saturn-type gas giant level. I think there might be a higher quantity of ferrous minerals in the convecting parts of the giant, but we'd need better sensors, or a probe, to confirm."

"Not really what we're here for." Zack thought of that. "Could we use the fourth planet to hide ourselves more effectively?"

"Let me examine the four moons first. Their orbital pattern and magnetic fields are…" Magda let the sentence hang. "Wow. It looks like one of the moons is actually conducting its own small mass effect field. I'm guessing a high concentration of eezo being subjected to electrical activity from other minerals. Maybe even a naqia deposit… yes." Magda looked to Zack and nodded. "I'll relay the coordinates to Apley, but if we stay in that section we should be hidden from any scans they can throw at us."

"And our scans?"

"Well, active scans might still get picked up." Magda went to work. "But maybe… I might be able to make a few light scans and make them look like routine electromagnetic activity from the fourth planet's system."

"If you can."

Things went quiet again until the thrum of the warp drive disengaging filled the ship. Apley's hands moved over the sublight controls. "We've dropped out of warp at the north pole of the ice giant. I'm moving us to the point that Lieutenant Navaez specified."

"Sensors are showing an artificial structure in orbit over the third planet's outermost moon," Magda said.

"On screen."

The holo-viewscreen activated and showed the image of a squat structure with a crater-studded moon framing the bottom of the image. The white light of the system's star was currently coming from the side of the image, illuminating half of the gray and brown-hulled station in pale sunlight. Several arms were erected from the middle of the central structure downward, making Zack think of a jellyfish crossed with an umbrella. Ships were visibly attached to most of these arms, but the central arm continued all the way down to the moon. "Is that a tether to keep them attached to the moon?"

"I'm getting heat sources from that central shaft," replied Magda. "It's a lift system. Actually, I'm starting to wonder if the base is actually on the moon. Even if it isn't, I'm betting they're mining the moon as well."

"Could pirates build something like this?" asked Sherlily. "I mean, it's easy to build a station, relatively speaking. But tethering one to a moon? Where do you get the resources for this?"

"It's not hard to guess," Zack murmured. "But proving it is another matter." Zack looked over the image. "You know, this place looks like it could have a _lot_ more ships."

"Maybe they're protecting other assets in the area?"

"Maybe." Zack thought of that. "Or maybe there's more to this than we think. I mean, you don't build a base this big unless you've got enough ships to make it worthwhile. There's what, five there?"

"Four. And what looks like a partially-completed ship on one of the berths." Magda shook her head. "In fact, it looks like some of those docks might be construction docks. This might actually be a _shipyard_."

"If they're getting a lot of technology from other universes, that makes sense," Zack noted. "It gives them somewhere to build new ships using that technology." His eyes remained focused on the base. "Can we get life sign scans from here?"

"Not enough to say what's in there, just that there are living things aboard," Magda said. "We'll need to get closer, or use active sensors, to get more information."

"Not right now." Zack shook his head. "I don't want to give away our presence. Continue what scans you get, I want every bit of knowledge we can find about this place without giving ourselves away." Zack tapped his comm control on his chair. "Bridge to General Victus."

Only a moment passed before the Turian general replied, " _Victus here_."

"General, we've found something, a space facility of some sort. We're taking scans now, and we should have something for you and the other commanders in an hour or so."

" _Very well. I'll have the team commanders in your conference room in ninety minutes. Victus out._ "

"Ninety minutes, Magda," Zack said. "No pressure, right?"

"No, sir," she breathed, ignoring the fact that there was, indeed, pressure. "No pressure…"


	60. Episode 2-12-4 Common Ground

The second day of the diplomatic meeting was going about the same as the first.

"Had you contacted the governments of this region before settling, you would have known not to colonize on those worlds," Tahrad stated evenly. His remark was a response to Onaran's protest at the extent of Batarian claims, which made up over half of the Alliance's settled zone in M4P2. "The Batarian Hegemony will not surrender its claims because of your haste."

"Your claims are hardly reasonable," Onaran responded, maintaining his own even tone. Robert could feel that he wasn't feeling "even", however, but was increasingly frustrated by the intransigence of the Batarians.

Nor was that the only source of frustration.

"Whatever the reasonableness of the Batarian claims, the point is a fair one," stated Benezia. "The Alliance made no effort to establish diplomatic contact with local civilizations before you began to settle. I have to agree with Minister am Rimhar on that matter."

"There were scant signs of any interstellar civilizations in this region of space at the time," Onaran said. "Nor were there any indications of territorial claims. Even the Citadel Council does not recognize these Batarian claims, Madame Matriarch. And it is unfair to hold our lack of information on the Citadel Council's existence against us."

A new voice entered the conversation, and from an unexpected source. "While you are not Human, Secretary Onaran, I cannot help but hear Human whining in your words," stated Benezia's Turian bodyguard. "Those are the same words Humanity used to excuse their reckless activation of a mass relay in complete defiance to Citadel law and common sense."

Onaran eyed the Turian. Robert looked his way and felt the voice jolt his memory. "I am sorry, Matriarch Benezia, but I am unfamiliar with your associate. Is he with the Council?"

Benezia gave the Turian a brief, irritated look before nodding. "He is under Council authority, yes, but I do agree his words were unnecessary and uncalled for. I apologize."

The Turian showed no response to that.

Robert held up a hand and got a nod from Benezia. He looked to am Rimhar and asked, in a careful a tone as he could, "Minister, are you seriously suggesting that we should just pack up and evacuate over half of our colonies in this universe because the Batarian Hegemony might, in some unknown future, actually take physical control of those worlds?"

"That would be the appropriate course for you to take, yes," the Batarian minister answered. "And it would have the added benefit of reducing your exposure to the criminal elements that have led to so many regrettable exchanges between our governments."

The gall of am Rimhar was shocking, but put delicately enough to, as always, give him room to evade the accusation of a threat.

Robert eyed Onaran, sensing he had a point to make. "A curious observation, Minister, as criminal organizations so rarely conform themselves to such things. It is just as likely they would take up bases in our abandoned territory to renew their attacks upon us. Especially if they sense weakness."

"I find it unlikely. Such criminals are far more likely to turn their attentions to more attractive targets."

 _Like the Systems Alliance's colonies in the Verge_ , Robert thought.

"Interesting how familiar you are with these organizations' behavior," Onaran observed.

Tahrad suddenly jumped to his feet. "Are you accusing me of collusion with criminals, Mister Secretary?!"

The ferocity of the words were not matched by the emotions Robert sensed in the Batarian. He briefly eyed Onaran, and it was clear the Dorei knew he was being toyed with. "Of course not, Minister," Onaran said. "I would never make such a dreadful accusation. I feel we are beginning to make progress in these talks and would never jeopardize this. I am merely curious as to your familiarity with their actions and was hoping you might share more insights with us."

Two of Tahrad's eyes narrowed. He sat back down wordlessly and glanced toward Benezia.

"While it is clear that your positions are not compatible," she said, "I believe that we are making some strides toward resolving our differences. A question of compensations for settling your rival territorial claims may provide us a break from this impasse…"

As Benezia began to lay out her thoughts on compensation for withdrawing from worlds or claims, Robert settled his eyes on her Turian companion. He could feel the impatience and the raw dislike in the man. But there was something more to him.

Robert lowered his arms below the rim of the table. He activated his omnitool on a low-light mode and began typing out a request to the bridge.

 _I wonder how Zack's mission is going_? Robert thought to himself as he did so.

* * *

The special forces commanders were at the table with Zack and Victus. An additional pair of seats had been brought in for Barnes, Magda, and Sherlily. Magda was using her omnitool to remotely control the holo-projector built into the conference room table. A three-dimensional, accurately-colored model of the Batarian pirate base hovered in the air over them, spilling gray and brown light over the assembled. "Our scans have confirmed the following," she began. A tap to her omnitool highlighted the central shaft linking the base to the moon. "This is the central tether attaching the facility in question to what appears to be a mining facility below the surface of the mine. Passive scans only tell me so much about this underground facility, unfortunately. And active scans could give us away, even through a cloak."

"You mean they can see this vessel through its cloak if you engage active sensors?" Lidiks asked.

"Not necessarily. It's like if someone in a foggy room of mirrors shines a light at you You may not be completely sure _where_ the source is, but you know someone's out there shining lights."

"And we'd lose the advantage of surprise." Shepard nodded. "Okay, so we go in without knowing everything. That's nothing new. What can you tell us about the orbital base?"

"Passive scans tell us quite a bit more about it," Magda said. With a tap of her omnitool she zoomed in on it. "They're definitely powered by fusion cores. The docking arms include machinery for starship construction and repair, but nothing above a certain dimension and mass. I suspect anything more powerful than a destroyer-sized ship can only be resupplied or patched up here, not built."

"So they probably have a bigger repair yard somewhere," Zack said.

"Most likely in Batarian space," Lidiks stated. "Whatever their links may be to the Batarian government, the Hegemony would never allow such organizations to field cruiser-grade warships independently."

"Analysis of the gravitational profile of the base, and the heat patterns within, indicate there are some living areas toward the outer decks of the facility. Quite a few, actually." Magda zoomed in toward the upper decks. "The heat profiles indicate that the center of the orbital facility forms the receiving area for whatever comes up from the moon, with persistent heat profiles here." An area toward the middle of the structure, just off of the center to the left of the image. "Given the intensity of the thermal profile I'd guess this is a command chamber of some sort." Another key tap brought up more areas. "And these are the locations of the fusion cores."

"Those would be our ideal targets," Vidinos said. "Could your ship hit them in a firing pass?"

"Those look deep enough that I can't guarantee we'd get them in one pass," Zack said. He looked to Barnes. "Tom?"

"I'd have to know the material composition to tell you for sure." Barnes looked over the sensor records. "I mean, the mass readings imply the presence, or really lack of presence, of some materials. But I'd need a sample. And since we can't get one, all I can say is that I wouldn't bet on it."

"What about transporting in explosives?" Kane asked. "Could we cripple enough of their power sources to knock out their base's operations?"

"We can take out maybe half of them in a single beaming," Barnes said. "I mean, assuming one bomb per reactor core. And if their safety precautions are crap, we might even cause a meltdown that takes out the whole place. But they've got enough redundancy that I don't think that's enough to cripple them. And if they can raise shields… that means no assault teams beaming over."

"Given they have to protect the docking arms, could their shield perimeter be out far enough for us to decloak _within_ the shields?" Zack asked, looking at Barnes. "I mean, if we can get that close without being detected."

Barnes and Magda exchanged glances and, after a moment, nods. "Yes," Magda said. "That is possible."

"Of course, they've got turreted weapon emplacements," Barnes said, pointing to said weapons on the hull. "And our shields will be down."

"What kind of weapons are they?"

"Looks like mass effect cannons," Barnes said. "But frankly, the only thing I can tell you is that they don't have phaser emitters set into the hull. They could be particle cannons for all I know, or plasma cannons. Lasers, disruptors, mass drivers. Any number of weapons I wouldn't want us to get hit with."

"So we get one or two transports, and one salvo, before we have to raise shields," Zack noted. He continued looking at the structure. "April, how much could we take out with one opening salvo?"

She looked over it. "Depending on our attack vector… Well, a double salvo of two torpedoes each, that's four emplacements. And if we line up the main battery…" She ran her hand over the holo-image. "I could probably get seven of these emplacements with my best shot."

"Unfortunately, there appears to be at least fourteen on each facing of the station." Shepard shook her head. "So you'll need time to take out the others. And possibly those ships in the docks. We're looking at beaming over just one team in the first wave."

"Then we should send our best." Vidinos looked to Victus. "My people will go."

"How much training do you have in assault beaming, Vidinos?" Kane asked. "That's one of our specialties."

"There's nothing you can do that we can't," Vidinos said in reply.

Victus remained silent and refused to intervene in the squabble. He directed his eyes to Zack. "Commander Carrey, your ship will be at risk for this operation. What would you prefer doing?"

Zack considered his reply carefully. He looked over the structure carefully, focusing his attention on the weapon emplacements and the enemy ships that would undoubtedly be looking to blast them to pieces once the fight started. This, plus the confined space they would be operating in if they remained inside the base's shield perimeter, would make the attack tricky. It would require every bit of his ships' maneuverability to make this work.

"We need to give the assault team our best," he said to Victus. "So I suggest a joint team." Zack gestured to the assembled commanders. "We send these five together, with one of their people to round the team out."

"And who will be in command?" Vidinos asked, in the kind of tone that made it clear he wanted that role.

"I'll leave that up to the General to decide," Zack answered.

"I'll consider that, and who will accompany you." Victus turned his head from Vidinos to Zack. "So you transport over a strike team while launching an opening salvo. What would you do afterward?"

Zack was already looking at Sherlily and the display, imagining his ship's approach vector and where they could go after the opening attack. "We start trying to pick their ships off, and take out their remaining weapon emplacements. We'll be putting everything we have into engines and weapons and hope our proximity allows us to move more quickly than their firing emplacements can track. Meanwhile our strike team will get their shields down and we beam over more troops, if needed." Zack turned his head toward Victus. "Although a lot depends on what you want to accomplish, General. If we send more teams, we might be able to blow the place up, but it means we'll take longer getting out of here. A smash-and-grab aiming at taking the contents of their computers could work better."

"Intelligence is something I wish to acquire, yes," Victus said. "But if we can remove this facility, I want to make that our objective."

"Well, let's see what happens when the mission starts. There's too much we don't know about this place to make plans beyond the opening of our attack."

Victus nodded at that. "I concur. Everyone, get your teams ready for deployment in case we need them. As soon as Commander Carrey reports his ship's readiness to move in, get to the transporters."

"Yes sir," Vidinos said.

"Yes, General," Shepard added.

Zack looked back to the holographic image of the pirate station and frowned. "Where are all of their ships?" he wondered to himself while Victus and the troop commanders filed out of the room _The last thing we need is for them to come home right after we start this_. "Is there anything on long range sensors, Magda?"

"Nothing the last time I checked," she answered.

"I know we'll be busy, but try to keep an eye out all the same. I don't want to get taken by surprise." Zack stood. "Okay everyone, let's get to our stations. We'll give Victus and his teams some time to get ready and then we're going in."

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

* * *

Barnes stepped into Main Engineering and found all of his Engineering staff waiting for him, with Tali standing among them. "Alright people, we've got maybe ten minutes before we're going into combat. I want everyone on standby for combat stations. Kellerman, you're going to be on damage control."

"Sir?" The Ensign, an Anglo-American from Universe L2M1, gave Barnes a confused look. "Are you sure? Who's going to be monitoring the coolant systems?"

"Our volunteer, Tali'Zorah," Barnes answered, looking at her. Seeing the surprise in some of the others, he added, "Anyone who's eaten in the mess today knows what's she got in this line of work, and I'm betting coolant lines on Quarian ships aren't any different than on ours."

"We don't use plasma, but that seems to be the only difference," Tali revealed.

"I'll be doing my usual thing here with Lieutenant Poniatowski. Any questions?" When nobody said anything he nodded. "Everyone take your places then. Things should start happening soon."

The assembled engineering staff dispersed to head toward their battle stations. Tali took up her place at the coolant monitoring station. "All lines are functioning. No faults showing. We're ready." She looked to Barnes as he looked toward her from his station by Main Engineering's Master Systems Display. "Lieutenant Barnes?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you again." There was gratitude through her partly-synthesized voice. "It feels good that I'll get to help you deal with the people who hurt my friend."

Barnes nodded. "You're welcome."

* * *

It was all quiet on the bridge of the _Koenig_ when Zack confirmed that the teams were ready. "If we can, I'd like to get their second wave aboard," he said to everyone. "Six people aren't going to be enough."

"I'll see if I can buy you the extra time," Apley said.

"I'll give it my best." Sherlily nodded at tactical. "Phasers and torpedoes ready. I'll fire as soon as the cloak goes down."

"On my mark then. Ap, take us in."

"Aye sir."

Still hidden behind her cloaking field, the _Koenig_ moved out from her hiding place at full impulse. Zack waited patiently as the minutes ticked away while the ship crossed the millions of kilometers between the two ice giants and their moons. It felt almost like forever while the seconds crawled past.

Gradually the Batarian pirate base grew larger on their screen, looming with an unmistakable malice. It seemed silly to think that his small ship could trouble such a place. But Zack knew they could, that they _would_.

As the station filled the screen, Magda gave him the signal he had been expecting. "We're within the likely shield perimeter."

"Steady…" Zack ignored the sweat that he felt forming on his forehead. "Mark!"

Everyone acted in sequence. Magda deactivated the cloaking device. Within milliseconds power surged into the torpedo launcher mechanisms, sending out a full spread of solar torpedoes. The drive fields of the projectiles gave them a white-blue glow that shined over the hull of the station before they crashed into the weapon emplacements they'd been lobbed at, destroying them in bursts of energy and light.

"Transporter Station is beaming our team over," Magda reported. 

* * *

Even as Magda spoke, Shepard and the others materialized in a corridor on the station. By common agreement Nisia, the Asari, was in charge, and she had brought along one of her compatriots to fill out the first team. "We've arrived on target," she said, checking her omnitool. "Move out!"

The six started moving. Ten seconds after they did, another six figures appeared from bright columns of light. Led by Lidiks' subordinate Captain Letos, and including Shepard's subordinate Alenko, they followed the first team.

Kane and Shepard were on point with Nisia and Vidinos behind them. Even as they moved on, both were waiting to hear for the arrival of the third group.

It didn't come. 

* * *

The opening run went off as planned. Mostly.

The torpedo barrage was followed up another second later by phasers, firing as soon as the energy surged into the capacitors for the emitters. The powerful amber pulses blasted apart more of the weapon emplacements. As Apley turned to maintain his maneuver, the aft torpedo launchers fired and took out another pair of emplacements.

"Second wave is beaming," Magda said.

Zack nodded. Space around started to light up in energy, green bolts that were barely missing his ship. Apley kept any of the shots from hitting.

"Second wave over. Preparing third…"

Before Magda could say anything else, one of the green bolts crashed into the _Koenig_ 's hull, causing the entire ship to shudder. "Direct hit on dorsal hull," Magda confirmed. "Raising shields." Moments later very slight rumbles shook the deck. "Shields holding at ninety-seven percent."

"Damage report."

"Armor damage only… wait. I'm getting a fault signal from the cloaking device, it looks like a cloaking emitter cell took a partial hit. Our cloaking device won't work."

"So we're committed."

" _Victus to bridge. Can we send the third team?_ "

Before Zack could reply, the ship shook slightly again. "Shields still holding."

"I'm trying to evade the fire and give Tactical openings, sir, but those turrets are tracking really fast. I can't get out of their lines of fire."

"That's a negative, General. Not unless our teams disable their defensive systems." Zack turned his attention elsewhere. "Apley, April, forget the turrets. Time for those ships, before they finish launching."

"Roger."

"Magda, what are we being hit with?"

"Plasma fire," Magda confirmed. "Consistent with Coserian technology."

"Coserians." Zack had heard of them; a former big bad empire that used to dominate parts of what was now Gersallian and Dorei space.

As the thought came to him the _Koenig_ aligned with one of the docking arms. Phasers lashed out at the Batarian pirate vessel still tethered to it. Evidently the ship hadn't been close to ready for action, and hadn't raised shields; Sherlily's aim and fire pattern demolished the ship in two barrages. As they swept past two shots from the dorsal phaser array took out the ship's power core, detonating it. The ship was consumed in the energy of a matter/anti-matter reaction.

The next ship they targeted fared little better, being turned into a husk in space by the phaser blasts and a torpedo that gutted it. They turned and faced the third ship. When Sherlily directed their main batteries' fire over it, the amber bursts were stopped by crackles of yellow light that formed over it. She pumped more fire into the ship as they sped by, but it remained shielded and intact. More importantly, it pulled away from the dock it had been tied to.

The _Koenig_ jolted once more, this time from yellow spears of light coming from the fourth ship, now free and moving to pursue. "We got half of them," Zack said. "Let's see what we can do about these two. Ap, Attack Plan Hotel?"

"Sounds good to me, sir," Apley said. And with that, he sent the _Koenig_ into a dizzying array of spins and turns to avoid the mass of incoming fire.

* * *

The Batarians had some warning of what was hitting them. But the warning hadn't come quickly enough for them to protect their command center from the spec-forces team.

Shepard and Kane went in first. He started with a powerful spread of flash-bang grenades from his rifle's underslung launcher. His helmet's optics protected his eyes from the bursts of light that caused cries of surprise and anguish from the beings in the command center.

This opened them up for Shepard's assault. Biotic energy gathered around her and, in an instant, she was propelling forward like she had been shot from a cannon. She slammed into the Batarian in the central "pit" of the control room, sending him flying. With a quick turn Shepard brought her shotgun to bear. There was a thunder in the room in the moment before the mass effect-propelled flechettes from her Katana-model shotgun tore through the torso of a second Batarian.

Kane opened fire on the other corner, taking out one target and sending the others to cover. At the corner of his eye he saw movement looked toward what, he quickly realized, was _not_ a Batarian.

"Secure the chamber!" Nisia shouted, moving in with one of Vidinos' men. The Asari-make assault rifle in her hands fired toward the other far corner.

"Down!" Kane shouted, ducking behind a control station, as the non-Batarian figure he recognized brought an arm up. A quick whir filled the air as a cannon emplacement appeared on the being's arm, the barrel formed from the palm of a cybernetic hand. A bolt of green energy nearly hit Shepard, spared by her instinctive reaction to Kane's warning.

Nisia turned her attention to the attacker. He - or she - was from a species she'd never seen before, a gray-skinned humanoid with three eyes on their head arranged like points on an inverted triangle, a ridge of bone between each eye that connected to a skull covered in black and dark gray metal. The upper right eye was rimmed by a cybernetic implant. The suit, in contrast to the browns and reds the Batarians favored, was rust-colored leather of some form that stretched over a wide body, wider than normal for most bipedal or humanoid species.

An amused smirk came to the face of the cyborg when Nisia opened fire. Emerald energy crackled and slivers of metal clanked harmlessly against the ground.

Nisia and the Turian had to leap for cover when another emerald bolt came from the cyborg's arm. It smashed into the bulkhead behind them and exploded.

"What the hell is that thing, Kane?!" Shepard asked from her cover.

"I think it's a Jeaxian, but I've never seen one before!"

"What the hell is a…"

Shepard couldn't finish the sentence in time. The cyborg blasted the station she was hiding behind. An explosion of metal and ceramics created a storm of shrapnel and left the station demolished. Kane looked to see Shepard blown to the ground, either hurt or stunned and unable to move for the moment.

The energy shield the cyborg had was strong. He couldn't be sure how strong since there was no telling how much power it could generate. Kane opted for a more raw force approach. With a quick key press he swapped his grenade launcher attachment from flash-bangs to charge grenades. Ineffectual fire from Nisia and the growing number of allies in the room was causing the Jeaxian cyborg's energy shield to remain constantly visible. He - Kane was mostly certain the Jeaxian was male - was directing a blast toward Lidiks and a second Turian. Alenko was remaining in cover at the door where Vidinos was now stepping through.

"Fire in the hole!" Kane opened up with the grenade launcher, firing his entire available clip in five seconds. There was a roar in the air from the micro-rockets that kept the grenades on course, with some acceleration toward their target.

One by one the charge grenades struck. They lived up to their name, directing the energy release from their shaped charge payloads into jets of plasma that directed their full fury into one small cone of effect. The blasts knocked the Jeaxian back, one by one, while the green shield flickered. The last blast caused the green energy to crackle weakly and seem to short out. A lance of plasma drilled into the side of the Jeaxian. He screamed, but he didn't go down.

Kane was so busy shooting the grenades he didn't see Shepard get back up. There was a burst of air and energy when she slammed into the cyborg with a biotic charge. Its shield had been depleted momentarily by the grenade barrage by Kane, allowing Shepard's attack to connect and send the cyborg flying into the far bulkhead wall. After a moment it started to stand.

"Sustained fire!" Nisia shouted, and everyone heeded her. Shepard's shotgun barked again, Kane's rifle opened up, and a host of other weapons did so as well. The Jeaxian screeched as energy and metal began to rip through unshielded flesh and metal. Kane's fire ended with the depletion of his charge clip. As he went to change it, other guns quieted as they overheated.

When the firing was over the Jeaxian was slumped against the wall, his body reduced to a pile of blood and torn flesh with sparking cybernetics still active where it hadn't been broken.

Kane brought his rifle up. "Okay, the chamber is…"

The Jeaxian's arm came up and aimed right at him. Green energy formed around the barrel as it prepared to fire…

A single gunshot blew what was left of the Jeaxian's head off. The arm flopped lifelessly before blowing up from the gathered energy.

All heads turned to where Guard Captain Vidinos had entered the room. His Phaeton rifle was still raised up to where its scope was parallel to his right eye. He lowered it as if nothing of importance had happened. "It looks like the chamber is clear," he said to the assembled.

Nisia nodded. She looked to Alenko and one of her Asari, the one who had joined them in the first wave. "Gain access to the station's systems and see what you can do about disabling their defenses. And I want all intelligence data you can glean from their databanks. Everything about their operations, their plans, and their assets. I want to know how many people are here."

"And if there are any more like that thing, I'd hope," Shepard remarked, looking to the messy remains of the Jeaxian cyborg. While the others went to work she looked at Kane. "Which species was it, anyway?"

"A Jeaxian, I think," Kane replied. "They're a species from the N2S7 universe, that is, the home universe of the Dorei and the Gersallians. From what I know about them, they're a former client species of the Coserian Empire that once tried to conquer the Dorei. They're mostly clan or tribe based and tend to cause trouble in the Unaligned Worlds, raiding and slaving and pirating."

"I guess we know where the Batarians are getting their technology," Shepard remarked.

"Commander." Alenko looked up from the station he was analyzing with his omnitool. "I'm tapping into their communications now. You're not going to like this."

"What?" Nisia asked.

"They got a distress call out," he said. "Some message, I can't tell who it was sent to. The translator reads it as 'Begin now'."

"Well," Shepard sighed, "isn't that ominous?"

"Inform General Victus, and continue finding what you can." 

* * *

When Zack was informed by Victus of what the others had found so far, his only answer was "We'll send a warning out", after which he turned to Magda. Before he could speak the ship shook again. "Magda? Send a priority transmission on all Alliance and Citadel space channels, warn them of an imminent pirate attack of unknown scope against unknown targets."

"I'm trying," she said. "But we're being jammed."

"Send by IU radio then," he insisted. As he did so the ship shook again, and Zack's attention went back to the tactical plot holo beside him, showing him the two enemy ships that were continuing to pursue his ship while the _Koenig_ tried to evade the remaining weapons on the Batarian station.

"Shields at fifty-four percent." After a moment Magda spoke again, and this time with a positive report. "IU radio signal sent."

With that done, Zack could return his attention to keeping his ship intact. 

* * *

Robert's first inkling that something was up came when he noticed one of Tahrad's aides look toward his omnitool. The Batarian minister didn't pay his man heed at the moment, busy as he was griping about the Alliance's colonization of a garden world in one section of the Verge. "The planet Sahvad has been legally claimed by the Hegemony for the last hundred years," he insisted.

"Again, Minister, it seems that our definition of valid claims remains incompatible with your own."

"I will remind the minister that the CItadel Council rejected the wild extent of Batarian claims in the Verge decades ago," added Benezia.

"Of course you did," Tahrad said. "The lack of respect for my people among the Citadel has long been chronicled. It is why we no longer accept the Council's decisions in the Hegemony."

The aide finally seemed to get Tahrad's attention a moment later. As Tahrad conferred with him, examining what looked like a message, Onaram gave vent to only a little frustration with his reply. "The Allied Systems agreed to these talks as a gesture of good faith, Minister, and under the impression that the Batarian Hegemony was ready to consider reasonable solutions. But so far your entire position has remained inflexible and dogmatic. You demand the Alliance withdraw from over half of the systems it has colonized in this universe on the grounds of territorial claims with no reasonable justification beyond your government's declarations."

Robert felt a surge of anger fill Tahrad. Anger, frustration, a sense that things had developed as they had to mock him. He stood from his seat and looked to Benezia. "Matriarch Benezia, an urgent message from Khar'shan demands my attention. I request a recess so that I can return to my ship."

Benezia looked to Onaram. "Does the Alliance have any objections?"

Onaram had surprise on his face at the request. Tahrad had never asked for any recess from the conference so far. "No objections, Matriarch," Onaram said. "I believe a recess will be of great benefit."

"Then we shall recess until this evening." Benezia stood and nodded to them before stepping away from her table.

The Batarians couldn't get away fast enough, from what Robert saw. Within seconds they were on their way to the door, and then out. "I wonder what has happened," Onaram said softly. "I can read the agitation in their body language."

"I can sense it too. That message has Tahrad spooked. He's angry, and he's surprised." With a bad feeling growing inside, Robert keyed his omnitool. "Dale to Bridge. Can you tell me anything about a signal that just came to the Batarians a few minutes ago?"

There was a short delay before Jarod's reply came. " _It was heavily encrypted and came over extranet communication protocols. I can't tell you where it came from or what was in it, not right now anyway."_ Before Robert could respond, Jarod continued. " _We just picked up a message over IU radio bands. It's from the_ Koenig _._ "

"Really? What's in it?"

" _Commander Carrey has issued a general warning to all Citadel, Systems Alliance, and UAS defense commands of an imminent attack by Batarian pirates against an unknown target, with unknown 'but likely strong' forces._ "

That got Onaram's attention. And it certainly had Robert's. "How would he know that? Is this about that ship he stopped?"

" _I can't tell you that_."

Robert considered the situation. "They could be planning an attack anywhere. Against us, against the Systems Alliance… Jarod, get a hold of Commander Andreys. I want everything on standby for combat, as quickly and quietly as you can manage it."

" _Will do_."

Onaram's expression was grave. "Captain, you're not saying they intend to attack here, are you?"

"I've got no idea what's going on," Robert admitted. "But I'm not taking any chances."

* * *

Gunfire in the corridor on the left side of the command station was the first indication of the impending Batarian counterattack. Nisia nodded to Vidinos. "Take charge of a fire team and hold them off as long as you can." She looked next to Kane. "And I want another fire team holding the other exit."

"Yes ma'am," Kane answered. He looked to the one Alliance Marine that had come over on the second wave, Popodoulos, and to Shepard. "Popodoulos, you're with me. Commander, do you mind joining me?"

"Don't mind it at all. Jenkins, you're up."

The other Systems Alliance trooper with them, an enthusiastic young SA Marine, jumped to it immediately. "Yes ma'am!" He ran up to join them at the exit door.

"I don't have anyone on sensors coming this way yet," Popodoulos said to Kane. He kept his assault rifle at the ready, much to Kane's approval.

"They'll come soon enough." Kane was remaining at the door for the moment. He looked back into the command chamber, where Nisia and Lidiks were overseeing the efforts to hack into the local system. "Any luck getting into their defensive systems?"

"I've almost got it," Alenko insisted.

"I'm more concerned about what else is on this station." Nisia looked at Lidiks. The STG regiment commander was operating another of the stations with his omnitool. "What have you found in their databases, Major?"

"Correspondence with several known criminal organizations in the known Multiverse," Lidiks answered. "The Batarians have opened black market trading ties with the Orion Syndicate, who appear to be brokering their contacts with other organizations."

"Make sure to get copies of all data, the Council will want to see it."

"Of course."

* * *

The _Koenig_ 's Main Engineering section was active as it would always be in a combat situation. Lieutenant Poniatowski was monitoring the reactors, Tali was still at the coolant controls, and Barnes was looking over everything. "Lang, I'm showing shock damage to the starboard impulsor," he was saying. "Your team is the closest."

"Jawohl, _Lieutenant_ ," came the engineering mate's reply.

Barnes re-directed his attention immediately to other issues. "Ana, I'm redirecting plasma flow to keep the phasers' power up."

"Adjusting reactor rates."

The ship shuddered under them again. Tali noticed a notification pop up on the station she was at. "I have stress damage showing on the starboard impulsor coolant line."

Barnes looked over his team assignments. After he did he tapped a key. "Kreek, you and Ortiz need to get over to the starboard impulsor housing, reinforce the coolant line."

" _Confirmed_ ", Kreek said.

Barnes tapped a key at his station. "Engineering to Bridge. Whatever the frak is going on, I hope you're going to deal with it soon. I've got my entire damned staff tied up on repairs now."

* * *

Zack overheard Barnes' complaint. He was simply too busy to reply to it. His thoughts were entirely focused on the tight maneuvers that were keeping the _Koenig_ intact from the enemies facing them.

Sherlily's accurate fire had taken out several more turrets on the Batarian station's hull. But it was proving difficult for her to get a good shot at the two ships chasing them around. Apley had to keep the ship moving to avoid the volume of fire coming their way, keeping her from directing the full fury of the _Koenig_ 's weapons on her target. The latest attempt proved clearly futile, as only part of a burst played over yellow-hued shields before Apley had to bank hard to avoid a pair of plasma bolts coming their way. "I can't get a solid lock," she protested.

"I'm doing what I can," was Apley's response.

The ship shook again. "Shields now at forty-two percent." Magda looked up from her station. "We're going to start suffering shield cohesion loss soon."

Zack heard her, but gave no response. His eyes remained on the icons showing their attackers, chasing them around the frame of the enemy station. His eyes narrowed as he saw one ship pull into another direction. "They're trying to get us into a crossfire."

"I'll do what I can to keep us out of it."

Zack began to nod but stopped. He imagined the maneuvers in his mind, what the Batarians were trying to do, what they were clearly capable of. A mental image appeared in his mind, one that proved the key to the outcome he desired. "Ap, break to starboard, raise the bow twenty degrees," he ordered.

"Aye sir."

They performed the maneuver. It brought the _Koenig_ right up along the lift structure connecting the base to the moon below. As Zack expected, the ship trailing them remained on them while the other ship was moving to catch them in a direct crossfire. His angle, toward the enemy base, gave the _Koenig_ the appearance of being interested in going after more of the turrets.

Just as he wanted them to think. The enemy ships moved into position to catch the _Koenig_ in what would be a nasty three way crossfire.

"Sir, they're moving to…"

"I know, Ap. Steady on course… Initiate Attack Plan Oscar on my mark."

"Yes sir."

The _Koenig_ kept her course up, weaving and spinning to avoid incoming fire, while the enemy ships moved to box her in between them and the station. The trap was nearly perfect.

It would have been perfect if Zack hadn't wanted them to make it.

"Mark!"

At his call, Apley threw the _Koenig_ into a sharp maneuver few vessels had the power and maneuverability to pull off. She dipped back "down" relative to the base, impulsor drives pushing to the limit to shift her position relative to the two enemy ships.

The enemy ships were already firing when Zack gave the order. The _Koenig's_ rapid maneuver thus had the benefit of getting them out of block of space the Batarian fire was moving into. Energy beams and missiles moved on…

...and toward their opposite ship in the prepared trap.

The two ships couldn't destroy each other in these barrages, of course, and they sought to evade the fire in the second they realized what happened.

That bought Apley and Sherlily the moments they needed. Apley lined up the _Koenig_ on the ship that had been in front of them and Sherlily opened up with the _Koenig_ 's phaser cannons, joined by a full spread of torpedoes. The pulses of amber energy battered their way through the shields and began to send plumes of flame from the Batarian ship's hull. Then the torpedoes came in, four in all, with one missing due to the Batarian ship spinning just enough for it to fly on and smash into the hull of the Batarian station.

The other three, however, had hit home. The Batarian ship suffered an internal explosion within a second of the torpedo strikes, then a second burst of radiation and energy from the ship's failing M/AM reactor. The ship was nearly vaporized in the blast.

Apley turned the _Koenig_ toward their other competitor. It was now recovering from the friendly fire the _Koenig_ 's maneuver had caused and its pilot and crew were reacting to the _Koenig_ 's maneuver, not to mention the sudden fact they were alone. The Batarian ship, now the hunted, twisted away and began evasive maneuvers.

But Apley stayed on them, as much as he could, even if it brought them dangerously close to the shield perimeter of the Batarian station. Sherlily fired away at the ship. Some shots missed, some didn't, and the yellow energy that appeared from those hits grew visibly weaker.

They'd run out of time, or so it seemed, as the Batarian ship shifted to break away completely. They had figured out what the _Koenig_ was doing, that they were refusing to leave the shield perimeter, and the Batarian pirate captain recognized this gave their ship a mobility advantage. They could hit and run.

Unfortunately for them, though, Sherlily was a really good shot.

Just as the Batarian ship moved to break away, she fired another salvo of torpedoes and barrage from the cannons. Apley banked to avoid leaving the shield perimeter, turning around enough in the process so Sherlily could open up with the aft torpedoes.

By the time the last two torpedoes were flying in, the first had already slammed into the weakened shields of the Batarian ship. One had gone clean through and slammed into the engine assembly in the rear. The ensuing explosion was joined by a clear slowing of the ship.

Then the last two torpedoes hit and this ship, like those before it, was blown apart.

It might have been a moment to celebrate. It wasn't however, as another plasma bolt slammed into the _Koenig_. Magda immediately reacted. "Shields down to thirty-five percent. We're getting bleedthrough damage."

" _Koenig_ to strike team, it'd be nice if you got those defensive systems under control." Zack felt another jostle shake the deck.

"Shields down to thirty percent. We have damage to the port warp nacelle, an active plasma leak. Safety systems are cutting off the warp plasma flow. Warp drive is offline."

" _Engineering here. I'm on it_ ," Barnes said.

"I'm losing power in the port impulsor engine," Apley said. "We're going to start taking hits."

"Engineering…"

* * *

Zack's open-ended remark wasn't lost on Barnes, who was already moving toward the exit to take on the warp nacelle repair himself. "Dammit," he groused. "Poniatowski, Tali, what's up with the engine?"

"Coolant systems are still intact," Tali said. She glanced his way and on toward the MCD. "It looks like the housing took a stress crack from that last hit."

"Dammit," Barnes said. "Okay, I'm going to get to the warp nacelle and do what I can do. Poniatowski…"

"I'm not certified for engine repair," she reminded him. "I'm a reactor specialist."

"Yeah, but I…"

"I'll do it," Tali said. The two points of light in her helmet focused on him. "I've repaired sublight engines before. Your engines aren't that different from our own, mechanically speaking."

Barnes' first inclination was to reject Tali's offer. But he stopped himself. He needed all the other repair teams where they were. "Alright," he said. "Just be careful. With the engines in operation, you can't go into the interior housing space. The vibrations can become lethal."

The ship shook hard yet again. "I'll be careful," Tali promised.

"Good luck, kid." Barnes turned and left. Tali was right behind him. 

* * *

The status updates from the _Koenig_ had Kane concerned. The ship was taking a battering, and they still didn't have control of the station defensive systems. He looked with concern to Shepard. "This Alenko kid, he can do this, right?"

"His service record says he can," Shepard said. "I just met him, though, so I can't say if he's as good as some of your people."

"Well, you can't put someone up against Jarod and have it be fair," Kane said. "But God, I wish we had him…"

" _Our shields are down to twenty-eight percent_ ," Zack's voice warned over the comms. " _And we've sustained engine damage. We need those guns down_ now."

"I'm almost through this," Alenko insisted.

"Recommend we fight our way to the reactors," Lidiks said to Nisia. "That may give the _Koenig_ time to repair, if they survive that long."

"And if they don't, it lets us take down this base…"

Kane didn't hear Nisia's sentence end. Gunfire erupted in the hall he was responsible for. Popodoulos and Jenkins were pouring automatic fire down to the end of the corridor, where a T-shaped junction gave them the advantage of a chokepoint. Several armed Batarians went down, driving the rest of their comrades back to cover. Shepard concentrated and sent a pulsing wave of biotic power down the length of the corridor. Cries told them that her shockwave had caught at least a couple of Batarians.

"Any time, Lieutenant," Nisia said firmly, but without hostility, to Alenko.

"Just one layer of protections left… _there!_ " Alenko punched a key on the board in front of him. "I've just shut down their automated weapons."

"Koenig _here. All fire has ceased and the station's shields are down. Thanks. We're preparing to beam more teams over to assist you_."

"That may not be necessary." Alenko continued working. "I'm setting off counter-intrusion defenses. It's sealing every bulkhead in the station, cutting it off section by section. I can even distribute sedative gas throughout the station."

"Do it," Nisia ordered. "Cut us off first."

Alenko keyed the command. Kane looked back to the end of the corridor, where a solid bulkhead slid into place at the bottom of the T-junction.

"Commander B'Rani." Lidiks looked over from his station. "I have discovered the purpose of the living area at the top of the base." He keyed something on his omnitool.

The main holographic viewer of the command station activated to show a live camera feed. A feed depicting cells, and within the cells were figures. Figures in sometimes tattered clothing, looking weak and exhausted, and almost all were not Batarian.

"Slaves," Nisia murmured.

"I am cross-checking their records. Yes. It appears sentient-trafficking is among the black market trade the Batarians are engaging in."

"Which species is that?" Alenko asked. "It looks like a… a cat-human?"

"That's a Mi'qote," Kane said, having directed his attention to the screen. "N2S7."

"I can confirm this," Lidiks said. "There are approximately four Orion males, three Caitians, four Mi'qotes, a dozen Humans, an Asari… Sixty beings in all used for labor in the mine. They appear to have been implanted with control devices."

"Slaving bastards," Kane growled. "We need to get them out of here and blow this place to hell."

"General Victus, Commander Carrey, did you get this?" Nisia asked. "If you send over teams, you should direct them to the cells first."

" _We read you, Commander B'Rani_ ," Victus said. " _I will arrange for_ …"

" _General, we're going to need to evac._ " Kane could hear tension in Zack's voice.

And it didn't take a genius to figure out what would cause that. It was no surprise when Alenko brought up the sensor screen for the facility. "We've got a bogey coming in. And it's a big one."

"It's always something, isn't it?" Shepard asked Kane.

"Murphy loves to kick us just when we think we've won," he agreed.


	61. Episode 2-12-5 Common Ground

Zack was looking at the same incoming contact on the holo-viewscreen. "Magda, how did we miss that?" he asked her.

"For the same reason we nearly missed the base," she said. "The reason we would have missed it if I didn't have telemetry from its transmissions. This ice giant and the one we were over before both have abnormally strong EM fields. Combined with the mass shadows, it's hard to use sensors here. Both ways."

"So we didn't see them, but they don't see us?"

"Not yet." Magda was still working on her console. "ETA is four minutes at their current speed, Warp 7.5. Given the fluctuations in their warp field, I'd guess they're pushing their drive as fast as they can."

"Even if they don't see us, they must know someone's here," Sherlily pointed out. "And we can't cloak."

"And we have no warp power." Zack took only a moment to make his decision. He tapped the button on his chair. "Transporter Station, Commander B'Rani, we're going to beam the prisoners off and then your teams. B'Rani, can you relay exact coordinates to the transporters?"

" _We are doing so now_."

" _What about the station_?" Victus asked. " _We should destroy it while we have the chance._ "

"As soon as we get our people back, we can beam over charges to their reactors," Zack answered.

Magda turned her chair to look at him. "That's easier said than done. Unless we have people on the spot planting charges, we can't be sure we're taking their reactors down unless we use torpedoes."

"Then that's what we'll use." Zack turned his chair partially and looked to Sherlily. "April, what's our torpedo loadout look like?"

"We've still got twelve torpedoes plus the ones on standby in the launchers."

Magda looked over the sensor data. "They've got ten distributed reactor housings. Although if we're using torpedoes, I'm going to recommend a distributed spread to key structural points. Knocking out reactors is one thing, but if we're doing this, we might as well just gut the station."

"Sounds good to me," Zack said. "Status of transports?"

"We've already beamed off two groups from the slave pens," Magda said. "Doctor Opani and her nurses are dealing with them now."

" _I'm sending our medics to assist_ ," added Victus.

From the other channel, Nisia spoke again. " _We are uploading all the data we can from this facility to your computers_. _The intelligence could be crucial_."

"We're receiving," Magda confirmed. She checked her sensors. "And that ship is now ninety seconds out."

Zack keyed the comms again. "Bridge to Barnes. Status on our warp drive?"

" _I need another few minutes to finish sealing this break and to shift plasma back into the nacelle._ "

"We're going to be facing a big, angry pirate cruiser in a minute, Tom. Tell me we have our impulse drives back to full."

" _I've got someone on that, give me a moment_." 

* * *

Tali didn't hear that query from Zack. She was busy finishing her work on the exterior of the port impulsor drive housing. The drive was built in a position straddling the second and third deck, with Deck 3 being the main access to the impulsor housing area. The space was dominated by the gunmetal gray of the housing chamber. LCAR hardlight displays provided remote access to the systems from the safety of the exterior. Tali was familiar enough with sublight drives to know the interior wasn't so safe; as soon as the impulsors were kicked in, their operation would generate vibrations that would cause physical pain and eventual damage to anyone inside.

This is why she made a frustrated noise and curse. She tapped her omnitool control and used it to access the _Koenig_ 's internal comms. Before she could call Barnes, his voice came from her tool. " _Barnes to Tali'Zorah_."

"The crack is in the interior of the housing, I have to go in."

" _You can't_ ," he said. " _We've got a hostile ship coming down on us in seconds. The helm will be using everything they can from the drive. The vibrations_ …"

"You and I both know they'll need the drive at full capacity," she retorted. "Unless you've got the warp drive fixed?"

" _We're still a few minutes from that_." After a moment he added, " _Alright, I'm on my way_."

"You won't get here in time." Tali was already accessing the control for the access hatch with the fingers on her free hand. "I've got it."

" _Tali, it's…_ "

"It's what has to be done," she said, even as the access hatch opened. "You made me an engineer on this ship and assigned me to this repair. I'll get it done."

His complaint was garbled, likely from frustration, while Tali climbed through the hatch into the interior of the housing. She was now in a space between the housing structure proper and the impulsor drive itself, with its fusion-driven electro-plasma propulsion. The space had been built specifically for this kind of repair and maintenance, but the nature of the technology meant it could only be safely accessed when the drives were disengaged.

Tali tapped at her omnitool for a moment. She was carrying a personal kinetic barrier, standard for Quarians who were scouting for the fleet, and tweaked it to try and minimize the effects of the vibrations when they came. Then she turned her attention to the fault she'd scanned, a hairline crack that would keep the drive from operating at full capacity until it was mended. Tali detached the repair kit from her belt and began applying the patch within to the crack. Her omnitool whirred and sparked color as it attached said patch, sealing part of the crack off.

That was when the vibrations hit. 

* * *

"Ten seconds." Magda read off the ETA of the cruiser. "Last transport off the station confirmed."

"Beam over the torpedoes, _now_."

Nobody on the _Koenig_ bridge could actually see the torpedoes being transported from the loading rooms for their launchers. The armory crew had armed them as ordered and set the remote detonation, backed by a timed charge of a minute to ensure they went off. As the seconds passed they rematerialized on the station.

Zack, for a moment, considered that most of the Batarians on that station were unconscious. Helpless. He was, in a sense, executing them just as he had the crew of the ship they'd destroyed.

But there was no time to entertain that thought. "Detonate when I give the order," he ordered Sherlily.

"Last torpedo is in position now.."

"Enemy ship coming out of warp."

Apley already had the _Koenig_ coasting away under thruster power. Now he engaged the impulse drive as the Batarian cruiser they'd seen before came out off warp near the base. There was nearly no delay before they opened fire. Missiles and a steady barrage of yellow light and green energy bolts crossed the space toward the _Koenig_.

Apley did what evading he could, and a number of shots missed. But with her sublight drives partly hobbled _Koenig_ couldn't evade them all. The ship began shuddering again. "Shields down to thirty percent," Magda said.

"Apley, put the base between us and that cruiser, please," Zack said.

"They're already moving to a parallel point, we won't have much cover."

"It'll have to do. Sherlily, standby to detonate."

"Aye sir."

Zack watched as the fire coming at them slackened off as they came to the side of the station, as if assuming an orbit around the station and over the moon it was tethered too. Apley kept them moving while the cruiser kept coming at them, rounding the station. Zack kept his eyes on the holo-tacmap beside him. The moon dominated the view, his ship steadily slipping away from it and the enemy ship toward it. "Yeah," he murmured. "Slip between the moon and the station. Take the direct route so you can shoot at us. Sherlily, prepare to detonate..." Zack checked the display. "...torpedoes three, five, seven, nine, and ten."

"If we detonate them separately, we might leave the station intact," Magda warned.

"I figured that. But I've got my reasons. Steady…" 

* * *

Tali's trick with her kinetic barrier had worked, up to a point. But her head was starting to swim as the vibrations interfered with her equilibrium. _No_ , she thought. _I have to finish this!_ She focused her attention entirely on the second patch. Another second of work and it was finished. Only one small part of the crack remained.

Her stomach was twisting, feeling nauseous and sick. Her body was wobbling. It took everything Tali had to push the third and final patch up and begin welding it into place.

But she persisted. She had to. 

* * *

Half a deck away, Tom Barnes looked on in triumph as the final plasma seal was fitted. He immediately pulled his omnitool back and grabbed the access ladder with one hand, then the other. It took him a second to lift himself out of the plasma feed line that had been damaged by the earlier hits. Once he had the patch secure, he looked to the crewwoman nearby. "Rosenbaum, hit it!"

The young woman nodded and pressed the appropriate key. "Plasma feed engaged. The nacelle is being re-energized." Her accent was distinctly New Yorker, with a touch of Yiddish in it. "The estimate before full restoration of power is three minutes."

"Right." Barnes immediately turned and began to run. "Keep an eye on it and call me or Engineering if anything happens!"

"Sir?" Rosenbaum looked his way with confusion. "Where are you going?"

"To save Tali!" he cried back as he disappeared from the chamber. 

* * *

On the bridge Zack watched his monitor carefully. He paid no heed to the activities of the others, or even to the arrival of Victus and the strike team commanders to the bridge. "Standby," he said again.

"They're acquiring again, our respective angles are exposing their bow weapons to us." A moment later the ship shook from another impact. "Shields now at twenty-four percent. We're losing cohesion."

"Standby." Zack kept an eye. The angle was so close, but it wasn't just right. Closer… closer…

As the ship shook again, even before Magda updated the shield effectiveness level to twenty-two percent, Zack saw just what he wanted. Or as close to it as he was likely to get. "Mark!" he called out.

Sherlily's finger stabbed at a key on her board.

Five explosions gutted parts of the Batarian station. Four explosions were in the side facing the _Koenig_. One was at the base of the station.

The last explosion had its intended effect. It not only wrecked the lift that connected the station to the moon, it literally broke the tether from the main body of the station, freeing it from its connection to the moon below. Freeing it to be driven by its own velocity.

Velocity that the other explosions had now changed.

Zack watched with satisfaction as the Batarian station, or rather what was left of it, began to fly right at the enemy cruiser.

"It's not going to make impact," Apley predicted. "They've got too much space left, too much time…"

Zack nodded wordlessly while watching the result. The enemy cruiser began an emergency maneuver to lift itself, in relation to the moon, and avoid the station. The space was small. For a brief moment he thought maybe they'd fail, maybe the station would actually hit, but it was certain it wouldn't after another moment passed.

"It's not going to hit," Victus said.

"It wasn't supposed to," Zack replied. "April, on my mark, detonate the remaining torpedoes."

"Ready, sir," she answered immediately, while Zack watched the station and enemy ship move much as he hoped they would. 

* * *

Tali thought she would throw up in her suit. Her stomach was twisted into a knot. Her head was spinning from vicious vertigo that made it nearly impossible to focus. She was fighting to keep her omnitool on point, welding the final patch into place.

 _Almost there… almost_ …

She almost missed that she was done. Tali's omnitool confirmed the patch was fully in place. Her work was done. She began to walk back toward the access hatch.

Or rather, she tried to. It became more of a stumble. After a couple of steps she fell down. Unable to stand again, she began crawling toward it.

But the vibrations were growing worse. Tali couldn't concentrate, she couldn't focus.

Her crawling slowed to a stop, barely a meter from the hatch. 

* * *

On the bridge, Zack's cry of "Mark!" filled the air.

Again Sherlily's finger hit the detonation key. Again, naqia-enhanced explosives blew apart the enemy station.

It wasn't just those explosives of course. They were placed to cause maximum damage to the Batarian station, and that included the fuel bunkers and reactors that generated the plasma used in the station's weapons and power systems. Violently freed from their confines, some of this material added to the carnage. Things that could go boom did, in fact, go boom. One of the reactors even went up, its safety control regulators undone by the blast of a nearby torpedo.

And the explosion happened only meters from the Batarian cruiser.

The cruiser had decent shields, at least in raw power. But they had other flaws, and the proximity of detonations, the amount of raw energy released by the torpedoes and the concurrent secondary explosions, undermined the cruiser's shields. They failed to stop all of the force directed by the destruction of the station, with visible results from debris and energy striking and damaging their hull. Energy erupted from the cruiser's port nacelle when a large chunk of debris struck it.

"The enemy cruiser's shields have failed. I'm detecting multiple hull breaches. Their port nacelle has been wrecked completely." Magda continued looking over the readings her sensors could find now that the energy of the blasts was dissipating. "It looks like they might have power failures too."

"Ap, get us out of here, best sublight speed. Go to warp the moment we've got warp power restored."

"Aye sir," Apley responded. "I've got full impulse power back, taking us out."

The _Koenig_ turned away from the broken remnants of the space station and the damaged pirate cruiser. 

* * *

Tali groaned in pain and tried to move. She could see the hatch, roughly, but the world kept spinning. Her head felt like it would roll from her shoulders. She couldn't move.

She thought about what it would be like to give up. To just lay here and let it go. But as the thought came to her, another thought joined it. The thought of her father's disappointment in her. She hadn't even gone on Pilgrimage yet, how could she just lay down and die? Die without doing something for her people?

She couldn't.

Tali tried to move again. For a moment, it felt like she couldn't.

Then the hatch flew open. She watched Barnes climb in partially. He reached out to her. "Take my hand!"

She reached out, her hand seeking his while the world seemed to spin around them. But it wasn't enough, just wasn't enough…

 _Just a bit more_.

They clasped hands. Tali scrambled to help Barnes move her weight, but it was mostly his effort that pulled her from the drive housing. Once they were out Barnes slammed a button and the hatch automatically shut.

Tali's head was still spinning even as the vibrations ceased. "Keep it steady," she heard Barnes say. "It's no fun dealing with that. If your inner ears work like ours do, it's going to take a bit for your balance to get back to normal. Just sit here and give it a moment…"

"Thank you," Tali muttered. "I don't think I could have gotten out on my own."

"I know." He held her steady against the wall. "Just relax."

After another several seconds Tali felt her head start to clear. She wasn't as queasy. She turned her head to face Barnes. "It worked?"

"Yeah. They're burning away at full impulse. Any minute the plasma in the nacelle should be back to normal and we'll be warping away." Barnes remained quiet for a moment. "I'd like to say I'm sorry. Again."

"What for?"

"Because I didn't treat you like you deserved. Pilgrimage or no, you're an engineer, and a damned good one. You saved this ship."

"I think we all did." Despite saying that, Tali couldn't quite hide her appreciation of his apology and recognition of her capabilities. "My father thinks I still have much to learn."

"Hell, don't we all." Barnes chuckled. He extended a hand. "Thanks again, Tali."

"And to you, Lieutenant."

"No need to be formal." Barnes was grinning at her. "My name's Tom."

"Tom," she said, and if not for her face plate, Barnes would have seen her smile. 

* * *

Zack wasn't satisfied until he felt the deck thrum ever so slightly, meaning his over-engined little gut-puncher of a starship was jumping to warp speed. A moment later Apley confirmed this by saying, "We're now at Warp 5.9, on course for the nearest relay."

"So we did it," Zack sighed. "We pulled it off." After a moment he grinned. "Great job, everyone. That was nothing short of a Grand Slam."

"And that would be?" asked Nisia.

"Hitting a home run with bases loaded," he clarified. Turning and seeing the Asari Commando was still uncertain, he added, "It's from baseball. A Human sport."

"Ah. I see."

"Do we have anything more from that data we took?" Zack asked.

"I've got Alenko looking over it down in the conference room," Shepard said. She was grinning. "It's about the only place on the ship that's not standing room only right now."

"Magda, why don't you join him?" Zack said. "Technical Officer Walden can take over."

"Yes sir," Magda said. She started to stand.

"I wish to look through the data myself," Lidiks remarked. "It has the potential to…-"

Before he could finish, a comm tone indicated someone was hailing the bridge. " _Alenko to Bridge_."

Zack nodded to Shepard, indicating she should respond. She nodded back and said, "Go ahead, Lieutenant."

" _I've found data on what the pirates are up to. It explains why so many of their ships are gone from the area, and it's not good news_."

"They're about to launch an attack, I'm betting," Zack said. "What's their target? Elysium? Mindoir? Adrana? New Circassia?"

" _It's not a planet. They're after a ship. Your ship._ "

Zack almost asked what he meant, but he put it together as his mouth opened and felt a wave of horror. "You mean they're…"

" _They're going after the_ Aurora," Alenko said.

"Get that out on IU comms, subspace, anything. _Now_ ," Zack demanded. He felt his heart pound.

The pirates were after his friends. And there was no way he could get there in time to help.

All he could do was hope that the warnings he had already sent had them ready for a fight. 

* * *

Robert found Julia and the rest of the senior officers on the bridge when he arrived with Onaram. "Anything new?" he asked.

"Still no signal from the Batarian dreadnought about if Minister am Rimhar is coming back over," Julia said. She changed seats to give Robert his command seat. Onaram took the VIP seat beside him.

"That is highly suspicious," Onaram said. "Get me Matriarch Benezia, please."

Robert nodded to Jarod. He keyed the ship-to-ship communications and moments later Benezia appeared on the holo-viewscreen. "Madame Matriarch, something suspicious is going on with the Batarian delegation," Onaram said, his tone stoic and succinct. "And you should have received an update by now on the signal on an unknown pirate attack. These may be related."

" _My security advisor agrees. It is clear that the Hegemony is not negotiating with the Alliance in good faith. For that purpose, we are intending to return to Council Space._ "

"I would feel better if you let us escort you, Madame Matriarch," Robert said. "As I recall the relay network, this relay will not take you back in one hop. You'll still be in the Traverse, and vulnerable, if you go through."

Benezia considered that for a moment before nodding and smiling. " _Very well_ ," she said. " _I formally request that you escort us back through the relay_."

"We'll be going through the relay shortly. Dale out." Robert said nothing more, prompting Jarod to cut the line. He couldn't keep a frown from forming on his face.

Julia noticed it. "What's wrong?"

"There's just something off about this whole situation," Robert said. "Like there's something more than just…"

He was interrupted by Caterina, currently at her station. "I'm picking up a subspace spike from the Mass Relay. Something's coming through."

"Code Red," Robert said immediately. He wasn't taking chances. "On screen."

The screen shifted to show the nearby Mass Relay. Vessels began to appear around it. Brown and red in coloring, and a unique set of designs that were nevertheless familiar enough that an identification was quickly made by Jarod. "They're matching Batarian profiles, but with several changes."

"Yeah, the power signatures are entirely different," Cat added from her station. "They're raising shields, and I'm detecting what looks like energy weapons."

Jarod quickly checked something. "And it's all consistent with what the _Koenig_ signaled."

"I don't suppose we should hail them?" Julia asked.

Even as she said so, the viewscreen showed the Batarian dreadnought that brought their negotiating team suddenly zip away. "They've gone to FTL."

"They don't want to be present for the fight. Plausible deniability." Robert was frowning. "This whole negotiation was a setup."

"It looks like they're launching breaching pods," Angel warned.

"They don't look like that much of a threat," Julia said. "They have to know we can still beat…"

Before she finished the sentence the lights on the bridge all died. "We've just lost main power," Jarod said.

"Weapons and shields aren't responding," Angel added.

Locarno was working on his station, to no avail. "I've got no helm control."

"Sabotage," Julia said. "They must have snuck something on board. Security missed something."

"It looks like several sophisticated AI programs were loaded into our control systems, they've locked us out." A light appeared on Jarod's board. "Incoming hail."

A guttural voice sounded over the speakers. "Aurora _crew, we have come to claim your vessel. If you surrender peacefully, you will be allowed to abandon your vessel and your escape craft will not be harmed. Resist our forces and we will make slaves of any who survive._ "

"If Batarians had a mustache, I bet he would be twirling it," Robert muttered. He tapped the key on his chair to reply, "Not happening. Come anywhere near my ship and we're blowing you right to hell."

After a moment the reply was, " _Remember that we were going to be merciful_."

"The breaching pods are moving forward." Jarod shook his head. "There's a lot for a force of ships that size."

"With what sensors we've still got, it looks like there's at least five hundred boarders," Cat said. "I can't make out some of the life signs though."

"Alert Security and our remaining Marines to standby to resist boarding parties." Robert looked quietly to Jarod. "Anything else?"

"Definitely a control lockout," Jarod said.

" _Scott t' Bridge. Everything's as bad as you can expect down here._ "

"Right." Robert looked back to the viewer. Backup power ensured it would remain on even with main power locked out. The breaching pods were nearly to them. "Jarod… _now_."

"Infected computer cores isolated," Jarod said. "Re-initializing systems from backups."

Within moments the main bridge lights turned back on. "Restoring shields and readying weapons," Angel said.

It was clear on the screen that the Batarians hadn't seen that coming. The closest breaching pods were so far ahead, in fact, that they had no chance to avoid slamming right into the now-restored shields. Flickers of blue illuminated the shield perimeter of the _Aurora_ where the pods smashed against the shields. And the pods lost. The lead ones were crushed completely by their own velocity's reactive force to being suddenly stopped by the deflectors. Those pods further back that couldn't turn in time weren't crushed, but were certainly damaged, while the pods behind them did evade in time.

Not that it did them any good. Angel opened up with the _Aurora_ 's bow weapons. Her targets were the ships they had launched from, but any pod in the way was destroyed, even outright vaporized, by the powerful bursts of amber and sapphire light from the bow-facing cannons and pulse cannon emplacements.

The _Aurora_ bridge crew watched one of the enemy destroyers blow apart under the barrage of the main weapons. Solar torpedoes and more phaser fire drained the shields from one of the cruiser-sized enemy ships. A second burst of fire from the pulse plasma cannons finished the cruiser's shields off and tore the vessel's bow off.

"The fighters are launching," Julia said, and the tactical screen reflected that, as several dozen starfighters came from the launch tubes built into the drive hull. The Mongoose-model starfighters turned and burned toward the remaining breaching pods, who were helpless against them. While four of the fighters broke off to finish the pods off, the others pushed on toward the enemy ships.

Enemy fire was coming against them now, thick and heavy, and the _Aurora_ 's shields endured it. "Shields down to ninety-one percent," Jarod said. "Reinforcing forward shields."

Angel, meanwhile, continued to focus on the damaged cruiser, turning it into a broken hulk with another barrage. A second cruiser coming up toward their port side gained her attention next, with multiple beams and bursts of phaser fire draining its shields down. The bow weapons fired again, the sapphire bolts of the pulse plasma cannons tearing apart one of the lighter pirate ships despite its shields being at full. Two spreads of solar torpedoes found the third cruiser-sized ship and pummelled the shields down enough that phaser beams started cutting into its hull.

The Mongoose fighters finished closing the distance, and a storm of missiles and torpedoes struck at the small and big ships respectively. The third cruiser lost a warp nacelle to Commander Laurent's fighters while the second cruiser, still on the _Aurora_ 's port side, had its hull opened up by a fierce barrage from the phaser emplacements.

Robert watched this. They were still outnumbered twelve to one, even with the losses they'd inflicted on the enemy, and that was always worrying. But when the Batarians began to react with organization, it wasn't to focus or coordinate their attacks. They started breaking away in formation. One by one, they jumped to warp speed.

"They're moving away from us at Warp 5," Jarod said. He turned in his chair. "We could intercept them if we wanted."

Robert thought of that. But he shook his head. "There's still enough of them in numbers to worry me," he said. "So I'm letting them go. Julia, recall fighters, at least all but a flight. We're going to send them through the Relay first to see if there's an ambush waiting for us. As soon as they confirm we're clear, we're heading back."

"While our fighters confirm it's safe, I'll have transporters beam aboard any Batarian survivors," Julia said. "And some samples from their ships."

"In the meantime, I'm going to get to work with Security," Jarod added. "That cyber-attack was a lot more effective than it should have been. If we hadn't been ready, it really would have crippled us for hours."

"Jupap, please assume Ops." Robert nodded to Jarod as he stood to give his station over to the Alakin lieutenant, currently moving in from the Communications station on the starboard wall of the bridge. He looked to Jarod and said, "Report whatever you find immediately, please."

Jarod gave him a nod as an answer before walking to the lift. 

* * *

_Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 14 August 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. The_ Koenig _has rendezvoused with us at the Richards-Phi Relay at the edge of the Skyllian Verge. I'm relieved to learn that Commander Carrey and his crew came out of their unexpected operation with no major casualties. The sixty plus people they rescued from Batarian slavery are having the slave control hardware removed surgically by Doctor Gillam and his staff. It will take time for them to recover from their ordeal, though. Seeing them reminds me of the evil that slavery represents, and why we have fought so long and hard to suppress that evil._

 _Matriarch Benezia departed as soon as we arrived in the Verge. She has already informed the Citadel of the Batarian plot. I've yet to learn what the Hegemony's response is._

 _There are still unanswered questions. Jarod has yet to find the device or method used to attempt the takeover of our computers. Until we know what's happened, I can't rest easy._

A chirp at his ready office's door caused Robert to lift his head. "Come in," he said.

When Zack entered, he was accompanied by General Victus. He handed Robert a digital pad. "My final report on our operation," he said. "For your review."

"Thank you." Robert smiled and nodded, accepting the digital reader and setting it on his desk. "I'm looking forward to reading it. From what I've already heard, you did something amazing."

"My crew did, they made it all possible," Zack said. He looked to Victus. "As did our special forces teams. We wouldn't have gotten that data if not for them."

Robert nodded and turned his attention to Victus. "General, it's good to see you again."

"The same, Captain. I would like to add my own report to your Defense Command." Victus handed a second digital pad over, loaded with a report in Turian script. "I have already informed Palaven and the Citadel Council of what occurred, but I wanted to give that to you personally for delivery to Admiral Maran."

"I'll see he gets it."

"And I will see that Commander Carrey and his crew get the commendation they deserve for their conduct," Victus added. "From both your Alliance and the Hierarchy."

"Thank you, General," Zack said to Victus.

"I'll have an officer show you to your quarters, sir," Robert added. "We're scheduled to meet up with the _Milesar_ after our next relay jump."

"Thank you, Captain."

After Robert saw to that and Victus left, he looked back to Zack. "Well, it looks like you had a more eventful training mission than was planned."

"Yeah. And it looks like your diplomatic summit didn't go anywhere." Zack stood from his chair. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I could tell something was up with the Batarians," Robert said. "Once we got your warning about an attack somewhere, I decided we should be ready. Jarod had the idea of preparing isolated control system backups in case they got into our systems." He frowned. "I'm a little concerned with just how effective that was, though."

"Yeah. The Batarians had a lot of new tech, but nothing like that."

Robert looked down at the digital reader on his desk with Zack's final report. He picked it up and looked to Zack. "Well, since you're back here and I'm sure you're up for some real food, how about you tell me all about it in the Lookout?"

"Sure." Zack nodded. 

* * *

Julia was already in the Lookout having a meal. "So the Batarians have been buying up new tech." Lucy was speaking from across the table. She put her spoon into a bowl of steaming sausage stew. "It's going to make our jobs harder." She took a bite after speaking.

Julia nodded. "Especially with the peace overture being fake."

Lucy finished swallowing so she could reply, "I wonder how the Hegemony's going to get away with this one."

"I'm sure Minister am Rimhar will have some excuse. Or they'll throw him under the bus as a 'renegade'." Julia sighed. "It's probably for the best anyway. Fighting both the Batarians and the Nazis would be a stretch."

"Yeah. Slaving bastards that they are."

They both took bites from their respective bowls and were still chewing when a third figure came up. "Are any of these seats taken?" asked Commander Shepard.

Julia shook her head. After swallowing she said, "Feel free."

Shepard nodded and sat with a tray carrying the day's lunch/early dinner items; corned beef, potatoes, steamed asparagus, and Hargert's much-beloved sausage stew. "I couldn't visit the _Aurora_ and not treat myself to a meal," Shepard explained.

"Your ride should be waiting when we go through the next relay," Julia remarked.

"I know. That's why I'm enjoying this now." Shepard grinned before taking another bite. "This is so unfair," she said once she swallowed. "We don't get anything like this."

"Well, there can only be one Hargert," Lucy remarked.

"So, how has everyone been?"

"Well, we've had some things happen. A few things have happened," Julia said.

"Cat's a lesbian and has a girlfriend now, Jarod got kidnapped and Julia rescued him with a bunch of mercenaries or something, Rob and Angel broke up, Meridina quit the Order because they're a bunch of pricks, and I had to fight for my life with a three thousand year old laser sword," Lucy said in rapid order. "I think that about covers it."

"You forgot Robert having a fight to the death with an eight foot tall genetically-engineered hulk-man," Julia corrected. She frowned. "And Fassbinder being alive."

"Fassbinder." Shepard's brow furrowed. "Wait, you mean that SS commander I shot through a window?"

"That's the one," Lucy said. "He's still alive."

"Damn." Shepard shook her head.

"Oh, and one last bit." Lucy smirked mischievously and nodded her head at Julia. "Julia's been offered a promotion and a ship of her own. Maran wants to make her Captain of the new _Enterprise_ , a ship based off the _Aurora_."

Julia blushed slightly. Shepard looked to her and grinned. "Well, congratulations," she said. "Tell me you said yes."

"I haven't completely confirmed it yet," Julia answered, giving Lucy a dirty look. Lucy, being Lucy, responded by sticking her tongue out.

"Well, with the influences of the other species in your Alliance, maybe it's different for you, but for us, the military is very much 'up or out'," Shepard said. "Someone who doesn't accept promotions stops getting the offers, and eventually they get retired to make room for younger personnel at their rank."

"I've heard of that," Julia said. "I think the Alakins and some of the Dorei are like that too. But the Gersallians are big on merit. There's no shame in refusing a promotion you don't think you're ready for, and there's nothing wrong with someone relatively young getting higher ranks if they've proven they can hold them."

"The Turians are supposed to be like that, and the onus of a bad promotion lies on the one giving the promotion, not the one who got it."

"I guess I can see that." Julia set her spoon down. Her face reflected the struggle in her thoughts. "I want to be a captain," she said. "And I want the _Enterprise_. But I'm worried about what it'll do to this crew."

"Fair enough," Shepard said.

"And what about you?" Lucy asked. "I figured you'd be off commanding special forces at the front or something, blasting Nazis with biotics."

Shepard smirked at that. "Oh, that was possible for a while. And I did a few operations with Citadel forces in S4W8. But I'll be going back to Earth soon. Captain Anderson's asked me to be his XO on his new ship."

"Oh? So he's getting a new cruiser?" asked Julia.

"No. Apparently it's some new experimental frigate we designed with the Turians. And with some new technology from your people as well." Shepard took a drink. "They're naming her the _Normandy_."

"And you're going to be his XO? Congratulations."

"I'm still not sure I want a command like that," Shepard said. "I'm a Marine, not a ship commander. But if that's where they need me, that's where I'll go."

"And we wish you the best of luck, Commander Shepard," Julia said. 

* * *

It was late in the day when Robert returned to his ready office for a last check of the day's paperwork and reports. They had already offloaded Victus, Shepard, and the others - including the recovered captives - to the Turian heavy cruiser _Milesar_ and were soon to make their last rendezvous before leaving M4P2.

A tone caused Robert to look to his screen. The computer had finally finished his search request. He opened the results and stared.

The Turian that had been with Matriarch Benezia had caused Robert's feelings to become uneasy. Not just from his open disdain for Humans, but… there was something to him, a darkness Robert couldn't place. And something familiar about his face, his eyes…

But what really got Robert's attention was the attached data with the file.

The door chime went off. Robert looked up and said "Come in".

Julia entered. "I just wanted to let you know we're almost there. Nick says we'll be dropping out of warp in a couple of minutes." She noticed the look on his face. "What is it?"

"Just… something. An itch in my mind about that Turian with Benezia."

"The jerk?" Julia crossed her arms. "What about him? He never gave his name."

"I'm not surprised." Robert turned the screen around on his desk to face Julia. She leaned over and read it. "Not now," he added.

"Holy Christ," Julia gasped. "He's a freaking _Spectre_?"

"Saren Arterius," Robert said, remembering the name on the screen. "One of the longest serving Spectres still in active service."

"What is a Citadel Council black ops agent doing babysitting an Asari Matriarch?" Julia asked. "That sounds like overkill."

"Who knows?" Robert's expression darkened. "There's no telling what he's up to. The Citadel gives them complete freedom on what they do so long as they get results in accomplishing their missions. That is, they can do anything they want. They can kill, steal, manipulate, intimidate, even terrorize, if it accomplishes their mission."

Julia frowned at that. "So much for the Citadel's rhetoric about interstellar law. We may have been stateless, but we had lines we never crossed."

"Yeah…" Robert shut the screen off. "I can't help but feel I've seen Saren Arterius before, though. That's what has me so weirded out about…"

Before he could finish the thought, Jupap's voice chirped over the comm line. " _Captain, we've dropped out of warp.. They're opening a channel._ "

"Pipe it in here," Robert ordered. His screen activated to show his caller. "This is Captain Dale, _Starship Aurora_."

" _I have heard of you_ ," was the response, in an accent of some sort. " _I am Admiral Rael'Zorah vas_ Rayya _. I've come to pick up my daughter from your ship_." 

* * *

**Tag**

Barnes and Zack accompanied Tali to the Briefing Room where Robert, Julia, and Secretary Onaram were meeting with three of the Quarian admirals. Once she stepped in, Tali was quick to call out, "Father!" and then "Auntie Raan!"

Shala'Raan vas _Tonbay_ walked up and embraced her. "Ah, it is good to see you are okay, Tali. When we lost contact with your ship, I feared the worst. How is Kon'Fanim?"

"Their physicians have stabilized his infection. He woke up last night and already wants to go home."

"Admirals, this is Commander Zachary Carrey and Lieutenant Thomas Barnes, they are the Commanding Officer and Chief Engineer of the _Koenig_ ," Robert said. "Commander, Lieutenant, these are Admirals Shala'Raan, Rael'Zorah, and Daro'Xen, of the Quarian Admiralty Board."

"You are the ones who rescued Tali." Rael approached Zack and Barnes. "You have my thanks. I hope she was of service to you during her time on your ship."

"Oh, she certainly was," Barnes said. "We might have failed if she hadn't been there." He grinned at her. "Tali's a hell of an engineer."

"I'm pleased to hear this."

Zack was already walking over to take a seat by Robert. "They didn't need three admirals to pick Tali up, did they?"

"No, they didn't." Robert looked to Onaram.

The Dorei nodded in reply. "In light of what has happened, President Morgan has decided it is time to initiate a dialogue with the Quarian Migrant Fleet."

"And we are pleased to reciprocate," Raan answered.

"Hopefully we can find your people a new homeworld," Robert said. "Either in this universe or in others."

"I appreciate the offer in the spirit in which it is given, Captain, and I understand some of my colleagues may take you up on it." Rael faced Robert now, his faceplate obscuring his face save for two glowing eyes. Robert wondered if their eyes naturally glowed like that or if it was some effect of the face plate. "But I would rather return to Rannoch, if at all possible."

"I understand," was all Robert could say to that.

"This will be a discussion for the entire Fleet. But the other matters you have referred to, Secretary Onaram, are of interest to the Admiralty Board." Rael turned to face Onaram. Tali stepped back from him as if she expected that her father had greeted her and now she was no longer of importance to the moment. Robert thought he could sense a tinge of pain from the young Quarian at how quickly her father was dismissing her. Rael seemed oblivious of any of this as he continued speaking. "The offer of sanctuary in Alliance space and mutual assistance will be brought up for consideration immediately."

"Won't the Citadel Council get upset if we sign a deal with the Quarians without informing them of it?" Julia asked Onaram.

"We will obviously keep them informed, in the spirit of our treaty with them," Onaram replied. "But the restrictions on bilateral agreements stipulate only recognized governments and the Terminus Systems. The Quarians fall under neither stipulation for the moment, as the Citadel Council no longer recognizes any Quarian state."

Zack grinned with amusement. "In other words, you're using their own dislike of the Quarians against them."

"A byproduct of the situation, nothing more," insisted Onaram. "Now, as for other particulars…"

Robert's omnitool flashed to life in part, a bright light appearing over his forearm and signifying an incoming call. " _Jarod to Dale_."

Robert tapped the light, opening the channel. "Dale here."

" _I apologize for interrupting, but Commander Meridina and I have found something. We think it may be the device the Batarians used to sabotage the ship. We're analyzing it in Science Lab 2. I can transmit an image if you'd like to see it._ "

"I admit to curiosity, Captain," Onaram said.

"As do I." Admiral Daro'Xen was finally speaking. "If this technology could breach your computer security, it implies a grave security threat to our own computer systems."

"Jarod, relay the device and the data you've gathered so far to the Briefing Room displays."

" _Doing so now._ "

A moment later the image appeared over the table; a gray, circular device with coiled wires that gave the dead device the look of a bug. The wires, and part of the body, were charred, no doubt a result of a self-immolation security measure.

"Woh, I've never seen anything like that," Barnes said.

As Robert felt the surprise fill the room, he heard Shala'Raan's disbelieving tone when she said, " _Keelah_. Is it actually…?"

"Admiral?" Julia turned from the image. "Do you recognize this?"

"We all do. We all should, at least," said Daro'Xen.

"Why?" asked Zack.

"Because, Commander, it is technology that originated from our people," Daro'Xen answered. "Centuries ago."

"Originated?" Robert put two and two together.

"It is Geth technology," Rael'Zorah stated. "Your ship was sabotaged with a Geth device."

Robert and the others shared an uncomfortable look. Onaram stared at the image another moment before he looked to the Quarian admirals. "I was under the impression that the Geth remained isolated behind the Perseus Veil."

"They generally do. Occasionally they depart it to scout, and it is on those occasions that their technology can be recovered by our scouts," Shala'Raan explained. "But we've never recovered something like this. This was intentionally built as a device to sabotage computer systems."

"So you don't have an idea how the Batarians got something like this?" Robert asked them.

"None, Captain," Rael'Zorah replied. "None at all."

* * *

Tahrad am Rimhar was not having a good day. His dreadnought was back at the mass relay, where the broken remains of the privateer fleet that was supposed to take over the _Aurora_ and its crew were all that was left. On his screens the messages demonstrated the extent of their failure. Their main base was compromised, its orbital station destroyed, their slave labor stolen. Multiple ships destroyed or lost. The _Aurora_ escaped, depriving the Hegemony of the chance to dismantle the vessel, interrogate its crew, and discover its technological secrets for the benefit of Khar'shan. Now their silent partners in the other universes were hinting that they were going to cut their ties to the Hegemony. Worst of all, it would be impossible for the Hegemony to hide his involvement, so he was likely to be outlawed and declared a rogue to provide deniability.

He stood at the rear of said dreadnought, ignoring its captain and command crew, and looked at the viewscreens. One showed the vessel that had rendezvoused with them; the other the occupants of said ship. His silent partners.

"You were supposed to cripple them, and you failed," Tahrad charged. "Do not blame this on me."

" _It is obvious they were warned_." On the other screen, Saren Arterius remained unflinching. Matriarch Benezia sat beside him, quiet, as if she had no input in this conversation. Tahrad wondered just how Saren had secured her support, much less her obvious acquiescence to his control. " _Your forces led the_ Koenig _right to your main facility. And your ships were supposed to ambush them on the other side of the relay._ "

"The operation was compromised by the _Koenig_ 's raid," Tahrad protested. "My people had to either attack or abort. Aborting would mean everything was wasted. We relied upon you to make sure the attack was successful, and you failed us! Now I am ruined!" Tahrad's rage built as he dwelled on that. "This alliance was a mistake! I should have had you shot while I had the chance, Arterius! And now…" He looked to the officers. "Target the yacht. Destroy them."

Immediately it was clear something was wrong. Tahrad should have frightened Saren entirely. His yacht couldn't escape, couldn't run, and a single hit, maybe two, would leave it crippled. He lived entirely at Tahrad's sufferance. But there was no sign of it. His ice-toned eyes reflected no fear. As if he were the one who had Tahrad at his mercy.

A tone sounded from elsewhere on the bridge. "A contact has just come out of FTL," warned the scanning officer. "Unknown configuration."

Tahrad blinked in confusion. The captain of the ship said, "What?"

On the screen a much larger ship now moved over the yacht and toward them. Tahrad stared in shock at the colossal, dreadnought-sized vessel. It was shaped like a terrible aquatic monster, four great grasping tentacles and six smaller legs to the back. One of the legs started moving toward them.

Then there was a bright light, a light that was the last thing Tahrad am Rimhar ever saw. 

* * *

Saren watched quietly as the Batarian dreadnought was utterly annihilated. Only once it was gone, its crew dead, did he speak. "The operation was a failure. We may not get another chance."

" _It is irrelevant_ ," replied the mechanical voice of his ally. On his viewer, Saren watched Sovereign turn toward the yacht briefly. " _Our return cannot be stopped._ "

"I'm still looking," Saren assured his ally. "Eventually someone will find a beacon that will lead us to the Conduit."

" _Good. I am expecting great things from you, Saren. Prove your worth. Prove the worth of your species._ "

There was a burst of energy, and the giant living ship was gone.

Saren looked down to Benezia. She had a confused glaze over her eyes. "What… what is he talking about?"

"You'll find out."

"Saren…" She stopped, as if confused.

"This way, Matriarch." Saren helped her up and led her toward the rear compartments, where her staff and guards waited with the device Sovereign had left with him. "You are getting there. It won't be long until you understand what is at stake."

"I… yes." She nodded slowly. "I need to know what is at stake. For us to survive. For… for my daughter to survive. My Little Wing…"

Saren said nothing more.

* * *

With the return of the _Koenig_ to the _Aurora_ , Barnes had been hit by the usual paperwork on managing repairs now that the ship was back in "drydock". It was only on hearing what time it was that he dashed, cursing, from his place in Main Engineering (and having to run back in to grab something, much to the bemusement of Lieutenant Poniatowski). He ran back to the _Aurora_ via the airlock and to the nearest set of deck-to-deck ladders, not bothering with a lift that might take too long to get to him.

His heart was pounding and he was nearly out of breath when he stormed into the main shuttle bay. "Wait!" he gasped.

Eyes turned toward him. Robert and Julia exchanged curious looks. Secretary Onaram said nothing. Neither did the Quarians, just now getting into their shuttle to depart from the _Aurora_.

Barnes sucked in a deep breath before managing, "Hey, Tali, a moment."

Rael and Shala'Raan looked to Tali, who was about to step in ahead of them. She gave them a quizzical look. Shala nodded and Tali took it as permission. She walked up to Barnes. "I was wondering if you were going to say goodbye."

"Yeah, well, I was busy with repair work, lost track of time." Barnes blushed a little. "It's like that sometimes."

"I understand."

"Anyway, yeah, uh…" Barnes brought up the hand he was keeping to his side, revealing what he was holding. "I thought I'd give you a farewell gift." He held it out to her.

Tali picked up the item by its handle and studied the other end. "An… auto-spanner?"

"Yep. Top of the line model, bought it myself. Best I've ever seen." He smiled and nodded. "I'd like you to have it."

"Well, I…" Tali looked from the tool to him. "I don't know what to say… It's a nice tool, and… but… are you sure…?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure," Barnes assured her. His smile was wistful. "An engineer always needs good tools, after all."

"We do." Tali looked it over for a moment. "Is that… it has an auto-adjusting head?"

"And an extender to get to those bolts that make you wonder if the designers ever had to work on their own crap."

"Oh, _keelah_ , I know what that's like." Tali looked it over for another moment before she gently slung the auto-spanner to her belt. "Thank you, Tom. It's a wonderful gift. It's…" She started to giggle.

"Hrm?"

"It's just… it's funny," she said, stopping for the moment. "Normally something like this is brought back from a Pilgrimage to be shared with the Fleet." Tali laughed again. "But I'm not on Pilgrimage yet, so it doesn't count."

"So you don't…?"

"Oh, no, no, I… I'm sorry, I'm still bad at interacting with other people, I'm afraid I've made it sound like…" Tali stopped and considered her next words. "It is a wonderful gift. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Barnes looked up to the others. Julia and Robert were clearly trying to hide amusement. It was fairly clear that Secretary Onaram and the Quarian Admirals were quite ready to get going, though. "So, well, good luck. On your Pilgrimage. And if you decide you want to try and spend it serving with the Alliance or something… let me know. I can think of a few places that could use a damn good engineer."

There was no way for him to know the smile that appeared on Tali's face, but somehow he could sense it. "I'll keep that in mind. Good luck to you, Tom. _Keelah selai_."

"Yeah, Key-luh see-lie… Kee…" He stopped. "What you said."

They shared a last handshake and Tali returned to her father's side. They boarded the shuttle last. Moments later its maneuvering thrusters fired and the craft lifted from the shuttle bay floor and turned toward the now-open dock, which it flew through in a burst of speed.

Secretary Onaram was quick to leave, having other matters to attend to, but Robert and Julia stepped up to their friend. "It looks like she made an impression," Julia said brightly.

"Yeah." Barnes nodded. "She's one hell of an engineer. I should have seen it from the beginning. I was a jackass and didn't."

"Well, we love you, all the same," Julia assured him. "So, up for some real food now that you're back home?"

"I suppose, yeah." He briefly looked back to the end of the shuttle bay.

"Wondering if you'll see her again?" Robert asked.

"A bit, yeah," Barnes admitted. "I never got to introduce her to Scotty, after all. But it's a big Multiverse, so there's no telling where she'll end up when she's off on that Pilgrimage."

"True," Robert agreed. He smiled. "But somehow, I think we might see her again. The Multiverse works like that, sometimes."

"Is that your life force mumbo jumbo thing or…?"

"Eh… not really. Just a feeling." Robert's smile turned into a playful smirk. "Don't ruin the moment, Teddo."

Barnes returned a fake glare at that. "You know how I feel about that name, oh brooding one."

Julia sighed and shook her head at them, smiling. "Stop ruining the moment, you two, and let's go enjoy dinner."


	62. Episode 2-13-1 A Tale of Two Sisters

**Teaser**

It looked like a picturesque day. The sky was blue with white fluffy clouds, not a speck of gray or black among them. The sun was out, the air and temperature were comfortable. It was the sort of day you used for picnics and barbecues, for outdoor sports, for swimming.

But it hadn't turned out that way for the Delgado sisters.

Caterina was at the wheel of the car. And every part of her brain that remembered 21st Century roads screamed she was on the wrong side of the road. It took a conscious effort to not correct well over a decade of memories of traveling on the right side of the road in order to remain on the left.

After making a right turn, Cat suddenly faced a stationary delivery truck on the curb. The passengers behind her in the car cried out in surprise and fear just as she did. Even as she shrieked her instincts turned the wheel to the right. Their four-door car barely evaded the delivery truck.

The truck heading right for them was another story.

"Right!" Angel shouted. "Right!"

Moving right sent them up a curb and on the sidewalk, but it evaded the head-on collision that would have put a complete, and fatal, stop to them. As soon as she could Caterina veered the car back onto the road and then to the left side. "Why can't you people drive on the right side?!" she cried out in irritation, not even intending the obvious pun.

"Why can't Yanks?!" was the reply from the back seat, from someone as frightened as she was.

 _I shouldn't be as frightened as them_ , Cat thought. _Sure, there's a monster after us, but I've been through scary things before!_

"Everyone stay calm!" Angel insisted. Since she wasn't driving, she was busy tracking the signal they were trying to get to. "Make a left up here."

Cat did so, onto a thankfully empty road. She kept her speed up.

And then the road wasn't so empty.

The thing dropped from the sky, a giant brown-and-red-feathered albatross with a cane wrapped in its talons. The moment it hit the ground the form shifted, turning sickly green and becoming an immobile mass before it reformed into a humanoid shape, a heavy-set male in a dark suit. In the back the two passengers shrieked in surprise and horror.

There was a sinister smile on the creature's face as it drew up the cane.

Cat knew what that meant. Her mind raced, numbers flashed through her head, and so she did the only thing she calculated would work.

She slammed down on the accelerator.

The car's engine roared in reply. The vehicle accelerated. Ahead of them, energy began to form around the cane.

Everyone in the car let out an involuntary scream.

Just as the cane seemed to reach a peak energy spike, the car slammed into the being holding it. An explosion of viscous green mass covered the front of the car before sliding off and falling behind them.

"You killed it," the girl in the back gasped.

"I don't know if I did," Cat answered.

"No, you didn't," Angel said. She was looking at her omnitool's scanner function. "It's already reforming."

Cat checked her side view mirror. The green matter was flowing back toward the cane, now alone in the road. "We need to keep going," she said. "If we can get to that power source, we can call for help."

The two people in the back nodded. Angel looked back to see they were holding hands. "How are you two…? Elton and Ursula, right?"

"Right," answered Elton. His face was drawn and pale. "We're uh… well, we're…."

"...as fine as can be, I think," Ursula finished for him. Her face was just as pale, and her eyeglasses were nearly ready to fall off.

Angel nodded. "Right. So not fine at all." She turned back in her seat and checked the omnitool. "Okay, make a right up here. I think this will take us where we need to go."

They made another turn, and further down another, and soon they were away from the small shops and apartment-style buildings and in a suburban neighborhood. The sisters had seen such a few times growing up, visiting relatives in Wichita and Kansas City, although there hadn't been much in the way of such housing in the wide open grain fields of rural Kansas and the small town they had called home.

"Slow down," Angel urged, and Cat did so. Angel held up her forearm toward her left as houses went by, slower and slower. Finally she said, "Here, but keep going."

Cat almost asked why but stopped herself. Their pursuer knew the car. Parking along the street would keep them from being easily discovered. She drove on for about three houses until she pulled the car along the curb and stopped.

"We can't just leave the car in the middle of the street," protested Ursula. "The police will…"

"We'll worry about the police _after_ we deal with the monster that wants to consume us." Angel checked the base of her back, where her pulse pistol was still in its hidden holster. To someone from this world it would look like a prop or a toy, which would be of help if they had to deal with local authorities.

The four started to walk faster, and eventually jog, as they returned to the house they had determined was the source of the readings. "Are you sure this is a place to get help?" asked Elton. He looked up at the house, which looked to have three stories. "From something like that?"

Caterina's omnitool flashed to life around her forearm. "This house is definitely the source of the power readings. Whatever is in there has to be powerful enough to break through this jamming."

"I wonder if whoever lives here knows what they've got," Angel murmured. She led the four up to the door. Elton and Ursula kept an eye on the skies and on the road, as if any moment the monster might come back after them.

When they got to the door Angel and Caterina exchanged looks. It was clear they might have quite a time explaining things to the occupant of the house. It would have been worse if they had come down in field uniform, but the mission had called for them to dig out their "21st Century" clothing. Angel was in her leather jacket and tan-colored blouse with blue jeans. Caterina, meanwhile, was in a comfortable blue T-shirt with the likeness of a lab-coat clad figure on the front holding a bubbling beaker, a comic book-style dialogue balloon above the figure proclaiming "This situation calls for SCIENCE!". Given all of the running they had done, Caterina was thankful she'd listened to her sister's advice, and that of her girlfriend Violeta, and worn the pair of black uniform trousers she had on instead of the skirts she normally favored.

Angel looked over the front door and easily identified the doorbell. "This is going to be tough. How do we explain to someone that there might be super-advanced tech in their house and that we're being chased by some kind of shapeshifter monster thing?"

"I'm… well, I'm not sure," Cat admitted, almost stuttering. She felt less comfortable now than she had trying to drive a vehicle on the left side of the road through the Greater London area.

"Right. Let's do this." Angel hit the doorbell again.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ursula asked. She and Elton were several steps behind.

Angel and Cat looked at each other and nodded. "No," they answered in unison.

A moment later the door opened.

The occupant of the house was a woman, middle-aged, with light skin. Brown hair framed a face worn with age, with dark eyes that showed curiosity and intelligence. "Hello," she said. It was no surprise her accent was English, and her blue blouse and brown knee-length skirt were the kind of comfortable at-home wear one might expect a woman of her age and means to have.

Angel glanced to Cat as she struggled to think of what to say. "Well, ma'am, we're…"

"...it's going to s-sound crazy but we-we're, well, we're not from here and I don't m-mean w-we're not En-English or British o-or that," Cat began. Her cheeks were turning red and her speech was both stammered and rapid. Caterina couldn't keep the anxious look from her face. "And I'm rambling but you n-need to know that th-there's something h-her on your pr-property and w-we kind of n-need it to g-get help and th-there's this really…" Caterina stopped and took a breath.

The woman watched patiently, more curious than confused or irritated.

"This is going to sound insane but we're not from your Earth, we're interuniversal travelers who were sent to look into some strange energy readings here in London including one from your house…" Now Cat had enough control to stop stuttering, but she was talking rapid fire as if she were afraid to let the sentence stop. "...and we found this one thing in an old warehouse or something where these people were meeting and there was this monster that can absorb people and its after us and we really need to call for help but there's a jamming field over London that's blocking our communications and…"

It was clear Cat was desperately out of breath. She stopped long enough to take in a breath and gave the house's resident time to speak. "It's alright, young lady, you'll be safe here," the woman answered. "What's your name?"

"Caterina. Caterina Delgado. This is my sister Angel," Cat managed between more breaths. "And these people are Elton and Ursula, the monster is after them too."

"Well, Caterina, my name is Sarah Jane Smith." The woman gestured for them to enter. "It looks like you and your sister have quite the story to tell…"

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"A Tale of Two Sisters"_**

The living room of the house was comfortably furnished; the resident clearly had money to spare. The sisters were in first, with their hostess holding the door open for Elton and Ursula. The latter two were still visibly shaken from the day's events. "If you'll give me a moment, I'll see about some tea." Sarah Jane gestured to her couch and chairs. "Go ahead and have a seat."

"Ms. Smith, I don't mean to be rude, but there's something really nasty coming after us," Angel said. "And to get help we need to find the source of a power reading our scanners are picking up in your home. I know that might seem unbelievable…"

"You don't need to be so formal, you can call me Sarah or Sarah Jane. As for unbelievable…" A knowing smile crossed the woman's face. "...I'm quite familiar with the unbelievable myself. So, when you say you're from a different universe, do you mean an alternate timeline or a completely different cosmos from mine?"

"A different sixth-dimensional location," Caterina answered. "Or at least, if you're going by what we call the O'palani-Fujisawa Theory of Multiversal Dimensional Structure."

Sarah Jane looked from Angel to Caterina. "Now that does sound new. And you say you can detect a strong power source in my home?"

"Yes ma'am," Cat replied.

"And what are you running from?"

"Some kind of absorbing creature…"

Before Angel could finish, Elton said, "The Absorbaloff."

The two sisters and their hostess looked to him. "What?" they asked together.

"It's some kind of monster that, well, absorbs things," he continued. "It absorbed our friends."

"And I figure it's going to find us and absorb us if we don't get to that power source," Angel insisted, trying to direct everyone back on track. "Whatever it is, if you just let us scan for it I'm sure we'll…"

"I'm quite certain of what you're looking for," Sarah Jane said, interrupting her. "But I'd like to know what you intend to do with it."

"Break through the jamming that's cutting us off from our ship," Cat replied. "And then we can call for help."

"A ship you say? What kind?"

Again Angel and Caterina exchanged wary looks. This wasn't at all what they imagined this conversation would be. At the same time, they knew there were rules about this sort of thing, rules they would break if they let Sarah Jane and Elton and Ursula know where they came from.

"A gesture of trust is what I'm looking for," Sarah Jane explained. "Tell me where you come from and if I think you're being honest about it, I'll help you as best as I can."

It was Caterina who spoke first. "We came here on a kilometer-long starship called the _Aurora_ that has an interuniversal jump drive. We're from the United Alliance of Systems and I'll tell you more, but please help us first, that absorbing creature was reforming when we last saw it and I don't know how easy it'll be for it to follow us."

Angel looked at Cat with clear worry in her eyes. She'd just violated a host of regulations and rules about these situations. It could land her in deep trouble when they were home. But it was clear from the look in Cat's hazel eyes that she didn't care at the moment.

It was surprising to both that Sarah Jane was so unflappable about it, as if this was nothing too far outside of her normal everyday experience. She seemed to be quietly pondering Cat's explanation. "Alright," she finally said. "Let me show you something." She looked to the couch where Elton and Ursula were holding hands and clearly trying to recover from severe fright. "When I get back, I'll get some tea for you."

Angel and Cat exchanged quizzical looks before following Sarah Jane up the steps to the top floor of her cozy-looking home. They entered what looked to be an attic converted into an office space or study room. Sarah Jane stepped across the room and faced what looked like an old fireplace. "Mister Smith, I need you," she said, no urgency in her tone.

At first the two expected a husband to show up from a hidden door or perhaps from a nearby chair they hadn't noticed. Instead there was a sudden mechanical noise. Pieces of wall and what they had thought was the converted fireplace shifted and separated, allowing a computer station to slide out into the room. The screen came on with an oscillating pattern. " _Yes, Miss Smith?_ " a computerized voice inquired.

Angel and Cat exchanged shocked looks. Caterina immediately brought up her left forearm. Her omnitool appeared and she brought the scanner feature online, a specialized scanner more capable than Angel's.

"We have guests today," said their hostess. "And they say a dangerous being may be pursuing them."

" _Scanners detect an extraterrestrial energy pattern and life sign moving within a ten kilometer radius. It appears to be circling the area. I will activate defense mode for the house should the pattern appear to move toward us._ "

"I don't believe this," Cat gasped, looking over her sensor readings. "This computer… the processing power, the storage medium… a neural pattern… how did you get something like this? Where?" The urgency of the situation had clearly given way to raw curiosity.

"That is another secret, young lady, and a longer story," Sarah Jane answered, smiling. She noticed the omnitool. "That's an interesting device you have. A holographic interface?"

"Yes, it's called an omnitool. It's from Universe M4P2." Cat lowered the arm and ceased her scans. "I'm sorry, I was just so curious about 'Mr. Smith'. This computer technology is some of the most advanced I've ever seen. And you've got some kind of complex neural network intelligence running it and I would just love to know more..."

"How about we go down and get your friends some tea to calm their nerves." Sarah Jane smiled knowingly. "And then you can tell me more about where you came from."

When they stepped out and got back to the stairs, Angel gave a wary look toward Caterina and stopped her while Sarah Jane started down them. "Cat, be careful," Angel warned. "There are rules and regulations about how much we can tell her."

"I know, but think about it, Angel." Cat looked down the stairs, where Sarah Jane was already moving toward her kitchen, before facing her sister again. "That computer… it might be more advanced than the best Darglan computers we know about. Whoever Sarah Jane is, she clearly knows far more than any average person on this world. The risk of some society-warping revelation isn't that big a thing. And if we're going to get her to help us, we need to share trust. We showed some, she showed some."

"And now we show more." Angel sighed and nodded. Caterina did make sense, even if Angel feared a Stellar Navy bureaucrat wouldn't make a distinction.

They went down the stairs and found seats. Within a minute Sarah Jane came out of the kitchen with a platter of cups and a teapot and what looked like cookies. "Thankfully I had just made a pot. I've put another one on. And some biscuits if you're hungry." She finished pouring the cups and took the last seat, facing her four guests with an amiable look. "I'm sure you've had a busy day already, young ladies." She focused her eyes on the sisters. "Now, you said something about being with an alliance of systems, and a ship called the _Aurora_?"

"Yeah, we're senior officers on the ship," Cat said.

Sarah Jane gave her an intent, questioning look. "You're rather young."

"Well, it's a very long, complicated story about how we got to that point," Angel said. "And it involves the foundation of the Alliance. Do you mind if we focus on why we're here, on your Earth? And what's happened?" She eyed a window. "Preferably before we get into trouble with whatever that thing was."

"Absorbaloff," Elton said, eyeing his tea without drinking any.

"I'm… I'm not calling it that," Angel said.

"Let's go with why you're here," Sarah Jane said.

"Alright." Angel sipped at the tea. The taste wasn't something she enjoyed, but after the stress and activity of the day, and the length of time since breakfast, she enjoyed the mere sensation of taste.

Caterina was enjoying it far more, and happily chewed on one of the offered biscuits while waiting for Angel to begin.

* * *

The void of space was suddenly disturbed by a blink of green light, light that expanded into a vortex of green energy. The _Starship Aurora_ emerged from the vortex, running lights proudly displaying her name and, along the ship's side, her registry number. The sleek kilometer long starship flew on from the point and turned toward the distant yellow spark that was Sol. Her four engine nacelles, arranged in a flat sideways X around the drive section of her hull, erupted in blue light. An instant later the ship was hurtling away from its arrival point at a speed faster than light.

On the bridge of the ship, Caterina and Angel were in their customary positions, manning the Sensor and Tactical stations. Robert Dale and Julia Andreys, the ship's Captain and First Officer, were in their seats. Jarod was at Operations, Locarno at Navigation - in short, everyone was where they were supposed to be. And for good reason.

"Nothing on long range sensors," Cat confirmed, and she was clearly trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. It had been three years since they were last in Universe Designate W8R4, and she would never forget what had happened the last time. Bringing that containment unit to the Facility had been her greatest mistake, and it had cost them all.

Hearing Caterina's report gave those on the bridge some ease. "Well, at least we know that the Daleks aren't in this area," Robert said. "Maybe we'll be establishing a colony in W8R4 after all."

"Let's make sure we don't pop the champagne bottles too early." Julia gave him an amused look. "We've got some surveying to do. Mister Locarno, what's our ETA to Earth's solar system?"

Locarno confirmed that with a quick triple-check of his math. "We'll arrive at the safe scanning point during the overnight hours."

Robert looked at Julia. "Go ahead and schedule our weekly meeting for 0830, then."

Julia tapped keys at her console. "Done. I hope everyone gets a good rest. And don't bother with breakfast. Hargert says he's going to treat us."

"Hargert always treats us," Jarod observed, smiling. 

* * *

When the bridge watch ended for the two sisters, Angela and Caterina both caught the turbolift. "Going to the Lookout?" Angel asked. "Or will you go for replicated dinner?"

"Actually, Violeta and I are going to have a dinner date on the holodeck," Cat answered. "She has the reservation ready and everything."

"Replicator food isn't my best idea of a date." Angel looked away briefly. "Take us to Deck 4."

"Well, it's not all replicator food. Hargert let her use the kitchen for our desert. It's this chocolate fondue stuff and a cake."

"Mom used to keep you from indulging that sweet tooth," Angel said. 'Maybe I should have too. Otherwise you might become my plump little sister."

Cat laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry, we burn the calories away." After a moment Cat realized what she said, and what it could mean, and her cheeks turned to red. "Not like that!... well, sometimes like that. And sometimes both and..."

Angel rolled her eyes. "Cat, while I'm happy you've found someone and I even like her, I _really_ don't need to hear about your sex life."

"No, I mean, yes, Violeta and I make love sometimes, but sometimes we just cuddle, and we burn calories in the holodeck running _Ultimate Fantasy_." Cat noticed a sad look appearing on Angel's face. "You can still come, if you want. We have a spot for a monk."

"I am not dressing up in that silly gown with that feather in my headband, it doesn't even _look_ like a proper kung fu monk outfit," Angel insisted. "And that's final."

The turbolift door had opened by now. The sisters walked out of it and moved down the hall toward their quarters.

"Oh, come on." Cat sighed. "Since you and Robert broke up, I thought you'd have more time to…" Caterina stopped speaking. Her hand went to her mouth, in recognition of what her thoughts had led her to say before the rest of her brain could tell her not to. "I'm sorry," she said.

And she had reason to. A pained look came over Angel's face. "It was never going to last," she insisted. "It never does. I knew that going in."

Caterina nearly protested. This time she stopped herself. Nothing she could say would make Angel feel better. Desperately, she tried to change the subject completely. "Do you think we'll do any field team studies of Earth?"

"It's a 21st Century Earth. And it's probably no different from any other," Angel said. "So no, I doubt we'll do any field team studies."

"I wish we would," Cat said. "It's been awhile since I was on a field team."

"The last time you beamed down for a field mission, it was the Gamma Piratus Facility, and the Nazis almost killed you."

"Yeah. But a trip through a 21st Century town or city or whatever wouldn't have Nazis. Well, unless it was another timeline where they won or at least didn't get destroyed or something… what I guess I'm saying is I wouldn't mind getting to go on a field mission again."

"The last time I was on a field mission, Cat, it was an unofficial one." Angel crossed her arms. "In fact, now that I think about it, I haven't done an official field mission since Rob took me and Lucy to infiltrate the _Mayala_."

"Maybe we should ask to go together next time," Cat suggested. "Just for the chance to get off of the ship."

"Maybe." Their walking had led them to Angel's quarters. "Listen, Cat, I appreciate that you want to make me feel loved and that I'm not spending all of my time alone now. But I want you to stop worrying about me. Go enjoy your time with Violeta. You've more than earned it." A grin crossed Angel's face before she gave her sister a peck of a kiss on her forehead.

Caterina tried to think of what to say next, but there was no time. Angel shut the door of her quarters All Caterina could do was sigh and head on to her own quarters to get ready.

* * *

Caterina was due for dinner, and was taking the moment to make sure she looked ready for it. Thus she was standing in front of the largest mirror in her quarters wearing the ocean blue evening dress that Violeta had bought her in Venice, a shimmering garment of silk and other materials that was cut below her shoulders, exposing her arms and shoulders completely while the rest hugged her body for support. Looking at herself in the mirror, Caterina had the thought that Violeta had picked out the dress for her because it showed she did, in fact, have curves, if not very prominent curves. A little pink came to her cheeks at that thought. The flutter in her heart had a different source: the idea that Violeta intentionally bought the dress to help Cat deal with her body image worries.

The smile she was wearing was certainly proof of that, as was Caterina's appearance. She'd spent some time with makeup, more than she usually did, in the effort to look nice for the girlfriend who had been so thoughtful toward her.

It was a short trip to Holodeck 3, mostly by turbolift to Deck 14. When she arrived the chamber was already active with a loaded program and a privacy lock. Putting in her personal code opened the door for Cat.

She walked into a warm, comfortable environment, a restaurant patio with beautiful glass tables framed by hand-crafted iron stands. The chairs were similarly artisan-crafted, with leather seating. Mosaic tile beneath her feet depicted nature scenes from sunny oceans to forest-covered hills and mountains. A pair of moons, one silver and waxing almost to full and the other azure and in its last quarter, filled the night sky and gave the great bay and town encircling it a persistent halo of moonlight.

The program was running several simulated diners, giving a further warmth to the locale. Caterina scanned around and found where Violeta was standing beside their table, a tray beside it with their meal and dessert. Violeta was in a backless dining dress, black with silver trim, with a single loop around her neck. When she turned it revealed the front of the dress. The loop was linked to the two sides of the dress, and that was only sides. It had no plunging neckline like other fancy dresses might, because to call it a "plunging" line would be an understatement. The "split", as it was, went all the way down to Violeta's navel. The dress flowed down from her waist to her heels, with splits along the sides. Violeta's hair, like hers, was short, but it still grabbed attention given its rich purple color, matched by the violet of her eyes.

Caterina felt a lump in her throat. "You are stunning," was all she could manage while her cheeks turned pink. She felt suddenly self-conscious of her appearance and the nagging feeling that no amount of makeup or pretty dresses would ever make her someone close to Violeta in attractiveness. An old worry of being utterly unworthy of her girlfriend's affection stirred inside.

Violeta stepped up and, with a gentle smile and a kiss, dispelled that thought. She took Caterina's hand. "You're just in time," she said. "And you look lovely." They walked to the table. "Do you mind if I have the system take some holo-images? My parents want to see more of us together."

"They do?"

"Of course. They're happy for us."

"Oh, well, sure," Cat said. She nodded. "Take pictures if you want."

"Thank you." Violeta was grinning widely. "Now for my secret. My parents send me care packages. Meals from home, or my favorite restaurants, packed in stasis containers to keep them fresh."

Cat gasped at that. "That must cost them a lot."

"Not as much as you think. Stasis generators are getting cheaper by the day." Violeta reached to the tray and took out three containers. "This is from Gregorio's Cafe and Bistro, which is what my holoprogram is re-creating for us. It's a fine Mediterranean cuisine restaurant in Pariana Cove. We have an apartment in town that we used for vacations when I was growing up." She gestured to the cove. "As much as I wanted to get out into space, if anything would bring me back to Sirius, it'd be Pariana Cove."

"It reminds me of those little towns we saw along the Adriatic," Cat said.

"That's right. And that's because the earliest settlers of Sirius' tertiary continent were from the Adriatic. Italians, Greeks, and Croats, some Montenegrins and Albanians. That's why they named the continent Adriatica. My father's family came from there." Violeta opened one of the food containers. Inside were warm breadsticks that smelled of butter, parmesan, and garlic. "Maybe when we can get an extended leave I can take you here. You can see it for yourself."

"When we can get a leave. Whenever that happens." Cat sighed. As much as she was enjoying this, she felt a little rush of guilt, and she couldn't hide it.

Violeta noticed it too. And she knew why. "You're still feeling bad for your sister, aren't you?"

Cat nodded quietly. "I'm sorry," she said. "That's not fair to you."

"I understand." Violeta ceased from opening the next food container for the moment. She reached across the table and took Cat's hand. "Cat, you don't have to feel guilty that you're worried about her."

"That's…" Cat shook her head as she thought of what to say. "That's not why I feel this way. I guess I feel… I feel that part of it is my fault."

"How?"

"Because I'm not there for her as often as I used to be," Caterina explained. "I'm with you, and I'm happy, and I love being with you, and now it feels like I'm leaving Angel behind. Even though she's alone now."

Violeta nodded. "I see. Did you invite her to…"

"She won't play _Ultimate Fantasy_ with us. I've tried."

"Maybe she wants to be alone then?"

"I don't know… Maybe it's just that she doesn't want to cause us to have any problems. She's just looking out for me like that, even if it hurts her." Caterina shook her head. "Oh, I don't know. I'll talk to her later about it, but it's not fair to you that I ruin tonight because I'm worried about Angel. I'll talk to her later."

Violeta nodded. "Fair enough." She opened the next container. "This is a sausage and spinach lasagna that is the best anyone will ever have…"

* * *

Across Deck 14, Holodeck 5 was also active. Inside it was emulating a boggy forest, with thick fogs covering the ground around a set of ruins.

A fierce growl echoed in the air, warning Angel to duck before the monstrous-looking alien with a head that was almost like a human skull swiped at her with a blade. She retaliated with a snap kick that knocked it off balance and a roundhouse kick to send it flying.

Another monster was coming up behind her, looking like an overgrown ape. Angel ducked its blow and twisted with her elbow out, smashing it in the head with an elbow strike. She threw a punch that sent a spurt of pain through her knuckles but which also threw the creature onto its back.

With both opponents down, Angel stood and took several breaths, her hands resting against her hips. She was in exercise wear - olive brown sports bra, black shorts, sneakers - with her long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way while she exercised her skills in a way that would certainly have drawn a remark or two from Zack or Barnes about her need to "beat things up".

"It looks like that _mok'bara_ program wasn't the only thing Worf left us," a new voice said.

Angel looked to where the entrance way, once-hidden, was now visible. Julia stepped in wearing the same kind of garments she was, save her shorts and sports bra were both of the same command branch burgundy red that her duty uniform had. The similar clothing did much to reveal the differences in their physiques. Julia's statuesque athletic build, her muscle lean in shape, was in contrast to the thick, developed muscle on Angel's limbs and belly. She had her vivid blond hair in the same ponytail she favored for standard duty.

But while Angel was carrying nothing on her, Julia had a belt over her waist, with two rods hanging from it.

Angel noted that before saying, "Yeah. I've been trying it a lot lately."

"Well, beating the crap out of something has always been one of your favorite ways to relieve stress." Julia smiled at that. "I'm just happy it's not me."

"I apologized for that bruised rib from last time."

"So you did." Julia looked around. "So this is Worf's calisthenics program?"

"He left it for me."

"Well, he was aboard just long enough to get an idea of what you can be like," Julia noted. She looked around for another moment before looking down at the defeated enemies. "Looks like I'm late. You're already done."

"I'm just getting started," Angel responded.

"Mind if I join you?" Julia took the rods from her belt. "I've been working on my eskrima lately."

"Really?" Angel nodded. "That Dorei girl?"

Julia shrugged. "Seeing Druni fight reminded me of the couple of lessons I took years ago. I don't think I'll ever be a master at it, but Mr. Pembroke always said I shouldn't be afraid to learn new styles."

"Just so long as you don't bring those things to our fights," Angel said.

"Of course not. So, ready?"

"Computer, reset program." At Angel's command, her two defeated foes were back on their feet, side by side. Julia stepped up to Angel's left and brought her weapons up into a ready stance. "Begin."

The two opponents started to shift and move. "So, who takes the ugly one?" Julia asked.

At that Angel smirked. "That depends. Which one is the ugly one?"

Julia answered with a smirk of her own. "Well, there's always eenie meenie…"

Before she could finish, the computer sent the two foes at them. The one with the skull head went for Julia, leaving the furry one for Angel. She ducked its first blow, which was high and too wild, and retaliated with a punch to the mid-section that stunned the creature for long enough that she could follow up with a knee smash to its forehead.

Beside her Julia sidestepped and evaded two blows from the other monster before she slammed one of the eskrima sticks into its arm at the shoulder. It favored that limb as it stepped back a moment. Julia braced herself and waited for the renewed attack. When it came she blocked two punches with her weapons before the creature opened itself up. Julia kicked it in the knee to bring it down to a knee. The moment it was she smacked it in the head with both weapons, one loud crack following the next seconds later. Her opponent collapsed.

Angel had her foe by the arm. She twisted it in place to force the furry thing to its knees and delivered an elbow chop to its upper arm with enough force that a human being might have had their arm or shoulder broken by the blow. She followed up by a kick to the neck and head that knocked her foe out.

Julia sucked in a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Well, that was quick."

"Too quick." Angel looked over to her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. You _can_ ask anything." A sly grin crossed Julia's face. "You didn't ask if you _may_ , though, so I might not answer."

"For that grammar nazi behavior, I really should slap you," Angel retorted. She was grinning regardless. But the grin soon took a serious edge to it. "Are you going tell Maran 'yes'?"

To that, Julia remained silent for a moment. "I'm thinking about it, and that's all I can really say," she admitted.

"Right."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking." Angel's hazel eyes had a distant look to them, at least to Julia's perspective. "I mean, Rob and I are done for good. That's pretty clear. And Cat's got a girlfriend now and doesn't need her big sister hovering over her all the time. Zack's got his ship and Clara, Tom's got whatever he does, and Leo is Leo and always doing his own thing with medicine. And Lucy's… well, she's doing the life powers thing with Rob… I guess what I'm saying is that if you go… I've got nothing here."

Julia remained silent at that.

"Training with you, sparring with you, it's like that's all I've got left for a personal life," Angel confessed. And despite the usual rough edge to her tone, Julia thought there was a real vulnerability that was making her voice waver. "So if you go and become captain of the _Enterprise_ …"

"You want to come with me?" Julia asked.

Angel remained silent for a moment. "Maybe," she said. "Likely."

Julia nodded at that. "I'll let you know if I say yes to Maran, then. And I'll tell him you're one of my picks for my senior staff."

"Thanks." The word felt almost hollow. Like a part of Angel had wanted her to say no. But she hadn't, and now Angel, despite the answers of "maybe" and "likely", felt committed. She wasn't sure she liked that. She drew in a breath and frowned. "Hell, that was too easy. Want me to turn up the difficulty?"

"Sure, I'm game."

"Just don't complain about the bruises." With that remark, Angel was grinning again.

* * *

A tone woke Caterina up. She opened her eyes in the groggy fashion you'd expect from someone who had enjoyed fine wine for dinner. A lock of purple hair dominated her vision . Violeta was laying against her and stirring slightly as well.

The tone went off again, piercing the sleepiness that was keeping Caterina from awakening fully. She twisted away from the warmth of her girlfriend and reached over with an arm to her nightstand, where the small elbow-band and wristband that were the physical accoutrements of her advanced omnitool. The wristband had a bright light shining over it. She hit it. "Uh… Delgado here."

" _I'm sorry for waking you, Lieutenant_." It was Ensign Popov, a young Russian man who served as Gamma Shift's sensor officer. " _But we just arrived at our scan point and we're getting some bizarre readings. I think you should see this._ "

"Well, where are they coming from?" Cat asked.

" _From Earth_."

Cat sat up in bed. For them to call her at this time of night over this meant this wasn't just some random energy surge. There was something truly out of the ordinary going on. And given what universe they were in, that could mean trouble. If there was even the slightest chance of the Daleks finding them… No, she couldn't think like that.

"Let me get ready, I'll be in Science Lab 1 as soon as I can," Cat said. The time on her nightstand showed it was 0430 ship time. She yawned as she climbed out of bed, bound for the shower and Science Lab 1.

* * *

When Angel woke up, it was just past 0500. It had not been a restful sleep for her. Many of them these days weren't. She'd seen too much, heard too much, _done_ too much. Tonight her dreams had been bad. Dreams of being a child, of Cat missing in a store and her mother yelling at her, accusing her of letting Cat get into trouble, of not protecting her when she needed it. " _You have let me down_ ," she heard her father declare, in a voice she hadn't heard since she was a little girl. " _We needed you to be stronger_."

Now Angel was sitting upright in her bed, alone. The images in her head took time to fade away. Images of Cat dead or hurt, images of Rob, of the others.

By all rights she shouldn't care about Rob right now. She'd opened herself to him again and once more he'd let other things come between them. The cycle had continued on. But now she meant to break it. She wasn't going to waste time on a relationship going nowhere, not when they faced potential death out here.

 _Which is why I should act like everything is normal. Like I did before we got back together. No sulking, no refusing to be around him. It's over, for good. Just be his friend._

It didn't hurt, or help, that she still cared so deeply for him.

"To hell with this," Angel finally muttered to herself. She stood and went for the shower. There was still a couple of hours before the staff meeting, more than enough time to get some practice in at the punching bags. 

* * *

When everyone gathered for the morning's staff meeting, it was obvious that Caterina had already been up for hours. She immediately took offered coffee from Hargert while his assistants laid out a variety of breakfast selections for them; breakfast ham and bacon, eggs made in various ways, hashed potatoes, toast and breakfast rolls with a variety of jellies or butter to put them with.

"You said something about unfamiliar energy signatures from Earth?" Julia asked, sipping at her own coffee.

"Yes." Caterina put hers down. She tapped a key and activated the monitor display, showing a variety of energy signatures in the form of wave and oscillation patterns. "It's not just one either. I mean, we've got evidence of hyperspace taps. We've got subspace ripple effects consistent with advanced energy generation. I'm even picking up fluctuations consistent with a tear in space-time. There's more than one kind of advanced technology in evidence on this Earth, even though our scans confirm that the cities, population spread, and atmospheric state are all consistent with an average Earth of the early 21st Century."

"Why didn't we see this before?" Julia asked Caterina. "We profiled this Earth years ago."

"With the _Kelley_ , and using long range probes," Jarod said as reminder. "The sensors built into the _Aurora_ are more sophisticated."

"Not to mention we weren't looking for these kinds of anomalies back then, we were more interested in finding out if there were any problems we could get involved with." Robert looked back to the readings. "This is definitely something to investigate further. Admiral Maran and Secretary Saratov are looking for anything that would complicate placing colonies in this universe. Finding out there is active, advanced alien involvement on Earth falls under that."

"Well, we could get closer, but there's no telling what sensors they might have looking this way."

"Aye." Scott nodded at Jarod's words. "They cud be seein' th' _Aurora_ right now for all we know."

"Any suggestions, Scotty?" Robert asked him.

"We definitely need t' stay out o' Earth's orbit," Scott replied. "I wud suggest th' far side o' th' Moon. Or even Martian orbit."

"And then what, we use probes?" Julia asked.

"No, I dinnae think that will give us what we need." Scott looked deep in thought for a moment. "Some o' th' runabouts with cloaking systems might work. They're small enough that they're hard t' detect if we're careful."

Julia asked, "So we use runabouts to ferry field teams?"

"Aye, that's what we need. We investigate th' sources o' these transmissions on th' ground. Carefully. Maybe then we can see what we're dealin' with."

Robert and Julia exchanged looks. "Alright," Robert said. "Julia will draw up the field teams we're sending down. We use teams of two in constant communication with a runabout equipped appropriately."

"The _Bastilone_ should work," Kane suggested. "She's made for infiltration ops."

"I want to pair off one science or engineering expert with one bodyguard." Seeing the look on Julia's face, Robert nodded. "Julia will be in direct command from the _Bastilone_ while I keep the ship near Mars."

"We're the best suited for something like this," Jarod said. "This is our native century. With a couple of exceptions." Jarod needn't nod toward Scotty or Locarno to elaborate.

"I'll go down," Cat announced. "I really want to get a first hand look at what's down there."

Angel tried to stop the sigh that resulted. It was clear to Robert and Julia that she didn't want her sister going down. "Well, you're our science officer," Julia said, "And this is the sort of field mission we want you on. So yes, of course you're going."

"I'd like to go too," Angel announced. "To protect Cat, or whoever else you want to pair me with." Seeing the looks, she added, "I haven't done an official field mission in a year and a half. It's my time to contribute."

"Generally speaking, as the tactical officer we usually need you at tactical," Robert reminded her gently. "But since we're likely to not face any problems in space, I agree."

"Jarod, Tom, you're both going down as well." Julia looked to Kane and Meridina. "As are you two. And Lucy, of course. We'll report to the shuttle bay at 1200 hours. Cat, go ahead and get another science officer to join us for a fifth team."

"I will assign an officer to go with Lucy," Meridina said.

"It sounds like you've got everything in hand," Robert said to Julia.

"Almost." Julia looked back to the others. "I'll repeat this in the runabout for those who aren't here, but for our benefit, remember: we're skirting the laws of the Alliance with this mission. Admiral Maran's orders allow us to make a survey like this, but contact regulations still apply. W8R4 Earth falls under the contact limitations regulations of the Stellar Navy and the Pre-Spaceflight Societal Protection Act. Whatever happens, we can't talk about who we are or what we are to anyone down there. We can't do anything that might overtly impact the development of this Earth."

"Right," Caterina said. "We don't tell anyone we're explorers from another universe who fly in a starship with interuniversal drive. Or we get in trouble."

"Exactly. If that has to happen, it needs to come from me or from Robert. And I doubt it'll be necessary." Julia looked to Robert. "Is there anything else?"

He shook his head. "No. That does it on this matter. Let's finish breakfast and then you can get ready for the mission. I'll send a report back to Admiral Maran before you go."

"Oh, good." Caterina drank more coffee and went to the cart of breakfast dishes Hargert's assistants had rolled in. "Because I'm starving."

* * *

There was a content look on Cat's face as she finished one of the offered biscuits. Angel, on the other hand, had only sipped at the offered tea.

"So you're actually from a spaceship?" Elton asked.

"And another universe?" Ursula added.

Angel signed and looked to Cat, who shrugged. "Yes," she sighed, nodding. "I mean, I figured the pulse pistol and the omnitools gave something away…"

"I can see why your Alliance has such rules," Sarah Jane noted. "Knowledge of the wider universe, or Multiverse I should say, would have a severe impact on our world."

"So says the lady with the alien computer," Angel answered.

A gentle smile came to the Englishwoman's face. "Yes. I am not your average person in these matters, I admit. I've had my share of encounters with alien beings and civilizations." Sarah Jane looked to Caterina. "I do appreciate your concerns with speaking to me about this, though."

"So you'll help us?" Cat asked. "Because we need to get ahold of the _Bastilone_. Julia, I mean, Commander Andreys can get Ursula and Elton to safety, and we might have the firepower to take down this… Absorbaloff thing."

"That is a dumb name," Angel sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll assist you, yes." Sarah Jane stood. "Please follow me."

"I'll stay down here and keep an eye on things," Angel said. She looked around the house, as if she expected the absorbing creature to pop through the wall.

Caterina, meanwhile, followed Sarah Jane back up the stairs. "So your ship detected this creature from that far out?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Oh, no. We didn't pick up the absorbing monster in any way until we were already in London."

"What I'd like to know is why it's after two ordinary Londoners." Sarah Jane stepped into her attic with Cat behind her. "Mister Smith, are there any updates?"

" _The anomalous power source is still in this area and has reduced its search pattern. I believe it may be narrowing in on our location._ "

"Thank you, Mister Smith. And I need you to act as a relay for a message this young lady is trying to send."

"I'll tie in my omnitool to your system," Cat said. "And give you the information to make the call I need."

" _Very well. Accessing communications protocols_."

As Cat's omnitool linked to the alien supercomputer, Cat watched it with wide open eyes and a wider grin. "This is so _cool_ ," she breathed.

"It is quite impressive, yes."

Cat looked around the room. She could see some of the items were not of Earthly origin either. "I could spend hours in here just to see what else you have," Caterina admitted. "I love finding these things. Seeing new planets, new species, for the first time."

The smile on Sarah Jane's face was one of fond memories, memories touched with a taste of bitterness, if only because they were the kind of thing she would presumably never do again. "I've seen things that few people have ever imagined," she said. "It never gets old."

"There's so much to explore. So much to see. I'll never see it all, I mean, but at least I'll see more." Cat looked to her omnitool, which flashed on again. "It looks like I'm connecting partially to the _Bastilone_ , but the jamming is a lot stronger than I thought."

"Do you know where the jamming is coming from?" Sarah Jane asked.

"No," Cat replied.

" _It appears to be a blanket subspace interference pattern, backed by electronic disturbance to deflect radio waves_ ," Mr. Smith stated. " _My analysis of your communications protocols confirms that the jamming is particularly suited to stopping your systems._ "

"It seems that someone already knows about your Alliance," Sarah Jane remarked.

"I'm not sure who," Cat answered. "We haven't had anything to do with this universe in years. All we did was send probes before. Do you have any idea who it can be?"

"I do have a couple of ideas. I need to make a phone call."

Caterina nodded and turned back to Mr. Smith while Sarah Jane went to get the phone. "Can you show me this interference pattern?" she asked.

" _Displaying now_."

When the information appeared on the screen Cat activated her omnitool and brought up her communication functions. "I might be able to alter…"

Caterina was turning to the side, and thus toward the one window in the attic, when she saw the distant shape. A shape that soon was not so distant. She barely had time to jump away from the window before something crashed through it, sending glass flying all through the attic.

Cat scrambled madly to her feet while the green mass now on the attic floor coalesced into a heavy set human form, the same one she had run over earlier. He brought the cane in his hand over toward her. "Well, quite the chase you have given me," he said, his voice deceptively Human.

"What are you?"

"You'll know soon enough." At its tip, the cane started to glow. "You'll be a part of something much greater, and I will find out just who and what you are."

Caterina brought her arm up and hit a key on her omnitool. It activated the personal forcefield generator attached to her belt just as the cane finished charging. The pale light that swept toward her was stopped by the crackle of brighter blue light.

"I'm going to enjoy this," the being said. "That field can't save you."

And indeed it couldn't. Caterina's omnitool confirmed that whatever energy the cane was using, however it worked, it was disrupting her protective field. It wasn't going to run out of power, it was just going to fail.

And then she would be absorbed.


	63. Episode 2-13-2 A Tale of Two Sisters

This was not what Cat had been expecting for her first field mission in months. Instead of quietly finding a signal in London likely to come from crashed alien technology or some other problem, she and Angel had ended up in the company of two local people being chased by a blob monster or something that sucked people into itself.

And now that same monster was going to suck _her_ in.

Her omnitool warned Cat she had moments, if that, before the monster's bizarre cane could work its grotesque function. And then she would be dead, or trapped in some conscious way inside of the creature. She had to do something.

Her eyes set on her omnitool. She remembered their briefing on them, on their functions and capabilities, two months ago when they were being issued. They'd been issued in the place of multidevices not simply because they were almost entirely hard-light constructs, and thus much lighter, but because that meant they could generate hard-light machinery or hardware to fulfill a function. They could access their microfusion cores to generate thermal energy and convert it into bursts of flame, create electrical fields, intense cold, and a few other functions.

Cat knew she didn't have time for much, and her science model omnitool didn't include all of these defense capabilities… but it had at least one. She curled her fingers slightly, triggering the omnitool to activate that capability. A crackling burst of what looked like electricity shot from the blue hard-light construct around her and struck the creature. A stunned look came to the stout face and the cane came down as it shrieked in pain and frustration. Caterina scrambled back to her feet and went for the door.

Sarah Jane and Angel came through it first. Angel pulled the pulse pistol from the small of her back and pointed it toward the thing. Blue-white pulses of energy smacked it repeatedly. Light, Caucasian-style skin began to turn green, as did his clothing.

But it wasn't enough. The creature, now snarling, brought that cane over. His eyes swept across the wall and in their direction.

As it did, Angel fired again, feeling she had little better to do. It did nothing.

Cat peeked Sarah Jane's way. She was surprised to see the Englishwoman had pulled out a tube of lipstick. "What…?"

Before she could finish the sentence, Sara Jane twisted the base. But instead of a bar of lipstick, what came out was the tip of a device of some sort, with a red-tinted diode. She held it toward the creature and the light lit up in a gentle red light. There was a brief whir in the air.

The cane in the creature's hand suddenly sparked. He noticed it and, for the first time, a truly fearful, panicked look came to it. It turned and briefly became an amorphous blob of green before it had shifted again, this time into a great bird. It shot for the window, pulling its sparking cane with it.

For a moment nobody moved. "What… what did you do?" Cat asked Sarah Jane. "What is that?"

She smiled thinly. "A gift from a friend. A sonic device."

"So it uses sonic waves to…?"

"To do all sorts of things, actually," Sarah Jane said.

Angel returned her gun to its small-of-back holster. She turned toward them. "Okay, what just happened?"

"Your device messed up that thing's cane, or whatever absorbing technology is in it." Cat was still staring at the lipstick tube, which Sarah Jane was returning the cap to. "And the absorber is so important to it that it ran. Even when the pistol wasn't working."

"It uses the cane to absorb things?"

"Well…" Cat nodded. "Yeah. Or at least it did when we found it."

"First things first," Angel said. "Were you able to get a hold of the _Bastilone_? Or even the _Aurora_?"

Cat shook her head. "The jamming interference is keeping us from getting a stable signal out. I've got the omnitool's processor examining the jamming to see if we can find a frequency or something that goes through it, but it's going to take time."

" _I will be analyzing the field as well_ ," stated the computer.

"In the meantime, I'd like to hear more about what happened." Sarah Jane went to the door. "I'll be back shortly. Mister Smith, please conceal yourself."

" _Of course, Miss Smith_ ," the computer answered. " _I will inform you if I find a way through the jamming field._ " The machine pulled back into its hiding place. Cat muttered, "That is so cool" while Sarah Jane left the room.

When she was gone Angel went straight to Cat and embraced her. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did that thing hurt you?"

"No. No, I'm fine," Cat insisted. She didn't resist the embrace, but after a moment she pulled away. "Our personal forcefields can resist the absorption effect briefly, but it was starting to bypass my field before I used a neural shock on it."

Angel had a look of some surprise on her face. Cat was evidently not thinking about it, but for Angel, it was a shock to have Cat pull away from a supportive hug so quickly. She said nothing on that feeling, however, instead saying, "There's way more to this lady than it looks like. But I'm not sure how much more we should share with her."

"Well, it's clear we're not causing any harm by being here, she clearly has her own extraterrestrial technology," Cat pointed out. "And we already told her where we're from. There's no harm in continuing to explain how the day's gone for us."

"Badly, for the most part," Angel muttered. "I just feel uncomfortable about this. And that jamming field, it just doesn't fit…"

Angel let that thought hang in the air between them without saying more, given she already heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. Moments later Sarah Jane entered with Elton and Ursula behind her. Both seemed to have regained some of their composure, even if they were clearly bewildered and scared. "It found us, didn't it?" Elton asked. "What's why the window broke."

"Yes, but we scared it off," Sarah Jane said. She brought them to a couch, showed a couple more old chairs for the sisters to take, and took a final chair for herself. "Now, I'd like to hear you continue your story," she said to the sisters.

Cat nodded. "Okay…" 

* * *

It was just a few minutes before 1200 ship time when Caterina came running into the shuttle bay. Much to her chagrin, everyone else was already present. "I'm not late, am I? I was just double-checking those scanner results we got and making sure my omnitool had them loaded and picking something to fit in..." Cat stopped at seeing the bemused expression on their faces.

"It's fine, Cat," Julia promised her. "Let's get going." She nodded to Commander Kane, who took the lead in stepping into the _Bastilone_. Once aboard Lucy almost went to the helm station, if only by habit, but was stopped by the presence of Violeta. She smiled back toward them and especially to Cat, who smiled back. When she turned and saw the knowing smile on Lucy's face, Caterina's cheeks began to turn red.

"I've got a full crew up here," Julia said, looking to Violeta and to the purple-skinned male Dorei officer in ops beige at the systems control station behind and beside Violeta. Julia slipped into the co-pilot seat beside the ensign. "How are our pre-flight checks?" she asked Violeta.

"Everything is clear," Violeta replied.

"The cloaking device is ready," the Dorei lieutenant at Ops said. Julia recalled his name was Havath, but she couldn't think of his first name.

At the specialized engineering station was a young Turkish woman, Ensign Turkoglu, who added, "Fusion reactors online, impulse drives ready. I can bring the naqia reactor and warp drive online if necessary."

"Hopefully that won't be." Julia hit a key on her station. " _Bastilone_ to _Aurora_ , we're preparing to depart."

From the back of the control area of the lander runabout, Cat heard Lieutenant Jupap reply, in that chirping way common with Alakin speech, " _You're cleared for launch,_ Bastilone."

With the runabout launching Caterina slid into the back jump seat, or rather observation seat. Lucy was the only other one up here, while Angel had gone to the back. They said nothing while the launch went off without a problem. The _Bastilone_ gently pushed itself from the shuttle bay of the _Aurora_ with its own thrusters. Once it was out, now behind where the dorsal side of the primary hull slanted downward for over fifty meters before reaching the dorsal side of the secondary hull, the runabout's impulse drives quickly accelerated it away. It shimmered out of sight once Havath engaged the cloaking device.

Once they were launched Lucy turned to Cat. "I didn't meant to embarrass you," she said.

"Huh? What?" Cat looked to Lucy in confusion. "You didn't embarrass me. I mean, not entirely… I just realized what it looked like and I was a little…"

Lucy set a friendly hand on Cat's shoulder. "No, you don't have to defend yourself. It's love. You deserve it."

"Everyone says that, but I still wonder what it means. I mean, if someone can 'deserve' to be loved like that." Caterina held out her hand and gestured toward Lucy. "You deserve it too. You've been through just as many terrible things as I have."

Lucy smiled thinly at that. "Maybe. Honestly, I've never really thought about romantic attachments. It's always something that happens to someone else."

"I know what you mean." Cat nodded at her. "I used to be like that. Being with Violeta… it makes me feel so happy, and it makes me realize how alone I was."

"Thankfully I'm never quite 'alone'," Lucy said. "Between training and work, I'm always with people."

"But you can still be alone. I mean, it's so different for me now." Seeing the thoughtful look on Lucy's face, Cat narrowed her eyes. "I mean, I guess you could be, what is it? Asexual?"

At that Lucy broke out into giggling. "I thought I was at one point," Lucy admitted. "But no. I feel the same urges others do. I just… don't feel them the same way, I guess? Or I have my own ideas on what I want. I guess that's true."

"You mean on what kind of guy you want to be with?" A look came to Cat's face as a thought crossed her mind. "Or girl, I suppose. Or even something else. I mean, I know there's things like gender-fluid or two-spirited or…"

"It's nothing like that, Cat," Lucy sighed. "I mean, I guess I'm open on things. If I fall in love with someone, their gender won't matter. I just don't know if that'll happen soon. I mean, if I'll meet someone…"

"I'm sure you will,," Cat assured her. "Just like I did." As Cat said that, she looked up to the helm and smiled warmly while her girlfriend remained focused on her piloting work.

* * *

In the passenger compartment, Angel remained still in the jump seat that was normally for armor-clad Marines preparing for a hot drop or insertion. She checked the holster at her back and then her omnitool.

"So, ready to get back into the field?" Barnes plopped down next to her.

"Yeah, I am," she replied simply.

"Right." For several moments nothing was said. "So, are you going to the _Enterprise_?"

Angel looked at him with an annoyed, confused expression. "What?" she asked bluntly and plainly.

"Well, with Julia getting a new ship, I figured you'd want to go over to keep your fighting buddy," Barnes answered. "Scotty's thinking about it, I think. He's been having me take turns in running Engineering directly. I guess he's getting me ready to be the Chief Engineer."

"Julia hasn't said 'yes' yet," Angel reminded him. As she did she almost wondered if he had been spying on the two of them the previous night. _Is it that obvious?_

"Oh, like she's not going to," Barnes replied. "You know Julia. She wants the big chair. She just doesn't want to push Rob away to get it. And now Maran's offering her one. A new ship, just like the _Aurora_. You don't think she'll say no, do you?"

Angel almost said just that, but she stopped herself. Julia wasn't power mad or anything like that, but she did like being the leader. It had been clear to Angel that Julia was seriously considering it. "I suppose she won't," Angel admitted. "But I'm not sure she will in the end. The _Aurora_ is her baby too, in a way. I mean, she named the ship, she made sure that Farmer and Scotty and you got the resources to keep construction going…"

"Point. But she'd never drive Rob off. This is her chance to be a captain, and I know she'll take it," Barnes answered. "So, you going to see about going with her? Maybe she'll want you as her XO or something."

"I'm not command material," was Angel's instinctive reaction.

"Then she'll have you at tactical."

Angel sighed and looked over at him. "Just why are you hung up on this, Tom?"

"I dunno." He shrugged. "I guess I'm just sort of shocked. It's like the gang's splitting up."

"These things happen. People change. Our relationships change."

"Yeah. You and Rob."

Angel didn't bother responding to that. And Barnes, much to her pleasure, didn't say more. 

* * *

The _Bastilone_ arrived over Earth and assumed a polar orbit. The ship remained cloaked and undetectable. Inside of the troop compartment, Julia and Caterina were using their omnitools to give the briefing and assign the teams.

"...and that leaves our last two teams," Julia was saying. "There's a spatial fracture somewhere in Cardiff that we need to investigate. Tom, I'm pairing you with Meridina for that one."

Barnes chuckled. "You're sticking the wiseass with the stoic monk lady?"

"I am not sure that is accurate," Meridina said, her voice speaking with the slow, lilting accent Gersallians often had when using English. "The word 'wiseass' implies wisdom. I am not sure that is a word that fits you, Lieutenant Barnes."

From her seat, Lucy began to giggle.

For his part, Barnes clutched at his chest. "Oh, burn. Ow. Yeah, I forget you have a sense of humor sometimes."

Julia shook her head while grinning. "Alright. You two are beaming down to Cardiff. And that leaves our Delgado sisters." Julia nodded to Angel and then looked to Cat. "You and Angel will go to London to find that intermittent power signature."

"Cool."

"So, Commander, some of us will need ground transport down there," Kane said. "What do you want us to do?"

Julia nodded to Caterina, who tapped several keys. "I'm sending replicator patterns to the hard-light fabricators for your omni-tools. It'll let you replicate any cash you need by yourself. Then you can pay fares. Or even buy a car I suppose."

"That might be a little too obvious." Julia smiled nevertheless. "Just remember the contact limitations. Find what you can about your assigned anomaly and report back as soon as possible."

Everyone replied with nods and "Yes, Commander".

* * *

Cat and Angel were set to beam down last. Julia was doing the honors at the transporter controls. "I've always wondered what London would be like," Cat admits. "They've got some science museums and stuff."

"I always imagined it was this place with eternal fog." Angel looked to Julia. "Where are you setting us down?"

"I've scanned an alleyway in the modern downtown district," Julia answered. "There won't be any witnesses that way."

"What about a bathroom somewhere?"

"These sensors aren't so precise that I can tell the difference between a ladies' room and a men's," Julia said. "And frankly, I'm not that good at this, so we're doing something easy."

"Well, here's hoping you don't smudge our molecules together…"

Julia frowned playfully at Angel, who smirked back at her from the transporter pad. "Down you go." Julia triggered the transporter.

White light filled the sisters' vision. When it receded, they were in the middle of an alleyway. A dumpster to one side was half-full. "Well, here we are," Cat said. "London. And you know, I could probably replicate enough big bills that we could see about renting a vehicle. All we'd need is fake IDs, and I can make those too."

"Yeah, well, I don't feel like driving on the wrong side of the road," Angel replied. "So, what do your scans say?"

Caterina activated her omnitool. "Hrm. That's odd."

"What?"

"There's two sources now," Cat said. "It looks like one wasn't detectable from orbit."

Angel activated her omnitool and said, "Delgado to Andreys. Cat says we've got a second signature down here. Orders?"

" _Investigate them both_ ," was Julia's reply.

"Alright. Delgado out." Angel lowered her arm and her omnitool deactivated its interface. She glanced around to see if anyone was looking their way and, more importantly, at Cat's active omnitool. "What's the closest?"

"Hrm. Going by the map of London, it looks like it's in a suburb. A building, bigger than a house, maybe a warehouse or something." Cat tapped a key on her omnitool and the micro-fabricators fired up. Energy coalesced into a map of London with their destination marked. "There. Now we can just consult the map and we don't have to worry about anyone watching us use the omnitool."

"Good. Now let's go get a bus or a taxi or something."

"I'll start making us money then." Cat grinned at that. "Although does that make us counterfeiters?"

"Let's not talk about that in public."

"Okay. I'm just hoping we get to ride those cool double-decker buses London is supposed to have…"

* * *

The tale was interrupted by a knock coming from downstairs. Elton and Ursula nearly jumped from their chairs. "You weren't expecting anyone, were you?" Angel asked Sarah Jane.

"No, I'm not."

Angel nodded. She reached to the small of her back and pulled her pistol. "I'll back you up."

"And if they see you?"

"We have personal cloaking systems. They won't as long as they're not here too long."

"How much time do we have left on those?" Caterina asked her.

"Enough." Angel looked again to Sarah Jane, who walked ahead to the door.

Once they were out Sarah Jane said, "You're awfully fast to draw that, aren't you?"

"I prefer my fists, but not with that thing. If it's a human threat, that's what the stun setting is for."

"It can stun too, then? That actually makes me feel better."

Once they were downstairs Angel tapped the device on her belt and shimmered out of view. Sarah Jane continued on to the door.

Two men were at the door, dressed in business suits that made their government affiliation fairly obvious. "Good day, ma'am." One produced a badge in a leather walled. "I'm Inspector Wallbridge, this is Inspector Graham. We are on detachment from the Metropolitan Police. Do you know anything about the abandoned car down the street?"

"An abandoned car?" Sarah Jane shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't, Inspector."

The two looked at each other. "Perhaps if we came in? We have reason to believe that the driver and passengers are involved with an incident."

"As I said, I am alone." An edge came to her voice. "Furthermore, I am familiar with the Metropolitan Police, and your badge is faked. I don't know what this is about, but I won't have you barging into my home, whoever you are."

The pleasant facade of the two men clearly drained away. "This is a matter of national security," he said.

"Do you have a court warrant?"

It was evident they didn't. Angel saw the way they looked at each other and could tell they were thinking of forcing their way in. But they evidently decided not to. "We will note your lack of cooperation, Miss Smith," said "Graham". They turned and promptly walked away.

Sarah Jane closed the door. Angel could see she was irritated, even more than Angel would expect her to be. "They looked government to me."

"Yes. And there is more than one branch that might deal with an extraterrestrial threat." Sarah Jane picked up her wireless phone from its cradle. "I have a call to make. I'll join you upstairs as soon as I'm done."

Angel nodded and went to the stairs.


	64. Episode 2-13-3 A Tale of Two Sisters

There was quiet in Sarah Jane's attic. Quiet that, for one thing, helped Caterina focus on her work. "This jamming is _really_ good, she said to Angel. "I'm trying everything I can think of and I still can't get a signal out."

"How widespread is it?" Angel asked. "Maybe it's planetwide?"

"That's possible. I just can't tell."

" _My analysis of the jamming pattern indicates that it has been tied to a major source of power._ "

Cat nodded at Mr. Smith. "Which means we may never be able to break through it."

"Could the _Aurora_?"

"Maybe. I'd have to ask Jarod or Scotty or Tom."

The door to the attic opened and Sarah Jane walked in. "Were you able to find out more about those supposed cops?" Angel asked.

"My sources are working on it." Sarah Jane returned to her seat. "Before we continue, I have some questions for you… Elton, was it?" She looked at the blond man and his compatriot.

"Elton Pope," he clarified.

Sarah Jane nodded . "And Ursula?"

"Ursula Blake."

"Ah, good. Where do you fit into all of this?"

"Well, we're in a social group," Ursula began.

"LINDA." Elton clarified. "I mean, that's what I called us. It stands for 'London Investigation 'n Detective Agency'."

The look on Sarah Jane's face was quiet bemusement. Angel, however, quietly buried her face into her palm for several moments.

"We met through Ursula's blog," Elton continued. "I was looking on the Internet about some man known as the Doctor."

Caterina looked up from her work at that to exchange an interested glance with Angel.

Sarah Jane also showed an interest in that. "You've met the Doctor, then?"

"Well, a couple of times," Elton said. "When I was a boy. And several months ago…"

"I've heard of him too and mentioned him on my blog. And so did a few other friends of mine. Bridgit, Colin, Bliss…" Her voice faltered as she listed their names. Tears returned to her eyes.

"Ursula introduced us. We met every week to discuss sightings of the Doctor and maybe learn more about him."

"Which is why that thing is after us," Ursula said, her voice now thick with horror and fear. "It's why it took the others. It wants to absorb him too."

A pensive look came to Sarah Jane's face. "I see."

"You've met this Doctor, haven't you?" Cat asked. "I mean, with how upset you look, and you're pretty familiar with aliens and such."

Sarah Jane nodded at Cat. "Yes, I have met him. And he is a wonderful being. But I'm more concerned with this absorbing creature. If it is after the Doctor, it will come back here."

"Then we need to figure out how to stop it."

In reply to Angel, Elton said, "Well, his cane seems important."

Cat nodded. "It seems to be how he's absorbing people. And he ran when your device damaged him."

"So we destroy the cane."

"What about the others?" asked Ursula. "Maybe… can't we find a way to free them?"

"I'm not sure." Sarah Jane stood up and walked over to her super-computer. "Mr. Smith, did you get any scans of the creature? Or the creature's cane?"

" _Passive scans, Ms. Smith. I can confirm that it contains a power source not native to Earth and contains advanced matter manipulation technology. But I will require more exposure to the creature to determine more_."

"So when it comes back, let's scan it," Cat said.

"If we can without getting absorbed ourselves." Angel was betraying some nervous by the way she had her arms crossed and was pacing, as if she were in a cage working off excess energy. "I'm not letting it take you, Cat. I'll destroy it first."

"We won't let it take anyone." Sarah Jane returned to her seat. "Can you tell me more about what happened earlier? Maybe there's something you're overlooking at the moment."

"Well, it was coming to our meetings for the last few weeks," Ursula said. "It claimed its name was Victor Kennedy, and that he would help us find the Doctor. It became more like a chore, I have to say, as he demanded we spend hours more than we used to in meetings. He seemed obsessed. And the others started to disappear and it was like he was chasing them off…" She shook her head. "But he wasn't."

"And now we know why."

"So he was using you to help him find the Doctor," Sarah Jane noted. "Then why did he try to absorb you? You were of use to him."

"He said he likes doing it," Elton answered.

"Maybe he needs to," Cat suggested. "He may have to replenish his biomatter every so often."

"Either way, please, do continue with your story," Sarah Jane asked. 

* * *

The bus lines brought Caterina and Angel out of the center of the city into the suburbs of the Greater London area. In their solitary seat toward the middle of the bus, far enough away from the driver to not be overheard, Cat was quietly operating her omnitool. "I think it might be some sort of subspace tap, but a very portable one," she admitted to her sister. "I'm still not sure what it's for."

"We'll find out when we get there," Angel replied. She turned her head to Cat. "Enjoying the view?"

Cat was already looking out the window again. "A little," she said. "I just wish we could enjoy the visit more."

"I don't really see the charm of this place. It's too big and too overcrowded."

"It's one of the biggest, most important cities in the world. And there are all sorts of laboratories and science institutes here. And Oxford and Cambridge, although they're outside of the city. I think." Cat smiled thinly. "I was actually considering a program that would have gotten me into one of the Oxford science colleges, actually. Back when I was in high school."

Angel nodded quietly. "Would you have gone, though?"

"Well…" Cat went quiet for a moment. "Maybe. I mean, it would be hard to turn down. But I know it would have been hard for you to come too."

"More like impossible." Angel turned away and looked out the opposite window.

Cat didn't need mind powers to know her sister was upset about something. "Angel?"

"Maybe I've just been holding you back," Angel said. "Maybe trying to protect you went too far and I just kept you from growing up. I mean, look at you. I think you've become more mature these last two months than you'd matured the previous two _years_."

"Oh, don't say that," Cat replied. "Mama asked you to look out for me, and you have been. I could never have made it without you around." Cat's expression betrayed her sadness, not just at what her sister was saying, but other, older memories. "Losing Mama hurt so much. I needed you. I mean, I was just sixteen when Mama died. What would have happened to me if you hadn't taken me in?" Caterina's hand gripped Angel's shoulder. "You supported me even when it cost you. You gave up your fighting career and everything."

At that Angel made a scoffing sound. "It wasn't much of a career. I was getting paid more working as a stocker than fighting in those rings."

"Yeah, but if you hadn't quit, you could have made a career out of it." Cat's voice was earnest and warm. Her eyes, the same brilliant hazel as Angel's, brimmed with love for her sister. "I needed you back then, Angel. And I still need you, and you never held me back. Really, I think I was holding myself back."

"You weren't," Angel insisted.

There was no immediate response from Caterina. She turned to face the window, looking deep in thought. After several moments she checked the map. "We're almost there. We should probably get off the bus." 

* * *

The stop was at an intersection. The map led them onto the road their bus was preparing to cross, Maccateer Street. It was a quiet part of the city. Once they were walking along the road, Cat began to take brief scans. "It looks like it moved slightly," she said to Angel.

"Maybe it's something someone is carrying, then?"

"I wonder what it does, if that's true… wait, over here."

Caterina picked up her pace and briefly moved past her sister. Angel caught up as Caterina examined her omnitool. "Okay, it's definitely in here," she said. "But below the street level, I think."

"A basement." Angel looked up at the sign. "'London Council Library'. I wonder what's going on here." She reached to the small of her back and felt the reassuring presence of her pistol. "Let's go."

They entered the building and found it empty at the moment. "Not a very active library," Angel murmured.

Cat was still following her scans. "I'm scanning the building… this way, I think I've found an elevator." She led Angel further into the building.

When they found the elevator, it was currently on the level below. "I wonder if someone is here," Angel said while hitting the call button to summon the left vehicle.

"That will make this awkward. I'm not sure what we'll tell them."

"We could always go for the truth," Angel suggested. "I mean, they won't believe us. But they might think we're just a couple of kooks."

"I'm not really in a hurry to be looked at as a nut," Cat protested. We'll come up with something…"

Before she could finish the sentence, the lift car rose above the floor. There were two occupants; a blond-haired man in light-colored clothing and a woman in plain clothing and wearing a pair of glasses. They were waiting almost impatiently for the lift to open. "Oh, hello," the woman said upon seeing them.

"Hello," Caterina answered. She had already turned her omnitool off. "I'm Caterina and this is my sister Angel." The lift gate slid open and the two stepped off.

"Ursula." She gestured to her friend. "This is Elton."

"Hi," Angel said simply. "Say, is there anything going on down there?"

"Not anymore," Elton said. "Why?"

Caterina was the one to answer. "Just curious. We're just exploring. Being curious."

"The only thing you'll find down there is an unpleasant jerk." Elton was clearly in a mood. "He's ruined our entire group."

"I'm sorry." Cat frowned and nodded. "I guess jerks do that to a lot of people." She stepped out of the way so they could step off the lift. Cat slipped around them to step on with Angel.

"Why are you going down?" asked Ursula.

"Just to see it. Just for a minute."

"She's OCD about these things," Angel added quickly. "Once she has it in her mind to visit a new place, she has to see _everything_. Even basements."

"I don't have to see _everything_ ," Cat protested.

At that Angel smirked. "Remember when we went to Wichita that time? You nearly got into the Governor's Office."

"I was _three_."

While early on Elton and Ursula had seemed bewildered by their intent, the sisterly bickering had reduced that. They had nothing more to say and prepared to leave.

Just as Angel reached for the elevator button, though, Ursula suddenly asked, "Wait, where's my phone?"

Elton looked to her. "You don't have it?"

"No. It's not here." Ursula checked her pockets with increasing speed. The look on her face spoke of disappointment and realization. "I must have left it downstairs."

"You need to come back down?" Angel asked.

"Yes," she said. Elton didn't object, instead joining her in pulling open the lift gate again and stepping into the metal cage with them. Angel pulled the lever and the lift began to lower beneath their feet.

"It won't take long," Ursula said. "It moves pretty quickly."

Angel said nothing to that. It was still painfully slow compared to the turbolifts back on the _Aurora_. But now they were in for a quiet ride.

Or rather, they were, until a bloodcurdling shriek of terror came from below. Ursula and Elton paled at the scream. "Colin," Ursula managed through her surprise.

The lift came low enough for them to see into the room bed. Assorted tables were arranged with ordered precision, as if desks in a classroom, with chairs beside them. A board was used for what, at a distance, looked like illustrations aod photos, not that Cat and Angel could see what they were showing given their angle and distance.

But their eyes quickly focused on the center of this area, where a green mass of what looked like ooze or raw flesh was holding out an object toward an older, middle-aged man. With a final cry the man seemed to be sucked into the cane.

"Colin!" cried Ursula.

That drew the attention of the oozing mass. It formed a human-looking face with an expression of satisfied amusement. "What have we here?"

The lift came to a complete stop. The gate opened. But none of them dared to step out.

The mass continued to speak through its newly-generated human head. "What have you brought me now? I sense something different about these two, yes…"

Angel and Caterina moved ahead of the other, startled people in the basement room. "What is that thing?" Elton asked.

The suppurating mass of green continued to shift in place. "Interesting," it gurgled through the half-formed mouth. "I can feel the energy on you. Subspace… ah, matter transportation. You are clearly not local."

"What's it to you?" Angel asked.

"What are you?" was Caterina's query.

"I am a very curious being," the creature responded. "I exist to absorb knowledge. Knowledge is power." The mass gurgled for a moment. "And there are other benefits." The green mass coalesced briefly into a new form, that of the same man they had seen absorbed. A moment later it shifted into a middle-aged woman. Ursula gasped in shock at the sight. By the time she managed a pained "Bridgit" the creature had turned into another woman, closer to Ursula's age.

"Bliss." Elton looked at the creature in horror. "You took them. You're why they disappeared!"

"They were inefficient. Unnecessary. But their knowledge is useful."

"It's not just that, is it?" Cat asked. She had her omnitool on and was scanning the malignant creature. "You use their raw mass for yourself. And you feed off of the act too. You're _enjoying_ it."

The gurgle that came in reply sounded much like a laugh. "Perhaps so. And what of you? Your technology is clearly not of this world. I must know more. Perhaps I will learn more after I absorb you two…"

"Hey, you two…" Angel looked back. Her hand was already at the small of her back and pulling her pulse pistol out. "Alton or Ursula or whatever your names are, we should probably start to…"

"...run!" Caterina urged.

Angel started shooting the creature as it surged at them with a terrible hunger. The blue pulses struck the mass but did nothing to stop it.

The creature began to coalesce into a Human form again, and when it did one of the resulting arms brought the cane to bear on Angel. Just as its light grabbed for her Elton slammed into Angel. Both flew out of range of the cane and hit the floor.

Cat was already thinking of the problem. The lift was slow, too slow, if they were going to get away quickly. She grabbed Ursula and pulled her behind a pillar. "Is there any other way out of the basement?" she asked.

"There's…. well, I…"

Ursula was clearly scared out of her wits. It was a condition Cat was sympathetic with. Thinking of how the others - usually Rob or Julia or sometimes Angel - helped her in those situations, Cat grabbed Ursula by the shoulders. "You need to focus."

Movement crossed Cat's peripheral vision. She glanced quickly enough to see the absorbing creature passing by the pillar, intent on them. She pulled Ursula with her to the other side of the pillar and onto the next one. Once she had her safely out of the absorbing thing's line of sight, Caterina took her shoulders again. "Focus. Ursula, is there another way out of here?"

"There's… a stairway," she said. "The fire escape stairwell. But there's nowhere to hide, that thing will catch us…"

Angel and Elton moved to the support pillar beside them. "Can you take us to that stairway?" she asked Elton and Ursula.

"But all it has to do is…"

"We'll deal with that part," Caterina said, cutting off Elton's protest. "But we need to know we can get there."

"Y-yeah." Ursula nodded. "We can show you."

"Good." Angel looked at Caterina. "Do you have any ideas?"

Cat looked around. "Maybe." She grinned slightly. "I wonder what electricity will do to it?"

"I don't know. My pulse pistol isn't doing anything." Angel still had the pistol in her hands.

"I can hear you," the creature said. Its voice was now "normal", speaking from a properly-formed mouth. "The more you make me chase you, the more I'll enjoy absorbing you."

Cat, meanwhile, was tapping away on her omnitool. A final key press sent a short text message that popped up in blue hard-light around Angel's left forearm: _Water sprinkler_.

Angel tapped the screen to dismiss the message and nodded at Cat. After one last check to see if Elton was in place - he was - Angel turned around the pillar.

The absorbing creature had been quietly walking back toward them. Its cane was up and ready, but currently pointing slightly away from Angel. This gave her enough time to aim her pistol above the creature and fire. The pulse shot struck the water sprinkler head directly above the creature. Stagnant water, pungent from the smell of being in pipes for so long, began to flow down over it. With a contemptuous look on its wide, bearded face, it swung the cane toward Angel. "Is that the…"

With its cane now pointing away from her, Cat made her move. She slipped around the pillar and held her left arm toward the floor and the gathering puddle of water at the absorbing creature's feet. Her fingers curled into the gesture her omnitool recognized for its self-defense mechanism. An electrical burst, generated by the microfusion power source for the omnitool, shot out and struck the water.

The creature cried out as electricity surged into it. Its form briefly fell, revealing its natural state as a big green blob. The cane dropped to the ground.

"Go! Go!" Angel shouted at Elton. He started to run, with Ursula and Cat behind him, all heading to the other side of the basement. Angel took a moment to fire a shot at the absorber's cane. She hit, that she was certain of. She was disappointed that the cane hadn't been destroyed. Her shot still accomplished at least one thing, however. The kinetic element of the particle pulse's impact sent it skittering along the ground away from the recovering creature. Angel had a moment to see the absorber start to turn toward its lost device before she ran after the others.

"Here!" Elton got to the fire stairway and ran into the door at full speed, throwing it open. He was in the lead for the run up the stairs. The four caused quite a clatter in the stairwell from the constant impacts of their feet against the metal surfacing of the steps. "Keep going!" she urged.

They got to the last flight when the door below was thrown open. The absorber ran in, wearing his usual Human disguise of the man in the dark suit. Angel noticed the sprinklers in the stairwell as she got to the final steps. Ahead of her Elton went out the door to the main floor with Ursula and Caterina behind him. Angel stopped at the door and turned back, firing at every fire sprinkler head she saw. Water began to pour down upon the steps. She heard a thump from further down and, content that she had bought them precious seconds, Angel ran on to join the others.

She found them rushing out the front door. "What do we do now?!" Ursula cried out.

Caterina activated her omnitool. "Delgado to _Bastilone_ , we need an emergency beamout for four, now!" When there was no response, she repeated herself. "Delgado to _Bastilone_ , emergency beamout for four, please! We don't have time! Do you hear me?!"

Angel tapped her own omnitool. "Delgado to _Bastilone,_ please respond." When she got nothing she and Cat exchanged worried looks. "What could have happened?" Angel wondered aloud.

Caterina's omnitool was already active. "That's odd. There's some sort of interference pattern now. All of our transmissions are being blocked."

"What? How?!" Angel shook her head. "That doesn't make sense!"

"That thing's going to get here any minute!" Elton shouted.

"I don't know if we can outrun it on foot." Caterina looked down the street. She started walking to the end of the building. "There!" A light-colored four door sedan was parked. "Let's get going!"

Nobody protested the commission of car theft; all four ran to the vehicle. Caterina, by habit, went to the passenger side while using her omnitool to mimic the radio signal of a key fob. The doors unlocked as she jumped in. Angel was already getting in on the driver's side while Ursula and Elton were climbing in the back seat.

At least, those were the sides in Caterina's head, but once she sat down she realized that the steering wheel was on _her_ side. She exchanged a glance with Angel; both had forgotten the change in sides from being in England. And there was no time to swap. Cat looked to her omnitool and used it to scan the keyhole for the car. The same microfabricators and replicator that had made the map earlier now produced a simple key that she immediately pushed into the ignition. With a twist of the key the car started.

The absorbing creature came around the side of the building. Fear gripped Cat and she slammed on the accelerator. The car lurched right into action, speeding right at the absorber. It jumped to the side as the car thundered on. Cat pulled onto the right side of the road and was reminded to change to the other side by a cry of "You're on the wrong side of the road!" from a terrified Ursula.

"So we can't get hold of the _Bastilone_ and we have a monster chasing us," Angel groused. "What do we do next?"

Caterina was already thinking of that. The idea popped into her head and she smiled despite everything. "We complete our mission," she said. "We find that other power source and use it to break through the jamming."

"Alright, let me check the map…" Angel brought the map up. She frowned. "It gives me a circle. There's no exact location."

"You'll have to switch to your omnitool when we get to that area," Cat said. Her hands clasped the steering wheel tightly. _While I try to remember all of my driving lessons…_

* * *

"And we ended up here" Caterina said, finishing the tale.

"So you detected Mr. Smith from half a solar system away?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Well, we detected some of the power linked to him," Caterina clarified. "I had no idea it'd be a sapient supercomputer."

With impatience clear on her features, Angel asked, "Have you gotten through the jamming yet?"

Cat double-checked her omnitool. The shake of her head was answer enough. "Whatever this field is, it's made to jam communications like ours."

"Could this creature be causing it?" Sarah Jane stood from her seat. "That seems the most plausible answer given the timing."

"If he's got the equipment, but I'm not sure," Cat replied. "It could be something else."

"Maybe related to those agents who came to your door?"

Angel's suggestion clearly won Sarah Jane's consideration. "It's possible," she agreed. "I have a friend looking into that now."

"I'm more worried about how we're going to fight that thing," said Cat. "The pulse pistol does nothing. And if we destroy the cane, I'm not sure we can get anyone back."

"Well, we've got to find some way to stop that thing," Angel insisted.

From her seat Caterina was thinking of just that. She used her omnitool to bring up her scans of the absorbing creature. The specialized scanners built into the omnitool gave her a number of different scanning capabilities, scanners set to record due to their mission, and now the readings were showing on the blue hard-light interface surrounding her left forearm. "It's got quite a lot of mass," she said. "However it's constructed, we may be able to use that. Maybe if I…" After another few scans showed up she nodded and smiled a little. "Yes, I think I can do this. I mean, I'm not an engineer, but I should be able to make this…"

"Make what?" Elton asked.

"A forcefield generator," Cat explained. "It wouldn't be very powerful, but I might be able to make something that would turn this absorber's mass against it. I just need the right parts."

"I may be able to help with that," Sarah Jane said. She gestured to a set of drawers. Cat walked up and opened one. Her eyes widened. Sarah Jane looked to her and asked, "Can you use any of this?"

"This… this looks like it could be a field amplifier. A portable one." Cat picked up the somewhat heavy, palm-sized piece of equipment. "Where did you get this?"

"That is a very long story," Sarah Jane replied.

As Cat looked over the contents of the drawers, her confidence rose sharply. The technology Sarah Jane had could indeed work. She grabbed the items she'd need and set her omnitool to assist in putting the pieces together. "I'll need just a few minutes and then…"

Before she could finish, a shrill scream came from outside. Angel was the first to the window, with Elton and Sarah Jane behind her.

Outside, they could see the creature, again appearing as "Victor Kennedy", standing over "Inspector Graham". His partner Wallbridge was missing. What had happened to him was evident given the energy coming from the creature's cane, which was now encompassing Graham. His scream continued until he had been drawn into the cane. Energy surged into the creature, which seemed to get just a little bit larger.

The creature looked back to the house and up at the window. Even from that distance Angel could see the smile cross his face. He held up his hand, which turned green and started to shift into an amorphous green glob. Moments later it hardened again, but where it had been holding nothing before, now it gripped a firearm. He leveled it at them. Angel pulled Elton down and Sarah Jane ducked as well.

A beam of blue light sizzled through the door, scorching the roof above them.

"Cat, you might want to hurry," Angel called out. "I think we're out of time."


	65. Episode 2-13-4 A Tale of Two Sisters

One common attitude Caterina had found among others, even among her sister, was the attitude that "scientist = knows everything". That her science education, that her experience, made her capable of knowing everything and doing everything. It was a belief that she found aggravating sometimes. Biologists were not physicists, and neither were chemists. And they certainly weren't always engineers, as the entire point of engineers was to take what the scientists learned and put it into practical use.

Except for Jarod, of course, but as far as Cat was concerned, he cheated. Mentally-adaptive super-savants were obvious exceptions to the rule.

And here she was again, being expected to do something she wasn't actually trained to do. She knew how something like a forcefield generator worked, but how to put it together...that might be tricky.

And if she couldn't, she and Angel and these nice people would all end up getting absorbed into some grotesque monster.

Said monster was now outside of Sarah Jane's home. It had absorbed two men, government agents of some kind, and now had an energy firearm that it was using to shoot into the house.

As another azure beam left scorched marks on the attic ceiling, Angel called out, "Cat, you'd better hurry with that."

"It's going to catch the whole house on fire." Sarah Jane motioned to the door. "I'll take you to the back door!"

While she led Elton and Ursula out, Angel quickly looked to Cat. "Don't worry about us, just get that thing built!" She went through the door a moment later.

"No pressure," Cat murmured to herself, taking up a screwdriver and getting to work with a couple of the pieces she had.

* * *

The absorber was approaching the front door when Angel went out the back. She pulled out the pulse pistol again. "That hasn't been working all day," Elton protested.

"I haven't been shooting at the cane," she answered. "If I have to, I'll destroy it."

"You can't," pleaded Ursula. "Not if we can get the others back."

"It's a last resort."

They came around the house while the absorber was preparing to go through the front door. It stopped and turned its head. Its guise was still that of the persona Victor Kennedy.

Sarah Jane stepped up beyond the others. "What do you want?" she asked.

There was no reply. All that Kennedy did was pull up the absorbing staff to use it.

Angel fired at him with her pistol, aiming it toward the cane. As she hoped, he reacted by scowling and pulling the cane back. He reformed the energy gun he'd used before and pointed it toward Angel, who went back into cover to avoid the resulting beam.

Sarah Jane brought out her sonic device again. Kennedy swept the gun over toward her, forcing her to jump for the bushes to avoid the sizzling blue beam that set fire to the small tree beyond.

The fire began to spread before a spray of water struck it and extinguished it. Ursula, water hose in hand, brought the sprayer over and directed it at the absorber's face. The attack could cause no harm, but it did distract, long enough for Elton to dart up and grab the cane from the creature's hand. He ran back to the others.

The absorber brought its gun up and fired a shot toward Ursula. As the beam moved closer to her she reacted instinctively, ducking for cover. The stream of water stopped blinding the creature.

It shifted shape rapidly, becoming a lean cougar, and with the power of four legs it dashed across the short distance and pounced on Elton, who cried out in surprise. The cane went flying from his grasp.

Sarah Jane lunged for the cane while Angel lunged for the cougar-shaped absorber. She knocked him off of Elton with a single push that sent the absorber into the lawn. It began to shift shape as it landed, remaining an amorphous mass. A solid tentacle of green biomass lashed out toward Sarah Jane's wrists as her hands closed around the cane. She clearly resisted the tug. For several moments she seemed to be prevailing, until the power of the creature was enough to pull her to the ground and begin dragging her. A second tentacle shot out and wrapped around the cane.

Angel was grabbing at it as well at this point. She couldn't quite wrench it free, although she did stop the motion toward the rest of the creature. After struggling for a moment she started to kick at the tentacle holding Sarah Jane's wrist. The kicks were strong enough that the creature clearly disliked them. Its grasp slackened until the tentacle fell away. When it moved again, it was to merge with the tentacle gripping the cane, creating a tug-of-war between the absorber and Angel with Sarah Jane.

Elton and Ursula got back into the struggle, brandishing a rake and a spade respectively, which they started to hit the creature with. This clearly agitated it, but the effect was counter-productive; it gripped onto the cane all the harder.

Then the cane started to light up. Sarah Jane and Angel noticed it, and Sarah Jane immediately let go and jumped onto Angel to pull her away. A bust of energy went off that didn't touch them - the only reason they were not absorbed into the creature.

It drew the cane back to itself with rapid speed, reforming into the Victor Kennedy form as it did. A hand flew out and smacked into Ursula, sending her flying. He twisted and punched Elton directly as he swung his spade, sending him down as well.

"You are not stopping me!" the creature declared, clearly angry. He held up the cane toward Elton.

An object flew through the air and landed at Kennedy's feet. It lit up and energy formed around and near it. The resulting beam of light from the cane stopped a few inches from its tip, contained in the crackle of yellow force field energy that now encased Kennedy.

Caterina was standing outside the front door now. She had a smile of satisfaction. "I made it work!" she said, pleased with her success. "I'm shocked, but I did it!"

"Good job, Cat," Angel said warmly, picking herself off the ground.

From within his new forcefield prison, Kennedy scowled out at them. "Do you think this can hold me forever?" he demanded.

"It'll hold you long enough," Sarah Jane answered. She looked to Cat and nodded. "Good job."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"How do we make it return our friends?" asked Ursula.

"You can't," said "Kennedy", smirking. "They are a part of me now. Permanently. If you want to be with them again, you will have to join them."

"Yes, we'll just take your word for it," Angel grumbled sarcastically.

Cat activated her omnitool and began to scan the cane and the monster. It frowned at her while she looked over the readings. "We'll see what I can learn from a scan."

"How long will that forcefield last?" asked Sarah Jane.

"A few hours, I think," Caterina answered. She kept her hazel eyes focused on the sensor readings. "That should be enough time for us to figure out if we can save the people he's absorbed."

Kennedy chortled at that. "You have far less time than you assume, Human."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Sarah Jane asked. "Unless there's another of your kind around, and you don't seem the type to share."

The creature smirked. And then he shifted form, becoming "Inspector" Graham.

Everyone exchanged looks of bewilderment at the sudden change. As the sound of a speeding motor vehicle engine came to Angel's ears, she realized what the creature had just done. "Everyone into the house, now!"

"Wait, what are you… hey!" Cat's last cry was from her attention to her omnitool being broken by Angel grabbing her right forearm and pulling her to the front door. Sarah Jane had clearly realized what was going on as well. She had taken both Ursula and Elton in hand and was bringing them with her to the door.

Two black cars turned in front of the house, fishtailing from the speed they had achieved before breaking. Armed men jumped from the doors and directed guns toward Sarah Jane and the others. "Down on the ground!" one shouted. "Now!"

Sarah Jane brought the others through the door and slammed it. Angel was already coming from where she locked the back door.

"We've got to warn them!" Caterina insisted.

"Warn them of what? That their friend's not really their friend?" Angel shook her head. "They'd never believe it. They're going to free that thing, Cat, and we won't be able to stop them. Now come _on_."

The group got to the stairs and were running up when the door was thrown open. Armed men walked into the house. 

* * *

"Surround the house. Cover all potential exits." One of the agents stepped up to Kennedy while his comrades went in. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sir. Just got caught is all."

"What are we dealing with? You reported that we're dealing with that 'LINDA' group that popped up."

"I'm afraid to say they're mad, sir," Kennedy said as "Graham". "Obsessed with the Doctor, and in league with extraterrestrial agents and their spy who lives here."

"Good job in confirming our suspicions, Graham," the other man said. "Hartman will promote you for sure."

"For Queen and country," the creature said pleasantly, and he kept a satisfied smile on his face while another nearby agent shut down the forcefield generator keeping him prisoner.

His rescuers looked at him curiously. "Since when did you get a cane, Graham?" one asked.

"Do you like it?" Graham smiled widely and held it out to the man. "Here, let me show it to you…"

* * *

The screams from outside drew all heads toward the window. "So much for them," Angel muttered.

"There will be more," Sarah Jane replied.

"Do you have any idea who they are?"

"They're not UNIT, that's for sure. I suspect they're from the Torchwood Institute."

"Shouldn't we barricade the door?" Ursula asked.

"It wouldn't do any good," Caterina answered, as more screams came up from the ground floor. Her eyes were focused on her omnitool. "That thing has absorbed so much mass that it could pound the door down." She tapped something. "All of that mass…" A look came over her while she examined sensor readings. She looked to Elton. "How often did your friends disappear? How quickly was it absorbing?"

"Well, uh…" Elton thought about it for a moment. "Bliss disappeared almost two months ago."

"And it's been a few weeks since Bridgit stopped coming," Ursula added.

"Does this mean something?" Angel asked. "And have you gotten through the jamming yet?"

"Yes and no," came the answer.

"You think that maybe it's had too much lately?" Sarah Jane asked.

"The sensors are showing increasing fluctuation in its life readings. The body temperature is off, the mass is all wrong… yes. Yes, I think it's been absorbing too much too quickly."

"Mister Smith?" Sarah Jane called out.

The computer probably came back out. " _Yes, Miss Smith?_ "

"Can you link with the sensor readings this young lady has taken? Are there signs of any kind of instability in the creature?"

" _Accessing now_."

Outside the cries and shouts had died out. "That's probably not a good sign," Angel noted. She moved over by the door. Elton joined her, brandishing a cricket bat he'd found in the corner.

" _Miss Smith, I am indeed detecting indications of cellular degradation. The creature may have absorbed too much too quickly._ "

"Can we use that against it?" she asked.

" _It is possible you could cause the absorptions to overload. Depending upon varying factors, such an overload could either cause complete cellular breakdown or cause the mass in question to return to original form._ "

"In other words, we either cause the thing to die and take everyone it's absorbed with it, or we win and get everyone back?" asked Angel.

" _That is a fair assessment._ "

Caterina kept going back and forth on the readings. "It's possible that we could cause the overload to reverse the absorptions before cellular breakdown." She looked at Sarah Jane. "Miss Smith, your sonic device, if you can hit the cane with the right frequency to disrupt its control hardware, and I can use the omnitool's data-streaming to remotely access the cane, I might be able to trigger a reversal."

Everyone was becoming aware of a loud thumping coming up the stairs. Ursula's face was as pale as it had ever gotten. Elton's hands clenched around the cricket bat in his hand while Angel assumed an attack stance.

Caterina worked as quickly as she could, running her fingers over her omnitool controls to finish configuring it.

There was a loud knock on the door that made the hinges rattle. A second. The hinges were starting to come off their housing. A third.

At the fourth, the door went off its hinges and fell in, splintered wood showing on the other end. The figure that ended was still mostly the Victor Kennedy disguise, but with the flesh turned green and the surface rippling with goo.

Elton slammed the cricket bat on the absorber's head. It barely seemed to notice the blow. A hand swung out and sent him flying. Ursula rushed to his side.

Angel jumped onto the creature's back and wrapped her arms around its neck. For several critical moments she held on for dear life while it swung around, trying to dislodge her. She locked her legs under its arms to win further leverage.

The creature shifted to its basic, oozing green form. Angel's arms and legs sunk into that oozing form and all leverage was lost. It spun around and created a single wide appendage that slammed Angel in the chest and stomach, knocking her away and taking the air from her lungs in the process.

The creature reformed into humanoid shape and held up its cane toward Sarah Jane. "I have had enough of this chase! I need your knowledge to find the Doctor!"

Ursula and Elton grabbed at the cane. The act gave Sarah Jane time to avoid the absorbing beam that came from it. The creature howled in frustration and twisted with enough force to throw the two Londoners off.

"Cat…?" Angel was starting to rise from where she'd fallen.

"Not ready yet…"

A scream partly distracted her. Ursula was caught in the absorption beam from the cane. It seemed to tag at her, distorting the shape of her body.

Elton grabbed her and tried to pull her away. "No!" he cried. "Stop!"

For a moment it looked like he might just get her away. But the device was not to be denied. Within moments it seemed to have gripped Elton as well. He cried out in pain and fear along with Ursula in the final horrible seconds before they were drawn completely in.

The absorber shuddered in satisfaction. "And now for you…" It turned toward Cat and brought the cane up.

Cat checked her omnitool. She was so close, _so close_ , but the configuration still wasn't ready. She didn't have time! She had to move and…

...and Angel grabbed at the cane, just as Elton and Ursula had. " _Now, Cat!_ " she cried out. She held on for dear life.

Cat looked back to her omnitool. Just one last step. Just one. She almost had it.

The absorber started slamming Angel against the pillar in the middle of the attic. Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain from the beating.

But she held on.

Caterina suddenly turned to Sarah Jane. "Now!"

Sarah Jane nodded and held out her sonic device. The end lit up red and let out a whirring sound.

As the cane began to spark, Caterina's attention returned to her omnitool. With a couple of button presses she opened a connection to the absorber's cane. The coding she had prepared, with Mr. Smith's remote help, loaded into the device's control hardware.

Light surged from the cane, which positively crackled with power. Angel let go and fell backward onto the floor. She pushed herself away as the absorber began to shake.

"No!" It screamed. " _No! NO!_ "

The light from the cane became blinding, forcing everyone to turn away from it. There was a sickening "glorp" echoing through the air and a series of agonized screams, followed by a rapid set of thumps.

When the light receded, the burnt out remains of the cane dropped to the floor, where a small, sad little mass of pale green matter plopped and splattered beside it.

Scattered around the attack were nearly a dozen people. Elton and Ursula, their friends, and several dark-clad men, along with a plump older lady who started to look about in stunned, horrified confusion.

"Yes!" Caterina cried. With her sister out of arm's reach her desire for a hug of victory led her to wrap her arms around Sarah Jane, who laughed in delight. "It worked!"

"We're… alive…" Elton looked up at them. "You did it."

"Good work, Cat." Angela pushed off one of the agents, who was still struggling to recover. "You stopped that thing."

"Well, Mr. Smith helped," Caterina said. She looked to the computer and said, "Thank you."

" _You are welcome, Miss Delgado._ "

"Colin?" Bridgit struggled to stand. Her eyes moved over the floor until they met Colin's, as he struggled to sit up. "Colin!"

"Bridgit? You… you're okay?"

"Do you remember anything?" Sarah Jane asked them.

"Not much." Elton helped Ursula up. "I thought I felt the others. Like I was… I don't know… a fog. Something without a body. And I was trapped."

"You saved us," Ursula said to Caterina and Sarah Jane. Angel stepped up and accepted a hug from her younger sister, after which they turned back to Ursula. "You did it."

"That's what we get paid for these days," Angel said, smiling. "Although this was a bit out there compared to our usual jobs."

"And what happened to that… thing?"

All eyes turned to the sad little green glob on the floor. "It looks like the biomass it consumed was taken from its original form," Caterina said. "It burned too much to leave behind a real body."

"I wonder what species it was?" Sarah Jane murmured. She knelt down by the glob.

"I'll see if I can get a genetic profile," Cat offered. "Maybe…"

She was interrupted by thudding on the stairs outside. Within moments off that thudding becoming audible, figures rushed into the room. Men in 21st Century body armor held up weapons and shouted "Don't move! Hands in the air!"

There was nothing for them to do. Caterina and Angel slowly held their hands up with Sarah Jane.


	66. Episode 2-13-5 A Tale of Two Sisters

After having their wrists zip-tied together and being held for several minutes at gunpoint, everyone was brought downstairs and then to the parking lot. A veritable fleet of vehicles was now on the street. The five "LINDA" members, the sisters, and Sarah Jane were ordered out to the street.

One car finished pulling up through the cordon of protective vehicles. When it came to a stop the rear door opened. The woman who emerged looked like she was just now pushing forty years of age, with dark blond hair that went down to her neck and an impressive business suit. She walked up to them. "Well, this has made my day," she said. "We weren't sure of the source of those matter transports earlier today. It's good to know something's coming out of our efforts."

"Who the hell are you?" Angel demanded.

The woman kept her quiet smile. "I'm Yvonne Hartman, Administrator of the Torchwood Institute."

"Torchwood." Sarah Jane spoke with clear contempt. "I've heard of your group before."

"As we have heard of you, Miss Sarah Jane Smith," Hartman answered. "We're well aware of your past connections to the alien being called the Doctor and of your more recent activities. Feel fortunate we haven't already shut you down."

"Isn't this brazen even for you? You've blocked off an entire street in blond daylight, in the middle of the London suburbs."

"It is not our usual style, I grant, but we had reason to." Hartman nodded to the sisters. "Your friends here. We were wondering if the source of that probe would ever return."

"What do you want from us?" Caterina asked.

"Your technology, obviously. The means to protect Earth from all threats." Hartman nodded. "Your debriefing should be quite an education."

"And then…?" asked Angel.

"Well, that depends on how cooperative you are," Hartman answered. "I'm hardly a monster, after all. Answer my questions and I will make sure you're cared for."

"We can't tell you anything about our technology," Caterina said. "That's against our orders. Our laws."

"That is regrettable, young lady. Because I will do whatever I must to protect this country and acquire the means to accomplish that." Hartman gave them a hard look. "So you had better understand that I _will_ ensure your cooperation, one way or another."

"You can't be serious," Sarah Jane said, her voice betraying her anger. "This isn't right."

"You should be thankful, Miss Smith, that you're not on your way to the Institute's cells," Hartman replied. "We're willing to let you keep your freedom. But first we'll be removing every piece of alien contraband from your home. And from now on, expect us to be keeping a close eye on you. Britain has enough threats to worry about without having some journalist engaging in amateur…"

As Hartman's diatribe continued, an audible _whump-whump-whump_ filled the air. After the word "amateur" her next few words were nearly inaudible as a helicopter moved overhead. Everyone looked up, even Hartman, as three more choppers moved around them. They were military in size, and armed soldiers began to drop from those hovering overhead.

"What now?" Angel asked, loudly. "More friends of yours?"

"My friends, actually," Sarah Jane answered, cutting Hartman off.

The last helicopter came to a landing just outside the circle of vehicles Hartman had driven through previously. More soldiers spilled out and took up positions. As they came into place a woman slipped out of the passenger area. She was also in a suit, but it was more conservative in appearance than Hartman's, with a long business jacket. Her blond hair was cut into a short arrangement. She moved with deliberate, firm steps until she was within earshot of the assembled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a very authoritative-looking ID. "Kate Stewart," the woman said, focusing on Hartman. "Deputy Director of UNIT."

"Hello, Kate," Sarah Jane said, still smiling.

Hartman, however, was not. "What are you doing here?" she demanded over the constant _whump_ of helicopters. "UNIT has no jurisdiction…"

"On the contrary, UNIT has all the jurisdiction it needs," Kate Stewart countered. "As you well know. This woman is one of ours," she said, indicating Sarah Jane. "Nor will you be taking these young ladies." She nodded to Angel and Caterina. "UNIT will handle any negotiations or contact with their people."

Hartman's face made clear her stark disapproval, and more than a little anger. "If you think I'm going to let UNIT just waltz in and take this case over…" Hartman's voice became a growl. "The Torchwood Institute answers directly to Her Majesty and her Privy Council. I have full jurisdiction and authority to be here, and I will not let UNIT ruin what may be our best chance to acquire technology that would give us an edge against future incursions." Hartman drew close to her new rival. "And unless you have a Privy Councillor with you, there's nothing you can do to force the issue. Not unless you want to start a war in the middle of Bannerman Road."

The look on Stewart's face told the sisters immediately that Hartman had just lost. That small, satisfied smile ended only for the UNIT official to say, "It's a good thing I brought a Privy Councillor along, isn't it?" She looked back to the helicopter and nodded.

Another figure emerged, more slowly, and not surprising given he had to be helped down while holding a cane. It tapped against the asphalt as he walked up to them, an old man in a fine suit with a head of gray hair, the hairline receding, and an equally gray mustache and beard that were well-trimmed. He looked at the assembled and grinned slightly. "Sorry for the occasion, Miss Smith. Business first."

She grinned back and nodded. "Of course, Brigadier."

The man nodded and turned to Hartman. "Yvonne Hartman. You know who I am."

It was clear she did. A sullen look came to her face. "Yes, Sir Alistair."

Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart nodded. "And you know what I am then."

"A standing member of Her Majesty's Privy Council," Hartman replied dully. "Responsible for advising Her Majesty and the rest of the Council on matters involving extraterrestrial activity and advanced science."

"Good." Sir Alistair nodded to her. "Release these poor people immediately and withdraw your agents. UNIT will finish up here."

WIth immense frustration on her features, Hartman nodded. "Of course, Sir Alistair." She turned to one of the agents. "Release them."

Wordlessly, the agent did so, a frown on his face while he used a pen knife to cut the zip ties one by one. Caterina and Angel both rubbed at their wrists while watching Hartman's people enter their vehicles. One by one, they drove off, all but one of the other UNIT helicopters withdrew as well.

Once everyone was gone save the last two UNIT choppers, Sarah Jane took the moment to hug Sir Alistair. "It's good to see you," she said, and there was a visible tear in her eye.

"And it pleases me to see you so well, Sarah Jane," he replied.

"And Kate. It's good to see you too." Sarah Jane, knowing her friend's daughter well enough, only offered her hand. "Alistair must be proud at what you've accomplished."

For all her business-like demeanor throughout the occasion, it clearly slipped at this point. "Thank you, Miss Smith," she said, warmth in her voice now.

"So these are those friends you mentioned?" Angel asked Sarah Jane.

She nodded. "I've worked with UNIT on a number of occasions, along with the Doctor."

"I'm afraid you young ladies have the advantage of me," Sir Alistair said.

Angel looked to him and nodded. "Sorry, sir. I'm Angela Delgado and this is my younger sister Caterina. We're… not from around here."

"I would gather you mean you're not from this planet, not simply that you're from across the pond?" he asked.

"Um…"

"They are lieutenants on an interuniversal exploration vessel," Sarah Jane answered. "Sent to investigate alien power readings in London. Apparently their vessel sent quite a few teams to look into oddities on our Earth."

"But you are Human?" Kate asked.

"We are. We're from an Earth in a different universe. As crazy as that can sound."

"It's not quite as crazy for us as you imagine," Kate assured her.

"So… what does this all have to do with the Doctor?"

Heads turned to face the LINDA quintet. Elton and Ursula were the most recovered from their experience. The others were clearly still getting the feel for being whole again.

"What do they know of the Doctor?" Sir Alistair asked Sarah Jane.

"You'll have to ask them."

"Not a lot," Elton said. "Very little. I met him once, though. Well, twice."

"Ah." Sir Alistair smiled. "He is quite capable of sticking in the mind, isn't he? Anyway, we had better get the chopper going, we won't be able to hold off news staff for much longer."

"I'm afraid my home has suffered some damage so I can't invite you in for tea."

"Oh, we can find some back at base," Sir Alistair assured her.

Sarah Jane looked to the sisters, already certain of how leery they would be. "He's a friend, as I said, and he can help you contact your ship. We're in safe hands now."

"And on our flight back, perhaps you can explain how this all began?" he ventured.

Caterina looked to Angel, who nodded. "Alright," the older sister said. "We'll go."

"Splendid."

Kate nodded in agreement and got onto her radio. The other remaining chopper landed to take aboard some of the LINDA members while Sarah Jane, Angel, Cat, and Elton joined Kate and Sir Alistair on their helicopter. Once eveyrone was aboard both took off into the clear London sky. 

* * *

Night was starting to fall when the _Bastilone_ rippled into view on the tarmac of the UNIT base outside of London. The side airlock opened and Julia stepped out with Jarod and Meridina.

Angel and Caterina were waiting for them. They were in the company of Sarah Jane, Sir Alistair, or "the Brig" as some members of UNIT still called him, and Kate.

Julia gave them a bemused look. "I hope you two are ready for a lot of tough questions from Admiral Maran."

"It's better than being consumed by an evil alien," Angel retorted playfully. She looked to the others and made introductions.

"Welcome to Earth, Commander," Sir Alistair said. "Or rather, our Earth."

"Thank you, sir," she answered. "You have my greetings and those of the United Alliance of Systems."

"Your lieutenants have explained a few things to us, but they insisted that you would be the one to answer a few remaining questions about the Alliance, and what you are doing here."

Julia nodded. "I'd be happy to."

"Then, allow us to provide hospitality."

The Brig led Julia and the others, with Kate, back toward the building. Sarah Jane didn't head back with them for the moment, however, and this drew the curiosity of Caterina and Angel. "Where are you going?"

"I want to see how the others are doing," she said.

"So do I," answered Cat.

* * *

They found the five LINDA members in a break room in the facility. They were huddled together, Elton and Ursula as one pair and Colin and Bridgit as the other, with Bliss in the middle, staring into space. Just before Caterina could speak, Elton spoke up. "It's just… how can something like this happen?" He looked up. "It's like the whole world has gone mad."

"What has happened to you is terrible," Sarah Jane agreed. She took the seat opposite from them. "Take all of the time you need to recover from it."

"But how… I mean, we can't just go to a psychiatrist and talk about this, they'll lock us up for being loony, talking about absorbing monsters and spaceships and other universes!"

"I've talked to Kate Stewart about that, actually, and UNIT will provide help for you." Sarah Jane leaned forward in the chair and faced the five survivors with sympathy. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for this happening to you. But you're not alone. You have each other, and I will help you as best as I can."

They all looked to her silently.

"I know what it's like to be a victim of something like that," Caterina said. This won her their attention for the moment. "I mean, I wasn't absorbed or anything. I had my nervous system nearly burnt out by an alien serial killer who mind-controlled me. And it's… it's still with me, and I have nightmares a lot, and so you're going to have them… but you're still going to have lives too. It's like Sarah Jane said, you've got each other too. Just like I've got my sister and my girlfriend and all of my other friends. And when you've got that… well, it won't make it go away, but it helps you live with it."

Silence took over again. "Thank you for saving us." Now it was Bliss speaking. "I… I'm just glad it's over. I'm glad we can try to get back to normal now. And you're right… we do have each other still, I mean."

"We shouldn't have gone looking for the Doctor," Elton said, quietly.

Everyone looked at him.

"That's what drew the Absorbaloff to us," he continued. "We were looking for the Doctor. But we should have known better… _I_ should have known better."

"What do you mean?" asked Colin.

"The Doctor is dangerous. Being near him… people die from that." Tears were showing in Elton's eyes. "The things that come after him, the things he goes after, it's too much for people like us. We should stay away. We should all stay away! Otherwise this happens… or things like my…" He stopped speaking. Whatever it was, the pain was too great to continue.

"It's okay," Ursula said to him.

"You said you met the Doctor before." Sarah Jane had a sad expression on her face. "When you were a child. What happened?"

"There was a monster… a shadow… and the Doctor came, and the monster was gone, but so was my mum! I lost my mum because of that, because of…"

"Hrm." Sarah Jane frowned. "I think I remember that. A creature from the Howling Halls was loose in our world. The Doctor must have stopped it…" She stopped and lowered her eyes. "It must have hurt him so to not save your mother."

"You actually knew the Doctor?" Bliss asked.

"Oh, yes," she answered. "He and I traveled together. It was frightening and exciting and I would never give up those memories, not for anything in the world."

"Even with how dangerous it is?" asked Ursula.

To that Sarah Jane nodded quietly. "Sometimes danger is worth it."

There was quiet in the room until the door opened again. A young African woman in combat fatigues stepped in. "The doctors are ready for you," she said to Elton and his friends. "I'll take you to them."

Quietly the five stood up and went for the exit. Before going through the door, however, each stopped and looked to Sarah Jane and the sisters. "Thank you for saving us," Bridgit said. "Thank you ever so much."

"You are welcome," Sarah Jane answered. The sisters behind her nodded and waved. "I hope you try and keep in touch," she called out to them as they stepped out.

With the five Londoners gone, the three of them had the room to themselves. They all sat down. "I wonder what's going to happen now?" Cat asked.

"Your commander and the Brig will discuss things, I imagine," Sarah Jane said. "He will report to the government and UNIT and decisions will be made."

"And maybe we'll make colonies in this universe after all," Angel finished. "Just as long as we can make sure there aren't any of those 'Daleks' around."

A sudden frown crossed Sarah Jane's face. "Daleks?" she asked.

"Yeah." Angel nodded. "You've seen them?"

Sarah Jane answered with a slow, quiet nod. "I was there, actually," she murmured, her voice low as if fatigued. "I was there when Davros created those tin-plated maniacs. The Doctor did what he could to stop him." Sarah Jane looked intently at them. "So you know about the Daleks."

"Well, they nearly killed me," Angel answered. "And they almost killed Cat, killed a bunch of our science people actually. They nearly took over the Darglan Facility we used to live in…"

"Darglan?" Sarah Jane concentrated for a moment. "I think I remember them."

"Orange, tall skulls?"

"I believe so, yes. The Doctor and I met them once. But please, continue."

Caterina's eyes were kept low. "We lost a lot to the Daleks And it was my fault."

Angel put her hand on Cat's shoulder. "You couldn't have known…"

"I should have been more careful!" Caterina insisted. "You know that as much as I do. I should have found somewhere else to examine that container." Tears were in her eyes now. "And I can't let myself forget that I caused it. I cost us our home."

Seeing Sarah Jane's curious expression, Angel said, "The Daleks tried to take over the Darglan Facility. We had to destroy the Facility to stop them."

"Given their technology, you did the right thing. The idea of the Daleks with interuniversal travel is horrifying beyond words." Sarah Jane looked to Cat, who sniffled and fought to regain control of herself. She held back from speaking until she was sure Caterina was able to talk. "I can see why your people were being cautious about involving yourselves here, then. The Daleks are hardly our best ambassadors for our universe."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Cat muttered.

"I'm not sure how much else we can tell you," Angel admitted.

"You've told me enough." Sarah Jane nodded. "I can't exactly write a story about it, of course, but it's good to know all the same." She checked her watch. "I suppose I need to get going. I have a house that needs fixing up."

"We can help," Caterina said. "I mean, we did bring the thing to your door."

Sarah Jane answered with a grin. "That's a very kind offer, but Sir Alistair's already made the necessary arrangements." She stood up and went to the door to depart.

Caterina called out to her. "Wait, Miss Smith…"

"Please." She turned back, smiling. "It's Sarah Jane."

"Okay. Well, um…" Caterina took a moment to consider how she was going to phrase her question. "The Doctor. The Darglan liked him, the Daleks were afraid of him, that monster wanted to absorb him… what is he? What's he like?"

For a moment Sarah Jane seemed at a loss for words. Then it was clear she was considering just what words she wanted to use. "The Doctor is… the most wonderful being I have ever known," Sarah Jane said, a wistful tone in her voice. "He's brave, intelligent, and charming, and he has all of time and space at his fingertips. The wonders he can show you are as limitless as the terrors he can run into."

"He sounds dangerous," Angel said,

"Yes," Sarah Jane agreed. "And yet I have never regretted going with him. Not even the terrible things I saw are enough to make me regret meeting him."

The immediate reply from the two sisters was silence. But there was no mistaking the growing sparkle in Caterina's hazel eyes. Sarah Jane nodded at her and said, "You're just the type of person he would love to meet, Caterina. And I hope you do. Given time, I'm sure you will."

To that, Caterina had nothing to say. She accepted a hug from the older woman, who whispered "Good luck," into her ear before accepting a handshake from Angel. She turned and left the room, leaving the sisters to their thoughts.

* * *

For a time after Sarah Jane left, Angel and Caterina remained quiet. "It's been a crazy damn day, hasn't it?" Angel finally asked.

"Yeah."

"I think I might stay on the ship next time," she continued.

"Oh, I don't know…" Cat shook her head. "It was scary and stuff, but we did well. We learned a lot."

"I'm not sure it's the answers our bosses wanted to hear, though.

"Well… okay, maybe not. But it's still a good thing we were here." Cat looked to where Elton and his group had gone. "We helped people. We saved the day."

"Yeah." Angel sighed. "It's just… I don't like seeing you in danger."

"Well, I don't like being in danger either, or seeing you get hurt," Cat replied. "But that's part of life out here, right? And we still want to do this."

"Yeah, we do." Angel lowered her head. "If you met this Doctor guy, and he asked you to go with him, would you?"

"Well…. yeah, I think."

"Even if it meant leaving behind Violeta?"

At that, Cat when quiet. It was clearly something she had to think about, and think about hard. Her final reply was to say "I don't know."

The next awkward silence ended with Angel getting to her feet. "Ah, forget it. Let's go find Julia. I want to go back to the _Aurora_ and eat whatever Hargert's got on the menu."

"Same here," Cat agreed, following her sister out of the room.

* * *

Robert, Julia, Jarod, and Meridina were present for the holo-conference with Admiral Maran and Secretary Saratov. The Russian woman had an austere look to her with her thin frame, with a swarthy complexion and graying dark hair. " _This may complicate our colonization plans_ ," she said upon receipt of the file. " _We are not prepared to face this number of potential threats to our holdings._ "

"It's certainly something to deliberate," Robert agreed. "But we do have an Earth here that might be willing to work with us."

" _The Earth of W8R4 seems to be in the same situation as that of R4A1, Captain. Official contact is not an option unless their governments choose full disclosure to their populaces._ " Maran shook his head. " _We'll relay your reports to the President and senior Council members, but for the time being we're putting the survey on hold. Return immediately while I determine your next assignment. Maran out._ " The two holo-images above their table disappeared.

"Well, that's disappointing," said Julia. "After all that work we did, we're not staying?"

"Not for now, anyway." Robert sighed. "But you saw that list. There's enough threats in this universe to deal with that we can't afford it right now." Robert tapped the comm key on his omnitool as it flashed to life. "Dale to Bridge."

" _Bridge here, sir_ ," answered Locarno.

"I want all runabouts to return immediately. We're jumping out."

" _Yes sir. I'm sending out the order, we should be secure for jump in about ten minutes._ "

With that work done, Robert turned to Jarod. "Did we learn anything special about this world?"

"Well, that rift in Cardiff is interesting, from a scientific perspective," he replied. "But most of the interesting information came from the UNIT files that Director Stewart shared with us."

"She might not have if UNIT realized this means it's less likely we settle in this universe," Meridina pointed out. "I could sense their desire for Alliance involvement in their area of space."

"Maybe we can do that in the long run, if things work out with the war. It'll be up to the President and the others in Portland to make that decision, though." Robert stood from his chair. "Alright, I know we all have work to do. You're all dismissed."

Everyone stepped out of the room while Robert remained standing. He looked out at the stars and let his mind wander.

A sudden sensation filled him. A feeling of being elsewhere, of being adrift, a cloudy scene of chaos and death. He heard people crying for help as they were forced into… he couldn't see what, but he could sense that it was something horrible. Metal tromping sounded in his ears. The feeling of dread continued as he could see the _Aurora_ , damaged and nearly crippled, surrounded by a cloud of vicious enemies, like a swarm of insects picking apart the hull.

And then there was a flash of blond hair. A creature on four legs flashed through his vision. And the voice in his dreams spoke yet again.

" _Bad Wolf_ ," he murmured, speaking with the dream. "What does it mean? What can ' _Bad Wolf_ ' meean?"

He was standing in the conference lounge again as if nothing had happened. As if he had not just seen all of that.

 _What does it mean?_ He thought again to himself while returning to the bridge.

* * *

 **Tag**

Julia was in her office on Deck 3 getting paperwork done when a tone brought her attention to the door. "Come in," she said. When she saw it was Angel walking in she asked, "Anything wrong? It's getting late, you should be resting up."

"I've just got a lot of thoughts," Angel admitted.

"About the mission?"

"That. And about how things have gone. And what we talked about."

"Oh?" Julia looked up at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I've made up my mind," Angel said. "Wherever you end up in command, I want to go with you."

Julia put her hands together on the table. "Are you sure about that? Cat may not go."

"I don't want her to, although I won't stop her," Angel replied. "Cat has her own life. She has a girlfriend. She needs to spread her wings and not have her big sis around watching over her shoulder all of the time."

"Is that what she wants?" Julia asked.

Angel crossed her arms. "I wouldn't know, I haven't asked her. I don't want to ask her. I don't want her ruining a good thing because she feels obligated to be at my side."

Julia looked at her quietly. "And are you sure this is what _you_ want, Angel? That you're up to being away from Cat in the first time in your lives?"

"If it's for her own good. And maybe mine too. Maybe I need to, I don't know, be more than just the angry big sis who will punch people for her little sister," Angel admitted. She shrugged. "And maybe I can only do that if I'm away from her too. If I'm off on my own."

"Maybe. But I'm not sure." Julia put her hands into her lap. "I'll consider it. But I want you to do something for me."

"Yeah?"

"Spend more time with Cat. And her girlfriend. Make the time for her, Angel," Julia said. "And make sure it's fun too."

Angel chuckled and shook her head. "They're not really into fight training, and I'm not a science geek. And it seems like the main thing they do is play that silly holo-game together."

"So I've heard." Julia's smile had a wry sense to it. "Didn't Cat ask you to play?"

"She did. She wants me to be a kung fu monk or something. The costume is ridiculous, it's like one of those Chinese one-piece dresses and with a big feather in a headband."

Julia imagined Angela dressed up like that and laughed. "Yeah, I can't see you in that. But maybe there's something else…? Or you could just wear whatever you want. Or…" The smile turned wistful. "Maybe you could try it? Just to see if you have fun anyway?"

"Not gonna happen," Angel said. "No way."

Her insistence only won her a bemused look from Julia. 

* * *

Caterina finished the last clasp on the large blue robe that made up her costume. She was met at the door by Violeta, in Archer gear, and looking very happy. She gave Cat a quick little peck of a kiss and said, "So, are you ready to hit Gugluru Volcano?"

As the two started walking down to the lift, Caterina asked, "How hot is it going to be? I mean, once the game applies the environmental filters?"

"I've set it to a low broil." Violeta grinned. "I don't want you to cook too much, after all. Although getting you nice and sweaty would make for a good reason to have a long, warm shower afterward." Her smile gained a mischievous edge.

"I've got to finish my reports on the field mission tomorrow morning, though," Cat pointed out.

"Well, I suppose we'll see how the night goes."

They made their way by turbolift to Holodeck 2. As they walked down the Deck 15 corridor past assorted storage spaces, Violeta turned her head to Caterina and asked, "So what was it like? I heard that you and your sister got chased by some crazy alien that ate people."

"It was… weirder than that, definitely," Caterina answered. "Actually, if anything, I enjoyed the mission just for the chance to talk to Angel. I think we needed to talk."

"I'm sure you did." They approached the Holodeck 2 control panel and door. Violeta activated the panel and began loading their program. She glanced toward Caterina with her purple eyes, worry clear on her face. "Cat, I don't want to come between you and your sister, you know that, right? I'd never make you take that choice."

"You don't. You haven't," Caterina assured her. She used her left hand to take Violeta's right. "Please, you don't need to worry about that."

Violeta nodded and showed some relief.

The door to the holodeck slid open. On the inside was swampy forest, with a tall, angry-looking mountain in the near-distance spewing red lava into the sky. The door closed behind them. "You know, we shouldn't be able to go anywhere near that," Caterina said. "The gases alone…" She stopped at seeing the patient amusement on Violeta's face. "I'm sorry, it's the scientist in me…"

"I know."

They stepped up toward the edge of a path leading right toward the towering volcano. Before they could climb in the holodeck entranceway activated. The door slid open and they both looked.

Caterina couldn't quite keep the surprise off of her face at seeing Angel enter. She was in a fiery red Cheongsam-like garment that went down to her knees, with splits on the sides where her muscled legs slipped out. The design was framed by a golden dragon along the shoulders and left side. A red headband with Chinese characters in the same golden color as the dragon on the dress kept her dark hair in place.

"Don't laugh," Angel demanded.

"Uh… you forgot the feather," Caterina pointed out.

"No way, no how little sister."

"Well, we can do without," Violeta said, although she playfully ran a finger along the dark blue feather on her hat, which Angel felt looked more like a Three Musketeers hat than anything from William Tell or Robin Hood. "So, you're a monk."

"I hit things, right?"

"Well, yes. But not just that. The monks use the chakras, you can access specific abilities by doing hand movements and battle cries that make your punches and kicks stronger for a short time, or keep you from suffering damage…"

"Let's just stick with 'I hit things' and I'll figure the rest out," Angel insisted, but her amused grin betrayed that she wasn't annoyed.

"That sounds good to me." Caterina couldn't keep the smile off her face. As Angel walked up beside her, nor could she keep the tear from her eye. "Thanks for coming," she said quietly to her big sister.

"Thanks for the offer," Angel replied, just as quietly, to her little sister.

"I'm still surprised you came. I didn't think you were interested in this game."

"I'm not." Angel grinned and put an arm around her sister's shoulders. "But that's not the important thing. I mean, what kind of big sister would I be if I didn't take the time to have some fun with my little sister?"

Caterina responded by hugging her sister while Violeta watched, a happy smile on her face. "The Fire Fiend Kari isn't going to wait for us forever," Violeta teased.

And with that, the two sisters followed Violeta toward the holographic volcano, sharing the same smile.


	67. Episode 2-14-1 Solarian Nights

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 6 September 2642 AST. Captain Robert Dale recording. The_ Aurora _is in Universe S0T5 to commemorate the admission of a new member of the Alliance, the first to come from this_ unique _universe, the Kingdom of Avalon. We are now in orbit over the capital planet Britannia. Admiral Maran has informed us that we were requested by name for a ceremonial banquet being held in honor of the occasion, and from what I am told, ourselves as well._

 _Given the reputation of this nation and of this entire universe, it will be an… interesting experience, I'm sure._

The command officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ had been to their share of state banquets and diplomatic dinners. It meant time in their stuffy dress uniforms and being feted with rich food that could occasionally be very disagreeable. They would put up with whatever conversation came to their hosts and pray for the courses to end so they could either head to the relatively freer post-dinner receptions or, if lucky, return straight to the ship.

As a result, most of them were still in various stages of shock at the "banquet" in question. Instead of quiet conversation among groups, shouts and laughs echoed to the wooden rafters and the colorful coats of arms banners hanging from them, while the wooden tables were bare of any cloth, bearing only their plates, utensils, and the food itself. Several roasts of all forms of animals were on plates scattered down every table, with some vegetables and other foods, and young ladies in cotton blouses and dresses brought frothy mugs of beer and ale for the attendees.

The attendees in question were uniformed, but the uniforms in question were large robes mostly of fur with cotton and linen clothing underneath. The men and women in these suits were physically fit, often brawny, with thick beards and mustaches on many of the men.

The same was true of the man at the head of the central table, in a chair bigger than any other. His robe was the best-made, with ermine borders, with a graying dark beard that went down to his chest in a way that reminded Robert of Santa Claus. A golden crown on his brow glistened with a few precious stones set into its glittering halo. His voice boomed through the banquet hall with tremendous power. It was a fitting voice for a man of his raw size and energy. He was King Galahad "the Graced" of Avalon, the newest Head of State in the United Alliance of Systems.

And, as far as Robert could tell, likely to be the loudest.

Robert sat to his left as a "guest of honor" with Julia beside him, Zack in the next seat, and everyone else down from them by order of rank and staff position. Their dress uniforms, white with branch color and gold trim and the tasseled epaulets on the shoulders, were a jarring contrast to the garb of virtually every other attendee to the meal.

"...and I stared down the Bragulan and gave him a punch, right in the nose!" roared Galahad, at which the attendees laughed and cheered. "And he was out like that! One punch! One of my best! And then I ordered Sir Belvedere to hold the thing down while I bound him!"

A very large bearded man across from Caterina roared out a laugh. She stared at him, amazed and maybe a little intimidated. "And we dragged that ruffian back to our ship and got out just before the Bragulan Fleet jumped in! It was a glorious hunt and a triumphant outing for His Majesty!" With that boast made Sir Belvedere grabbed a large chicken leg and ripped a mouthful of meat from the bone while Caterina quietly put another small piece of lamb onto a fork.

Again the hall roared with delight.

From his seat beside Caterina, Barnes leaned in and quietly asked "What's a Bragulan?"

"They're a species native to S0T5," she responded in as low a voice. "Mammalian, ursinoid."

"Ursinoid?"

"Uh, think of a bear. The Bragulans are… space-faring bears."

Barnes nodded quietly. "Uh huh."

Meanwhile Angel murmured to Leo, "This is like a frat party, isn't it?"

"You have no idea…" he replied.

"But enough of my exploits!" shouted King Galahad. He directed his dark eyes and a wide grin to Robert and the others. "We are here to celebrate our fellow knights in the Alliance! Sir Robert, Lady Julia, please, regale us with your tales of glory and victory over the Narzis!"

"The Narzis?" Julia asked. "You mean the Nazis?"

"Yes, the Narzis!" Galahad laughed. "We remember well the tales of old, the stories of how our ancestors, in the days of Ancient Britain, led the world into battle against the Narzis of Germania!" He held up a mug of ale and guzzled some down. "Every knight knows the tale of Sir Winston the Bold, who led his sky knights into glorious battle against the dark lord Hitler and his warriors, and of how Sir Winston slew the dark lord in a sky duel!" Another cheer roared around the room.

Robert almost instinctively remarked that Winston Churchill did not, in fact, kill Adolf Hitler in any kind of duel (at least not in any history he was aware of), but Julia's elbow bumped him with enough force to distract him. She said, "We have faced the Nazis in a number of battles, Your Majesty. Is there any battle you wish us to recount?"

"Speak to us of your brave deeds in keeping the Narzis from the ancient secrets of the Darglan." The voice, said in a giddy soprano, was from one of the figures to Galahad's left and across from the _Aurora_ officers. The young lady, one in three, was wearing a fine blue dress and robe with a massive pink headdress that looked like it came from a medieval European costume. The _Aurora_ officers recognized her immediately as one of Galahad's daughters.

"An excellent choice, Marissa!" Galahad declared.

"Well…" Julia smiled thinly at Robert, who was still trying to align the fact that this was supposed to be a state celebration banquet with the fact that it had the atmosphere of a show at Medieval Times. "We sent a team down to investigate the Facility while we remained to watch in orbit. The Nazi ships came out of the first planet…" She stopped herself at that point, noticing a number of those assembled were clearly not following. She looked to the others and her mind raced. Emissary Gordon, the Alliance representative who had finished negotiating Avalon's admission and who now sat on the left side of the table beyond Galahad's top ministers, gave them a nervous look.

"And they came for us, for their leader wanted to avenge our defeat of him in our first encounter, when we saved a ship full of innocent people from his cowardly bloodthirst," Robert suggested, trying to match the energy of Galahad's story and not quite making it. He looked down toward the others, his green eyes pleading for help.

A single mug struck the table with a resounding thump. "Alright, lads an' lasses, allow me." Scotty rose to his feet. "So, our mission was t' secure that old Facility or blew her up t' keep th' Nazi scunners from claimin' her. Captain Dale led the team down t' hold th' place while th' Commander, brilliant lass that she is, remained on th' ship t' see us through. An' every skill we had was t' be needed, for th' bloody Nazis had brought an entire squadron t' take th' place. An' they were all SS, th' worst an' meanest bastards ye've ever seen, led by a scoundrel named Eicke who we stopped from killin' a ship o' helpless civilians. An' he had it out for us, oh did he ever, chasin' us with that bloody big dreadnought o' his…"

It was clear that Scotty had the rapt attention of the assembled, so the crew let him tell the story. He didn't give it the melodramatic, roaring style that Galahad had used, but he clearly had an approach the audience related to, and they cheered at the appropriate parts.

"An' that's how it went, Yer Majesty," he said at the ending.

Galahad set down his half-devoured drumstick and slammed his meaty hands together in applause. "A glorious tale, sir! Glorious! Why, it gets my blood pumping! It makes me long to join my knights in battle with the Narzis! And perhaps I shall, if called upon, but my duties and the needs of honor mean I must leave that to Sir George!" He nodded to one of the men nearest him at the table, who nodded back in respect. "Good knights must all attend our duties before our desires. As King, I must set a good example." It was quite clear how much he disliked this decision, though.

"Do not worry, Father," declared another of his daughters, older and more powerfully built than Marissa and lacking the medieval-looking headdress. "I will win honor in battle in your name!"

"I trust you will, Miranda! I trust you will! I trust that all of you, from the finest sons and daughters of Camelot to the most humbly born of the colonies, will win great glory and honor in battle against the Narzi scourge!"

The hall erupted in a cheer yet again.

The King let a serving girl replace his empty mug with a full one, which he snatched up witn enough force to spill some of the frothy, amber-colored ale to the table. He held up the mug and proclaimed, "To Camelot and Avalon! To the Alliance! To honor, to glory, and to _victory!_ "

With their mugs held high, the crowd roared back, " _To victory!_ " The _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ officers joined in, some louder than the others.

Once the cheer was over Galahad leaned to his left, where another robed man, older with long gray hair and beard and a thin build, leaned in and whispered to him. "My First Minister has reminded me of an announcement to make. As we speak, my subjects are preparing to vote for their first representatives and Senator to sit in the Alliance Council. And Sir Percival has already accepted the Round Table's appointment to sit as their Senator. That leaves my choice for Senator, and I wish to see her honored here." He directed his eyes towards his daughters, specifically the fair-haired beauty between Marissa and Miranda. But while Marissa and Miranda were in medieval-looking robes, this one was in a more modern suit jacket and skirt of blue-gray color that matched her eyes. "My dear daughter, Princess Marigold, it will break my heart to no longer see you at my hearth and table. But with your skill in council and law, it would be wrong to deny you the honor of executing this duty."

Marigold nodded to her father. "I will serve you with honor, Father, to return the honor you have shown me in trusting this duty to me."

A solemn moment of silence passed, the first since the banquet had begun.

It lasted only that moment, however, before Galahad's voice boomed yet again. "And now, while the next course comes, Sir Tristan and Lady Regina will demonstrate their skill with the sword!"

There was, of course, a cheer of approval at that. 

* * *

After a night of drinking, eating, and partying that seemed more befitting a frat house than a state banquet, everyone beamed back to the _Aurora_. "I'm off to bed," Julia grumbled.

"That was way too much food," Caterina groaned. "I almost got sick."

"Where does King Galahad _put_ it all?" Robert wondered aloud as they spilled out of Transporter Station 1. "The man ate every course!"

"Given how energetic he is, he must burn enough calories." Leo stifled a yawn. "I'm off to bed too." He looked over at Lucy as she stepped out of the station, sporting a growing bruise on the side of her face. "Singh should be able to take care of that."

"Good." She grimaced. "That guy was a lot faster than I thought he'd be."

"I discouraged you from challenging him," Meridina reminded Lucy, stepping up from behind her. A look of concern briefly came to her face. "I do not see what you had to prove."

"Well, they were asking for one of us to duel, with swords, and aside from the two of us I'm not sure who could tried?" Lucy rubbed at her head. "Ow, that smarted. I'm going to get these bruises healed and head to bed."

Everyone split up as the conversations came to an end. Robert returned to his and couldn't pull his dress uniform off quickly enough. His head was fuzzy from the beer - he had possibly drank one too many - and it took him an extra ten seconds or so to properly stow the uniform top away. He was pulling off the trousers when a light on his computer table came on. A tone told him a comm call was coming in. He went over and flopped into the chair before tapping the acceptance key. "Dale here."

The voice on the other end was Lieutenant John Pacetti, the Gamma Shift watch officer. " _Sir, we have Maran on a priority channel for you._ "

Robert frowned at that. Maran had them making a tour of the Alliance's S0T5 colonies next. What could have happened to change that? Nor was he looking forward to a conversation when he felt like this. "Put him through to my quarters."

" _Yes sir_."

A moment later Admiral Maran appeared on his screen, graying dark hair and beard kept trim. " _Captain, I trust everything went well?_ "

Robert nodded once. Only once, as he didn't feel up to another. "The banquet was a success. Although it's not like any other banquet I've seen before. I apologize, sir, if I seem tipsy, but we didn't want to offend..."

Maran nodded and a small grin appeared on his face. " _Emissary Gordon's notes on the Avalonians made for interesting reading. I'm glad to know it worked out well. Avalon's got some of the best starfighter pilots in the Multiverse and a fleet of carrier starships that will play a critical role in future fleet operations._ " The grin had already faded back to a stoic expression by this point. " _Captain, your tour has been canceled for the time being. A… delicate situation has come up, and the_ Aurora _has been called in to handle it._ "

"Yes sir? Where do you need us?"

" _Set a course immediately for the city-moon of Solaris_."

Robert blinked. The fuzzy-headed feeling started to part from surprise. "Solaris? As in the capital of the Solarian Sovereignty? I thought they were forbidding Alliance starships from their space?"

" _They are, for the moment. But entry has been arranged for your ship. Just don't make any hostile maneuvers while you're in their space and you'll be fine._ "

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Robert asked.

Maran spent a moment considering his answer. " _It's a delicate situation, and it'll be explained better when you get there. We have a partnership with one of the biggest research companies on Solaris, you see. And our partner reported that a critical device was stolen from his labs a few days ago, enough to jeopardize a very important project we're working on. He insisted that you work to retrieve it._ "

"Who is the partner?"

" _Pan-Empyrean_ ," Maran answered.

Even if he was no expert on S0T5, Robert still recognized the name. "You mean… our partner is Sidney Hank?"

" _Yes_ ," Maran answered. " _So you can understand why we're taking his requests so seriously. Given the distance you should have a couple of days, minimum, to get your crew up to speed on Solaris and what to expect. I'll send you all of the relevant information. And remember that the_ Aurora _is the first active duty Alliance Stellar Navy ship to visit the city-moon, so make sure your people understand that if they take liberty._ "

"I will, sir. I'll send you regular reports on what's going on.

" _Very good. Maran out._ "

Once the channel was cut Robert called up the bridge again. "We have a change of plans. Have all crew currently on liberty planetside beamed up and set a course for the Solaris system, Warp 9.2. Take us out when we have everyone aboard."

" _Alright, sir_ ," replied Pacetti.

Robert sighed and ended the call. He had the feeling this wouldn't be an easy mission. Especially not with the reputation of a place like Solaris.

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Solarian Nights"_**

The streaks of warp travel were showing outside of the bridge conference lounge window by the time every gathered the following morning. Hargert's staff had laid out a breakfast selection for them with lots of water and coffee, all of which was greatly appreciated.

With the exceptions of Meridina and Zack, everyone looked at least slightly hung over. "I hav'nae had a headache this bad since Captain Kirk invited Gorkon t' dinner," Scotty complained.

"I feel like a truck ran over my head," Cat moaned.

"So we've all had a little reinforcement about the dangers of alcohol," Julia remarked, quietly drinking coffee and water together. "Let's keep that in mind for next time?"

"I think our choices were 'drink heavily' or 'offend our hosts'." Jarod held up an icing-topped donut for a moment and took a drink of coffee before he took a bite from the pastry.

"Hangovers in the line of duty," Barnes mumbled. "Maybe we should get medals."

"Alright everyone…" Robert spoke loud enough to get their attention. Heads turned to face him. "Admiral Maran's calling us in on an urgent mission."

"I was wondering why we had already left Avalon," Locarno said, taking another drink of coffee afterward.

"So, where are we headed then?"

"Solaris."

Surprised looks filled the room. "You're kidding," Zack said.

"We're actually going to Solaris?" Caterina asked. "Because… wow."

Lucy held up a hand. "Maybe it's just all of the time spent practicing life force stuff, but I admit I'm still a little ignorant about this place… what's the big deal?"

Robert nodded to Julia. She put her hands together on the table. "Solaris is, or maybe you could say _was_ , a garden moon. Now it's one massive moon-sized city with a population of nearly thirty billion beings on an orbital body about ten percent larger than Earth's moon. It's the capital of the United Solarian Sovereignty, a federation of worlds on the edge of what is known as Wild Space."

"The Solarians are one of the major powers of S0T5," Robert added. "On the surface they're a democratic republic, with an elected government and President. But observers consider them to be a corporate oligarchy in structure, with several massive megacorporations running the show in truth. They're highly militarized, and given the state of some of their neighbors, they have to be."

"And they don't like us that much," Jarod said.

"I didn't think they were that hostile, I mean, we have relations and some trade, right?" asked Zack.

Robert nodded. "We do. And we're due to meet the Alliance Ambassador to Solaris when we arrive as a preliminary to the meeting the Admiral has ordered us to. Or rather, ordered me, Julia, Zack, and Jarod to. But the Solarians are still wary of the Alliance. Our arrival in S0T5 has altered the interstellar balance of power. The Solarians don't want us allying with hostile powers, but they're afraid that being too cozy with us might make their enemies go for broke to prevent a permanent shift in the balance of power."

While Robert stopped to take a drink of coffee, Julia took over. "We're the first combat-capable Alliance starship to enter Solarian space. So we have to be on best behavior. Normal running status only. And we'll decide on liberty once we get there."

"So, what are we being sent out here to do?" asked Kane.

"Admiral Maran didn't want to divulge exact details remotely," Robert answered. "So I don't know everything yet. What his information has gone over is _who_ we're working with." Robert hit a key on the small control pad beside his spot at the table. The monitor screen on the interior wall of the conference lounge changed to show a dark-haired man with fine, handsome features and piercing sky blue eyes. He was in a rich-looking suit of midnight blue with a vast skyline in profile behind him. The image was clearly for public display.

"Wait, I think I remember that guy on a news report or something," Caterina said. "He's this really rich guy or something."

"Sidney Leon Hank," Robert said. "President, CEO, and Founder of Pan-Empyrean Positronics and Pan-Empyrean Holdings, owner of multiple other major corporations and businesses, and quite possibly the richest man in the Multiverse. And I say possibly because once you get to this guy's level of wealth, it's hard to calculate exact worth. He's the one percent of the one percent."

"According to his profile, he's also considered a Founding Father of the Solarian Sovereignty itself and is one of their most influential citizens. Apparently he was one of the original leading colonists of the moon." Julia blinked at the data. "And given the Sovereignty has been around for something like two hundred years, and Solaris nearly ten times longer than that... I have trouble believing that."

"So what, this guy is some immortal billionaire?"

Jarod shook his head at Barnes' remark. "'Billionaire' doesn't even begin to do justice. Through his companies the man owns enough planets, moons, and planetoids to form his own interstellar empire."

"Okay, so what, quadrillionaire? Quintillion? 'Really-frakking-huge-number'-aire?"

"I think 'impossibly wealthy' is about as accurate as you can get," Julia said. "And we're dealing with him? What's this about?"

"Apparently the Alliance Government is co-funding a secret research program with Pan-Empyrean as a partner," Robert explained. "Admiral Maran wouldn't divulge details over IU comms or subspace. All I know is that he considers it vital to Alliance security somehow. And according to both our officers on the scene and Mister Hank, someone has stolen a key component of the project."

"And what, they need us to get it back?" Angel asked.

"Maybe. We'll find out more when we get to Solaris and meet Mister Hank himself." Robert tapped another key and brought up, above the table, a holographic display of the city-moon itself. "We also have to study up on Solaris itself. I'm told some areas are dangerous to people without the right neural implants or hardware. Apparently there are even areas of hard vacuum right in the middle of some zones."

"And more." Caterina had her own list up. "I mean, you've got areas with auto-memetic collectives that can overwhelm any normal brain, or hack into a brain with neural hardware. Anyone stepping into an area like that without extensive protection can get their mind wiped or their brain fried."

"This place sounds insanely dangerous," Zack muttered.

"It looks like much of Solaris is safe, though," Leo remarked. "At least from an atmospheric or neurological standpoint. I'll go over the data and see if I can make up any protections. Jarod and I can mark 'no go' areas by the time we get there."

"The Ambassador will give us an info packet to distribute to anyone going down for liberty," Robert said. "Use that to finalize everything. Now, let's move on to the political information…"

* * *

After her bridge shift for the day, Caterina finished her meal and went to Science Lab 2 to check up on simulations she was running on local space. Universe S0T5 had unique characteristics due to the unknown cataclysm that had destroyed or displaced the Earth of this universe. Spatial warping effects had spread out for light-years beyond where Earth had been, becoming so intense in the area near Earth that the stars no longer seemed to be in their proper places, and Sol was completely missing. Investigating how this phenomena could affect warp drive was one of many scientific studies she was now pursuing with the dedicated computers in Science Lab 2.

She was taking time to examine the results when the door opened again. She turned, expecting to see another of the science officers coming in to check up on projects, and found instead that it was Lucy heading to one of the terminals. Cat took another minute to check another series of data points before she went over to where Lucy was working. On the screen for her terminal was a series of simulations, all showing negative results on the thermal stresses she had set. "Crystals?" Caterina asked, noticing the structures being examined.

Lucy turned to face Caterina. "Yes," she said. "I'm still trying to find a crystal that can accept…"

Cat's eyes widened at the display. "That's… I'm not sure you'll find a crystal that can take that much. Maybe dilithium."

"That didn't work," Lucy sighed.

"What about Minbari…"

"It blew up in my face. Almost literally. It's why Scotty banned me from Machine Shop B for two weeks." Frustration showed clearly on Lucy's face. "Dammit, there's got to be a crystal out there that would work at this. I know there's one, in fact."

"Then why didn't you run an atomic analysis scan on it?" Cat asked.

"Because the old multidevices couldn't do that without direct access to the crystal, and I didn't think it'd be appreciated if I dismantled a relic of immense cultural value."

Realization showed on Caterina's face. " _Oh_ ," she said. "You're trying to recreate that laser sword you repaired on Gersal, right?"

"Yeah." Lucy sighed dejectedly. "I've been through almost every crystal in our databanks, and even the rest don't show the results I need to show they're viable."

"Have you talked to Dr. Gatiri?"

"The metallurgist specialist? No. Why would I?"

"Because he's also a minerals and materials expert," Cat replied. "He might know something."

"I'll go see him then, when I can."

The door slid open again. They turned and saw Meridina enter, wearing her training outfit of a white vest and loose brown pants with brown robe. Lucy sighed and said, "I lost track of time again, didn't I?"

"No," Meridina replied with a slight grin. "I merely expected you would and anticipated where you would go. I do admit my concern for this project, however. I fear you may be losing sight of the more important aspects of your training."

"I'm not, I just… I have a feeling about this. That I'm meant to do this," Lucy replied.

"Perhaps you are. But I don't want you to lose sight of the greater truths, Lucy." Meridina's grin turned sad. "I fear I may have done you harm. Due to our circumstances much of your training has been on self-defense."

"And it's been needed," Lucy said. "I needed every bit of it to survive the fight with Goras."

"True. But there is more to your _swevyra_ than fighting. And I think your combat skills have been practiced enough... It is time, I think, to orient your training toward other aspects of our ways."

Lucy considered that. "I guess." She logged out of the system and followed Meridina out.

* * *

Caterina stepped out of the science lab and made it to the lift before running into Violeta, fresh from a bridge shift. Her girlfriend seemed as excited as Cat had ever seen her before, holding her hand tightly and saying with great exuberance, "I can't believe it! We're actually going to Solaris!"

"It's for business, so I'm not sure I'll get to go down on liberty," Caterina said.

"I hope you can, though. I've been reading up on their people. They're a lot like Sirians, I mean, with their acceptance of gene modifications, their lifestyles…"

"Then you should go down and enjoy yourself," Cat insisted.

"You're okay with that?" asked Violeta. Her purple eyes and matching purple hair were indicators of her own gene mods. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

That won Cat an affectionate peck on the cheek. "Thank you," Violeta said.

* * *

The training session was exactly what Meridina said it would be, with Lucy and Robert both spending their time standing on their hands trying to control objects. That had ended with neither belly-flopping as they had been wont to do at earlier periods and they were now sitting on the mats, legs crossed, with Meridina leading them into quiet meditation. The only sounds present were the slow, methodical breathing of the three. No words were spoken, no movements made, while they felt out into the wider universe with the power that was a part of them.

All three noticed, wordlessly, that there was something peculiar about their location. Their life force could sense a subtle echo of power in Universe S0T5 that they hadn't felt elsewhere. As if something fundamental had been changed, or shaped, by an unknown force.

This distraction drew Lucy's attention for a time. But her thoughts gravitated away from it. She dwelled on the warm light of Meridina and Robert and the life energy of the _Aurora_ 's crew. They were a small, isolated segment of the Flow of Life and only after months of further training and sensitivity had Lucy been able to sense it. The warmth was refreshing to her very being. She felt peace.

The slip came from Robert at first. His breathing picked up. Lucy almost opened her eyes to look at him, but in the end she didn't need to. She could sense that he was experiencing visions of what could be, in a way she never really had. Faces, names, she wasn't immediately familiar with.

"Bad Wolf," Robert gasped. " _Bad Wolf_."

Meridina focused her attention on Robert. Lucy felt her try to reassure him while he shook off the effects of the vision.

Her mind would not quiet now, though. She kept going back to her project. To the crystal that she needed to make it work. This could be a real breakthrough to recreate Swenya's Blade. And she wanted to. She could still remember how superb the weapon had been. How easy it had been to move with it, the buzz in the air while photons and plasma did the work of metal with the lightness of air.

As those feelings built, frustration came to her. Nothing she tried was working. Nothing. She knew she could make it work if only she had a damn crystal, but she couldn't find one that worked. Natural, artificial, it didn't matter. Only the one actually in Swenya's Blade seemed to work, and she had no idea why. She regretted not taking the damn thing apart to get a look, a good look, at the crystal inside of it.

"Lucy."

The soft, gentle lilt of Meridina's voice caused Lucy's eyes to open. Her hands had balled into fists unconsciously. She could feel the tension inside of her from how agitated she had become.

Meridina was looking at her with something approaching sadness. "It is alright," she said. "This is not a thing that can be easily rebuilt. My people would have done so by now if it could be done. You mustn't let these setbacks poison your spirit."

"I… I know." Lucy felt a little shaken. She drew in a breath and adjusted her position on the mat. "I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."

"That is not what concerns me. It is clear this issue weighs heavily on you."

"It's just a little frustration. I'll live with it."

"A little frustration can lead to greater problems." Meridina kept her eyes on Lucy. "Do not hesitate to unburden yourself. Step away from the project for a time. Do other things that reward your efforts and perhaps a solution to your problem will come to you."

Lucy took in a breath, let it out, and nodded. "Okay. I'll let the crystal problem go for a while." She looked to Robert. "And what does 'Bad Wolf' mean anyway?"

"If only I knew," he lamented. He gave her a wan smile. "It looks like we both have some troubles to deal with."

"Don't we always?"

Meridina gently cleared her throat, getting their attention. "Let us resume our meditations…"

* * *

They were still a day out from Solaris. Robert was in a subspace conference with Admiral Maran concerning the front in S4W8, leaving Julia in charge on the bridge when Locarno stated, "We're now entering the inner defensive perimeter of Solarian space."

"Any sign they have us escorted?"

"Maybe." Caterina looked up from her sensors station. "I've got very faint subspace signatures on sensors. It might be ships using the bands of hyperspace that local drives access."

"But you don't know for sure?"

"Performance of the local hyperdrives seems to change as you get further Coreward," Caterina explained. "So their sensor return data is all over the map, figuratively speaking."

Julia nodded at that. "Well, keep an eye out on those contacts."

"I will." Cat sighed. "I was hoping to see if those reports of space fauna were as plentiful as they sounded."

"I've heard of them. One of our standing orders is to keep hunting ships from pursuing them into Alliance space if we detected any near our colonies."

"Hunters?" Caterina asked, frowning.

This time it was Jarod who answered. "The states further Rimward use the largest space fauna as reactant fuel of some sort. In the same way that whales used to be hunted for oil."

"That's wrong!" Cat shouted. "We need to go stop it!"

"I don't think we'll be necessary for that, Cat," Julia said. "We've got other things to worry about. Like making sure the first Alliance visit to Solaris goes off without problems."

"That might be easier said than done," Jarod sighed. "Solaris has that reputation. I've thought about advising we forbid any liberties."

"I considered it too, but we've got crew in need of time away, so we're holding off final judgement until that analyst comes aboard." Julia shifted in her seat. "In the meantime, everyone keep your eyes open. I don't want any surprises when we get to Solaris."

* * *

With the night ending and arrival at Solaris coming within twelve hours, Robert returned to his quarters to settle in for the night. He was in the process of removing his uniform jacket when his door chime sounded. He quietly sighed and turned. "Enter."

Instead of Julia or Jarod with unfinished paperwork, Meridina entered. She was in her uniform, telling Robert she had changed since they'd done their daily training. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"I was in a late security briefing with my subordinates and Commander Kane," she replied. Meridina stepped further into the quarters. "I wish to speak with you on another matter, however."

"Go ahead."

"I am concerned for Lucy."

To that Robert sighed and nodded. "Yeah. So am I. She's been working on those energy blades, lightsabers, whatever she wants to call them, she's been working on that so much I'm afraid she's becoming obsessed."

"I have made some investigations into Solaris," Meridina said. "There is an enclave there operated by a number of organizations much like the Order. I hope that meeting such practitioners may expand our understanding of our _swevyra_."

Robert walked over to his replicator. "Tea, standard, no sugar… wait." He looked back to Meridina.. "Would you like something? I'm not touching coffee this late."

"A tea, perhaps, but I will not detain you for long."

Robert ordered the second tea and the replicator provided both. He handed one cup to Meridina, who sipped at it as he took a larger drink of his own. The taste was soothing to his senses. "Do you think this will help Lucy?"

"I hope it may provide her greater insight. I may also benefit."

Robert nodded and said, "I know you miss the Order."

"I do. But I know this is where I am meant to be. My destiny is here." Meridina sipped again. A tear formed in her eye. "Perhaps part of that destiny will be to learn more about the Flow of Life, about how _swevyra_ interacts with the wider universe."

"From what I've seen, your people seem pretty devoted to their mentality on the entire thing." Robert's observation ended there, as he didn't see the need to bring up how the Gersallians' conservatism on the matter had driven the trial Meridina had been put through.

"They are," Meridina agreed. "We know what has worked for us. And our experience with Kohbal and his followers has taught my people that exploring different approaches to _swevyra_ is dangerous. It has become a failing, however. The Dorei have long proven that other beliefs on the nature of this power can exist without leading to darkness. And the Zigonian I met while we rescued Jarod spoke of yet another view. There may be wisdom in looking into these separate paths."

"I can see that." Robert set his empty teacup down. "So I guess this is you asking for liberty?"

"It is. Commander Andreys is quite busy with other things, so I thought it wiser to ask you."

"I'll talk to her about it tomorrow, but I can't promise anything until I know what's going on with why we're here."

"I understand." Meridina finished her own tea. She took the empty cup back to the replicator and allowed it to reclaim the cup. "I will not keep you any longer."

"I'll see you in the morning when Ambassador Fry comes aboard for the briefing."

Meridina nodded in reply and left, leaving Robert to resume his usual end-of-the-day routine.

* * *

The command staff was at their stations on the bridge when the moment came the following morning. "We're coming up on Solaris," Locarno said. "Bringing us out of warp."

They all felt the gentle thrum through the decks from the ship drop to sublight velocity. The holo-viewscreen activated to display the sight ahead. A large gas giant was the dominant feature, but even without further magnification, their actual destination was clear. Moving between the _Aurora_ and the gas giant in question was the city-moon Solaris, an orb covered in light. As they drew nearer the stupendous amount of ship traffic around the city-moon became evident. Sublight in-system craft burned in and out, on runs to the various resource mines and facilities in the rest of the system, while smaller pleasure craft and larger spacecraft liners and massive cargo haulers alike lined up on their way to or from the system's hyperlimit. The amount of traffic was enormous despite Solaris' relatively small size, easily the equal of Gersal, Thessia, or the most developed Earths in the Alliance.

"Three ships just came out of hyperspace around us," Caterina reported.

"Solarian warships, Warstar-type." A light showed on Jarod's panel. "They're hailing."

"Put them on."

The screen changed to show a man in a blue, authoritative uniform with Solarian insignia. " _I am Captain Tobias Guangchu_ , _commander of the Warstar_ Lao Kim _. The Sovereignty Star Navy will maintain a defensive perimeter around your ship to ensure there are no incidents while you are a visitor to Solaris. For your safety, please follow all space traffic control directives and keep your vessel's defensive systems disengaged. Any attempt to raise deflectors or arm weapons could, after all, be taken as hostile intent, and neither of our governments wish for this._ "

"Of course not," Robert answered. "And we will, of course, trust that your ships will keep our vessel safe from any attack."

" _Of course._ " Guangchu smiled thinly. Though his name sounded East Asian, he looked more Caucasian and Indian than anything with the darker skin color and the facial features. " _We must also be informed before your ship launches any craft. For security purposes of course._ "

"Of course." Robert didn't need his enhanced senses to know Guangchu was not happy with this assignment or with the _Aurora_ 's presence and would be out to make a nuisance of himself. "We will mostly be utilizing transporters as it is."

" _So I am aware. Be advised that we are familiar enough with your technology and we know of countermeasures. We will be monitoring your transporter activity closely. Any unauthorized uses of your transporter will prove very fatal to those attempting such a breach of our trust_."

"Of course. Thank you again for your help, Captain Guangchu. Dale out." Robert was relieved to see the clearly irritated Solarian commander disappear from the viewscreen. "Let's make sure to monitor those ships."

"They don't want us here," Julia said. "Or at least he and his superiors don't."

They both looked again to the viewer, and to the blade-shaped warships now taking up positions around them. Each was the length of the _Aurora_ , but they were armed to the teeth and Robert darkly suspected even one could overwhelm his ship's defenses in a fair fight. The message was a clear one: "We don't want you here, so do exactly as told or we blow you up".

"We're receiving an orbital approach vector from System Traffic Control. I'm relaying it to the helm."

Locarno looked over the data and sighed. "They're making us wait for a couple of their cargo carriers during our approach."

"There's nothing we can do about that. Keep to the approach and let us know as soon as we're in transporter range. Ambassador Fry will be waiting for us."

Julia crossed her arms with clear irritation. "I'd like to know just what is the cause of this sort of petty harassment. Is it against us or is this some gesture being made toward someone else, and we're just the ones stuck in the middle of it?"

"If we're lucky, maybe we'll find out," Robert observed wryly.


	68. Episode 2-14-2 Solarian Nights

The command staff from both ships were ready when Robert and Julia escorted Ambassador Fry into the Conference Room. He was a Caucasian man, with his hair in a bowl cut and a fine suit that covered a body that had settled into general stoutness in its shape. "Good day everyone," he said, smiling, his accent distinctly English. "Melchett Fry, at your service."

"We should get down to business so we don't keep Mister Hank waiting," Robert suggested, quite certain that someone like that wouldn't appreciate anything less than prompt punctuality. "I don't suppose you can tell us why we merited such a large escort, or why Traffic Control held up our arrival in orbit to allow so many other ships right away?" The two cargo carriers had become four, joined by a luxury starliner, before the _Aurora_ finally made proper orbit of Solaris.

"Ah, yes." Fry nodded. "The military escort couldn't be avoided. The Sovereignty Government only agreed to your arrival on those conditions. And Mister Hank will be paying a fee, I'm told, for the duration of your stay here."

"Even more reason to get to business."

"Yes," Fry said, agreeing with Julia. "As for the delays that System Traffic Control imposed, I suspect that has more to do with Mister Hank himself. While he is enormously influential, there are groups and powers in the Sovereignty who are opposed to him. Petty abuses of power is a way for the authorities to remind everyone of whom is in charge."

"Speaking of who's in power…" Julia began.

"President Victoria Sinclair. Her friends get to call her Vick or Vicki." Fry used his omnitool to display the image of a woman in a fine business suit who, while not pretty, had what could be called handsome features. And there was no mistaking the glint in her eye. "She and Mister Hank were political allies. But politics in the Sovereignty are as treacherous as you might imagine, given the role of the megacorporations here."

"But not too cutthroat, I hope. Political intrigue and running a state usually don't mix well," Jarod pointed out.

"That is where Olympic comes in," Fry stated. "The Sovereignty's infrastructure is overseen by an enormously powerful computational intelligence."

"You mean an AI."

Fry shook his head at Caterina's remark. "The Solarians don't approve of that term. They consider it a slur against machine-based intelligences. 'Computational Intelligence' is the appropriate term."

"Nice, a politically-correct way to talk about computers," Angel remarked drolly.

"Jarod, make sure our computer protections are fully in place," Robert said.

"A reasonable precaution, but I suspect that if Olympic wants to hack your systems, it will do so," Fry remarked. "I don't imagine it will harm you though. What will harm you is the rest of this moon. Solaris is not a safe place for Humans who have not been extensively modified with implants."

"So we shouldn't allow any leaves."

"There are a few specific zones that you might visit, with only a few simple precautions. What you must understand, Captain, is that Solaris is a melange of subcultures and social organizations, divided by anything from common beliefs to planets of origin for newcomers."

"You mean things like Chinatown in New York and other cities?" Julia asked.

"Yes. And some of these people keep their environments safe for the unaugmented. Others do not, and the consequences to exposure can be severe." Fry tapped at his omnitool. "I would hate to deny your crews the experiences of Solaris though, they're simply _wonderous_ in many ways, and I think that if you keep them in the zones specified they shall be just fine." The sectors marked by Fry were smaller than had earlier been shown as "safe", but still showed at least a quarter of the moon's surface. "Of course, if you go outside of them, you could end up in a state not unlike having your brain replaced with cauliflower."

Barnes snorted out a laugh at that.

Julia started working her own controls. "Anyone going down will have this information loaded into their omnitools. And we'll put the Transporter Stations on standby just in case we need to pull someone back."

"A wise decision." Fry checked the time on his omnitool. "Oh dear, it's getting rather late, and Mister Hank is due at a Senator's dinner later. As am I, I must admit." Fry pumped his chest up a bit at that. "I shall have things to do… but yes, you should go see Mister Hank immediately. He will be waiting for you at Pan-Empyrean's Main Offices near the Government Block. Is there anything else?"

"Do you know what was stolen, or what this project is about?" Julia asked.

"Oh, heavens no! No, I was not informed of that. The Defense Command has been keeping that information quiet. All I can tell you is that if Mister Hank is sending you on a hunt for it, you may have your work cut out for you." Fry's expression shifted, as if he suddenly remembered something and was embarrassed by the fact. "Also, I should mention… you will not be able to transport into Pan-Empyrean. They maintain a constant defensive field to prevent such entries. Transport down to the Alliance Embassy and a skycab will be arranged for you immediately."

"We'll be down shortly," Robert assured him.

"Then I shall return. I have quite a few things to do today." Without further word, Fry left the room.

"For the moment, I'm holding off on liberty requests," Robert said to everyone, looking briefly to Meridina who, in reply, nodded in understanding. "Not until I know more about what's going on. There is something off with this situation."

"Aye, tell me about it." Scotty nodded. "They invite us an' then act like we've crashed through th' front door."

"Are you sure we should both be going down?" Julia asked. "With Zack and Jarod too? That means almost all of our command officers are away from the ships."

"We're the ones that Hank wants to see," Robert said. "So I'm afraid that's it. We're all going down. Nick, you'll have the bridge."

"And we're heading down now?" Zack asked. "Just like that?"

"I want to get this over with," Robert insisted, standing up. Julia did as well, with Zack and Jarod taking just a moment more to do the same. "You're all dismissed." 

* * *

The Alliance Embassy was on the top floors of one of the many massive arcology structures. The lower floors were office spaces and residential blocks, with a layer of offices and housing for diplomats from smaller world-based governments. The upper floors contained everything from a sizable cafeteria to opulent, elaborate housing for the embassy personnel, with the uppermost floor being that of the current Ambassador.

In the middle floors of the embassy portion was the docking bay for the embassy's various vehicles. The craft that emerged was the flying equivalent of a limousine, with a spacious back area that seated the four officers from _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ in luxury.

None of them took the time to enjoy the complimentary drinks in the back, or any other luxury feature. Everyone was looking out the windows at the sight of Solaris. The city-moon's arcologies and skyscrapers rose up to and even beyond the atmosphere. Those that did pierce into space were referred to as "starscrapers", or so their driver informed them. Massive displays adorned the sides of buildings, showing advertisements for various consumer products or companies in general. "Normally ya can't see the 'smartvertisements'," their driver said with his New York accent. "Ya need data implants like the rest of 'em. But the limo's equipped to pick up their datastreams and display 'em on the windows' interior."

"Interesting."

Julia was watching the number of massive structures that flew by. Solaris was, at least here, an amazing sight to behold, colorful and bright and opulent. "So people live in these buildings?"

"A lot of 'em, yeah." The craft flew above a large plate structure joined by numerous walkways to several nearby buildings Smaller buildings were on the plate, which included a lot for aircars. "They got stuff like that down there for shoppin'. The higher up you are, the fancier the shops and restaurants. Although some are built into the arcologies and skyscrapers themselves. Again, the higher they are, the more classy. Especially around the Government Block. We're enterin' San Dorado Block now, so we'll be arrivin' any minute."

The skylimo continued on its way through its traffic lane, other similar vehicles moving alongside or above or below it. It banked right around a long building, flying over a large garden courtyard attached to said building, and flew on toward a tall structure ahead. Said structure stood out somewhat compared to the other structures of Solaris. Their look had been sharp, angled, very much "space age" to the 21st Century aesthetics the four had lived with. The building ahead looked like it could fit into Manhattan's skyline if it wasn't so tall. "PAN-EMPYREAN" was arranged in bright lighting along the front. A massive, stylized infinity symbol with wings was arrayed further below, in a solid section with no windows. Various sky vehicles were flying around it, coming or going from the vehicle bays. Their craft flew into an opening in the front and entered an internal parking lot. The driver flew up a level and then sought out, with success, an opening near the entrance to the offices themselves. "I'll be waitin' for you," he reminded the four as they got out of the limo.

"Well, here we go," Robert said, trying to keep confidence in his voice. "It's time to see the illustrious Mister Hank." 

* * *

The inside of Pan-Empyrean was just as opulent as the outside. Upon their entry into the main lobby through the entrance, Robert and the others were in the middle of material grandeur. The vaulting ceiling was bright with warm light created by electric chandeliers that glittered with gold color. Fine sculptures of marble lined the walls, depicting what looked to be mythological figures. Corridors to right and left led off to office spaces while a number of elevator doors were kept together on the far wall of the lobby, flanked by further corridors. Automated drones moved about on anti-grav power, keeping the fine floor and the Pan-Empyrean logo set into it as reflective as a mirror.

A central desk ahead of them was manned by uniformed people, Humans of stature and strength, their gray security uniforms emblazoned with the winged infinity symbol insignia of Pan-Empyrean. One of them, a dark-skinned woman with close-cut black hair, watched them intently as they stepped up. Before Robert could speak she said, "Captain Dale from the _Aurora_ , yes?"

"Yes," he replied. "With officers."

"You are on time. Bishop." She looked to an older-looking guard beside her. "The escort is yours."

"Follow me, sirs, ma'am," Bishop said. The guard led them away from the desk and through the lobby toward what were obviously elevator or lift doors. Men and women in suits milled about them, some looking like they weren't paying the slightest attention to their surroundings. A well-dressed Zigonian stepped off of a lift as they came up. Bishop kept them from entering it, allowing a short gray alien in a dark hat, a top hat at that, to step in. "He looks like an Asgard," Julia said.

"That was an Apexei," Bishop informed them. "Be careful around them. They're all powerful psions. They tend to look down on Humans of any kind as backward apes." He sneered. "Even though we're the only thing between the little gray bastards and Byzon's armies."

"Byzon?" Zack asked.

Bishop eyed him as if he wasn't sure Zack was screwing with him or serious. Realization dawned after a moment. "Right, you're not from around here. Imperator Byzon, the Bragulans' high-and-mighty ruler."

"Oh, right. The bear aliens."

Another lift ahead opened. This one had a unique design around its latinum-plated doors that marked it as special. Once they were inside it refused to move until Bishop gave it a full identification scan from his retina and hand. Once it blipped green the elevator began to move upward. "Mister Hank's waiting in his office, but I can't guarantee he'll call you in right away. He's a very busy man."

"He's got a company big enough to be its own interstellar state," Julia observed. "So we're not surprised."

Bishop nodded and said nothing more.

When the lift stopped, they stepped out into an antechamber with a luscious blue carpet. About ten meters ahead was a pair of big wooden doors, a fine dark tan in color like mahogany, with a desk beside it where a lightly-tanned young woman sat. She had no computer display in front of her and seemed to be staring toward the lift. To either side of the entrance were fine leather chairs. "Welcome to Mister Hank's office," the young woman said. "My name is Ariadne and I am Mister Hank's secretary. You would be Captain Dale and party?"

"We are, yes," Robert replied.

Ariadne seemed to be looking at something else for a moment before her brown eyes focused on them again. "Mister Hank is in a hypercomm conference meeting right now and can't be disturbed. Please have a seat and I will inform you when he is ready to see you."

With nothing else to do, the four took seats, Robert and Julia on one side of the room and Zack and Jarod on the other. Zack looked around. "I don't suppose there are any magazines…?"

"You're probably expected to load publications into a neural implant," Jarod replied.

"Indeed," Ariadne said. "I do apologize for the inconvenience. We offer complimentary news access compatible with M4P2-standard omnitools, you may log in as you desire."

Jarod nodded and turned on his omnitool. At first the others thought he was going to look up news sites as Ariadne had suggested. Zack noticed he had the scanner running instead. "What's up?"

"I was just curious about something. About this building. The mass numbers don't add up."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the sensor returns I'm getting aren't consistent with normal matter." He looked at the screen over his left forearm intently. "It's hard-light, actually."

"What's hard-light?" Julia asked.

Before Jarod could reply, Ariadne said, "The entire building."

"The _entire building._ " Robert's voice betrayed his shock. "But the power requirements, the… the control issues…"

"Why would someone make a hard-light building?" Julia asked aloud. "The kind of generators you'd need to project the hard-light, the power to keep it going, it's got to cost far more than any building can be worth."

"You'll have to answer Mister Hank," Ariadne stated. "He's ready to see you now."

They stood up and walked to the doors, which swung open for them. The fine carpet continued inside, into the office.

The office was huge. It was easily the size of a large house, with winding stairs along either side leading to a second level. Massive windows, or perhaps viewscreens, looked out at the Solarian skyline and the tall starscrapers around Pan-Empyrean, where sky-vehicles continued to make their way through the air in streams of semi-organized traffic. While the second level wasn't visible, the first had a thirty foot long conference table of fine amber-shaded wood to their right, while to their left were a number of large leather-clad chairs around wooden tables with the same amber shade. One of the tables still had a tray upon it with a bottle, closed, and fine glasses. On wall spaces beside the door were paintings of the highest caliber. "A Rembrandt," Jarod said quietly, looking at one. " _Belshazzar's Feast_ ". He looked to the other side of the door, this painting depicting a nude woman sitting and having her feet tended to by a fully-clothed figure. " _Bathsheba at Her Bath_ ".

Further into the room, between the windows on either side, were great hutches and bookshelves, the former filled with even more bottles and collections of beautiful handcrafted drinking glasses, the latter with leather-bound books. The names and titles they saw on the spines as they walked along were often in gold: Hobbes, Locke, Dickens, Verne, Stevenson, Tolkein, Poe, Conan Doyle, with even older tomes that had names rendered in Latin. The quartet walked along and Jarod continued to note further art works along the walls. " _Starry Night_ by van Gogh. _Sorrow_ , Van Gogh. I see Titian, da Vinci, Tintoretto…" Jarod glanced down at his omnitool. "The materials are right…"

Julia realized where he was going with this. "Are these originals, Jarod?"

It wasn't Jarod who answered with, "I should hope so, given the amount of money I paid for them."

Ahead of them, behind a great desk of the same amber color as the tables now behind them, was Mr. Hank himself. Sidney Hank was in a business jacket much like the image they'd seen before. In person he exuded a peculiar, friendly warmth, but there was a look in his eyes that belied general friendliness. This was a man used to power, and used to it for a very, very long time.

"Quite a number of Rembrandts here, and is that a de Bray?" Jarod motioned to a painting on the right side of the room, to Hank's left.

"It is."

Jarod continued to look around. "Vermeer, Hals… I can see you're a fan of the Dutch Golden Age."

Hank's lips formed a slight grin. "There's something appealing about the way the Dutch artists of that age captured the mundane, everyday facets of life."

"And they're originals," Jarod said.

"I would think they'd be in museums," Zack said. "I mean, aren't paintings like this usually kept in museums?"

"That can… depend, Commander." Hank motioned to four prepared chairs of rich, burgundy-colored leather. He sank back into his own high-backed office chair, this one of rich blue color, with the insignia of Pan-Empyrean at the top above his head. "Please, Captain, Commanders, sit. It's good to see you." He turned slightly to his right, where a tray held a glass decanter and a caramel-colored liquid inside. He poured five glasses. "Help yourselves. This is Parthegon brandy, from the Chardonne. They refuse to bottle anything that hasn't been in an oak cask for at least ten years."

With some trepidation, they took the offered drinks. Zack reached last and had an unhappy look on his face. Hank smiled gently and extended a hand to him. "I can provide you a detoxicant, Commander. I don't wish you to feel uncomfortable given the business we have to discuss."

"That's a generous offer, but that's not…" Zack stopped and sighed. He shook his head. "Thank you for the offer."

"It can take a strong man to deal with his flaws directly," Hank noted. "I won't bother you with a toast. Please, drink up."

They all did. The taste was strong, but it was at least certainly more than just alcohol, and the taste was at least appealing.

As soon as he put his glass down, Robert said, "Admiral Maran refused to speak about what's going on, and Ambassador Fry doesn't seem to know."

"Yes. Secrecy can be vital in these matters. Especially on Solaris and _especially_ involving our current delicate relations with your Alliance." Hank kept himself in a comfortable pose in his chair, keeping his glass of brandy at hand. After speaking he sipped at it and openly savored the taste.

"That Warstar commander wasn't happy to have us," Julia said. "And the way they jerked us around on the approach…"

"President Sinclair was sending me a message, reminding me of her disapproval to inviting you here. A message that the military was happy to join in with, I imagine." Hank's smile nearly turned into a smirk. "When you get to a position like mine, governments start to get uneasy. Or, rather, the people serving as government. I am still deciding on whether I'm going to let the gesture pass or reply with one of my own."

"Mending bridges may help us with the investigation," Robert proposed. "This technology theft might require us to get help from the government."

To that, Hank snorted out a laugh. "Perhaps in another state, Captain Dale. But this is Solaris. I don't trust the Sovereignty government any more than I trust my competitors, few as they are. I have resources that will serve just as well."

"If you do, why call us?"

"Because it is your Alliance's project, Commander Carrey. And because I think having you involved will be an asset to the investigation." Hank put his hands together on the table. "To steal from my lab requires one of two things: resources or someone on the inside. And even the latter may not be enough without the former. My security measures are too much for a thief acting on their own, even a thief inside of Pan-Empyrean. But if I investigate alone and the thieves still have someone inside my company, they may be forewarned. So it's best to get someone from the outside."

"What records do you have of the theft?" Jarod asked.

Hank looked to his left for a moment. A holographic screen popped into existence between the desk and the wall. The laboratory in question had a number of white-suited individuals moving about on whatever business they had. The far wall of the image suddenly suddenly seemed to partly fade away, creating a gap. Armed beings came in with weapons raised. The lab workers all ran for cover or immediately threw their hands up. "It looks like a strike team of at least six people," Jarod observed, even as two of them disappeared from the screen. After thirty seconds they came back with a dark, boxy object now on the back of one of them. They all withdrew through the hole in the wall, which shortly reassembled itself.

"They disrupted the hard-light of the wall," Julia said. "You've got safety backups for your structure, right?"

"Of course. They were overpowered locally. The devices to do so aren't unknown in Solaris. Photon disruptors aren't cheap, however, and are very bulky."

"And a team of that size and training isn't cheap either," Jarod noted.

Robert nodded. "I see your point then. What did they steal?"

"A vital component to the project we're developing with the Alliance," Hank answered. "Your Defense Command has spared no expense in getting my people what they needed to succeed in this."

"What kind of project is this?" Julia asked.

To that, Hank shook his head. "I'm afraid, Commander, that I can't share that detail with you. Not by my choice, but at the behest of your superiors."

"So you want us to find something you can't say a word about?" Zack asked.

"I'm under no illusion that it will be easy, Commander Carrey. But given the record of your accomplishments together, I'm confident you'll find our missing component."

"What if we find it's likely been moved off-world?" Julia asked. "Or even if we find it here, I can't imagine the Sovereignty will allow us to go after it with our Marines."

"No, they wouldn't. That's why I'm going to give you the call number for one of my employees, Jason Chandra. Mister Chandra is in charge of my special security squad, the Wild Geese. You find him a target, he'll take it down, even if it's offworld." Hank savored another drink before continuing. "But I suspect it hasn't left yet. My people in Solarian security have been very _thorough_ in checking outgoing ships. No… I suspect that the thieves are lying low for a while, until we become convinced they've escaped the moon. Then they'll move. So we still have time."

"Don't you have investigators on your payroll?" asked Julia. Her voice didn't betray the suspicions behind the question.

"It's likely any of my people will get noticed, especially if this was an inside job." Hank gestured to them. "You, on the other hand, are unknown to the Solarian underworld. Don't take your uniforms and you'll pass for baseliners easily."

"And just hope we don't have to go into one of the zones of Solaris where baseline Humans can't go?" Robert asked.

"I can make arrangements if such comes up. I suspect they'll stick to the green zones, though. Especially if there is any offworld element to the crew."

Robert nodded at that. "Do we have anything to go on? The video doesn't give us physical descriptions. Did your internal sensors get anything from them? Or do you know what their escape craft looked like?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. And I will provide you with that imagery as well."

"I can't imagine they'll keep a getaway car, especially if they know they were being recorded."

"Actually, that is our one advantage, Commander Andreys." Hank took another sip of his brandy. "They used an attack program with a cyber-memetic repeating algorithm code on my building's security when they invaded. A normal CI would have been completely sidelined by the attack program. Thankfully, Dionysus is _not_ a normal CI, and he was able to preserve imagery and recordings that our thieves understandably believed to be destroyed."

"There's that, at least," Jarod mused. "If you give me all of the relevant data on the break-in, I can start analyzing it as soon as I'm back on the _Aurora_."

Hank responded by running his hand over a hard-light keyboard that popped up on his desk. Jarod's omnitool flashed to life again with a blinking button. He pressed it. "That's all of our data on the break-in and the relevant transponder code for the gear that was stolen. The short-range transmitter is built into the container and works only on this subchannel." Hank made a show of checking his watch. "I'm afraid I must see you off now. I have a board meeting to get to and then a dinner invitation I must fulfill. Feel free to send any new information you receive to Ariadne or Mister Chandra."

It was clear that the session was over and no more questions would be answered. They stood and walked out.

* * *

The Pan-Empyrean building disappeared around the corner of another tall arcology before Jarod said, "There's something more to this."

"It seems that way," Robert agreed. "I can't believe Maran would send us in blind like this."

"He must not have a choice." Julia looked out of the window at the passing sight of Solaris.

"Jarod, who do you need to help you with this?"

He spent only a moment considering Robert's question before replying, "Barnes, maybe, or Scotty, to see what they think about the technical issues."

"I'll have them meet you in Science Lab 1 once we beam back. Keep me informed."

"I'll let you know as soon as we find something," Jarod promised. 

* * *

After returning to the ship and handling various command issues, Robert went to the Lookout for an early dinner meal. Hargert's meal for the evening was grilled chicken smoked with mesquite and cut for various uses - salads, sandwiches, or by itself - with a variety of vegetable sides.

While picking at his dinner, Robert watched Solaris through the window. They were over one of the highest-built zones on the moon, with starscraper structures so high that they breached the atmosphere and became space stations at their apex. The engineering knowledge needed to make such structures placed Solaris among the most advanced societies in the entire Multiverse. He couldn't think of another planet that looked like this. _Maybe it's because the Asari and Gersallians don't see the need in 'starscraper' buildings?_ he mused.

"Any seats taken?"

Robert looked up to see Zack carrying his own plates. He shook his head, prompting Zack to sit down. "I've never seen anything like it," Zack admitted.

"Maybe they felt the need to 'grow tall', so to speak," Robert said. "They don't have room to expand through colonization anymore. This area of space has been settled for too long."

"So they just keep building bigger and bigger buildings until you can't tell where the buildings end and the space stations begin." Zack noted one particularly large, bulbous structure. "Isn't that the main space elevator?"

"It is. The Sovereignty Spire, where their government bureaucracy and Senate are located."

"It's times like these that I understand Cat," Zack said while absentmindedly using his fork to gather up a bite from his chicken salad. "I wasn't out here for the exploration stuff, but when you see something like this, you can't help but wonder about it."

"I know." Robert took a small bite of chicken sandwich. Once he finished swallowing he said, "It looks like the four of us have been picked for this little investigation."

"I wonder about that, actually. Why us specifically? Any crew could have done this. I mean, why not send out Madeleine Laurent? She's got a good crew on the _Challenger_. Or Ming Li Chung, I hear she's doing real well on the _Shenzhou_." Zack held up his fork with another bite on it. "I mean, if they're so worried about a military ship here, the _Discovery_ -class ships are a lot less threatening than we are."

"And that's assuming they want one of ours, from the Facility days," Robert pointed out.

"I know, but I honestly don't know many captains in the Alliance service very well," Zack replied.

"Right." Robert took the time to enjoy another bite, as did Zack. After swallowing and taking a drink from his tea, Robert said, "Well, Meridina wants to go down anyway. She wants to take Lucy to meet people."

"More training with the life power stuff?"

"Yeah. For Lucy."

"Ah." Zack gave him a curious look. "But not you?"

"Well, I am several months behind her." Robert shrugged. "And I get the feeling that it's something specific to Lucy that needs addressing."

"Right. Of course, that might interfere in the invest…"

Before Zack could finish Robert's omnitool lit up. He tapped the blinking blue light over the back of his left hand. "Dale here."

" _Sir, we've been going over the data Mister Hank provided. I think we've found something_ ," said Jarod.

Robert answered, "We're on our way". He took a final bite of his mostly-finished meal and stood to leave.

Zack eyed his own unfinished meal and sighed before standing up to follow.

* * *

Science Lab 1's speciality was in the field of analysis of computer data and computer sciences in general. Robert had long learned that this encompassed a wide variety of items, from analyzing records to examining alien computer databases and hardware.

Now the main holographic viewer in the middle of the Lab was set to show the escape vehicle from the attack on Pan-Empyrean's labs. Jarod had the image zoomed in, showing the sleek nature of what Robert couldn't stop thinking of as a flying car. Beside Jarod Barnes was looking at the image as well. Meridina and Scotty were behind them and Julia was to the side. "Anti-gravs that powerful shudnae be hard t' trace," said the elder engineer. "If ye have th' graviton profile an' other points of data down."

"The problem is that these things are pretty widespread," Barnes added. "Solarian LARCs are the most common kind of anti-grav vehicle on the entire moon."

"But do they have their own individual signatures or patterns?" Meridina asked. "Individual enough for us to track?"

"Not enough," Jarod replied. "From what I've seen it doesn't vary in individual models, only model types. Every other model like this on Solaris would give roughly the same profile. You'd have to be within a few meters, maybe ten or twelve at most, to detect any variation unique to a particular machine."

"Do we have that profile?" Robert asked him. "In the records?"

Jarod took a few moments to check. "Yes, I think we do."

"So we can identify it if we get close enough," Robert noted.

"That will be the tricky part. We can't even search most of the moon given the environmental hazards," Jarod pointed out.

"Yeah. These people have all those frakking freaky stuff that can fry our brains."

"Any luck coming up with protections?" Zack asked.

"I've talked with Leo but…" He shrugged. "Unless you go in with a full spacesuit? I'm not sure. Some of their tech makes the idea of subliminal messaging look like it's a brick thrown into a greenhouse. I mean, it's like epilepsy, just that they've found things any Human is vulnerable to. I'm not sure we can protect against everything. Maybe a few things, if someone's wearing headgear or something."

"Let's save that for later, if we need it," Robert said. "Do you think there's any way to track where the car went?"

"Their sensor nets generally don't record to the level needed to pick out this vehicle from others of its type," Jarod said.

"Maybe not. But if you can look for cars of a similar kind, cross-reference the times…" Zack let his suggestion hang in the air for a moment. "I mean, it'll narrow things down at least, right?"

Barnes nodded at Zack. "It's a damned good suggestion."

"Right." Jarod changed the system. "Let me see if Hank's data included anything we could use…. Ah, there we go. It looks like he's got an extensive sensor network around his complex. I'm going over the record now, let's see what pops up."

The display showed a general top-level view of Solaris, with the Pan-Empyrean structure in the middle. A number of small red dots appeared, but only one was in the precise position off of Pan-Empyrean to be their suspect. The vehicle began to move away. It followed one traffic lane, then a second, skirting the Government Block. It passed through a built up zone, the Farbanti Block, and moved into the next area, where it merged into a larger traffic pattern that already included several dots.

"Dammit." Robert looked at Jarod. "Can we identify it in that mess?"

"I running an algorithm to try and sort through the contacts." A few of the red dots lit up and move on. One went into a zone called Ozone Heights. A second descended into the lower levels before it disappeared abruptly. The third split off and entered an area listed only as "the Sprawl".

"Three possibilities," Julia murmured.

"That means three teams," Robert said. "And we'll want to blend in. This should look like ordinary leave."

"I will go to the Sprawl with Lucy," Meridina said. "It is where the enclave I wish to visit is located. To an observer it will seem I am there to pursue my own purpose."

"Jarod, I heard Ensign Arterria wants to take liberty planetside?"

Jarod nodded in reply. It was Julia who said, "And I think Cat and Angel will be going as well."

"Well, Ozone Heights should be safe enough," Robert said.

"Which leaves the lower levels." Robert thought that would prove the most dangerous. "What do you think made it disappear like that?"

"The most likely explanation is that it reached the lower edge of Hanks' nearest scanner," Jarod said. "From what I can tell, it was right at the extent of its range. But another possibility is that it entered an emission-shielded area, maybe a parking lot."

"At five hundred meters above the ground?" After a moment of contemplation, Barnes added, "Or whatever counts for the ground on Solaris."

"I'm not sure Solaris has a ground level or 'sea level' as we commonly think of them," Jarod murmured. "But either way, yes. Solaris has a patchwork of walkways and mid-air platforms and bridges suspended between its skyscrapers and starscrapers, all the way to just a few meters off the ground, so any such bridge or inter-building connecting structure could house a lot for the vehicle, or even one of the nearby buildings. Honestly, I think it's our hardest search of them all."

"That's why I'll go," Robert said. "Maybe I can sense where to take us."

"I'll go with you, then, and watch your back," said Zack.

Jarod nodded. "And I'll go."

"And I will stay behind and run the ship, as usual," Julia remarked dryly.

Robert almost remarked that's what she did best, but he stopped himself at the thought it might not be an appreciated sentiment. "Get the liberty requests completed, then, and we'll head out in the morning after breakfast. I'll let Hank know what we found."

"One last thing, actually. It's something you should all see." Jarod started tapping keys. All of the prior displayed went away and were replaced by the image of the Pan-Empyrean structure. A diagram slid to the side, showing the building's exact dimensions as viewed from the outside. On the other side showed scan results from Jarod's omnitool once they were inside. "I got this from my passive scans while we were visiting Mr. Hank. Notice anything?"

At first, nobody quite did. Scotty was the first to do so. "Well, I'll be… th' numbers dinnae match. They're all wrong."

"Yeah." Barnes nodded. Surprise was showing on his face. "According to your omnitool, the inside of the building is bigger than the exterior allows for."

As realization dawned on the others, Jarod tapped keys and brought up a pair of scan results. "I had to do a very careful scan to detect the pattern, but it fits."

"The Pan-Empyrean Building is bigger on the inside," Meridina said. "Like a Darglan structure."

Jarod nodded. "Exactly. He's got a dimensionally-transcendental field running."

"What the hell, why didn't we get briefed on this?" Zack asked. "If the Solarians have DTF, what else do they have?"

"Actually, that's another curious part. From what I can see, they _don't_." Jarod gestured to a scan result of the moon that he brought up. "No other DTFs are evident. Just the Pan-Empyrean building."

"Given the nature of the Sovereignty's political and economic system, it's possible that only Hank actually has the technology," Julia pointed out. "But the building didn't seem that big. How much extra space is it giving him?

Jarod replied, "Nothing to the extent of the Darglan DTFs we've seen in use, which is why we didn't pick it up on sensors until we were in orbit. In fact, the building's only about ten percent larger on the inside than the outside."

"That's just a frakking waste," Barnes groused. "Even a ten percent DTF requires a lot of Goddamned energy. It's more efficient to go for at least a fifty percent level, if not a full doubling of interior size. If he doesn't need something like that, why bother with the expense? Why not just plan a few more floors or something?"

Robert and Julia exchanged glances. "Actually, I can think of the reason why," Robert said.

"Yeah." Julia nodded. "It's to show that he can."

"Just like all of those paintings in his office," Jarod agreed. "And those books. Mister Hank likes to let people know just how much wealth and power he wields. And I think we should be really careful in dealing with him."

"Yes," agreed Meridina.

To that Robert's response was the obvious pledge of "We will be."

* * *

Meridina found Lucy in her quarters studying the scans she'd taken of Swenya's Blade with her omnitool. She was off-duty and wearing a baggy tank top and dark blue skirt that reflected she'd had no thought of visitors coming by. "There's something about that crystal," she said to Meridina. "I mean, even without the intensive scans, basic analysis shows…" She stopped herself at seeing Meridina's expression and sensing her feelings. "I know. I should let it go. But it's just… it's this puzzle I want to figure out, gnawing at the back of my brain like some… some… gnawing gribbly little monster." When Meridina said nothing further Lucy sighed and shut down the monitor. "I'm becoming obsessed with this thing."

"There is no harm in what you aspire to, only in how you get there," Meridina answered. "I am being sent down tomorrow as part of our current mission to Solaris. We will be going into the Sprawl to scan for a vehicle."

"You sense, I scan?" Lucy asked.

"I suppose. Although I have my own plans for our visit. There is an enclave in the Sprawl where a number of those who tap their _swevyra_ meet and exchange their beliefs and knowledge. I believe a visit to this place may be of great assistance to you."

"For learning more about my life energy outside of how to fight with it."

"Yes." Meridina went over to one of the extra chairs and sat down to face Lucy. She, in turn, left the chair at her desk and went to the small couch, sitting at the corner and propping her bare feet up on the coffee table. "I would be remiss if I did not balance your training."

"How does this work in the Order of Swenya?" Lucy asked. "I mean, I thought field _swevyra'se_ \- knights - _would_ focus on combat arts because they're the most likely to fight, just as healers focus on healing. And general users try everything?"

"Yes, we do spend some time on combat arts," Meridina said. "But even a field _swevyra'se_ needs to have wider education. Too much focus on combat can undermine emotional control. It can lead to enjoyment of the power as a way to counter the fear. That is a path to darkness that few ever return from."

"And you don't want me to go that way." Lucy nodded. She'd felt darkness a couple of times. She knew it was wrong and she didn't want anything to do with it. But she could remember how that power felt too. If she was in a bad place emotionally, or desperate like she had been when fighting that Changeling on 33LA, Lucy could give in.

Meridina nodded. "I do not wish for you to go through what I did, or for you to become like Dralan Olati… or _Mastrash_ Goras."

"He was a good man, wasn't he?"

"I believe so. He and my father were close from the time they were initiates. He fought in the wars with the Coserians and the Tresalians to protect our people, and he saved thousands from enslavement or murder. I suspect that Goras himself may have never realized he could one day fall." Meridina turned thoughtful. "My mother never quite liked him. She felt he had too much pride. Maybe she knew better than we did that pride could take him."

"Maybe if the Multiversal age never started, he would never have fallen."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. It was his choice in the end to listen to his pride and distrust. I know I am not above some of those emotions that lead to darkness."

"And I'm not either. I still remember that Turian we saw on the Citadel, the one that was beating up that poor Quarian. The things he said, they…" Lucy went deep into thought for a moment as emotions swelled inside her. Her jaw clenched as old, painful memories surfaced. "...they reminded me of things people had said about me growing up. Of things that son of a bitch Duffy said. The things his son would say while he… while he tortured me." Lucy's voice took on a hollow quality. The painful memories made her feel like she was about to choke. Her eyes teared up.

Meridina left the chair and sat on the couch beside Lucy. Lucy accepted her offered hand and could feel the warmth, both physical and through their life energies, that came from her teacher. Meridina said nothing, either verbally or through her mind. She didn't need to.

The pain in Lucy's blue eyes receded quietly. "Thank you," she said to Meridina. "I'm okay. As I was saying… I understand what you mean. If you think this excursion will help, I'm more than ready for it."

"Then we will go in the morning. 0900."

"I'll be there."

* * *

Julia had the Delgados and Ensign Arterria meet her in her office on Deck 4. "So my liberty is approved?" Violeta asked.

"Liberty for all three of you. Conditional on doing the scans we require in the marked area." Julia used her omnitool display to show them the area in question. "It's in a region called Ozone Heights."

"And if we find the car, we…?"

"You call me," Julia answered Angel. "And then I call Mister Hank's security man and his team handles the situation."

"Huh." Angel gave Caterina a look. "It sounds dangerous. And we just did a super-dangerous field mission."

"Yeah, but it's just some scans."

"So was the last mission."

"I'll still go," Caterina said to Julia. Her hand was gripping Violeta's. "Violeta wants to see Solaris, and I do too. I'll keep my scanner active while I'm down there."

"I guess I"m going too," Angel sighed. "But if I see one damned shapeshifting monster…" She let the sentence trail off.

"Glad to hear it," said Julia. "We're all beaming down around 0900, or rather you're all doing it while I stay up here and mind the ship."

"Why are we beaming down together?" Violeta asked.

"Because the Solarians have transport-jammers up," Julia answered. "We can only beam down to the Embassy. You'll be taking local transportation to your specific search areas, or rather leave areas." Julia smirked. "I suspect you three will enjoy yours the most. Meridina and Lucy are heading for something called the Sprawl and Robert, Zack, and Jarod are off to one of the lowest levels."

"So, 0900 it is. We get up, we eat breakfast, we go down." Angel made a show of checking the time. "And since it's already almost 2300, I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Julia waited patiently for everyone to file out before she did as well. 

* * *

The time on Robert's display flashed 0140 when the tone woke him up. He remained groggy for a moment while his thoughts formed enough to reach for the control key to activate the comm. "Dale here," he said, trying not to grumble at being interrupted in his sleep.

" _Bridge here, sir. We're picking up a signal from Solaris, sir. It's… well… it seems to be the Solarian President_."

" _What?_ " Robert blinked and tried to force his sleepy brain into gear. "Can you confirm that?"

" _The transmission is coming from the Presidential Palace, sir. And our systems confirm its her voiceprint._ "

"Alright." Robert yawned and reached for his nightrobe. "Give me about ten seconds to look presentable and put her through."

He stood and pulled the robe on over his pajamas, grateful that he'd gotten back in the habit of wearing them after his relationship with Angel ended. The last thing he needed was to be a bathrobe slip away from being naked when speaking to a Head of State.

The woman who appeared on the screen was indeed Victoria Sinclair, President of the United Solarian Sovereignty. Behind her the windows showed the lit-up skyline after nightfall in that area of the moon, much as the star no longer quite shined outside of Robert's window. " _Captain Dale_ ," she said. " _I seem to have woken you up. I suppose you are operating a few hours ahead of us._ "

"We use the standard Earth 24 hour day," Robert answered.

" _Ah. Solaris uses a twenty-five hour day. I am just about to retire for the evening myself._ " The President kept a serene smile on her face. " _I know you must have your own duties to attend to, but I would like the chance to meet you, Captain. Would you mind letting me entertain you for breakfast in, oh, nine or so hours? An informal affair, I assure you._ "

Robert immediately knew he had no choice. You didn't turn down an offer like that without severe diplomatic consequences. And regardless of what Sidney Hank had said, he still held out hope for at least some official assistance in their investigation, or at least perhaps a loosening of the restrictions the government had on his ship. Spurning a meeting would send entirely the wrong signal.

Of course, if he went, it also meant he couldn't go down to the lower levels with Zack and Jarod.

A small part of him wondered, with more paranoia than sense, if that was Sinclair's purpose.

He pushed that thought away and answered, "I would be honored, Madame President."

" _Good. I look forward to meeting you in person, Captain. Sleep well_." She disappeared from the screen.

Robert groaned and pulled off the robe. As he laid down he made the decision not to bother anyone with the change in plans until the morning. They all needed their sleep. He only hoped they would sleep without interruption, unlike him.

* * *

"Well, I guess that explains you not picking up any breakfast," Julia said.

Robert nodded from his seat across from Julia in the Lookout. Zack was to his left and Jarod to his right. Everyone had a delicious-looking breakfast meal made up of ham omelettes, cereal, oranges, and strips of bacon with sausages. Robert had only a plate of the last items to nibble on until he was due for the breakfast with the President.

"I could possibly join you when I'm done," he said to them. "But I have no idea how long this meal will take, and I have to beam down shortly to consult Ambassador Fry before I head to the Presidential Palace. I don't think he's going to be happy about this."

"But it's a done deal." Jarod looked across the table at Zack, currently chewing on his orange. "Looks like it's just us."

Zack swallowed. "Yeah. Could be fun."

"I suppose we could bring Tom."

"To the lower levels?" Zack made a face. "And what happens if he mouths off to some guy with implants we don't notice until he's using them to stomp our faces?"

With a mouth full of omelette, Jarod nodded his head slightly to show he accepted the point.

"I'd ask Kane, but sending our lead Marine down, even as 'liberty', might be too much," Robert said. "We're at least close friends and a reasonable group going on liberty together. I'm not sure Kane will be able to pass for that, especially if they have mind-readers or some other way of judging the situation."

"Well, our list of possibilities is short." Julia smiled thinly. "So it should probably be me."

"Are you sure?" Zack asked her.

"Well, I'm supposed to do these things more than Robert anyway," she said. "I admit I'm not entirely happy with leaving Nick as our only senior officer with command experience on the ship, but that's the situation we're in. Everything I've heard says the lower levels are dangerous even inside the 'green zone' regions. You two will need someone along to help out."

"She's right," Robert said. "So you three will head there while I go off to have breakfast with President Sinclair. If this works out, maybe I'll learn something we can use for this investigation, or at the very least get us some leeway with the government."

Zack grinned wryly. "The last time we were in the field together was Abydos. This should be fun."

Julia returned the wry look. Somehow, she suspected it would be more dangerous than fun.


	69. Episode 2-14-3 Solarian Nights

Ambassador Fry had a displeased look on his face. He'd called Robert and Julia into his office the moment they beamed down to discuss their plans for the day while the others arranged transport. Robert was in standard full uniform, black with red command trim, while Julia was in a leather bomber jacket and a navy blue sleeveless blouse with blue jeans. Her hair was put up into a bun instead of a ponytail, a quiet signal to others that she expected possible fighting. "I am uncomfortable with this situation, Captain," he admitted upon entry to his office. He went to his desk and sat down behind it while Robert and Julia found seats in front of it. "Relations with the Sovereignty are extremely delicate. If you say or do the wrong thing with President Sinclair…"

"I'll be careful," Robert promised.

"It's not just about being careful with your wording, Captain," Fry insisted. "The Sovereignty is a disjointed mess of conflicting power blocs that wouldn't last without Olympic keeping the lights running. If you make Sinclair think for a moment that you're in Sidney Hank's pocket, she will become our enemy. And if you make her think she's got you in _her_ pocket, then Mister Hank will undoubtedly respond the same way, not to mention that she will presume she can win favors from you." Sweat showed on Fry's forehead, demonstrating the full level of his agitation. He directed his strained eyes toward Julia. "And as for this scheme of yours, Commander. Taking armed teams onto Solarian soil…"

"Their own laws allow us to be armed for self-defense," Julia retorted.

"That won't mean anything if you end up shooting some Max-Tec trooper!" Fry cried. "Or if you get involved in a shootout in the middle of Ozone Heights! These people don't know what to think of us, they mistrust us deeply, and having you running around scanning everywhere will just make things worse… my God _why_ do you have to do this anyway?! Hank has all the assets he needs to investigate this!"

"He's worried that someone within the company was involved in the thefts and that they could compromise any investigation his people make."

"Is that all? With a company that big, unless the traitor was at the very top of the rank pole, what are the odds that they could spread their influence wide enough to catch everything the company does?"

"That might be why Hank is concerned," Julia said. "Maybe he's facing someone in a senior position selling Pan-Empyrean out? Someone with the access to assist in the theft and to spy on investigations."

"Possible," Fry conceded. "Very possible. But Mister Hank is a man of immense resources. I can't fathom why he needs you to do this investigation. He could just as easily hire mercenaries or private investigators."

The argument was a good one. Robert and Julia, at that moment, wondered just why Hank insisted on them. And not just them as Alliance officers, but specifically, their crew. Zack had pointed out that there were other captains that could have been sent and worked just as well on this investigation.

Fry continued on. "Damn. I know it's too late for you to back out. And you were ordered to assist him in any case, so you couldn't. But this does not sit right to me, Captain, Commander. There's no telling what agenda is being served, here or back in Portland."

Back in Portland. Where Defense Minister Hawthorne and his ally, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Davies, remained implacable foes to the _Aurora_ crew. Could they have outmaneuvered Maran in some way to set them up to take a fall? If the _Aurora_ 's activities caused a breach with the Sovereignty, it would give Davies and Hawthorne ammunition in their efforts to take the _Aurora_.

"We'll be careful, Mister Ambassador," Julia assured him. "Trust us."

"I must, Commander. And I can only wish you good luck. And you must really get going, Captain, I don't want you to hold up the President."

Robert nodded and joined Julia in leaving the office. They arrived at the open parking area at the front of the embassy to find the others waiting. Jarod was in a black leather jacket with a green shirt underneath and black slacks and shoes. Zack had on an old jeans-material jacket of faded blue color, a shirt with the Kansas City Cardinals emblem on the front, and blue jeans.

The second group was dressed similarly. Angel had a sleeveless blouse and black leather jacket with navy blue pants, hair pulled back into a bun like Angel's. Caterina had eschewed a jacket for a blue sweatshirt with the emblem of an atom on the chest, a collared light blue shirt underneath the sweatshirt, and medium blue pants over white shoes; Violeta had a long-sleeved white blouse and was the only one wearing a skirt, using the same white color as the blouse, although she had thigh-length navy blue socks over pantyhose and white tennis shoes.

Meridina and Lucy were wearing matching clothing; brown traveling robes over cream white vests and baggy pants. Lucy had dark-colored tennis shoes while Meridina had on a pair of shoes called _lintam_ , slip-on shoes with a pair of straps near the ankle.

"Any problems?" Zack asked.

"The Ambassador isn't happy, but he's not stopping us," Julia said. "We'll take public transportation to keep our cover of being on liberty. Everyone has the Solarian dollars loaded for use?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Let's get going. Remember to check in every hour."

"Yes ma'am," Violeta said obediently.

As they walked away Robert called out, "Good luck."

Julia turned back to him and smirked. "We're not the ones going to breakfast with one of the most powerful women in this universe. You might need that luck more."

At that Robert sighed. "Don't I know it?" he murmured. He walked toward the carport to get his ride to the Presidential Palace. 

* * *

Ozone Heights did not disappoint. Indeed, Jarod's description of it to them didn't even do it justice.

The neighborhood was built among several blocks of skyscrapers and starscrapers, fifty meters high, two kilometers long and a kilometer and a half wide, its lowest level a little under three and a half kilometers above ground level. The 'scraper buildings it was attached to were all primarily arcologies, specifically pricey residences for those willing to pay to live in the Ozone Heights. The spaces between the 'scrapers were used for commercial properties, essentially being a massive twelve story-tall shopping mall with every service one might imagine available.

The three young ladies departed the sky-bus at its designated stop, at the south terminal, among a crowd of people. The Solarians were wearing suits that varied in color and style; some looked little different from what the three _Aurora_ crew were wearing, while others had an outlandish look to them with the way the suits were cut or formed. Three figures in sleeveless vests showing arms covered in tattoos and implants walked by, their heads topped with foot-high mohawks of red and purple hair. One had a hairless alien hexaped draped over his or her bare shoulders. A large reptilian in what looked to Cat and Angel to be a Catholic priest's uniform walked beside a Human man with electronics all over his head.

They moved with the crowd through the entrance and approached a cylinder of glass or plastic. The device was quickly revealed to be an advertisement display. It was running its standard routine of ads for those without the implants to see smartvertisements. The first ad they saw was for the SinTEK Implant Store in the Heights, touting the "affordable" monthly payments for a new top-of-the-line neural data implant with advanced quantum computing capability and bandwidth to sustain dedicated brain-state backups. The second ad was for NeuroAware Implants, with patented NeuroProtect firmware to protect your brain from malicious data coding, for a price comparable to the SinTEK option. Cat did the math in her head on the exchange. "These things would cost a year of my salary."

"The highest end models would devour over a year of _Rob_ 's salary," Angel added.

The next ad popped up. " _Tired of the same old tired candy? Of those little pills to keep you virile and hard? That's why you need ORGAZMO!"_ The image changed to show pieces of colored candy, all of which had a certain familiar shape to them that drew a blush from Angel and widened eyes of surprise from Cat and Violeta. " _Now in six thrilling flavors, all guaranteed to provide the greatest orgasm you have ever known! ORGAZMO is recommended by four out of five doctors for treating frustration… because the fifth one was too busy enjoying ORGAZMO to vote! Find ORGAZMO at your local grocery store today!_ " The ad suddenly flashed to a very, very fast-moving script of warnings, complete with a rapid fire announcer giving health warnings about use or overuse of ORGAZMO.

"There is no way I am touching that stuff," Caterina announced.

"It's kind of unfair," Violeta said. "They didn't think of people like us when they made it." She turned and grinned mischievously toward Cat. "I can think of a shape we wouldn't mind trying out."

Caterina responded with a deep blush on her cheeks.

After giving her blushing girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek, Violeta activated her omnitool and used it to interface with the nearby booth. On her omnitool a graphic showing Ozone Heights' name in stylized lettering appeared, followed by a female voice giving a voice-over as images of the sector played. " _Welcome, visitor, to Ozone Heights, voted by_ Solaris Business Weekly _as the best shopping experience for visiting life forms to Solaris. Here you can enjoy the widest selection of goods and services offered in the Sovereignty without the need for data implants or neural interface hardware. Ozone Heights was founded specifically to cater to off-world visitors' needs while visiting or living on Solaris…_ "

Violeta muted the playback and brought up a map display. "Here, it includes a map directory for all of the businesses. Wow… we could spend days here and not shop everywhere."

"So where do we start?" asked Caterina.

Angel reacted by bringing up her own omnitool on her left forearm. The data Jarod had on the potential escape craft popped up, showing where the signal stopped. "It looks like a parking lot on the eighth level, north side. We should get going."

"Don't have that thing too active," Cat urged. "We're supposed to be here on liberty, remember?"

Angel turned the omnitool off. "Alright. But I want to get this scan work over. So let's hold off on the serious shopping and sightseeing until _after_ we check this out."

* * *

The Sprawl was almost ground level at just seven hundred meters above ground. It did not have multiple stories like Ozone Heights, but it was wider and longer, at least ten kilometers long on the east-west axis. While Ozone Heights was a shopping mall, the Sprawl made Lucy think of a grungy urban commercial area full of local mom-and-pop stores and some chains. The residential buildings were both in the 'scraper structures and interspersed between them. They were just above the category of "crack house" slums for Lucy, at the level of "rent-controlled urban poor". After stepping off the bus her sense of smell was assaulted by the sweat, dirt, and grease of the nearby streets. This low the sun barely seemed to reach them. Most light came from the street lights and neon signs, giving the Sprawl a look of perpetual twilight.

"This way," Meridina said softly, and Lucy followed. She consulted her omnitool as they walked while Meridina looked at a group of children coming out of an alleyway carrying a yellow sphere. Their clothes were dull and wrinkled, but they clearly weren't starving. "I sometimes tire of seeing these places in other societies," Meridina said. "The wealth above our heads could provide much to many, and the whole of society strengthened."

"Like on Gersal?"

"Among other places. I am no stranger to my people's shortcomings, however, and I recognize that Humans, though prone to selfishness, have qualities my people do not always value."

"Oh?"

"In your societies, determination and persistence are valued, as is a willingness to go 'against' the majority opinions of your people."

"Like you did when you broke from the Order?"

To that Meridina sighed. "I suppose… yes." They walked onto a bustling market street. Around them open market stalls were haggling numerous items. Knickknacks, clothing, household supplies, anything they could hope someone would buy. "I can still remember their faces when I rejected them," Meridina admitted.

"Who?" After a moment, Lucy realized what she meant. "The Order Council?"

"Yes. They could not understand my choice. It angered them. I suspect some may believe Goras was right, that the Alliance corrupts us with the ways of others."

"But Gersal's not a dictatorship. I mean, your people have rights, you have liberties…"

"But we have responsibilities. Obligations. We must work to better ourselves, our families, and our people. If we succeed, we must not allow that success to go too far. Wealth earned is wealth that must be shared with those who helped you earn it, and they in turn are obligated to respect the qualities that brought you to that wealth." Meridina looked to her side, where a teenage girl with a cybernetic eye was haggling with a customer looking over her vegetable stand. She turned her head forward again in time to step around a large man handing out cash for what looked like a blackjack. "We value our sense of understanding that we are interdependent with one another."

"Which is why your government calls itself the Interdependency," Lucy said.

"Yes." Meridina looked over to her and stopped. "I am aware that some Human societies have some concept of this idea, but Humans as a whole seem to value independence instead of interdependence. You desire greater freedom, even from responsibility."

"We do understand the idea of serving a greater cause," Lucy said.

"Yes, but not the same way we do. What we see as a responsibility you see as a sacrifice. Something to be honored, perhaps even to be seen as an obligation of being part of a nation, but not as an obligation of responsibility in of itself." Meridina continued to walk. "I wonder if proximity to you has caused me to become the same. Perhaps… that is what Goras and my father, and so many others, fear the most. That Humans will lead us to becoming more independent as individuals until we lose our sense of interdependence."

"Maybe," Lucy agreed. "Or maybe seeing how your society works will encourage more Humans to accept that we can be interdependent too. No man is an island, and we must all hang together."

"Perhaps." Meridina held up her omnitool and checked the record Jarod gave her. "This way. We are fairly close to where the signal disappeared, and I wish to get this obligation completed so that we can go to the enclave."

* * *

The bus dropped them at ground level exact. Zack was the first out. The dust in the air, the smells of rotten food, waste human, animal, and alien, and the worn down look of every structure save the exteriors of the 'scraper structures gave the place the look of abject poverty. This far down there was no sunlight to be had, and the available light only broke the darkness along the main roads, with some of the alleys being completely unlit. Only two other people joined them in getting off the bus, and both looked like they were worn out from a long work day and desperate to get to bed. The street sides were sparsely inhabited and some lights were showing in the smaller multi-story structures.

"Well, this reminds me of… well, most of the crapholes we've been through out here," Zack sighed. He reached to his back for the reassuring presence of the small-of-back holster where his pulse pistol was safely kept.

"The dark side of Solaris," Jarod murmured. A blank expression on his face formed. It didn't fool Julia. Beneath that expression her comrade was becoming angry. "It's all shiny and opulent up there, of course, while they keep the poor down here."

"We're not here to grumble about the one percent," Julia said. "Let's see if we can find where that vehicle went so we can go home."

They began to walk carefully down the poorly lit street in the direction of a half-ruined sign that said "Skylift" with an arrow pointing up.

* * *

The same driver deposited Robert at the Presidential Palace, with ten minutes to spare. "I'll be waitin'," he assured Robert as the door closed.

Robert nodded back to him before walking up to the large door that served as the main external entrance. Two soldiers in power-armor were standing watch. "Captain Robert Dale to see President Sinclair," he said to them.

One nodded. "You're expected." Neither of them made any movement, the door simply opened inward to beckon Robert inside.

The foyer of the Presidential Palace was certainly out to challenge to opulence and richness of Pan-Empyrean's lobby. Latinum-plated control panels for the doors, rich leather seats, a plush burgundy carpet… no expense had been spared for the Presidential Palace's look.

At the desk ahead of him, a secretary was waiting. Her head was more metal than hair. "The President's aide will be here to escort you shortly, Captain."

Robert nodded and sat down, giving him a better look at the open foyer, the marble tiling of the ceiling with a design showing a two-dimensional representation of the Solarian Sovereignty's member systems. On one wall an elegant painting, clearly done in one of the old European styles, showed a number of colonists disembarking from a colony ship settled upon blue-green grass under a fair sky. Portraits above the secretary showed a number of Humans, some men and some women; former Presidents, Robert guessed.

After a short time a young Caucasian man in a pleasant business suit came out. 'Breakfast is ready," he said. "The President awaits you on her dining balcony."

The man led Robert further into the Palace. They walked the entire way to a small dining room that jutted out from the side of the building, with glass overhead and along the entire far side. He was being treated to a private meal after all, it seemed.

Victoria Sinclair was already at the table, with a plain white tablecloth over what looked to be a finely-crafted wooden dinner table. She was in a chair that did not look so old-fashioned, being constructed of what looked to be high-strength plastic with a latinum coated frame and fine leather seat and back. A similar chair was ready for him; the table had two bowls of fruits ready with a number of breakfast dishes, some of which he didn't recognize. By the other door two beings, a large woman and a shorter man with what seemed to be a very large head were standing quietly wearing shaded eyeglasses - very large eyeglasses for the shorter man.

 _Okay, a nearly private meal._

Sinclair herself made him think of Julia; she had the same near-golden shade of blond hair pulled back into a nice ponytail, and in build she and Julia were about the same, although she was not as tall. Her face was about the same shape, which is where the similarities stopped.

But what made it clear she wasn't Julia, or anything like her, was her eyes. They were a rich, crystal blue, and they had the same quality to them that Robert had seen in Hank. This was a woman who knew what power was and how to use it, and who loved doing so in a way that Julia did not. She didn't hunger for it intensely - certainly not to the extent that Katherine Steiner-Davion seemed to, a ravenous maw that Robert was thankful not to feel - but she wanted it and enjoyed it.

Fry was right. He had to be especially cautious around her.

"Good morning, Madame President," he said in a friendly tone. He took the offered seat. "Thank you for your kind invitation."

"You're welcome, Captain," she answered. Her accent was almost English and almost American, but the inflections of her tone, the way she pronounced the words, were different than those accents. Thousands of years of phonetic drift had produced a Solarian accent unique to this world and place, one he was going to have to familiarize himself with as the conversation continued.

"You should try the stuffed bread rolls," she advised. "I had my cook make them fresh with imported Aurigan cheese and meat made of Majellan beef. The Majellan cow is a species unique to that world and makes for a delicious addition to the palate." She gestured to a glass full of crimson liquid. "And the vintage of the port is straight from Parthegon's finest."

Robert nodded and procured one of the fluffy bread rolls from the basket between his seat and Sinclair's. He took a bite and found the taste to be enjoyable. The cheese was unique, making him think of both cheddar and muenster, while the meat was flavorful.

While he chewed, Sinclair finished her own bite of food and began to speak. "I have read our file on you, Captain."

Since his mouth was full, Robert's only reaction was to shift his expression to show interest.

"CEID has had an eye on you. Especially after the attack on the Alliance Senate. You are what our people call an Esper, maybe even a Psion."

Robert finished swallowing. "The Gersallians use a term that translates into 'life force power' to describe what I can do."

"Does that include reading minds? Can you command others mentally?"

"No. Not really. I can sense thoughts and emotions, but I've never been able to enter another mind, not willingly and certainly not forcefully. I couldn't make a kitten bat yarn, honestly." Robert set his fork down before digging into what looked like an omelette. "Of course, the question is if you believe me, and why you'd meet with me if you don't."

"That's why I brought my bodyguards." Sinclair motioned to the men at the door, specifically the one with the large head. "Mr. Gray is a Psion assigned to protect me from psionic attack."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Robert answered. Mentally he couldn't stop himself from thinking _But it looks like I do_.

"You needn't worry, Captain," Mister Gray said, adjusting his shades. The more Robert looked at him, the more he realized just how abnormally large Gray's eyes were. "Unless the President orders me to, I won't do so much as whisper mentally toward you."

Sinclair smiled quietly at that. Robert found himself thinking about that statement and the situation. She was showing off _her_ power now.

Robert didn't care much for being intimidated, but he decided to be diplomatic about it. "Well, it appears my mind is in your hands, Madame President," he said, grinning. "I'd better be on my best behavior."

Sinclair laughed lowly at that. "Oh, don't concern yourself, Captain. I'm actually something of a fan."

"Oh?"

"As I've said, I read the file on you. The things you've done, the accomplishments. Stopping one of your own renegades from causing a war. Managing to make first contact with the like of the Third Reich without _immediately_ causing an interstellar war." The emphasis on that made it abundantly clear she knew about 33LA. "You have a number of diplomatic achievements to your name. Given all of the allies you won for the Alliance, you made the Alliance victory at New Liberty possible even without accounting for your personal involvement in that battle. And you kept the Reich from finding ancient technology that might have turned the tide of the war. You saved the Alliance Senate from assassins and helped to defeat a rogue Esper of immense power on Gersal." Sinclair stopped her recounting of the achievements Robert and his friends and comrades had managed in order to take a drink. "And now you are here. At Solaris. I find the timing interesting."

"Oh?"

"Just days ago, there was a robbery at Pan-Empyrean." Sinclair sipped again - it looked like she was enjoying the wine - before resuming. "Hank has tried to suppress the news of it, but he should know it's impossible to hide anything from Olympic, or the Datasphere in general. Frankly I think he's just being contrary on that note. But what I can't help but notice is that he swiftly informed me that he had invited the Alliance to send one of its most advanced starships to Solaris for consultations on the matter. I could have refused, of course." Another sip, while Robert took his first of the same. It was a strong taste, one of the richer wines he'd ever had occasion to try. "But I admit I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. That was perhaps an error."

"Oh?" Robert asked.

His answer had to wait while Sinclair enjoyed a bite from one of the cheese and meat-filled bread rolls. "The Sovereignty is part of a delicate balance of power, Captain. The Bragulans, the Karlack, the Cevaucians… the peace of Wild Space, such as it is, relies on that balance remaining intact. The slightest tip could trigger a new round of interstellar warfare that could kill billions." Her eyes focused on him. "And your Alliance may become just that tipping point. So yes, refusing you entry was probably the wiser course of action."

"But you didn't." Robert thought it over. She started another mouthful of food just as he resumed speaking. "Because you want to know more about what the Alliance is doing with Pan-Empyrean. And because you imagine that ignoring that connection will only make your enemies suspicious. But letting Hank invite us and then putting us under your guns? Acting as hostile as possible toward our interests? That mixes the signals. The your enemies can't be sure what you're doing, and if they're as worried about as us you are, they wouldn't want to bind us together by launching an unnecessary attack."

Sinclair finished chewing. "An astute appraisal of the situation, Captain Dale."

"If you want to know what the project is, I can't tell you. I was never briefed."

"Really?" Sinclair eyed him with curiosity. Robert got the feeling she was considering asking Mr. Gray to rip the truth from his mind. A sly grin formed on her face. "Of course he wouldn't. Hank knows how good CEID psions are, and so does your Alliance if they're competent at all. No, they wouldn't tell you. They've got you running around in the dark." She nibbled on what looked like purple scrambled egg and swallowed. "Do you think your people will enjoy Solaris?"

"We've heard many good things about it," Robert said carefully. "I was considering a visit myself."

"Hopefully not to the bottom levels, it's disgusting down there with the dregs," Sinclair said. "I hope your comrades keep their guns ready and their eyes open. Your friends in the Sprawl and Ozone Heights will be safer, at least."

Robert showed no surprise or concern. "You must really be interested in what my crew's up to on liberty."

"Liberty, Captain? Or playing Sidney Hank's cat's paws?"

"Part of our governing mission is to explore worlds and meet new cultures and civilizations. That includes sociological research." Robert shrugged. "Mixing business with pleasure helps with morale."

Sinclair gained a glimmer in her eye at that. "And how often do you do that, Captain? Mix business with… pleasure?"

The last word was spoken with a deliberate sultry tone. "You don't seem the type to simply seduce someone over a turn of phrase, Madame President. You're far too careful," he answered.

"Perhaps you misunderstand me?"

"No, I don't think I do." Robert took another of the rolls for his plate. "This has been a charming word game, Madame President, but I'm afraid I can't give you what you want. Whatever political rivalry or struggle you have with Sidney Hank is none of my concern."

"So you say." Sinclair reclined in her chair. "Do you trust Mister Hank, Captain?"

"No," Robert said immediately and emphatically. "Honestly, right now, the only people I trust are myself and my crew."

"I suppose I should be hurt." Sinclair's grin twisted into an amused smirk. "But I can't deny it's a wise policy." She idly ran her fork through some of the omelette on her plate. "I must admit it is interesting to meet people who know Earth. In our universe, Earth is nothing but legend now, as is its history."

"The material I read is vague on what happened," Robert said. "Three thousand years is a long time for history to get lost in, even with electronic media to save it. I'm not surprised some elements of Earth history get turned into lore and myth." At that Robert recalled the Avalonians, and the way they interpreted the history of their British ancestors through Arthurian lore and concepts. "Are you saying nobody remembers what happened to Earth?"

"The Earthfall was a disaster that permanently warped the inner core of the Earthsphere," Sinclair said. "The closer you get to where Earth once might have been, the less reliable space gets. It is why we call that region of space the Fracture. And it is a terrible, corrupted place, with NEUROM oppressing entire worlds with the Ministry of Fate, the Mandragoran clans seeking battles and glory, the noble houses of the Grandeur of Auriga plotting against each other all of the time…" Sinclair shook her head. "I honestly would prefer not to talk about it. The Fracture is depressing and our Earth is long gone. And good riddance. No slight on your Earth intended, mind you, but the Earthreign was a terrible place ruled by terrible people, and they destroyed themselves. It's why I don't dwell on their fate. Here in the Sovereignty we look to the future, not a long-lost homeworld."

Robert sipped at his drink as he considered that. "Clearly some people still have thoughts for Earth. I've been in Hank's office."

Sinclair snorted. "That old fossil loves his relics of Earth."

"If he's been around for millennia…"

"Brain uploaded clones, mostly, with brain-state backups. We all have them. But the scientists say you can't maintain it over millennia. It doesn't matter if it's all backed up electronically, since even our best gene-modifications for the brain can't hold that much information." Sinclair shook her head. "Even if he's been around that long, I doubt Hank remembers anything but the last few centuries, at best."

Robert pondered that. Would immortality be worth losing all your memories of the life you led before? It was memories that helped shape people; change them, lose them, and someone would gradually change into an entirely different being.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Sinclair speaking again. "Now, before our breakfast gets cold, perhaps we should focus on enjoying it." She sipped at her port and smiled warmly at him. "My chef will be so upset if we wasted his efforts."

"Of course," Robert said genially, even if he was starting to wonder if he should be eating anything prepared here. But he'd already crossed that bridge and sensed no danger in the food, so he wasn't going to cause a diplomatic stir by refusing to eat more.

* * *

Lucy and Meridina finished scanning the dimly-lit parking structure that Jarod's readings had shown was the last location of the potential getaway vehicle. None of the vehicles matched the description. "Maybe they moved it later?" Lucy suggested.

"It is possible. And it was evident that these searches might not find anything." Meridina gestured to the exit. "Let us continue onward. The enclave I spoke of is close by."

Lucy almost asked how she knew that. But when she took a moment, even she could feel it. She could feel the point where the Flow of Life seemed to flow with greater power and warmth.

They left the parking structure and returned to one of the streets. The market was as busy as it had been before. They were passing a vendor selling holovids - likely pirated ones - when Lucy sensed a pang of fear joined by a jolt of confidence. She was paying enough attention to feel the hand slip past her robe and reach for the pocket on her pants, or perhaps for the hilt of her _lakesh_. Her hand snapped up and grabbed a wrist, a small wrist.

"'ey!" a young voice protested.

Meridina stopped and looked back with interest while Lucy looked down at the pickpocket. She judged him to be little more than nine years old, but possibly as old as twelve if he was short for his age. His face was smudged with dirt, with warm amber eyes and sandy blond hair. His clothes amounted to a worn child's jacket over a sleeveless cyan-toned shirt with an insignia on it - a sports team? - with knee-length cargo shorts, shorts that were bulging with what were clearly ill-gotten gains.

"Yare a qick un, miss," the boy said. "ow'd ya grog me?"

"My secret," Lucy answered.

"Yaint gonna wig th' Maxtis onta me?" There was real fear. "I got sibs t' feed, un's a babe."

Lucy put maximum skepticism into her expression and tightened her grip on the wrist. Meridina was looking back at them now, and had to sense the same slight deception Lucy did. "Maybe you've got siblings, but I doubt you're their sole provider."

"Eh, 'kay, my ma does chores fa upside toffs too. But th' food an' rent is all she can cov, Miss. Me sibs an' I need scratch t' cov fer new threads or meds, ya grog?"

Lucy considered him. She didn't sense deception that time. But she didn't let go just yet, not with the idea she just got. "We're looking for a LARC vehicle."

"Yeah? There's billies upon billies on Solaris, Miss. Ya got a mod type?"

Since Lucy was holding the boy's wrist, Meridina activated her omnitool. He shook his head. "I don't have a 'plant in my cranie, Miss."

"We do not have implants either," Meridina said as she found the the vehicle from the Pan-Empyrean recordings and displayed it. "This is the craft we seek."

The boy whistled. "Now she's a beaut mod there. A Sollark Works Helios. Prolly a new model, ya can grog she's got th' newie anti-gravs. She's no SinTEK Skylarc, but she can carry a right number o' peeps, an' she's as quiet as a Jesus Man's room after Sunday. Don't see 'em in th' Sprawl much."

"Well." Lucy used her free hand to reach into her pocket. Some of the money they'd brought down was in cash. She pulled a $10 Solarian note from the bundle in her pocket and flashed the reddish-hued bill at him, the Sovereignty Spire prominent on the reverse side showing. "This is a down payment. I'll give you forty more if you can find one that parked here a few days ago, or at least give us a strong idea on where it's going." She narrowed her eyes. "And we'll know if you're lying."

"I grog tha', Miss. Where're ya gonna be?"

"A nearby enclave," Meridina said. "Where those with gifts meet."

"That Esper enclave off th' Lo Tan Square? 'Right then, I'll find yar LARC fa ya, Miss."

Lucy didn't need Meridina's help to sense the boy's honestly. The idea of working for that much money doing what he always did - watching LARCs from the upper level - was exciting. "My name's Lucy, and this is Meridina," she said.

"Toby, Miss," the street urchin answered. "I'll grog yar LARC 'fore ya wig it."

Lucy released Toby. He took off and, within a couple seconds, was out of sight. "If I hadn't felt genuine intent, I'd be convinced I just gave that money away." Lucy felt a pang of guilt. "Meridina, maybe we shouldn't have… maybe I shouldn't…"

"If the vehicle that came here is not that of the thieves, they will not care. If the vehicle is that sent by the thieves, I suspect they will be more concerned with armed foes, not a street urchin admiring their vehicle. Let us continue…"

Meridina and Lucy headed on to what was clearly Lo Tan Square. It was an open market surrounded by trees that glowed hot pink, bright purple, and neon green, illuminating the streets, while signs in Solarian English and what looked to Lucy like Chinese ideographs were fixed to various stalls. Many looked at least partly busy. "If people here are so poor, how can there be this many markets?" Lucy pondered.

"I suspect not every buyer is from this place," Meridina said. She gestured to two suited men looking over a market stall selling what looked like glasses. "It's possible those from wealthier districts come here to purchase goods more cheaply than in their own."

"The place doesn't look too dangerous, I guess. I haven't sensed anyone ready to attack someone. Well, not in the way a mugger would."

"Nor I. But we are almost to our destination…"

Moving along the edge of the Square, Lucy could sense where they were going even as it came into sight. The structure was on the north side of the square, a squat building of about three stories that looked like some stacked two hospital food containers together. There was no distinct sign on the outside of the property and the windows were shut, while light was visible from within the windows. The doors were made of polished wood. Lucy could feel the power within, a concentration she had only previously felt whenever visiting the Great Temple on Gersal. It was greater there, of course, but it was clear that within the structure were a number of those who could wield the same life force energies Meridina had taught her to use.

The door had no visible handle, but unlike an open door it was fastened shut so that it could not be pushed open. As Lucy considered it, she realized no mere physical interaction could open it.

Meridina focused on it silently. A latch within audible shifted, like a bolt being opened. Meridina's hand came up and the door swung open as she held her hand flat toward it without touching it.

On the inside was a foyer. Small bushes, or rather very short trees, were kept in spaces to either side. Ahead a small desk was manned by a large alien in a light-blue robe over a brown tunic. While he was apparently humanoid, his face was completely alien, with three eyes that formed an inverted triangle on its head, with two ridges of flesh that moved diagonally between the inner eye and each outer eye. The creature's skin appeared to be colored like rust, but dark blue markings were on his cheeks and above the lower, inner third eye.

Meridina stared for a moment in surprise. Lucy herself took a moment to realize what species this was: she was looking at a Jeaxian for the first time.

The Jeaxian's head bowed slightly. "Greetings," he rumbled. "I am Jata'kesti ik som Rilap."

"I have heard of you. And I recognize the markings."

"I would expect a _swevyra'se_ to do so."

Lucy looked to Meridina. "Who is he?"

Before Meridina could speak, Jata'kesti did. "I was once a _taktan_ , a senior leader, in the forces of the Warlord Hatush ik som Ritap. For many years I joined my lord's raids on the peoples we shared a border with; the Dorei, the Mi'qote, the Hamati, even Gersallian colonies were not safe from our void raiders. I fought, I killed, I enslaved."

Lucy's eyes widened as he spoke.

"And then the day came that I realized how low I had gone. I no longer ignored the pain and suffering I caused. I fought to free those in bondage to my lord and brought them to safety. I would have died if not for the intercession of a Brother of the Crescent, who brought me to his order and helped me to find ways to atone for my many sins. That is why I serve here."

"And how does serving as a secretary atone for the people you killed or dragged into slavery?" Lucy asked, heat in her voice. She flashed back mentally to that day in Stargate Command when Doctor Opani had tearfully shared her ordeal. "How many did you abuse with those damned neural implants?"

The Jeaxian met her eyes with his own, which seemed to be burning with their red color. "I did not count."

"Lucy," Meridina said, her voice laced with caution. "Please." She put a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy recognized what Meridina was thinking. She nodded and understood. "Yes, I get it. I hope you find the redemption you seek," she said. As she did so she couldn't help but wonder how she would react if it had been a Duffy sitting there. Granted, the bastard father couldn't be there, the man who ordered her abduction and okayed her abuse and eventual planned murder. Robert had killed him that night she was freed and her new life began. But that slimeball Patrick…

"I sense you have been victimized too," said Jata'kesti. "I shall pray for your wounds to heal." The Jeaxian looked to Meridina. " _Swevyra'se_ , it is not often we see one of your Order here."

"And you have not today. I left the Order of Swenya months ago," Meridina said. "I am no longer _swevyra'se_."

"Perhaps not in title, but in spirit, your Light marks you as one who strengthens the Flow of Life."

"You said the Crescent Brothers trained you," Lucy said. "I thought they were a male-only Dorei order who view these powers as the gift of the Goddess or Supreme Being?"

"They do. But I know of the Gersallians' views as well." Jata'kesti looked to Meridina. "Have you come for guidance, _swevyra'se_? Or to meet other masters?"

"I have come to introduce my student, Lucilla Lucero, to others who practice the ways of _swevyra_ , so that her training in it might be improved." Meridina bowed her head. "Circumstance and, I fear, my own shortcomings have caused her training to become imbalanced. She has learned to fight as a _swevyra'se_ , and I have seen her act as one outside of combat, but I fear she has yet to understand the nature of our connection to the wider Universe, or Multiverse I suppose."

"I understand. A number of our residents are currently gathered for meditation, I shall…"

The Jeaxian stopped when the far door opened. Lucy had already felt the approaching newcomer and turned her head to face the door, as had Meridina. Recognition and warm delight showed on Meridina's face. For a moment Lucy thought that the newcomer might be a Gersallian, maybe even _Mastrash_ Ledosh himself.

But the figure that emerged was too tall for that. The reptilian scales and the snouted face quickly drew Lucy's attention. A tail swished behind the figure as it stepped into the foyer of the enclave, wearing a robe of bright yellows and greens with what looked like blue vestments hanging from the shoulders. She soon recognized the reptilian as a Zigonian, with dull gray eyes that seemed to see nothing. His right hand held a walking stick of what looked like gnarled wood.

Meridina's voice was warm when she bowed her head and said, "Kasszas. I am pleased to see you once more."

"I am also pleased, Sister of the Light of Creation," the Zigonian replied. "And I sense the darkness that ailed you has gone."

"Yes. I found release for my fears and doubts." Meridina gestured to Lucy. "This is my student Lucy Lucero. Lucy, this is Kasszas S'szrishin, a Zigonian of the Harmonious Val-Drillim, and one of those who aided us in rescuing Jarod from the Centre."

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Thank you, then, Kasszas. Jarod is a friend of mine as well."

"Creation bid me to follow Commander Andreys and her team, but your thanks are accepted in the spirit offered, Lucy." Kasszas' eyes remained unmoving as he approached. As one would expect, the pronunciation of anything sounding like an "ss" sound - such as the "c" in Lucy's name - came as a hiss. "I sense great potential in you. Creation has chosen you for great things."

"You did not return to your homeworld?" Meridina asked.

"Only briefly," Kasszas answered. "I felt a desire to spend time in meditation and quiet. My people are not a quiet people, even when we are seeing to our devotions, so I departed for the Enclave to re-center myself."

There was a hint of sadness in the Zigonian's words that both Lucy and Meridina picked up on. Meridina was the one to realize its origin. "You regret the life you took that day."

"I do. Though the dark one was a cruel woman and had no remorse, the end of her life was a loss of possibilities and a blow to Creation. I must consider the weight on my being to thwart doubt and darkness."

"I understand." Meridina nodded. She had shed blood that day as well. She could still remember Dralan Olati's viciousness, the way he had embraced darkness… and her own dark impulse of joy after killing him in a _lakesh_ duel. She looked again to Lucy and felt the old worry, the old fear, that Lucy's passion might lead her astray.

"Come, my friends," Kasszas said. "There are many rooms available. Let us sit and concentrate on the intentions of Creation."

Without a further word, Meridina and Lucy followed Kasszas to the back.

* * *

Cat and Violeta were quick to get the scans done when they arrived at the parking area. Much to their joy and surprise, they quickly hit pay dirt.

"A Solaris LARC Works Helios, model 3200, 245 model," Cat proclaimed. "245 being the 245 years since the Sovereignty was formed… anyway! This is it."

"No, it isn't," Angel sighed.

The craft was indeed the same make and model as the vehicle used in the theft from Pan-Empyrean. But the similarities ended there. This one was the wrong color, being bright hot pink with lime green trim. Something that looked like a male hulu dancer model was stuck to the visible dashboard in side, where the seats were painfully bright yellow in color.

"Okay, yeah, it doesn't look like a vehicle that a team of super badass mercenaries would use to steal from a megacorporation," Violeta agreed.

"And the remaining graviton profile doesn't match," Cat added, checking her omnitool and the readings. "It's close, and it explains why Jarod's scans considered it a candidate, but…"

"Just what are you stupid apes doing near my car?!" a nasally voice shrieked.

Everyone turned to face a short gray alien with a big head and really big dark eyes. He was virtually naked too, but he was wearing a bow tie around his short, thin little neck, and he had a full-sized bowler hat perched on the top of his head.

"Uh… just admiring the… paint job," Cat offered.

Even as she did, she felt something in her head. Like someone was sifting her mind around, just a little. The sensation ended with a painfully loud and even more painfully _annoying_ laugh, a "HA HA HA!" that reverberated in both her ears and her mind.

"You thought my car was used to steal from Pan-Empyrean?!" the Apexei almost shrieked. "You thought one of my people would ever steal from Sidney Hank? Seriously, you are really _stupid_ examples of your _stupid ape_ excuse for a species! Sidney Hank is one of the very few Humans who is worthy of being our equal, and he has done much for the Apexei species since those cursed Bragulans ruined our homeworld! We would never dare harm him or anything that was his! Now get away from my lovely vehicle or I will re-arrange your silly little heads!"

Angel, for her part, felt sorely tempted to punt the little alien as far as she could with a single kick. But she complied nevertheless, as did Violeta and Cat. The Apexei made a satisfied chortle. "Stupid apes," he said once more while opening the door and climbing into his garish machine. A very low whooshing sound came from underneath, and bright lights appeared beneath the craft from its anti-gravs coming online. It lifted into the air and zipped on.

"That was the most unpleasant alien I've ever met," Caterina said.

"And there goes our best lead, too," Violeta added. "There's nothing else here that matches the signature we were given."

Angel activated her omnitool. "This is Angela Delgado checking in, nothing in Ozone Heights."

A moment later, Julia's voice came back, " _Alright. Enjoy the rest of your day then. We'll keep checking in every hour._ "

"Delgado out." Angel lowered her left arm and let her omnitool's interface disengage. "Okay, that's done. Where do we go next?"

"Let's go find something to eat," suggested Cat. "And then we hit the stores."

"That sounds like a plan," Violeta agreed with a wide grin.

Together the three descended from the parking deck and back to one of the concourses. They were surrounded by opportunity to satisfy any shopper, and for a moment Cat nearly forgot her grumbling stomach to investigate a shop selling new starcharts. But she continued on.

Their first food option, at the edge of a food court area, drew their attention. The sign in green and red flashed "DISC-ILICIOUS" in gaudy neon. A Human was at the order table, or at least Cat assumed she was Human, as they drew closer and the dark tan skin turned out to be dark-tan fur, and the green eyes were distinctly feline. They looked up to the menu while the customer ahead of them finished ordering and moved on. Seeing the main item name displayed, Cat immediately asked "What's a 'yum disc'?"

"It's a Solarian specialty," the young woman replied. "It's baked dough with sauce and cheese and anything else on top. You can eat it whole or slice it up, although…" The leonine young woman leaned in close to them and spoke in a whisper. "I wouldn't recommend the slicing. A lot of Solarians hate the idea of slicing up yum discs."

"Wait." Angel looked over the graphics some more. "You're basically making pizzas. That's what this is. Pizza."

The young woman blinked in confusion. "Pi...zza? What is pizza?"

"What you just described a yum disc to be," Violeta explained. She tapped her omnitool on and, with a few button presses and key strokes, brought up the image of a pizza. "We call it pizza."

"But… what? Yum discs are… they've always been yum discs!" The young woman was clearly bewildered, although not hostile. "My great-grandparents used to work 32 hour shifts baking them for troops in Brag War One!"

"We've always known them as pizzas. But I can go with 'yum disc'," Caterina said. She smiled. "They _are_ really yummy, usually, and after thousands of years of history after Earthfall I guess names could have…"

"Hey, you're holdin' up the line, you borebods!"

The cry from behind prompted them to turn. A group of theoretically Human people were standing behind them. Each looked like they were half animal in some way. One had bull-horns on his head and the beginnings of a bull-like snout, one girl was covered in soft yellow fur with black dots like a cheetah, and a couple more had reptilian eyes and scales on their otherwise human-like faces. The fifth member had goat horns on her head and, instead of shoes, markings around hooved feet.

"'Borebod'?" Angel said, bewildered.

"That's you. A borebod," the bull said. "A weak sap who doesn't have the imagination to do something with your body."

"You mean I don't get surgically altered to look like I belong in a kid's show with talking animals," Angel retorted.

"My sister has hawk eyes, actually," Violeta said. "Gene-spliced and surgically implanted."

"Oh look, it's a _poser_ borebod," one of the reptilians said, hissing appropriately to draw out the "s" in "poser".

"Yeah. 'Oh look at me, I'm so cool'," the cheetah-girl said mockingly. "'I've got purple eyes and hair. See, I'm not a borebod.' Get real, honey, you're not cool, just another borebod."

"Hey!" Caterina glared at the cheetah-girl, holding a finger up. "You leave my girlfriend alone."

"Or what, borebod? I'm not scared of you, I've got speed and claws, you're just a silly borebod ape."

"If you keep this up I have to ask you all to leave, you're holding the line up," the feline-looking girl behind the counter said apologetically. "Please order?"

"We'll take a pizza, or yum disc, with cheese, and three drinks," Violeta replied. She offered an electronic chit loaded with Solarian dollars for the cashier to scan, paying for the meal.

As she did so, the gene-modded bull behind them thrust a meaty finger at Cat's face. "Keep talking trash to my girl, borebod, and you get the horns."

"If you lay one finger on my sister, bull-boy, I'll break one of those horns off and cram it up your ass," Angel growled. Her body tensed with readiness for a fight.

Some of the customers behind the genemods were stepping away quietly. Some were mods themselves, but clearly wanted nothing to do with the aggressive young ones hassling the trio. All five readied themselves for a fight. Cat curled her fingers and prepared to use her omnitool's defense features to protect herself and Violeta while Angel continued to glare at the bull-man.

Before anything else could happen, everything stopped, as a powerful female voice shouted, " ** _STOP!_** "

* * *

Walking through the lowest levels of Solaris was a trying experience, with deep shadows and dark alleys that kept Julia, Zack, and Jarod constantly alert for any sort of ambush. After hours of walking and riding up and down lifts, they were near to the point where the vehicle disappeared from sensors. They stood along an elevated street outside of what looked like dilapidated apartment buildings, near a row of street vendors selling various wares. Jarod was consulting his sensor readings.

Zack kept looking about. Like the others he felt on edge, and the constant vigilance was wearing thin and making him fatigued. When his stomach made a low gurgling sound, he amended "hungry" to his list of feelings.

"It's a good thing we came in a group," Julia said. Her eyes were cast on a couple of jacket-wearing figures about thirty meters away who had looked their way. "We're just asking to get mugged."

"We will be if we run across anyone desperate enough," Jarod observed while checking his readings. "We're almost there, we need to move one block over and up."

They walked toward the market stalls and a number of smells quickly joined the dusty, rotten air they were already experiencing. Zack sniffed and sighed. "I smell burgers."

"I wouldn't eat anything down here," Julia said. "You couldn't pay me to."

Jarod looked up in time to follow as Zack led both over to the stall. A young lady, possibly as young as sixteen, was working a fryer, where a couple patties of meat were already mostly done. She handed off what looked like a hot dog to another Human in grungy work clothes and looked to Zack as he stepped up. "Just one Solarian dollar," she said in a thick, Spanish accent. "Big burger. Very good."

"Zack…" Julia took his arm.

"I'll scan it before I eat it," he insisted. "But it'll help the kid out, right?" Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of Solarian bank notes. "Keep the change."

With enthusiasm the young lady accepted the money and put it away. She immediately took a plastic flipper and laid a cooked patty of meat onto a ready bun. She placed the other half of the bun on top, partially wrapped her culinary creation, and handed it over proudly.

Zack took up the burger. Jarod was already scanning it. "No poisons," he confirmed. "No toxins. It's safe to eat. Although…" Jarod looked to see Zack hadn't waited. He'd already bit into the offered burger.

"Good, _si_? Yes?"

Zack examined his food. "Well, it's got a flavor… I can't place it. What quality meat are you using?"

Julia had already seen the results on Jarod's screen and had half her face covered by her palm. It was Jarod who coughed and said, "Well, it's not ground _beef_ , or ground chicken or pork…"

" _Ratta_ ," the proprietor announced proudly. " _Solaria Ratta._ "

Zack caught the key element of that. "...rat?"

The young girl nodded. "Is good? Best rats. Only best. Buy from Gimlet, good rat catcher, plump, good fed."

If it had been someone else, Zack might have dropped the burger right then and there from the initial wave of revulsion. Only the completely innocent, happy look of the ratburger proprietor kept him from doing anything. He simply couldn't bring himself to upset her. "Yeah. It definitely is," he assured her in a polite, friendly voice.

They walked on for a bit. Once they were out of earshot Julia looked at Zack with a grin that showed how much laughter she was holding back. "So, are you going to eat your _rat_ burger?"

"Damned thing is, it really isn't that bad…"

"It's _disgusting_."

"Hey, maybe it's cultural. Like how French people eat snails. And don't they cook dogs in some parts of China?"

Their route was suddenly blocked by another young lady wearing a heavy coat, with sunken eyes of chocolate brown color and a slight tan to her complexion. Her hands reached to the front of her coat and pulled it open.

She wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Five and you can touch them for a minute…"

They weren't paying attention, not entirely. Eyes were widened to some extent, if just out of shock. "Uh… wow," Julia managed.

"Just five. Please," the girl pleaded. "You can do whatever you want for a minute."

Zack reached into his pocket and took another note, this one worth ten. She accepted with one hand and looked toward the hand that had just given her the bill, as if resigned to what was coming next. Zack shook his head. "No, I'm not… sorry, I've got a woman I love, and besides…" He gestured toward Julia with his thumb. "She'd break the hand if I… yeah, she'd break my hand. No, just… get some grub, on me? In fact, here…" He offered the ratburger.

The girl closed her coat and accepted the burger. She took a bite from it and, for a moment, a pleased expression came to her face. She stuffed the note into her waist and moved on, taking another bite as she passed them.

For a moment the three just stood there. "That was unexpected," Jarod finally said. "I wonder if that kind of surgery is commonplace?"

"It can't be too expensive, if people down here can get it," Zack offered. "But why would she want three…?"

"I hope she never has to run," was all Julia said, after which she seemed to shudder as if considering the thought. "Angel and Meridina both turned up blank, so let's get going. This may be our only lead left."

They turned into a mostly dark alleyway. Julia and Jarod stared intently at a couple of figures in duster coats who were staring their way. Nothing happened and they were soon ascending the walkway mid-way down the alley, leading to the next level. On this level things looked even darker, and a large shadow loomed to their right. Looking up confirmed they were nearby a full-sized Solarian high-rise, possibly even a starscraper. Jarod consulted his omnitool again as they neared the edge of the platform where it terminated beside the 'scraper. "It was right around here," he said, looking out over the edge. They were still pretty far up, more than far enough that a fall could be deadly. "I can't pinpoint it any closer."

Given their location, Zack asked, "Could they have gone into the skyscraper?" He looked toward it. "I don't see an entrance here, but maybe along the side here, facing this gap?"

"Maybe," Jarod said.

"So we find an entrance, maybe see what's inside?"

"It won't be so easy," Julia remarked. "From what I've seen, most of the skyscrapers and starscrapers are entirely blocked off on the ground level. At least in this area. That way they can keep out these poor people down here."

"A scan might show something." Jarod triggered his omnitool's scanner. "I might get a graviton trace matching our suspect."

As Jarod talked Julia looked back. There were only a few people milling around, on their way to or from wherever. They seemed more interested in the view of the area than of the trio. But yet, Julia couldn't help but feel like she was being watched

"I'm definitely finding something." Jarod looked up at the featureless lower levels of the starscrapers. "Time has caused a lot of these elements to decay, but I think there might be something…"

Another jacketed figure was walking by them. Zack and Julia looked toward the pedestrian with little regard. Zack looked away, returning to looking at what Jarod was doing, and Julia nearly so...

...until she noticed the flutter of the jacket, and the metal sphere that dropped out and rolled over to them. "Look out!" she cried. She dived for Zack and Jarod, but due to distances only managed to knock Zack down and away.

There was no explosion. Wisps of what looked like blue smoke erupted in jets from the sphere. Within seconds a gas cloud over a meter across on all sides had formed. The blue gas reached Julia and Zack as they started to stand again. They coughed and felt their bodies go limp.

With her head against the ground, Julia could hear thumps, vibrations, from a number of approaching pairs of feet. She couldn't move and her vision turned blurry.

The last thing she could see with any clarity was Jarod jumping over the railing.

 _Jarod!_ She tried to cry out, but she couldn't move. She couldn't do anything as powerful arms pinned her wrists against the base of her back and strapped them together. Someone was just starting to pick her up as everything went dark.


	70. Episode 2-14-4 Solarian Nights

The sound of hissing gas drew Jarod's attention right away. He looked over in time to see Julia and Zack coughing on the ground. The blue smoke was already drawing close to him. Given the way their bodies went slack, it was a paralytic agent of some sort.

Beyond the smoke, jacketed figures were approaching. Some of them were holding visible firearms.

It took half a second for Jarod's mind, advanced as it was, to make the calculation. Julia and Zack were out of it, and his situation was hopeless. If he didn't get away, all three of them would be taken. All he could do at this point was escape.

And there was only one way to escape.

Without a further thought, Jarod turned toward the railing and swung his leg over it. The other figures started to pick up speed, clearly intending to stop him, but they were too slow. The other leg came over and, with his heart hammering in his chest, Jarod slid off the platform toward what could be a very messy landing a few hundred meters below.

It paid to prepare for things. For instance, knowing you were going to be on a world full of elevated platforms and structures, the possibility of falling to a messy death is one you can take steps to deal with. In Jarod's case, it had been adding a function to his standard operations omnitool. The same hard-light generation that could craft a sharp, armor-penetrating omniblade was put to use for another feature; a hard-light grappling hook.

Spinning in mid-air, Jarod was already below the level he had just departed when he got his forearm into position. The omni-hook, with a hard-light wire attached, shot out from his omni-tool. It stuck itself firmly into the underside of the level in question and buried itself by several inches into the surface ferrocrete. Jarod had a brief mental image of a comic book character he'd seen during his time as a fugitive from the Centre swinging around a building on a hook, and now he did the same thing, swinging below the level he'd just jumped from. He didn't want to risk them hearing him land, so he kept the hook in and retracted the wire. The underside of the elevated level was hardly flat, with his hook embedded mere centimeters from a trunk that undoubtedly contained data lines or power lines. A glance at his omnitool told him that the trunk was harmless. It also told him that he was pushing the projectors toward their limits and had only seconds left before the omnitool shut down the construct. He counted those seconds as he got closer… closer…

His arm reached out and grabbed the trunk, wrapping around it enough that he had a grip.

Within moments of securing his grip on the trunk, the hardlight hook dissipated.

Jarod wrapped his legs around the trunk, thankful it was small enough to accomplish that, and with both legs and one arm around it he settled for a moment. He didn't know how long he could stay here, but he wasn't going to risk moving until he knew that their unknown attackers hadn't followed him.

And then, once he was sure of that, he would have to do two things: contact the _Aurora_ … and get to Julia and Zack. 

* * *

" ** _STOP!_** "

Everyone in front of Disc-licious froze.

The leonine young lady at the counter was the first to react verbally to the source of the shout. "It can't be…"

The woman who approached them was dressed in a sleeveless smock of sorts, with the belly also cut away to show rippling, powerful muscle around her visible navel, muscle equaled by that on her arms, or on the legs left bare below the mid-thigh by what looked to be a mini-skirt and shorts combination. Her eyes shined brilliantly blue in taking in the scene before her. Her head was shaved bald save for a top-knot out of the back of her head, a top-knot of fiery crimson hair.

The gene-altered teens that looked ready to fight Angel and Cat (and Violeta) stared in stunned admiration at the new arrival, much to the disbelief of Angel and Cat since the new arrival looked as baseline Human as they did. They started scrambling in their pockets as the muscular woman stomped up.

But she wasn't looking at them. She was staring with what looked like devoted admiration at Angel.

"Can I… help you?" Angel ventured.

"Such boldness. Such raw power, such _passion_ ," the woman said, her accent thick and vaguely Eastern European. "I can see it in you, the essence of the warrior feminine, the urges, the passions…" She looked to Caterina. "And you. Brilliance. Imagination. Ancient wisdom to be sought…" The bald woman moved on to Violeta,, whom she looked over intently. "So _bold_ , woman. Such boldness! The vivid color, but only the color, anything else would _mar_ your _perfection_!"

"Umm…" Violeta looked at the new arrival quizzically. "I don't think we've met…?"

"No. We have not. Fate has made this the day for our meeting." She looked the three over again, in sequence. "I see. You do not know of me. How shocking, how _interesting_. From a lost Wild Space world, coming to Solaris to seek your fortune, your _destiny_ ,and now it is here, at this place and moment!"

"We… didn't catch your name," Caterina said.

"Names, yes!" The woman smiled. "I am Katarzyna Granzowa, and like you, I am unaugmented. A simple, unadvanced Human, no modifications, nothing but my skill, the skill that made me the first baseline Human to survive MetaBrawl!"

"You three really are fringe world yokels," one of the reptilians said to them. "How can you _not know_ Katarzyna Granzowa?! The legendary fighter and movie star, wife of the Birk himself!"

"The…. 'Birk'?" Violeta asked.

"Wesley Prefect Birken is my husband, yes," Granzowa said. "Our love is eternal. He has vision, I have vision, and it has led me here to this day, this place in time and space! I simply must have you all!"

"What do you mean… have us all?" Violeta asked, still very confused.

"In our next masterpiece, of course!" She looked to Angel. "You will be perfect for the role of the Divine Guardian, the protector and warrior, and you..."

"Caterina."

"...you will be the Priestess of Knowledge, the Keeper of the Divine Secrets…. and this one shall be the Maiden." She had moved on to Violeta. "Blessed with sacred vision! You will all be perfect!"

"Miss Granzowa!" The bull-man knelt down. "Please, can you autograph my horns?!"

"And mine too!" added the goat-girl.

"Anything for fans," Granzowa said. She reached into a pocket and pulled a marker she seemed to carry just for this occasion.

As she attended to the autographs, the ordered "yum disc" was delivered to the counter, with drinks. Violeta tapped Cat's shoulder, and she in turn tapped Angel's. They quietly snatched up their food and drinks and, with careful haste, departed.

"This world is _weird_ ," Angel murmured to them as they left the food court. 

* * *

On Robert's return to the Embassy, he was immediately escorted into a scanning chamber. A civilian Dorei man - light blue complexion, teal spots, dark blue hair, and dark teal eyes - was standing on the other end of a clear partition. "Sorry, Captain, security precautions," he said. "I'm Sanyam Dutal, the chief of security for the Embassy."

"You think that the President of the Solarian Sovereignty poisoned me?" Robert asked.

"Not poisoned. But CEID have been known to plant nanite-scale trackers and listening devices into our people before," Dutal explained. "The Ambassador himself once returned with a stomach full of spy nanites."

"They bugged the _Ambassador_?"

Dutal nodded. "That's how CEID works. We protested, of course, and President Sinclair naturally assured the Ambassador that CEID would be firmly reprimanded. But nothing ever came of it. When it comes down to it, CEID do whatever they want if they feel it's necessary."

Robert sighed deeply and dropped onto the bench in the room. "And what about me?"

"None yet. This may have been a perfunctory attempt. Or they're trying to determine how effective our security precautions are. Either way, the scan isn't completed yet."

Robert activated his omnitool. It immediately informed him that it could not establish any connections. "And this thing is emissions shielded too, right?"

"Yes sir. Everything, even subspace interference that blocks their hyperspace-based comm tech."

"I need to get in touch with my people," Robert insisted.

"As soon as the sweep is done, sir." Dutal checked something. "At the current progress, it shouldn't be more than another hour or so. Then another hour or two for Deputy Chief Kanilata to check you mentally for any signs of psionic tampering. And you should be set."

Robert groaned at that. He was starting to _hate_ this world.

* * *

Meridina and Lucy followed Kasszas through the passageways of the enclave. The interior was well-lit and cheery, with works of art on the walls showing everything from nature scenes to likenesses of beautiful nebulae or quasars.

They passed by what looked like a common mess hall. A multitude of beings were seated at the tables. A Vulcan was quietly sipping plomeek soup while, across from him, an African man had a bowl of lentils in an earthy-colored sauce. A blue-skinned, teal-spotted Dorei had a hand raised toward another Zigonian. "...still begs the question, my friend. Is Creation a construct of the Supreme Deity?"

"It is and it is not. It is one and the same with all beings."

"Then the Supreme Deity is another being formed by the power of Creation," the Dorei argued. "But then the Deity cannot be supreme."

"Can the Deity not? A Supreme Deity can be such and still a product of Creation."

The theological debate, or philosophical debate, continued on as they moved away from the mess. They came upon a meditation room where a figure was standing up. He had East Asian coloring and features. Seeing them, he bowed respectfully. "S'szrishin- _san_." His eyes glanced toward Meridina. "And Meridina _-san_. An honor."

Lucy didn't recognize him, but she could see Meridina did. On a second glance, she did think she had seen the facial features before…

Meridina nodded. "Kurita Minoru, I believe?"

"I am honored you remember our naming conventions."

"Kurita?" Lucy looked to Meridina. "As in the Combine?"

"My father is the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, yes," Minoru said. "He gave me permission to come to this place."

Meridina nodded. "I felt your potential during our visit to Luthien. I am pleased to see you."

"And I you."

"Why did you come all the way to Solaris?" Lucy asked. "I'm surprised your father let you."

"My father understands what I seek," Minoru replied. "There are many roads to wisdom. Mine has been longer than it might have been, but it is worth it." Minoru looked again to Kasszas. "I am going for my meal now. The meditation chamber is yours."

"Thank you, Brother Minoru." Kasszas bowed his head in respect.

After the Kuritan prince departed, Kasszas stepped into the middle of the room. Lucy looked around at the chamber. An incense burner was on one end, a collection of tea cups and a kettle on the other. A nature scene showing a tall waterfall spewing teal-shaded water upon a forest of bright blue flora dominated the far entrance. Several sitting pads were in the room. Kasszas pulled an extra large one out, and Meridina another. Seeing what they were doing, Lucy took her own.

Once they were all gathered around the center, Meridina assumed her own meditative pose. Kasszas took one as well, his legs folded under him and his tail curled around them. Lucy sat cross-legged and set her elbows on her knees. "You have felt the power of Creation," Kasszas said to her. "You have seen with it. The frustrations I sense within you cloud your thoughts, obscure your connection to the whole of Creation. Such is the way with many beings. We blind ourselves to the truth. We are of Creation; Creation is within us."

Lucy nodded. "While the Gersallians see this power as a Flow of Life, created by the individual life forces of all beings, that we can tap into and we are supposed to strengthen."

"Yes. And I have meditated upon this. The way of Swenya, by word, is not that of the Harmonious Val-Drillim. But in the spirit, we are closer than might be imagined." Kasszas held up a scaly digit, tipped with a talon that Lucy knew could slice her throat open if applied. "We may all be different reflections of a single, greater truth. But you may never grasp this truth if you allow your frustration to cloud your judgement."

"I'm just dealing with a complicated mechanical problem," Lucy insisted. "I've tried everything that should work, but I keep hitting a limitation."

"I see." Kasszas' tongue flickered in thought. "Perhaps it is a matter of perception. I suggest you meditate upon the issue. Use your connection to Creation, my Sister, and you may find the answer you seek."

"I have been," Lucy said, trying to keep the heat from her voice. "I've thought about it over and over, run it through my head…"

"...and that is where you have taken the wrong path. You perceive the problem from the wrong direction. Think anew. Sense the power of Creation around you, sense it within yourself, and reconsider. Carefully."

After that the Zigonian went quiet, apparently dwelling upon his own meditations, Lucy turned to Meridina. She almost spoke but stopped.

 _This is why I brought you here, Lucy_ , Meridina's voice whispered in her mind. _I have helped you where I can on this. And I would be a terrible teacher if I didn't know when to step aside and bring you to another who might better help you._

Lucy sighed and nodded. With nothing more to do, she put her hands together on her lap and opened her senses up to the pulsing warmth of the Flow of Life.

* * *

Two levels down and a block away from where they had been ambushed, Jarod moved quietly through the shadows. The old habits of his time running from the Centre were coming back as if he was riding a bicycle again, for the first time as an adult.

At least, that was the theory of the analogy. Jarod's childhood in the Centre had precluded that sort of activity.

Calls home weren't working. Someone had put up a localized jamming field blocking most communications. This told him that whatever they were doing, they were about to make their move. Going for backup would be tricky. Their opponents had been tracking them and knew his face, and they were likely to have all public transportation routes blocked. He had scanned the 'scraper in question as best as he could. The entryways were mostly blocked, and there was shielding to prevent scans from getting inside.

But he knew there was at least one entryway. Getting to it would be a challenge. It would require planning.

Jarod liked challenges, of course, and as his track record showed, he was quite good with planning.

Coming out of the alley, Jarod's omnitool indicated the presence of things he would need. There was technology and gear in a nearby building. It was a squat structure built for this level alone. The marking outside was a flickering holo-sign that only said " _Bio-Outfitting Center_ ".

Jarod entered the door, which chimed as he did so. Inside were shelves filled with all sorts of gear and equipment, including climbing gear, laser emitter assemblies, and shop tools.

At the counter, a young man with a metal arm up to his right shoulder - bared by his tank top - was watching a hand-held holo-display showing two scantily-clad women fighting in a locker room. He looked up slowly as Jarod approached. "ey," he said. "Wot'll it be? The Surgeon's in."

"Surgeon _General_ ," a voice cried from inside the nearby door. A man in a white lab-coat emerged, his right hand a metal fist, his face dominated by a large chin. "I'm the damned _Surgeon General_." He noticed Jarod and grinned. "Ah, hello there. Here for a mod or three? I charge a tenth of what those over-priced yahoos in the upper blocks charge, and my mods are guaranteed against all infections."

"I'm not interested in getting modified," Jarod answered. He smiled widely. "But I'll pay for some of your gear, and an hour in your machine shop."

To that, the "Surgeon General" scoffed, "C'mon, pal, this isn't a do-it-yourself shop. You want to get into my machine shop, you gotta work here, and I'm not hiring. Now, if you're so chicken-sh…"

Before the four-letter word could be finished, the Surgeon General had reason to back up, given the look in Jarod's dark eyes and, more importantly, the pulse pistol now held toward his head. "Are you crazy, I've got prot…" Before his protest could finish, Jarod fired a stun blast into his chest, knocking the big-chinned man out. He turned to look toward the man at the counter.

Said young man shrugged. "I'm still watchin' this Birkin marathon, guv," he said. "'nd that bastard owes me two days' wages 'nd a new arm. Just stun 'n tie me 'fore ya go, so's 'e don't grog on?"

"Fair enough." Jarod pulled the stunned "Surgeon General" back to his office, where there was a nice chair to tie him to. Then he got to work, as quickly as he could, hoping Julia and Zack were okay. 

* * *

Julia woke up to feel tension in her shoulders and warmth at her back. The pain in her wrists confirmed the situation even before she opened her eyes and looked up to see her wrists bound above her head. She could make out another pair of hands lashed to hers and knew immediately that Zack was hanging behind her.

For a moment fear struck. She was being held prisoner, and she didn't know why. The fact they were alive meant that their captors wanted something from them. What did they plan to do?

Another fear hit afterward. _Jarod!_ She'd seen him go over the railing. Why? Did he have a plan? Or was it a reflex reaction to being caught and being more willing to die than to be captured by anyone? Was he still alive?

"Unh." Zack's head moved. He looked up and Julia felt his head smack against hers. "Ow," they said together. Julia would have kicked at him, but her ankles and Zack's were bound together too.

Julia took in their surroundings. It looked like a machine shop. Firearms and other devices were spread out on tables along with tools. The lights were on, although dimmed, and for the moment Julia couldn't make out any guards.

"Do you think we found the thieves?" Zack asked.

"We found _something_." Julia looked up again. Their captors had left them hanging from a latch, attached by a strong steel wire to a pulley arm. "Looks like this is used to lift engine blocks or something." Looking down again, she saw a cement floor. Her feet were just touching it.

"What do you think they want us alive for?"

"Ransom. Slavery. Tickle torture." Julia kept studying the latch above. Her omnitool had been removed, a precaution against it having anything to cut them free. "Take your pick. I'm just glad we're not butt-naked."

"Yeah, that would be awkward," Zack agreed. "They've got our guns too."

"You see them?"

"Yep. And our omnitools."

"Maybe I…"

Julia shut up and looked to her right at the sound of a door opening. Said door was elevated up to Julia's shoulder blades, with a red-painted metal walkway leading to metal steps down to the ground she was barely standing on. Two figures walked in, wearing what looked like tactical gear and holding assault firearms. They took up stations at the door and said nothing.

A woman stepped in. Her skin was porcelain white in complexion. Deep, brilliant blue eyes shined like sapphires in the light as they took in the sight of Julia and Zack where they were bound. The suit was made of red leather with black trim and showed much of the figure of a lean, physically fit woman. She moved with a cat-like grace in walking down the metal walkway and to the steps leading down to the floor of the machine shop. In doing this, her turning allowed Julia to see a red band held raven black hair into a bun at the back of her head.

"Oh crap," Julia murmured, after which she gulped.

"What?" Zack asked. He couldn't easily see the new arrival as she was walking toward Julia's side of the room. "You recognize her?"

"I recognize the uniform."

"So you do," the woman said. Her accent had a strange quality to it. It didn't sound like English was her second language, but the phonetics of the pronunciation were unique even to Solaris, the vowel sounds sounding thick and pronounced. "My name is Tabitha. I am an agent of NEUROM."

"Nure-who?" Zack asked.

Tabitha narrowed her eyes. And then grinned. "Ah, yes. You are not so educated in the ways of our universe, are you outsider? And what of you?" Tabitha eyed Julia. You know of us?"

"I've seen one of yours. She was called Denna, a fugitive."

"Denna." Tabitha smirked. "My poor, sweet Denna. How I miss that girl. She was always a little too enthusiastic for our work. Enjoying pain is part of what we are in the Ministry of Fate. But one can have too much of a good thing."

"Great," Zack sighed. "I'm being held prisoner by a dominatrix."

"Zack," Julia hissed.

"I trust you know what this is, then?" The woman reached to her belt and held up an object that almost looked like a leather-covered eskrima stick, the kind Julia trained with while practicing that specific art. "You've seen an agiel used before, yes? You needn't answer, actually. I can see the fear in your eyes." After giggling for a moment, Tabitha stepped around them and faced Zack. "You are ignorant. I shall fix that. Now, what are you doing in the lowest levels."

"Sightseeing. Trying out the local food." Zack smirked at her. "Ever have a ratburger? There's a girl one level down, makes some really juicy…"

Just as the device started to move toward Zack, the door opened again. Another dark-clad figure, this one a big muscular woman with a gun slung over her shoulder, stepped in. "M'lady, it's time. We can't keep the jammers up much longer before it becomes suspicious."

"Hmm." Tabitha looked to her and noddded. "I'll be up in a minute. Have we found the target?"

"We have."

"Good. Ready the team. And have our people begin preparations to decommission this base. It's useless to us now."

"Of course, M'Lady. It will be as you command." She stepped out.

Tabitha stepped back around and faced Julia directly. "I'll make my decision on whether to kill you or bring you with us after I go." She got so close to Julia that their eyes met. "Bringing you back for debriefing would be quite the plum for this mission. And the chance for some playtime with you two is so tempting…"

Somehow, Julia knew that however tempting it was for Tabitha, she and Zack wouldn't find it so appealing.

"Ta, lovelies." Tabitha walked away, heading for the door. The lights dimmed down again as the door closed, leaving the two of them alone.

"This is the _worst_ shore leave _ever_ ," Zack grumbled. 

* * *

"This is the _best_ shore leave _ever_ ," Caterina declared.

The pizza, or "yum disc", had been tasty, and the drinks not bad. Now the three of them were walking along Ozone Heights and another line of shops. Caterina and Violeta now had bags of clothes on their right and left arms respectively, while their left and right hands were clasped together. Both were wearing matching sleeveless, navel-baring shirts of vibrant purple and blue colors that constantly shifted due to the specialized dyes of the clothes. They wore equally-matching blue skirts that stopped just above the knee.

Behind them, Angel followed with a wistful grin. She wasn't having quite so much fun. Indeed, her primary sentiment was that she was pretty sure the other two had exhausted their money supply and that the shopping would become window shopping only now. Meanwhile she checked her omnitool for any updates from the others and frowned at the result. She quickly tapped another query.

"I can't wait to wear that dress," Violeta said. "Especially if we get to go home… if girls on Sirius find out about this place…"

"...they'll all jump on the first liner to come shopping," Cat laughed. She felt weird, but good; she'd never been much of a shopper, and during their Europe tour what shopping they'd done had been mixed in with sight-seeing. Caterina looked back to where Angel was still following. "So, where do you want to go shopping?"

"I don't want to shop," Angel said. "I'm shocked you spent this much. How much of this stuff could you have just replicated up on the ship?"

"There's no replicator pattern that can match this!" Caterina declared, gesturing with her right hand to the shifting patterns on her shirt.

Angel shook her head. "That doesn't matter. And we need to get going."

Caterina frowned and stopped, prompting Violeta to turn with her. "Are you okay?" Cat asked Angel. "If you're not having fun we can do something else."

"It's not about fun," Angel snapped. "It's been too long since Julia's last check-in. And I just tried to raise them again and there's absolutely no response."

The other two ladies frowned. "That is bad," said Violeta.

Angel nodded. "And I can't get ahold of Robert either. He must be in the Embassy in a secure area."

"We should probably head back there, then," Caterina said.

Angel nodded, and they continued on.

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" Robert asked, twitching, while the Gersallian woman Kanilata held her fingers to his face. She had a complexion that made her look East Asian to Robert, though her face had the same basic facial structure as other Gersallians.

"I am almost done," she answered. "You are fortunate that my training as a _farisa_ allows me to do this as I am. Others would have to be more invasive to be sure."

"They didn't do anything to my head," Robert insisted.

"Unfortunately, CEID's _farisa_ are known to be capable of subtle alterations to a mind. We had to send one of our clerks back when she was found slipping our daily decrypted communiques to CEID operatives. She had been manipulated mentally to have a subconscious impulse to send the information." Kanilata frowned deeply. "It is a terrible abuse of mental powers."

"And you're afraid they did this to me?"

"We must take precautions against it. Now please, be silent again, and let me concentrate."

Robert frowned and did so.

* * *

Lucy was surprised to see how well she kept her focus in meditation. It was as if the energy around her encouraged it, allowing her to ease her thoughts and let her mind calm. She could feel the warmth of the Flow of Life and how the ember of power within her resonated with it. She could sense Meridina's power as always, strong, inviting, and laced with benevolent intent. She enjoyed that sensation, stripped of the doubt and fear that had plagued Meridina for those months after Amaunet took her as an unwilling host, and she signed with contentment at its presence near her.

Kasszas was different. There was a special feel to his power, a contentment, a sense of absolute surrender to the Flow of Life, as if Kasszas could simply dissolve himself into it. It resonated around him in reply, as if he were a part of it.

It made sense. He was blind. The Zigonian being bereft of a major sense encouraged the bond he felt to the Flow of Life, to his own power, because it was what he saw the world through.

A thought came to Lucy. Was that her limitation? For all that she had learned with these powers, with this connection to a wider energy around her… she still often thought in hard terms. She had become an engineer, and engineers dealt with the firm limits of reality all of the time. The limitations of materials, of energy, of design.

Limitations like the crystals for her recreation of Swenya's Blade.

She had done everything right, hadn't she? She's taken what she saw in the scans, in the design, and she'd recreated it. But it was simply too much energy for the crystals. And there were some good crystals, strong, beautiful, why didn't they work?

 _What am I doing wrong?_ she wondered. _I'm looking at this from the wrong place. Maybe there's another way to see this? Something I'm overlooking? I should double-check those scans…_

Lucy stopped herself. No. That wasn't the answer, was it? That would be continuing to look at the problem from the same direction. She needed to try another direction.

She felt within herself, and around herself, she felt the energy and she let go of her preconceptions. The answer was there. It had to be. She'd felt all this time that she would do this, that she could do this, and maybe this… maybe _this_ was the way she would.

From the warmth of the energy came a sight. The Gersallian Council Chamber. _Mastrash_ Goras, his essence full of darkness, his hate murderous. Robert and Angel desperately trying to hold him off. And in her hand… the weapon. The blade. Swenya's Blade.

She had felt within it. She had felt the pieces as they should be, as they had been shifted to disable the weapon. She remembered fixing it. Activating the blade at the last second. The sapphire light that filled her vision, the way the photons and the plasma moved within the confines of the blade's field.

Lucy dwelled on that vision. On the blade. On what it felt like, on what was within. The pieces she had fixed.

And as she did so, Lucy let go of the scans she had taken. She let go of all of the work she had done so far on making the blade herself. There was only the blade she had held and what she had felt inside, the way it was formed. The beauty and elegance of the design.

 _Of course_ , Lucy thought.

"Of course," she murmured aloud. "That's why the crystals don't work."

"Lucy?"

Lucy opened her eyes. Meridina was looking at her intently. "You have meditated more deeply than I have ever seen you before," Meridina said plainly.

"Yeah." Lucy nodded.

"And?" Meridina's lips curled into the slightest smile. "It seems to have given you new insight."

She nodded again in reply. "It has."

"And?"

"And… I think I'm going to try something when we get back to the ship."

Meridina nodded. The smile faded. "But we must do something first."

"Oh?"

"I have just spoken with Angel." Now Meridina frowned slightly. "Julia and her team are not answering communications. And the _Aurora_ is detecting a jamming field in that section of Solaris."

Lucy frowned in reply. "The Solarians are going to do something about that, I hope?"

"Nicholas has been in contact with their security command. They are investigating. But I believe they may be too late. We must…"

"Meridina _-san_."

The two looked back from their sitting positions to the door. Minoru Kurita was standing in the doorway, bowing slightly. "Forgive me for interrupting, Meridina- _san_. But Jata'kesti sent me to inform you that a street urchin has come seeking you and Lucilla Lucero. He has found your vehicle."

Meridina and Lucy both stood up. "I sense you must go now," Kasszas said. " _Theezs kuzzs ta zas_ , Sisters. Creation's Light remain with you."

" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ , Kasszas," Meridina replied.

Minoru escorted them back out to the foyer where Jata'kesti awaited with Toby. The large Jeaxian remained quiet at his place watching the young urchin. There was a slight fear in him, not so much of the alien but of the powers here, and all of the stories told about espers.

"I found yar larc, Miss," he said to Lucy. "It's in a dock off Farshal Square, west side. Th' ol' Pan-Em buildin'."

"Pan-Em?" Meridina looked at him intently. "As in Pan-Empyrean?"

"Yair, Miss. Yaint gonna miss it, got th' winged sign 'n all. A fellow street-runner tol' me 'bout it, I went 'n grogged it, looked through th' window."

The two nodded at each other. They could sense Toby was speaking the truth. Lucy promptly pulled the rest of the promised money out of her pocket and gave it to him. "Stay safe."

"I grog yar worried, Miss, but I'm good." He looked over the money. "'n thanks, this'll cove some grub for me sibs."

With that Toby left. "An interesting coincidence," Meridina murmured.

"Maybe the theft was an inside job. Or the thieves figure nobody will look in an old Pan-Empyrean building?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps there is more to this game than we thought." Meridina tapped a couple of keys on her omnitool. "Meridina to Dale." When there was no response, she said, "Meridina to Delgado."

After a moment Angel replied, " _Delgado here_."

"We may have a lead. Meet me in the Sprawl. I'm relaying where we need to go. And do you know where Robert is? I can't reach him."

" _The Embassy's putting him through the wringer right now to make sure the Solarians didn't fill him with nanites or screw his head up_ ," answered Angel. " _He should be out shortly, if everything's fine_. _We're on our way now._ "

"We will be waiting. Meridina out." After ending the call Meridina and Lucy left the Enclave.

* * *

At the Embassy's parking lot, Angel looked over the transport schedules and frowned. "There's no public transport heading to the Sprawl any time soon," she said to the others. "And I don't want Lucy and Meridina going in alone."

"And they'll be mad if we bring a shuttle or runabout down," Cat said. "So we need to find other transportation. Maybe the Embassy can help?"

"I'm not sure they will."

"They probably won't."

The three looked to where Robert stepped up. "I just spent hours getting all of my atoms scanned, my omnitool completely dismantled and reassembled, and my mind probed," he said, after which he scowled and added, "And then they made me take laxatives for good measure just in case the scan missed anything in the food."

"Yikes," Caterina said, wincing.

Robert nodded once to her and continued, "Nick left me some messages about Julia and her team going radio silent, but according to reports, that entire area's been cut off from electronic transmissions."

"A jamming field, I'd say," Caterina remarked.

"Meridina left me a message about a lead in the Sprawl?"

"Yeah, we just talked," Angel said. "They tracked the suspect vehicle to an old Pan-Empyrean building."

Robert frowned at that. "Now that sounds suspicious. And Hank did think it could be an inside job."

"If it's there, though, why would someone be jamming communications from Commander Andreys' team?" Violeta asked.

"It could be unrelated. Either way, Meridina and Lucy are waiting for us. And all we need is transportation that can get us there in time." Angel nodded her head toward the main doors. "Do you think the Embassy…?"

"Fry wants to keep his people out of this," Robert said. "But I have an idea who to call." He activated his omnitool's communication function and put in a call number on the Sovereignty comm network. After a few moments a man of light tan complexion appeared on the screen. "Mister Chandra? This is Captain Dale of the _Aurora_. We've found a possible site for the stolen component and my people need backup. If you wouldn't mind picking us up…" 

* * *

Time had passed in the machine shop. Tired of the silence, Zack broke it by asking, "Do you think the others are coming?"

"Even if they are, they may not know where to go. You heard them talk about jamming. Even if Jarod survived…" She stopped. If anyone could figure their way around such a problem, it'd be Jarod. "We have to assume that our only way out of here is to get out ourselves."

"Right." Zack nodded. "Ideas?"

Julia looked back up. "If our ankles weren't bound together this would be easy. But I don't think we're flexible enough to lift ourselves enough to get to the latch." She looked beyond the latch to the cord above. "They never planned for prisoners. And this stuff isn't made for holding people."

"Yeah, but I bet it's made for heavy stuff, heavier than us."

"Maybe, maybe not." Julia took in a breath. "Okay, on the count of three, swing back my way."

"Right."

"One… two… three!"

Acting in concert the two began to sway their bodies in the same direction, back and forth, until they began to swing slowly. There was a metallic creak above them as they progressed. Sweat began to form from the effort and their arm muscles were hurting from the increased strain.

The effort ceased without any visible success. "Dammit." Julia looked back up at it. "Okay, maybe if we… when's the last time you did pull ups?"

"During the last physical training run, last week," Zack answered. "The one Leo organized. But you said we couldn't get to the latch."

"No, but maybe if we bring ourselves up as high as we can and then drop, it might do something."

"Yeah, like tear our shoulder joints."

"Maybe, but…"

"Julia, I don't think we're getting out of this." Zack drew in a breath. "These people know what they're doing. They wouldn't tie us in a way that would make it possible for us to escape."

Julia frowned and turned her head instinctively, wishing she could face Zack. "We can't just give up."

"No. But I don't call biding our time so we don't injure ourselves 'giving up'," Zack retorted.

"If they come back into this room, it's going to be to kill us or move us," Julia replied. "This is our chance to get away. Or do you want to be that woman's plaything?"

"Not necessarily."

"Then we need to find a way out of here," she insisted. "So think!" 

* * *

Jarod returned to the skyscraper structure where they had been attacked, but one level below where the attack had taken place. His now gloved hands flexed while he worked up his nerve for a moment. _Here goes nothing_.

After reaching to his back and the powered unit there, he pulled the climbing spikes tied to it, one for each hand, and drove them into the surface of the 'scraper just at the end of the ledge. The hardened surface material would not have given for ordinary climbing spikes, but the powered unit attached to him generated a short-range graviton effect at the edge, effectively giving a powered thrust to the spikes as they drove home. Chunks of metal and ferrocrete fell away with each strike as he rounded the corner of the building and began to climb up. The magnets now attached to his boots had come from a mod meant for people to work in Solaris' zero-G zones. There wasn't enough ferrous material in the structure to allow him to actually walk on it, but it did help secure his feet while the spikes did the bulk of the climbing work.

It was not as physically taxing as normal climbing would have been, with the spikes' nature driving them home without needing much muscle power behind them. Sweat nevertheless trickled from his brow at the effort of lifting himself up and the knowledge that if his grip failed, he would likely end up splattered on the ground half a kilometer below.

* * *

Hanging by your arms in a machine shop as captives to some nasty dominatrix-like lady in leather can be a trying experience, Zack was finding.

Oh, he had been in danger before, of course. That feeling came whenever you went into a starship combat mission, the idle thought that you wouldn't be coming back from it. That it might be the mission where a lucky enemy shot, or just a whole lot of enemy shots, would blow you to pieces, and that would be that. But that's a different beast to the sheer, frightening uncertainty of being a captive, of not knowing what would be done to you. Would you be beaten? Killed? Something worse? And the way he had nearly felt Julia's breath pick up when that leather-wearing chick had come in told him she was just as afraid.

"Still nothing?" he asked.

He was answered by a growl of frustration.

"If we get out of this, maybe you should take that command offer, just so this doesn't happen again," Zack suggested. In the distance, he thought he heard engine noises. Tabitha was off for whatever it was she was doing.

"Zack, now isn't the time to talk about the _Enterprise_ , or anything _but_ how to get the hell out of here before that lunatic comes back," snapped Julia.

"Right." He drew in a sigh and looked around again. And again, he didn't see much of anything they could do. If their ankles weren't tied together too, one of them could have easily pulled themselves up and maybe work their wrists free. But they just didn't have the freedom of movement.

"We should try to swing again," Julia said. "That latch looks like it might be a little worn."

Zack looked back at it. He didn't see anything like that, and chalked it up to Julia indulging in wishful thinking.

So they did. They managed to get themselves rocking quite a bit, which wasn't much fun. But the latch held.

"God damn thing!" Julia swore.

For a moment, Zack let himself give up on the idea of rescue. He imagined that very soon, they'd be dead, or wishing they were dead, and they certainly wouldn't be in a position to talkt o each other. "Julia…"

"Zack, don't start. Get ready to swing again. One… two…"

They tried again. There was a slight metallic creaking. But the latch wasn't giving way.

"If we don't get out of this, it might be our last chance to talk," Zack said.

Julia let out a breath. "I know," she said.

"Yeah, so maybe we should say what we need to."

"Right." For a moment she went silent. Julia didn't want to stop fighting. She knew if she did, if she gave up, then the uncertainty, the despair, would come. And she might fall to pieces, and it might bring Zack with her. And what good would that do?

Besides, she'd made a promise. She'd promised Robert, _Robby_ , that she wouldn't give up and that she would trust in him coming to save her.

Zack swallowed and whet his throat. He couldn't keep his heart was doing a thud-thud as he imagined how he would say what he felt he needed to say. "I have a confession to make," he said. "And I think you should know that…"

Before he could finished they heard the door creak open. They both looked toward it and were momentarily surprised to see nobody there.

At least, not until it was closed. Once the door closed a figure shimmered into view.

"Jarod!" Julia cried, her voice hoarse from her attempt to keep it from sounding too loud.

"Well, it looks like you've been hanging around while I did all of the hard work," Jarod teased. He pulled out his pulse pistol from the small of his back, where the holster was still wedged just below the bulky power pack. He checked the setting for a moment before bringing the pistol up in both hands to look down its eyesight. A blue pulse erupted with a _whup_ sound and smacked into the hook they were bound too. The metal gave way to the sudden strike of energy and broke, freeing their wrists in the process. They fell over due to how their ankles were strapped together. Zack twisted with Julia while Jarod hurried down the steps and pulled one of his climbing spikes up from where it was attached to his waist. With a single strike he severed the straps holding their ankles together. "There. So, is this it?"

"I don't know, I don't think so," Julia answered.

"That lady said something about a target and finding it," Zack added. He was now standing where their omnitools and guns were laid out. He put his holster on his back and slipped the omnitool brace back into place on his arm. "This may have nothing to do with it." He tossed Julia's gun, holster, and omnitool back to her.

As she put them back on, she looked to Jarod and continued, "She was one of those leather-wearing dark powers types. Like the one Miss Parker hired when she abducted you."

Jarod frowned. "Did she hurt you?"

"She was about to, but apparently this 'target' mattered more. But she talked about taking us back with her, and I get the feeling hurting us was part of that plan." Julia shivered at that thought. "We've been out of communication for too long. We need to get in contact with the others."

"They're still jamming," Jarod said. "We'll need to get out of here. They've still gone one vehicle left that we can hijack."

"Do you know how to drive these things?" Zack asked. When Jarod gave him a sardonic look he said, "Right, yeah, I forgot who I was talking to."

They walked up to the door and went through it, guns out and ready. The place was a converted vehicle garage with a bank of monitors toward one end and converted sleeping places. A long rack of firearms was half-empty on that far end. Figures were arrayed back by the monitors, watching something they couldn't make out. Jarod quietly closed the door to the machine shop while Julia and Zack approached the last vehicle in the garage. With nobody in or around it they were able to slip into it, leaving the driver's seat for Jarod.

Once Jarod slipped into it, he brought up his omnitool. "This is going to be a close one," he warned them while working the controls. "Here we… go!"

With a button press Jarod activated a remote signal to the bay door. It immediately began to open. Zack was looking through the rear window of the hovercar - which it was to him, official name be damned - and noticed the figures by the monitors reacting. They shouted and began to jump up, still surprised for the moment.

Their uncertainty vanished when Jarod brought the LARC"s anti-grav engines online. Guns were pulled and orange fire erupted across the garage. Several shots hit the rear of the vehicle, blasting metal and frame away. The occupants were pulled back across their seats by the acceleration when Jarod jammed his foot onto the accelerator. The vehicle rushed from the bay into the outside air. Jarod banked it to avoid slamming into the skyscraper opposite of the bay they'd come from and took a moment to level them out.

Zack let out a whoop. "Nice going, Jarod."

Julia was already trying to contact the others with her omnitool. "Still no response."

"We're not out of the jamming field yet," Jarod said. "I didn't see much, but those weapons aren't the right type. I don't think that was our group."

"So this might have been for nothing," Zack said.

"Maybe, maybe not. Right now I just want to get a hold of the others." Julia tried her omnitool again.

This time she was rewarded by a crackle. ".. _.to Andreys. Ar-... there? -ale to… -dreys, are you there?_ "

With a smile, Julia nodded. "I'm here. We're safe."

" _What happened?_ "

"Oh, abduction, rescue, the usual," Julia answered. "Do we have any updates?"

" _Meridina and Lucero may have something. Head to Farshal Square in the Sprawl._ "

Julia looked to Jarod, who nodded. "We're on our way." 

* * *

The Sprawl was less active in the area around the Pan-Empyrean subsidiary building. There were still people moving around, but the markets were thinner here. This was an area of the Sprawl that had seen better times.

Meridina and Lucy arrived in Farshal Square and looked at the four-story high structure. "I don't like the feeling of this place," Lucy said.

"Nor do I. Whoever is in there may be expecting trouble." Meridina checked her omnitool. "Robert indicates they are still several minutes out. We have time to wait."

Lucy nodded. Even as she did so, however, something felt… off. A sense of looming danger was filling her. She noticed the sudden look in Meridina's eyes and knew Meridina felt the same. "And if we don't, we need to figure out what to do."

Meridina was already looking around, trying to sense an incoming attack.

As it turned out, it wasn't an attack that was incoming.

A vehicle not too different from the one they were tracking suddenly flew overhead, joined by another. One landed at the front of the building while the other hovered over it. Figures jumped from the top. Lucy felt a dark presence among them. "Uh oh," she muttered.

"It would appear that something of consequence is happening," Meridina said. "And I feel it too, Lucy. There is a _swevyra'kse_ among them."

The team that landed in front blasted through the front door. An explosion of debris from the top of the building said they were entering from there too. "They're definitely not the Wild Geese," Lucy said. "Someone else might be looking for that component." She pulled her _lakesh_ and extended it.

"Then let us go," Meridina agreed, doing the same.

With their _lakesh_ blades out, they ran toward the opened front door. A guard watching said door turned to face them only as they got close. He brought his gun up but never fired it, as Meridina sent a wave of power that tossed him back to the ground hard. They ran in and Lucy took the moment to slice the gun in half with her weapon.

They were in what used to be a front office. A sign read "Pan-Empyrean Consumer Works" on one wall. "It must have been a factory or warehouse," Lucy said as they continued on, following the sounds of battle and an occasional scream of agony.

Their next foe came in the corridor they entered between offices. He had a different dark suit than the first that marked him as a defending party, not attacker. He had enough range to open fire. Lucy and Meridina caught his shots with their weapons and deflected several pulses back into him, knocking the armed man over.

 _This way_ , Meridina urged with mentally, and Lucy followed. They found a door leading out into an open factory or warehouse area. There were signs of occupation on a long-term, like a portable stove and sleeping cots. Now they were a mess and armed men were still exchanging fire. The two went unnoticed for the moment focused. The pull of their instincts, or rather their powers, led them to notice a far door that was open. "That might lead to a rear dock. They're probably fleeing!"

Getting to the far door meant rushing into the open and being exposed to a crossfire. Lucy's heart pounded for a moment at going into that kill zone, but she steadied herself, raised her blade, and joined Meridina in rushing the gauntlet. Their _lakesh_ blades sung in the air, looking almost ethereal with the faint blue of their EM fields as they moved through the air to intercept shots fired at the two women. Their opponents were firing at them and at each other, although those were often the same thing. But Meridina and Lucy did not stop. Could not stop, as stopping meant being overwhelmed.

Lucy had deflected fire before, but she felt a strange ease at it. She could feel the shots coming with even greater warning time than before. Her life energy, connected by the Flow of Life to the wider cosmos, let her easily guess where the shots would go, and her arms thrummed with power as they moved with speed and grace to get her blade into positions to intercept those shots if they might harm her or Meridina.

The entire mad dash lasted barely ten seconds, such was their speed in covering the gap. Soon they too were going through the door and into a hall. Three dead bodies spoke of the brief firefight as one force retreated from the other. They kept going.

The other end was the loading dock. A number of armed men and women, at least half a dozen, were arrayed around a lithe male figure carrying a container, the same one from the Pan-Empyrean videos. Other armed men and women were behind cover firing at them. Even as one defender fell, the others approached the vehicle that they were going to escape in.

Lucy and Meridina took a moment to concur on their attack. When they moved, their first objective was knocking out the two nearest gunmen, reducing the fire they would have to run through. Lucy let Meridina take the lead and focused on deflecting the fire coming at her.

And then she felt it. The dark power surged. A laugh echoed in the room as a lovely figure in red leather dropped from the upper level right in the middle of the initial set of thieves. She had only one leather-bound stick in her hand, but the moment it pressed against one of her foes, he or she let out a scream and toppled. She took out half of the remaining defensive shooters in seconds before she turned to the one with the container. She held a hand out and he stopped in his tracks.

Lucy, by this point, was focused on protecting Meridina's back from incoming fire, so it was Meridina who watched as the man struggled to move forward. But the woman in leather would not be denied. Her dark power increased and the man soon fell to a knee, gagging, as an invisible vice tightened around his throat. Meridina made the calculation immediately. The woman was the priority target, a threat to them all. She brought her _lakesh_ up, bounded over a fallen shooter, and swung it toward her.

At the last moment the woman in leather twisted away. She scowled at Meridina. "A damned Magi. What are you doing after this thing?"

"I am a _swevyra'se_ of Gersal," Meridina announced. "And I have come to reclaim the device for its owner."

"I'm Tabitha of the Ministry of Fate, and you just made a big mistake." Tabitha lunged at Meridina with her weapon. Meridina evaded the blow and brought her blade into position to cut at the weapon. Her opponent evaded that and threw a wicked kick that nearly caught Meridina in the face and forced her to back up. She swung again and Meridina evaded, even as she felt the growing rage and frustration of her foe.

The man with the container began to crawl toward the vehicle. Lucy noticed him and made a split second decision. She rushed forward, as fast as she could, and jumped over the line of defensive shooters just as they laid down fire, narrowly avoiding their shots. She flipped in mid-air and landed beside the man with the container. A swipe of her weapon cut the straps holding it to him, freeing the device. She pulled it away from him. "I've got it!"

That made her the focus of a large volume of fire. Lucy put everything she had into sending the shots back to sender. Her blade became a blur of blue light and metal.

Tabitha broke away from Meridina to pursue the device herself. Meridina turned to pursue before converging fire forced her to focus on the defense. She sent a mental warning to Lucy.

Lucy heeded it. She saw Tabitha's attack coming and parried it, moving to her side and sending Tabitha flying.

Flying, as it turned out, right into the compartment with the device, knocking it into the nearby LARC. It bounced back into the air, right in the crossfire between Lucy and the others. Multiple shots started striking it, wrecking the hinge of the container and charring much of its surface.

When it finally hit the ground, it cracked open, one half spilling away, and exposed its contents.

Lucy and Meridina both felt the danger first. They moved toward each other, ignoring the wrecked container. The various gunmen didn't. While some kept shooting, others rushed to seize what was inside.

Before they could take more than a step or two, _something_ moved. There was a sudden surge of mass, and both Meridina and Lucy watched a _familiar_ amber mass erupt from its former imprisonment. A tentacle of amber became a hardened spike of sharp metal that pierced the throat of an armored woman who was closest to the container. The spike immediately retracted back into the amber fluid it had come from, which formed into a vicious serpent. A serpent she had seen before… on the floor of the Alliance Senate.

"Oh _crap_ ," was all Lucy could say before the Changeling attacked.


	71. Episode 2-14-5 Solarian Nights

The Changeling remembered the fight in the Senate and clearly marked Lucy and Meridina as the greatest threats. Lucy saw the strike coming just in time to dodge the shapeshifter's lung for her throat. While moving her blade remained in motion as well, swinging in mid-air and deflecting another shot coming her way in the chaotic melee.

Tabitha was already back to her knees and preparing to get up when she spotted the Changeling. A flicker of surprise came to her face. Whatever she had expected the container to hold, it hadn't been what was now harrying Lucy.

Meridina reached out with her power and struck at the Changeling as it curled around Lucy's ankles. The Changeling stopped in mid-movement, held in place before it could finish tripping Lucy up, which in turn bought her time to step out. In turn Lucy moved her blade to deflect more fire coming toward all of them.

Tabitha lunged at Meridina. She sensed the attack coming a moment too late. Tabitha's agiel pressed against her back and pain overwhelmed Meridina, causing her to cry out and topple to a knee. She let go of the Changeling.

Lucy heard her cry and knew that she had just a second or two to react. She focused for a moment. She reached inside of herself for the warm power within her, the glowing connection to everything else, and drew strength from it. Just as the Changeling went for her legs Lucy jumped in the air. She flipped in mid-air and landed behind Tabitha as the vicious woman raised her weaponf or another blow on Meridina. Upon landing Lucy held her free left hand up with her palm outward, throwing. A solid wall of unseen force smashed into Tabitha and tossed her backward. She landed among the team of original thieves and rolled with the impact until she was crouched. Her weapon flashed out and struck one of her other adversaries. The gunwoman screamed and collapsed.

The Changeling was already turning back toward them. Lucy sensed hesitation in it. Clearly this was a chaotic fight among different groups, and the Changeling could see the opportunity to flee. The viper turned amber again, coalescing with a slight _gloop_ into a hawk that jumped into the air.

Lucy prepared to strike at it. But Tabitha was already moving again, and her target was Meridina, still recovering from what Tabitha's weapon had done to her. Lucy could sense the outcome there: Meridina would not survive.

So she moved, intercepting Tabitha's raised weapon with her _lakesh_. The blade didn't destroy the agiel as she had expected it to. Tabitha's face was contorted into frustrated rage and she lashed out with her full power. Lucy got her blade up in time to catch the crackling lightning before it could strike her body.

Meridina was picking herself back up from the floor at this point. She held her _lakesh_ up to deflect a few stray shots sent toward her. She sensed that the Changeling was overhead even now, but with the incoming fire and the proximity of the _swevyra'kse_ , she could not stop it.

The Changeling dropped back to the floor at the bay door exit to the garage. There was a clear sense of triumph in the creature as it took a humanoid form and used fingers to operate the control panel. The door began to slide open. Meridina turned her head enough to see the sneer of triumph on the irregular humanoid face. The Changeling, without opposition, stepped into the open bay door.

It never saw the LARC coming.

The vehicle swooped in and slammed into the Changeling with enough force that it flew across the garage. It disintegrated into its natural gelatinous state by the time it hit the ground.

The LARC twisted to the right at the last moment. The doors of the vehicle slid open. Julia and Zack came out from the passenger side and pulled out pulse pistols. They opened fire on Tabitha's troops on the far side of the garage, using the vehicle as cover Given the range and target size they had little chance of hitting, but their shots had the desired effect of forcing them to duck for cover. One put an object on the ground that expanded and created an energy field about three feet high, providing instant cover.

Jarod, meanwhile, finished crawling across the front seats and left from the passenger side, using the others' covering fire to run up to the control panel. A few key presses were all that were necessary to close the door. It might have only been a second, but he knew what he'd seen. "The door's closed!" he said. "It can't get out!"

"What was that thing?" Zack asked.

"A Changeling," answered Jarod. He pulled his own pulse pistol out and joined Julia and Zack behind the cover of the LARC.

"The second floor!" Julia shouted. The catwalk above had been empty, but now more armed figures were arriving. She didn't think they looked like Tabitha's people; they were clearly aligned with the original thieves. She held her pistol up and opened fire. Most of her shots missed, but one took one of their opponents in the shoulder and brought him or her down.

Zack, nearest to the front of the LARC, opened up on one of Tabitha's armed goons attempting to move along the wall. The soldier was driven back into cover.

As this part of the gunfight continued, the fight in the middle of the room was still on. Tabitha had given up on her lightning attack and was dueling with Lucy. Lucy's blade had greater reach, but Tabitha was an agile opponent and her weapon was quicker to move. Lucy fell back on the defensive. Nearby Meridina was continuing to fight defensively as well given the sheer volume of fire coming at them.

 _We must stop the Changeling from escaping_ , she said to the others mentally.

 _Agreed_ was Julia's sentiment. She kept firing on the upper catwalk with Jarod's help. One of his shots was a clean headshot, causing the soldier to topple over the catwalk.

But the volume of fire didn't let up. They were driven back into cover, and that cover wasn't going to last long given that one group of their adversaries held the high ground. _These guys are pros_ , Jarod thought, and through Meridina the five _Aurora_ crew heard him. _The only reason we're not getting overwhelmed is that they're also fighting the other team._

And they've got damned assault weapons

, Zack threw in.

The additional complication re-asserted itself a moment later. The mass of amber fluid formed into short, four-legged scaly creature that skittered across the garage floor for the nearest LARC. Once it was under it the LARC began to shift. Suddenly the form of a massive six-limbed creature, with hardened scales and fur, appeared below it, lifting the LARC under four arms. The creature bellowed with effort and tossed the LARC toward Lucy and Meridina.

Both saw it coming, as did Tabitha. All three turned suddenly and used their powers to throw the LARC upward. It slammed into the far catwalk and crushed it and the soldiers gathering there.

The Changeling shifted shape again, becoming the viper, and shot toward the door control panel. Meridina turned to pursue it while Lucy was left to struggle with Tabitha. Energy fire descended around them and forced both to move back toward the remaining LARC and the bay door as well. Julia and Zack tried with frantic effort to squeeze off shots. Return fire kept them pinned in. And Julia noticed that the LARC they'd piloted in was starting to come apart from the repeated hits. Soon they wouldn't have any cover, and they would be gunned down.

"Isn't Robert bringing those mercs in?!" Zack asked over the constant electronic _whup_ s and _wips_ and _WHOMs_ of weapons fire.

"He is. They should be here any…"

The far part of the garage door exploded inward.

The vehicle that appeared in the new gap in the door was a larger LARC than the others. A protective energy field popped into place around it. Weapons fire sloughed off the sapphire energy of the field, which protected those on the inside as they poured out, weapons blazing. In the lead was a man, his cybernetics-covered face revealed by the transparent faceplate of his combat helmet. The big assault rifle in his arms began to blast away with a steady _WHOM WHOM WHOM_ , showering orange energy blasts on any target ahead of him that drove the various gunpersons back to cover.

A dark-clad, lithe figure came out next. He jumped all the way up to the ruined catwalk and then to the wall. Zack and Julia watched in surprise as the figure pulled out a solid sword that looked suspiciously like a vibrating katana. The figure's free hand whipped out and there were suddenly metal blades protruding from the throat of the two nearest enemy troops. The group behind them turned to open fire, just to find that the black-clad figure had jumped to the ceiling. He ran across said ceiling for three quick steps and then jumped back down as energy fire traced his path. His trajectory brought him into the midst of his foes. He landed and spun about. Three separate heads fell in the opposite direction from bodies they had once been connected to.

The third, power-suited figure that came out didn't carry a gun. But it was quickly evident that the thin woman didn't need it. She held a hand up and the firearms from the dead fighters all started to rise. They spun to face the other side and erupted in fire.

Other armed figures moved around her and the lead soldier with speed, throwing enough firepower that Julia and the others found themselves freed for the moment from needing to stay in cover. They noticed Angel was with the mercs, wearing a tactical armor suit and carrying one of their firearms so she could lay down fire with the rest of them.

Seeing the black-suited figure in action, Zack chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, of course, a ninja. Why not? This world is nuts already."

But even as this fight turned, the Changeling was still a threat. It turned back on Meridina suddenly, just before it got to the controls. To avoid being impaled by the metal spike it formed on its body she shifted and dropped to her knees. Her hand reached out and the viper-shaped Changeling went flying back into the garage door near the control panel. This time Meridina kept her focus on it, pinning the Changeling in place.

Tabitha was still occupied fighting Lucy. Lucy was struggling hard to keep up with the agile woman, who mixed her strikes up with bursts of lightning that Lucy caught with her _lakesh_. Sensing what was happening behind her, Tabitha suddenly dropped and slid away under her own power… right as Julia and Zack opened fire on her from the rear. Lucy was forced to swing her blade rapidly to reflect their shots.

Tabitha, now in a good position, rolled on the ground to orientate herself toward them and threw everything she had into one large wave of force, powerful and wide enough that Lucy, Julia, Zack, and even Jarod were sent flying. She turned toward Meridina, who ducked her attack and brought her blade over to parry the next.

Unfortunately, this forced her to let the Changeling go. The Changeling promptly turned into a hawk and took to the air again, heading toward the breach in the garage bay door above the LARC. It was mere seconds away from freedom.

Force grabbed it and threw it against the intact part of the bay door before dragging it down. Robert was standing at the door of the attack LARC, wearing a tactical vest as well, his hand up to focus his power on holding the Changeling. Cat and Violeta moved out next, in tactical protective gear, with the former's omnitool popping into existence. Electricity zapped from it and struck the Changeling. It lost form, stunned by the shock, and became a puddle of amber on the floor. "Violeta, see if you can put together a container for it," Robert said. He could sense the enraged being, and he knew that rage, that sense. He had felt this thing before. He'd met it on the floor of the Alliance Senate, and as he thought of that, certain pieces of the puzzle clicked together.

Violeta nodded and started going through the back section of the LARC to find suitable gear. Around them the battle was quickly turning against both sets of hostiles. Mr. Chandra and his Wild Geese were taking apart the opposition with practiced ease. Success was theirs.

The Changeling suddenly shifted. It must have been putting all of its willpower together to move against the omnitool stunner and Robert's power. He could feel its mass coalescing into a new form. A short, eight-legged mammalian creature with wicked teeth. It bounded out of the shock field and rushed on Cat and Robert.

Caterina held a second longer than Robert expected. But she flinched in the end. He couldn't blame her; he blamed himself for bringing her on a mission like this, and he wished he'd known it was a Changeling given what Cat went through on 33LA. But it was too late for such considerations. Caterina moved, trying to get away, and the electrical shock dissipated. The Changeling moved with renewed strength and Robert found he couldn't easily hold it. The tongue of its animal form lashed out with a shape-shifted metal spike at the end. He had to duck to evade it, costing him his concentration. The Changeling was free.

For a couple of seconds, anyway, before Angel and Jason Chandra both opened fire on it. Large orange pulses of energy, accompanied by the _WHOM WHOM WHOM_ of their weapons, slammed into the creature. It rippled and shifted from the impacts, which formed amber patches as the creature lost its shape from the attack. Robert called out "Stop!", but he already knew it was too late. The fire continued on for another second until entire thing disintegrated into ash.

Tabitha had her own problems. Meridina was holding her at bay with ease, and she could sense Lucy coming up behind her and Julia and the others bringing guns to bear on her. Tabitha turned away from Meridina and backed up toward the wall, facing Meridina and Lucy's blades and the guns in the hands of Julia, Jarod, and Zack. Meridina sensed Tabitha's recognition of her situation and said, "You know this battle is lost, dark one. Surrender."

That drew a snarl. "We don't surrender," Tabitha declared.

And then for a brief moment she yelped, in absolute pain, even as Meridina cried out, "No!", after which Tabitha's body folded lifelessly onto the floor.

Jarod scanned the remains. "My God," he murmured, looking at the results on his omnitool. "Whatever she did, it destroyed her brain. It literally liquified the entire organ in seconds."

"I sensed the thought," Meridina said. Her face was pale. "I sensed her death. It was a… compulsion. She recognized imminent capture and it triggered something."

"A suicide pill or module in her head." Julia shook her head and looked down at the cruel woman who had been ready to torment her and Zack. "That's a nasty way to go, too."

By now it was clear the fighting was over. Robert and the others approached them. "Well, someone's decked out for action," Jarod teased.

Zack winked at Cat. "You look a bit small for that tactical gear."

She smiled back. "Yeah. But they wouldn't let us come without it."

"The Changeling is dead?" Meridina asked Robert. He nodded and looked briefly to Angel.

Angel reacted by frowning. "It was going after you and Cat. I had to put it down."

"Yeah, I guess. But I had questions." Robert looked to Jarod. "Jarod, see if you can find anything on the thieves. Go, now."

"I shall attend him," Meridina said. She nodded to Jarod and followed.

Julia could see the mood on Robert's face. "What is it?"

"The Changeling was the package, wasn't it?" he asked. "It was the 'component'."

Lucy nodded. "Meridina and I saw it come out of the container. Unless there was another like it, yeah."

"So there wasn't a device?" Zack asked. He was frowning now. "They sent us after a Goddamned _Changeling_ without warning us?"

"That's not like Admiral Maran," Julia said. "I can't believe he left us out in the cold on that."

"He may not have had a choice," Angel said. "These Solarians have a reputation. A bad enough one that the Embassy had a telepath deep-scanning Robert's mind for two hours just to make sure President Sinclair didn't brainwash him."

"That would mean…"

Julia stopped speaking at hearing the footsteps behind them. Robert turned and noted who was approaching. "Everyone, this is Captain Jason Chandra, head of the Wild Geese team." He indicated the man who had jumped out of the assault LARC first, with the cybernetic implants covering parts of his face. Chandra's light tanned skin was only showing a few hints of sweat despite the heavy fighting. "And Scirocco Montague, the team's expert psion."

Everyone nodded in reply. Lucy eyed Scirocco carefully. She could sense that the woman had a lot of power.

"Good job, everyone," Chandra said. "You held them long enough for us to get here." He eyed Robert. "You've got a good team, Captain."

"I'm not sure how much of our holding them was because there were two different teams fighting each other," Julia mentioned.

"Given they were all retired combat-dedicated Replicants? You didn't do half bad regardless." While Chandra was being personable, Robert could sense he was also being flattering intentionally. "The rest of my team are sweeping the building. Mr. Hank will be displeased to learn that his decommissioned factory was used by the thieves. It's a slap in the face."

"I can imagine feeling that way." Robert eyed the mound of ash that had once been the Changeling. "He's not going to be happy about losing his 'component', though. Nor will my superiors." He looked back to Chandra's face and met him eye to eye.

"Couldn't be helped," Chandra replied. There was no flinching. "We had to put that thing down before it escaped out into Solaris."

"Since I'm pretty sure it's the same Changeling that infiltrated the Alliance, I can understand. The last thing we needed was it getting home to the Dominion to report. Thank you for the help again, Captain Chandra."

"Thank you for pointing the way, Captain Dale." Chandra seemed to look into space for a moment. "I've got a transport LARC coming to take you back to the Alliance Embassy. I'm sure you'll want to debrief your people and give Mister Hank a report on our hunt. I'll send my own as soon as we secure the sight."

"Given all the shooting, shouldn't the Solaris government forces be showing up?" Zack asked.

To that, Chandra smirked. "We've already informed the Max-Tec troopers this was an internal Pan-Empyrean manner. They'll be staying away."

"Right." Robert nodded.

With nothing more to say, the two Wild Geese stepped away.

"I don't like this," Lucy said. "I really don't."

"We'll see if Jarod or Meridina find anything before that vehicle gets here. Whether they do or not, we're heading back to the ship immediately for dinner and a debriefing."

* * *

Meridina led Jarod back toward the interior of the building to an area where the team of thieves seemed to have been living. Jarod moved into the room and began scanning everything with his omni-tool.

At first nothing seemed untoward. It was only after a few minutes that Meridina felt a dark presence in the room. It wasn't entirely darkness, not like the _swevyra'kse_ they'd just fought, but the energy was certainly cold and negative. She sensed with her power and drew her _lakesh_ up just in case.

"That will not be necessary," an electronic voice said.

The dark-clad figure that had moved so lethally earlier was nearby at the wall. Meridina narrowed her eyes. She hadn't seen him enter, or sensed him entering for that matter. She certainly would have if he'd come in by the door. The only door there was, too. "You are?" she asked.

"Matsudaira," was the answer, the electronic voice warbling ever so slightly to give the man an otherworldly feel. "I work for Mr. Hank. Captain Chandra says your ride home has arrived and it is time for you to go. This building is Pan-Empyrean property and we will handle the investigation from this point forward."

Meridina considered the figure. She felt no ill intent, but she could sense the lethal capabilities of this being. If resisted, he might act with immediate lethality to uphold the commands of his superior. And he would be a fight if it came to matching him blade to blade, and Jarod would be at risk.

"It appears it's time to go, Jarod," Meridina said softly.

He looked up from a computer he apparently wasn't finished with. He noticed Matsudaira too and narrowed his eyes. Meridina felt his suspicions and nodded. They would, indeed, leave.

With slight resignation, as if leaving his work undone, Jarod walked out of the room with Meridina.

* * *

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 10 September 2642 AST. Captain Robert Dale recording. Our investigation on Solaris has come to a successful, if unsatisfying, conclusion. My officers and I have returned to the_ Aurora _to go over the results of today's mission. There are lingering questions I wish to see answered, though I wonder if they ever will be._

The command officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ , with Lucy and Violeta also present, were gathered in Conference Room 1 instead of the conference lounge. The tables were arranged in a half-circle around the central holo-tank. "It's good to see you're well, sir," Lt. Creighton Apley said to Zack. "We were a little worried about you going down there."

"Yes, it has been a while since you were in the field like that," Lt. Magda Navaez added.

Zack nodded to them. "It was… an experience."

"Especially the ratburger," Jarod said from his seat at the table, the holo-tank controls in front of him.

The _Koenig_ officers, and the _Aurora_ ones, looked at Zack as he turned red-faced. "Yeah, I got a little hungry, but I didn't know it was made from rat, alright!"

"We just won't tell Clara about the three-breasted prostitute who propositioned him," Julia added, smirking with mischievous relish.

Zack gave her a pained look and breathed out a sigh while the others still stared.

After checking one last thing, Robert sat up. "Alright everyone," he said. "This mission is considered a classified one, so anything said in this debriefing stays in this room." He nodded to Violeta and to Lucy. "Commander Jarod, what do we know about the thieves who attacked Pan-Empyrean?"

"They were a mercenary team known as Harland's Raiders," Jarod replied. "They tend in the independent Wild Space worlds and the Cevaucian-aligned systems, but they were registered with the Solarian government as far as we can tell."

"Who were th' scunners workin' for?" Scotty asked. "The Dominion? Lookin' t' get their spy back?"

"Unlikely," Jarod said. "From what I've seen of the financials I recovered, a Dominion source doesn't work. I find it hard to believe the Dominion even knew where the Changeling had gone. Even looking in our own databanks, its location is tightly classified."

"We sent it to Sidney Hank," Julia said. "Or to his company, I mean. Why?"

"The answer's frakking obvious, isn't it?" Barnes asked. "They're making some anti-Changeling weapons or something."

"But why contract to Pan-Empyrean?" Caterina shook her head. "There are plenty of research firms or universities in the Alliance."

"Because this was experimenting on a living being," Leo said. There was an angry edge to his voice. "That's the point of this. The Alliance Government didn't want to be directly associated with something like that. So they contracted someone who didn't give a damn, in a state where the law couldn't stop it." It was clear Leo was disappointed by the realization.

"A saddening probability, but likely true," Meridina agreed. She shook her head. "And undoubtedly Mister Hank was compensated well for his part in such experiments."

"Of course, whatever project they were working on is going to be missing its guinea pig." Locarno made that comment. "So it's all for nothing in the end."

Robert thought about that. But he said nothing for the moment. He looked to Jarod. "What about this other group, let by that woman Tabitha?"

"The soldiers were more Solarian-made Replicants," Jarod replied. "But I've found no identifying unit markings or indications of them in public files. They were probably assembled individually by Tabitha."

"She worked for something called the Ministry of Fate. Or NEUROM."

Jarod nodded to Zack. "NEUROM. It's an alliance of various governments closer to the heart of what was Earth-held space millennia ago. Our records on them are spotty. What we know from various sources is that they're an alliance of xenophobes, militarists, and dictatorships that serve as a major power bloc in that region of space, now called the Fracture. They have few relations with star nations in this region of space, and most of them can be fairly hostile. They don't really like Solarians and the Solarians don't really like them."

"So basically a rival power bloc had an agent who got wind of the theft and decided it might have something useful," Julia said. "So Tabitha was going to swipe what she probably thought was a piece of advanced technology for the benefit of NEUROM."

"Likely," Jarod agreed.

"And instead, they nearly wrecked each other and us in the progress." Zack shook his head. "All for a damn Changeling."

"Maybe it got lucky by dying," Leo murmured. "There's no telling what's been done to it."

"Yeah." Robert was slipping back into his thoughts, putting things together in his head. "Jarod, what do we know about who hired Harland's Raiders?"

Jarod tapped a key and brought up a series of financial transactions. "They were paid a lot of money over the last few months. A lump sum of what seems to have been a retainer was placed with them three months ago. I'm not sure where they learned of that Pan-Empyrean factory, but odds are their client selected it."

"It's sounding like it is someone from Pan-Empyrean," Julia said. "I'd bet my commission that if we matched up those payment dates with our side's logs on moving the Changeling, we'll find that the retainer was placed after the contract was signed and the Changeling delivered."

"That would imply that whoever was behind the theft wanted the Changeling, wouldn't it?" This question came from Apley. "Why would they want a Changeling?"

"If they thought they could mentally program it to serve them, maybe?" Angel suggested idly.

Everyone was starting to look again to Robert, who was still clearly thinking about everything. Julia was also showing signs of deep thought. "Jarod, is it possible the thieves had absolutely no contact with someone in Pan-Empyrean?"

"I'm doubtful, but I suppose it could have been an ex-employee," Jarod answered. "I'd have to examine the list of people who knew about the project and if they had any connection to someone fired or let go from the company. What I can tell you from analysis of the evidence is that Harland's Raiders knew too much about Pan-Empyrean security for me to assume they didn't have someone on the inside. Someone with access to the floor plans in use in the labs and the location of the Changeling."

"So it's not going to be a disgruntled janitor."

"They have robots for that work, there are no janitors," Zack pointed out.

Julia looked to Robert with concern. She could see the metaphorical thunderclouds rolling in over his face. "It's not really our investigation anymore anyway. This is up to Hank's people."

"Yeah," he answered. "It is." A frown crossed his face. "And that was the plan all along, I figure."

"What do you mean?" Caterina asked.

"I keep thinking back to things that have been said these past couple of days," Robert remarked. "About how Solaris works. I think we've been had. We've been used as patsies."

Jarod turned thoughtful as well. He nodded in agreement. "I can see that."

"I'm going back down to Solaris," Robert said. "The rest of you, go get some rest. You've earned it. Debriefing dismissed." He stood up and walked to the door.

Julia nearly left behind him, but noticed Zack's intent look toward her and stayed in her seat. Once everyone had left she asked, "You wanted to talk?"

"We never did finish that conversation when we were hanging around," Zack said.

Julia nodded. She smiled thinly. "I don't see any reason why we need to now, Zack. There's no point in admitting anything uncomfortable."

"Maybe." He nodded. His eyes focused on her. "I guess you're right." He stood up from his chair and started walking toward the door.

"Does she know?"

Julia's question prompted Zack to turn back. He looked at her wordlessly.

"Does Clara know?" Julia looked at him intently. "Does she know that you're still in love with me?"

Zack's eyes lowered. "I'm sure she suspects," he admitted.

Julia responded by shaking her head. "She deserves better than that."

"You're right." He nodded. "She does. And I'm going to give her all the love she deserves. I love her too, you know."

"But you love me more."

Zack pursed his lips. "It's not fair to her," he said. "So I make myself forget it. Maybe in a decade or two, I'll even be able to forget it."

Without another word, he walked out and left Julia to her thoughts.

* * *

Robert surprised Ambassador Fry and his staff at the parking lot of the Alliance Embassy when he beamed back in. Fry, his husband, and his staff were dressed to the nines and heading to a SinTEK-hosted charity banquet, and it was with great reluctance that Fry agreed to let one of his drivers ferry Robert back to Pan-Empyrean.

When he got there, Robert had expected an argument all the way up with every layer of security. Instead he found Bishop waiting at the security desk, ready to escort him up to the main office. Ariadne was likewise quiescent when Robert walked briskly up to the door and, with a wave of his hand, threw them both open.

He found Sidney Hank sitting at his desk. The wealthiest man in this universe, perhaps of any of the known universes, had an empty tumbler and a bottle of tan liquid on his desk. A tumbler already filled was already in his hand. He made a show of checking his timepiece. "I expected you ten minutes ago," he said. "I suppose Ambassador Fry took some extra convincing. I may have underestimated the Ambassador's desire to keep you in check." He took the bottle and poured some of the contents into the tumbler. "I figured bourbon would better fit our impending conversation."

Robert wasn't in the mood to drink, but he wasn't so angry as to forget niceties. He accepted the tumbler and, after sensing no danger in it, took a drink to take the edge off.

"Excellent work today, Captain. Captain Chandra was impressed by your people."

"I'm glad he appreciates my friends' efforts on your behalf," Robert replied.

"I'm sure you can imagine why you weren't informed about the nature of the component?"

"You didn't want Sinclair to find out," Robert said. "Or anyone else who might enter our minds."

"Mostly the latter. I am enjoined, after all, to keep the project a secret." Hank took the last drink from his tumbler and set it down on his desk. "It's all part of the contract."

"Pan-Empyrean was contracted to experiment with the Changeling we captured during the attack on the Alliance Senate," Robert stated. "Admiral Maran told me it was a matter vital to Alliance security. What he meant was that you're finding ways to fight Changelings."

Hank's mouth curled into slight smile. "Are you sure that's it?"

Robert thought for a moment and shook his head. "No. No, not just fight. To _detect_ Changelings."

The smile grew. Hank nodded. "Go on."

"And then the Changeling gets snatched from your labs. Not the devices you're developing. Nothing of obvious and immediate value. The thieves go for an item in a sealed container that their sensors would have to tell them didn't include anything like electronics or precious materials. They do this with clear knowledge of the layout of Pan-Empyrean's labs. Which is impressive given your building uses a dimensionally-transcendental field that changes the internal volume from what it looks like outside." Robert took another quick sip of the bourbon. "That suggests someone inside the company was involved. But anyone inside the company who knows about the project would know of other, more valuable things to snatch than the Changeling. Why not the devices you're working on? Why not the actual project?"

"Ransom?" Hank suggested. "I could be compelled to pay billions to recover the test subject. The contract has some severe penalties for failure to deliver, after all. Not to mention what would happen if the Sovereignty government were to find out that I had brought a hostile, shapeshifting alien to the heart of Solaris. The idea of anyone, especially a Senator or the President, being replaced due to my apparent negligence would be enough to cripple my influence for decades, maybe even centuries. My competitors would all gain at my expense."

"I'm not sure even a Founder could effectively replace President Sinclair, or anyone with similar security," Robert answered. "Kill them, maybe, but replace? With all of your psions and mind-readers constantly checking things? But that's beside the point. The mercs' employer waited until now for the theft. Why? Why risk that your scientists might make an early breakthrough and finish the project? Those mercs were on retainer for _months_. They were held back intentionally. That doesn't make sense if their boss was looking to hold the Changeling ransom."

Hank answered by pouring himself another glass. "I see your point. I take it you've recovered some of their financial information?"

"Enough to know they've been waiting in that abandoned Pan-Empyrean building for nearly three months," Robert said.

"Do you know where the money came from?" Hank took a sip. "No, you don't. Commander Jarod is good at his job, good enough that I'd enjoy hiring him myself, but he simply doesn't have the resources or access to go through Solarian financial databases to track those payments. Our banks are quite good at security, for understandable reasons."

"They are."

"You should therefore leave the investigation to my people," Hank said. "We'll get to the bottom of this easily enough."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Robert said, and he let the sarcasm come out.

Hank folded his hands and looked directly at Robert, as if Robert had suddenly earned his full attention.

"The weight of evidence makes it highly unlikely that the thieves didn't have someone inside your company," Robert said. "Stealing the Changeling and not the actual project means it wasn't someone out to betray you so they could sell your work elsewhere. The ransom argument doesn't hold out because of the months the mercs waited before they received their orders to move in."

"And so what does the evidence lead you to, Captain?"

"The evidence, by itself, isn't enough for me to go to any court of law, even if Solaris had one strong enough." Robert leaned forward in his chair. "But that doesn't mean I can't see what's happened here. This was a set-up, the whole thing. _You_ were behind the theft."

A very slight grin crossed Hank's face. He picked up the tumbler again to take a drink from it, as if the accusation amused him. "Well, Captain," he said after swallowing. "That is quite brave of you to come here and accuse me in the middle of my office, at the heart of my empire."

"I can't prove it, and I'll never be able to," Robert said.

"Of course." Hank considered his tumbler for a moment, as if he was trying to decide to finish it first or pour more in. "For sake of argument, if it was me… why? Why did I have my own company broken into, my employees terrorized, and my very expensive project endangered? Why, indeed, risk the outcome we have, the death of my test subject, and with it the collapse of the entire project?"

"Because the project's not going to collapse," Robert answered. "That's why you kept the mercs on retainer for so long before giving the order. Your people have already completed their work. You've found a way to detect Changelings. The Changeling wasn't necessary anymore. It was just a loose end."

Hank remained quiet for a moment. With quiet deliberation he finished the last of his bourbon and set the tumbler down. Once his hands were free, he started to clap slowly. "Well done, Captain." When Robert frowned Hank shook his head. "No, I'm not mocking you. You and your crew put together the facts quite well, and your deductions from them were earned. And I must assure you, your President Morgan and Minister Hawthorne and Admiral Maran will be quite pleased when I report to them the completion of our new Changeling Form Destabilizer. It will take a short time to implement and then your people will never have to worry about one of those Founders replacing a Senator again. And I, of course, will be making quite a _lot_ of money on finishing development. Oh, and by building my share of the devices under the terms of our contract with the Alliance. I think you will agree that this is a victory for your Alliance, for Pan-Empyrean and the Sovereignty… indeed, for the entire Multiverse."

Robert took another drink and swallowed it, leaving just a thin layer of bourbon at the bottom of his tumbler. "I can't argue with that. The Changelings caused us one interstellar war, then nearly caused us to collapse into civil war."

"And it will not happen again," Hank said, beaming. "So as you can see, it is a victory for the _good guys_." The playful emphasis on the last words were almost mocking.

"I can't argue with that either." Robert drank the last little bit of bourbon and pushed the tumbler to his right, signifying he didn't want more. He kept his eyes on Hank. "Of course, that doesn't explain one last thing."

"Oh?" Hank's smile made it clear he knew what Robert was about to bring up.

"This morning, Ambassador Fry pointed out to me that a man of your resources could hire all sorts of independent investigators and mercenaries," Robert said. "Even if you were keeping up the charade of having to deal with a possible traitor, you didn't need us. But you called us in. Not just us as in the Alliance, but _my_ ship specifically. My crew. Why?"

Hank seemed contemplative for a moment. "I suppose that is a fair question. Suffice to say I had my reasons."

"Even if we had discovered what you were doing? What if the Changeling hadn't gotten killed? Or would Captain Chandra have shot us too to make sure it was killed?"

"Oh, no," Hank said, ignoring the rising anger in Robert's tone. "I had no intention of causing your people to die. If the Changeling had somehow been recaptured, I would have found another way to dispose of it, I suppose. Although I would have been disappointed with Captain Chandra for not figuring out a way to ensure it was 'killed while attempting escape'. That one's always a classic."

"Then why? Dammit, _why_?" Robert demanded. "I want to hear it from you. Why did you pull us in, risk the lives of _my_ crew, _my friends_ , to do _your_ dirty work?!"

At that Hank actually broke out laughing. Robert was left to smolder as the laughter continued on for several seconds. When it ended Hank rolled his eyes. "Oh, spare me your indignation, Captain. Let's remember one crucial fact." He held up a finger. " _Your people_ hired _my people_ to do _your_ dirty work in the first place. After all, the high and mighty Alliance wouldn't dare use an unwilling living being as a test subject for experiments, even to defend against an enemy like the Dominion. That wouldn't be right. No, the Alliance needed someone else to do the actual dirty work it couldn't sully its hands with." He curled the finger inward. "So you came to _me_."

"I didn't make that decision," Robert said.

"No. Your superiors did. Your noble President Morgan and your honorable Admiral Maran made that call. They decided to compound their hypocrisy with cowardice and pay me to do the things they didn't have the stomach to do." Hank's eyes glared right at Robert's. "Let us not speak falsely now, Captain, not when we have been truthful with each other so far. I know what I am. Your government knows what I am, which is precisely why they came to me. And now you know what I am, too, which raises the only question of any relevance here: what are you going to do about it?"

"There's nothing I can do about it," Robert admitted. "But that doesn't mean I have to like the fact that you almost got my friends killed to, what, make a point?"

"Ah, but it was a necessary point to make, Captain. And that point is: I am not your, what was that old Earth term…?" Hank seemed to search his memory for a moment. "Ah, yes, I am not your _janitor_. The Alliance brought me in to do its dirty work and I felt obligated to return the favor."

"Really? Because I thought that's what you were already getting _paid_ to do?" Robert snorted in retort.

"I imagine that a man as morally upright as you, Captain, understand that there are more important things than money," Hank answered. "I do value it, but I also value my self-respect. And I am no one's servant. And your Alliance would do well to remember that."

Robert remained silent. He still felt anger, but it was down to a simmer.

If Hank knew this, he ignored it and settled back into his chair as if in repose. "I admit I wasn't expecting NEUROM to stick its hand into this mess in such a direct fashion," he admitted. "I may actually have to hunt for a traitor in my organization. So perhaps this situation has led me to an additional benefit."

"They nearly hurt my closest friends in the world," Robert said.

"I know." Hank put his hands on his lap. "For what it's worth, I never intended that to happen. And I am thankful your friends emerged from their encounter with the Ministry of Fate intact. Few are so lucky."

"I'll extend the sentiment to them."

"You do that." Hank checked his timepiece again, although Robert got the feeling that was simply for show. "And now, Captain, I think it's time for you to depart. The fee that President Sinclair imposed upon me is, frankly, quite extortionate, and I suspect the commanders are getting itchy trigger fingers."

Robert stood up. "So that's it then?" he asked. "You bring us out here, you subject us to your political feuds, you put our lives on the line without warning us of what's going on, and when we've done your work you just send us packing?"

"Such is the way of things, Captain. But don't think you're unappreciated. You and your people have performed to expectations, and I assure you those expectations were high." Hank grinned. "And another way to look at it is that I am urging you onward so that you might get back to your duties. After all, where would this Multiverse be without the bold crew of the _Starship Aurora_ , the Bearers of the Dawn?"

For a moment Robert thought Hank was just making light of what had come out during Meridina's trial on Gersal. But there was something in the way Hank said it that, briefly, made him wonder just what Hank was getting at. Seeing the look on the business tycoon's face turn slightly impatient made Robert set those thoughts aside. He nodded, said, "Have a good evening, Mister Hank," and turned to leave.

As he walked away, Hank spoke once more. "And remember, Captain, that if you ever need a favor… don't hesitate to call me."

Robert didn't answer that. He didn't even turn around. He had a feeling that he would not appreciate being indebted to Mister Sidney Hank. He departed through the doors at the end of the office, intent on returning to the _Aurora_.

A few moments after he left, Hank stood from his desk. He opened a direct data connection to Ariadne with a thought. "I'm departing for the villa. I don't want to be disturbed until the morning," he said aloud, though it was unnecessary.

 _Understood, Mister Hank_.

He walked around his desk to the second floor of his office. He ignored the fine, exquisite artworks he had arrayed there. Michelangelo's _David_ (fully intact), Nelson's Plinth, and a number of other key antiquities. He ignored them all and walked to the section of the second floor above the entry door and to the large mirror that was there. A mental command sent by data implant activated the advanced technology hidden under the surface. The mirror started to ripple, as if the glass surface was suddenly fluid. And he stepped right through.

* * *

When Lucy returned to Machine Shop B and her work station there, it was with a new purpose. She looked over her crystal types and focused on them. Most, she felt, wouldn't work whatever she did. But there were a few…

She focused with her life energy, her connection to the Flow of Life, and let those senses guide her. She felt Swenya's Blade hum in her mind, she felt its internals work as they had when she repaired them. And she _knew_ , without needing anything like an atomic scan, what would work. She knew as she felt the crystals through her power and felt the subtle thrum in some of them.

She turned next to the parts. Some she would keep. Others… she would have to redo.

And with renewed purpose, she went to work, quietly thanking Kasszas and Meridina for her new insight.

* * *

When Robert got back to the _Aurora_ , he headed to the bridge. Despite the day they'd had, most of the senior staff was assembled. Even Zack was standing near the command chairs, and was looking toward Cat while talking. "...seriously, it really wasn't that bad."

Caterina visibly shuddered. "I would have to be starving to eat rat meat. I'm so sorry you didn't get to have as much fun as we did."

"I'm surprised you don't have to take out a loan for all the shopping you did," Angel said.

"I have some money saved up. And Violeta had that birthday money her parents sent." She turned her attention back to Zack. "Do you know they call pizzas 'yum discs' on Solaris?"

"That's… well, weird I guess," Zack said. "But the whole world is weird."

"It was crazy," Angel muttered. "And then there was that crazy lady who wanted to put us in a holo-movie or something. And that…" A look of realization came to Angel's face. She looked to Zack and smirked while reaching for her pockets. "I got you something, Zack. A gift."

"Oh?"

Zack's reflexes were spot on. He grabbed the box out of mid-air after Angel threw it and held it up to his face. As he did, Angel chuckled and said, "Something for you and Clara to enjoy on your next leave. It's special Solarian candy."

"What is it?" Julia stood and looked closer at the box. Her cheeks turned a faint pink at seeing the design of the contents within. "Angel!"

"'ORGAZMO'?" Zack looked on the reverse side and read the descriptive text before he looked over the pictures of the offered flavors, revealing the shape of the candy. "Oh, no. No, hell no."

Angel started to laugh. Robert, curious, got close enough to look at the box and see the offending shape. "Wow," he said. "That's… that's just…"

"This world is _insane_ ," Zack said. "Certifiable! They should just give up and make it a big insane asylum! _I'm not eating this!_ "

"Clara might be disappointed," Angel cooed.

"Alright everyone." Robert sighed and sat in his command chair. This signaled Julia and Zack to do likewise - Zack sitting in the extra chair in the command area - and for everyone to resume full attention. "We don't have new orders from Admiral Maran yet, but I'm assuming we're resuming our colony tour. Nick, get a course from System Traffic Control to leave orbit. I want a course ready for Farbanti, Warp 9.2, once we're at a safe distance."

"Aye, Captain. Course plotted and set. System Traffic Control is giving us a course to leave orbit." Locarno smirked. "And we've got full right of way this time. I guess they can't wait to get rid of us."

"Or Mister Hank made arrangements." Julia grinned. "You know, as insane as the place is…" She looked at the holo-viewscreen showing the sight of the city-moon and of the mighty starscrapers that breached its atmosphere. "...it's a wonderful place to look at. I wonder if there's anything else out there like it."

"Maybe we'll find out one day," Robert said, grinning. "Nick, take us out."

The _Starship Aurora_ turned gracefully away from the city-moon and accelerated, threading her way through the traffic around Solaris on her way home.

* * *

Although the city-moon was often called Solaris, it was in fact officially Solaris Minor. Solaris Major was the large gas giant that the city-moon circled, a large-scale gas giant with shades of blue and purple adding color to the spaces around the moon. The equatorial sections of the gas giant were littered with gas-mining stations sucking up helium-3 and other gases of interest to the Solarian economy.

The poles were a different story. Under current Solarian law, the space around the poles had been restricted from all development or unauthorized traffic. The official reason was to preserve the gas giant's delicate polar regions from ruinous gas mining.

The unofficial reason was because Sidney Hank said so.

Granted, the southern polar region wasn't important to him. It was just to keep people from wondering why one pole was off limits and not the other. It was the northern polar orbit that he wanted to keep people away. There, protected by stealth fields and emission deflectors and subspace gravitic shunts, was his personal home, his private place to get away from the annoyances of Solaris and the Sovereignty. The Villa _Straylight_.

He was still in his business suit when he stopped into the viewing deck. From here, at the top levels of the large space habitat that he and he alone dwelled upon, he could look out at Solaris and ponder his plans for it. Untold centuries of work and the city-moon still frustrated him sometimes.

It couldn't be avoided, he supposed. People want to do their own things. They want to command their own destinies, even if they were morons who didn't know better. For all of the power he wielded, he couldn't stop that. Not yet, anyway. At least, not without taking measures that he had rejected in the old Earthsphere, or rather the Fracture, necessitating his withdrawal from those spaces oh so long ago.

No, the only way to really lead was to make people think they were doing the leading, not you.

But he wasn't here to watch Solaris. At a mental command the viewing systems zoomed in, zipping past all the other transports and liners and space yachts until they brought up the view of the _Starship Aurora_. Hank decided she really was a magnificent vessel. The four warp nacelles, long and sleek, and the shape of her hulls as they flowed together made her look fast despite her kilometer-long size. The green and white stripe along the sides added color to her azure hull. He could make out the ports for her starfighter launch tubes and the various lights and openings in the hull. She banked away slowly, the angle revealing the hanger deck for her fighters and the shuttle bay and full-sized dock built into the back of her primary hull. Her impulsor drives thrummed with ruby light as they propelled her the final kilometers beyond Solaris before she was ready to go to warp.

And then she did, with a brilliant flash of light from her warp nacelles.

Another mental command through his data implant brought the display back of the ship. Again he admired the lines. He accessed old memories and sighed at the sight. "So here we are," he breathed. "After all this time… and it's going to happen again, isn't it?" He picked up a glass of Parthegon brandy. "Well, I'd best get prepared…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Some of Sidney Hank's dialogue was provided by Siege from the O1 web forums, the creator of the character.


	72. Episode 2-14-6 Solarian Nights

**Tag**

Robert stepped out of the shower with his bathrobe on and rushed to his desk, where his finger stabbed down on the key. "Dale here."

" _Channel from Admiral Maran, sir._ "

"Put him through." Robert sat down and looked to his desk monitor. Maran's face appeared. "Good morning, Admiral," he said.

" _Good morning, Captain_." Maran put his hands together in front of him. He seemed to consider himself for a moment before saying, " _I've read your report and Commander Andreys'. And I owe you an apology._ "

"I understand why you couldn't say what was going on," Robert said. "It might complicate the project with Pan-Empyrean if the Solarian government got involved. I'm sure they would."

" _Yes, they would. But that's not the only thing to apologize to you about, Captain._ "

"You don't need to apologize for sending the Changeling to Hank, sir," Robert said. "That wasn't your decision alone. I'm sure a lot of people in Portland agreed that the ends would justify the means. And given what the Changelings could still do to us…"

" _Yes. But I won't pretend that what we did was right. Morally, it was wrong. And I will have to live with that_." Maran shook his head. " _And many other decisions. Some of them being mine and mine alone_."

At that moment, Robert knew exactly what Maran was saying. "You approved it, didn't you? Admiral?"

" _Not the specifics. But yes._ " Maran nodded. " _And I acted without President Morgan's input. The guilt is mine alone_."

"I see."

" _I had no idea that Sidney Hank would drag you and your crew in, though._ " Maran's face had a stoic look as always, but Robert could hear the creak in his voice that spoke of how much he had been horrified by what happened. " _I can only ask your forgiveness._ "

For a moment Robert said nothing. He didn't know what he could say. Was it his place to be Admiral Maran's… confessor? Could he say anything to change what had been done? For so long he had seen Admiral Maran as a completely moral man, with values and principles that he would never turn away from. But now he had. The threat had, to him, justified it.

"I'm not sure I'm the one who can forgive, sir," Robert said. "But I will anyway. It can't have been easy."

" _No. It never was._ " Maran sighed. " _I'll simply have to live with it. I hope, Captain, that you never have to make a similar choice. Maran out._ "

Robert sat at his desk for a moment and contemplated everything. Was this how the world would always go? Good men and women having to make morally wrong, ethically wrong, decisions to save lives? Could he make a call like that?

He found himself in agreement with Maran. He hoped he never had to make a choice like that.

Robert stood up to get ready for the day. He only had time to take two steps from his desk before another tone went off. He groaned and turned back to hit the key again. "Dale here."

" _Robert, please come to Holodeck 1 within half an hour_ ," said Lucy. " _It's important_."

He put his fingers to his forehead in a moment of frustration, but he forced it away. There really was no harm in this. "Alright, I'll be there."

* * *

Robert was in uniform when he arrived at Holodeck 1 twenty-three minutes later. The program was set to show one of the meditation yards from the Great Temple on Gersal, a familiar program for some of their training. He found Lucy and Meridina were already waiting for him. Meridina was in her _swevyra'se_ training clothing, as was Lucy. "Is this training? You never said it was," Robert remarked.

"No, it's not," she insisted. Lucy gestured to a table before her covered in what looked like parts, including a few crystals that looked just big enough to fit into his palm. "I just wanted you hear for this. I think… no, I _know_ this will do it."

"You're going to try and build a new version of Swenya's Blade?" Robert asked.

"No, I'm not going to try to build one," Lucy said. She was emphatic when she continued, "I _am_ going to build one."

Meridina nodded in approval. She knelt down into a meditative pose. Robert did the same, even if his uniform wasn't quite as flexible as their usual training clothing.

Lucy drew in a breath and knelt as well, facing the table, which was now about eye-height for her. Robert felt the life energy within her swell. She was focusing on it.

Parts on the table began to lift into the air, as did a brilliant blue crystal that looked almost like a big chunk of sapphire. Lucy felt the pieces individually and she felt how they would fit together, a delicate but complete whole. The first pieces formed what looked to Robert like a cradle for the crystal. As further pieces moved in they covered the crystal. Another group started to form a shell around it. As the process continued Robert's breathing slowed. He could _feel_ what Lucy was doing, at the edge of his mind. Something like a picture was forming in his head but he could not grasp it.

It was clear that Lucy did have a grasp on it, however. There was a final snap as the last pieces came into place. The resulting weapon lacked something of the styling to Swenya's Blade that Robert remembered, but he could see the similarities easily, and the weapon would fit comfortably in one hand or two. He thought it looked better than her first attempt from two months before, the one that nearly exploded in her hand.

Lucy looked up and got to her feet. She reached out with her right hand and her new weapon responded to her summons, moving in the air until she gripped it. She looked it over. Robert almost expected her to say something like "Here goes nothing", but she didn't. She _knew_ this would work on a level Robert didn't quite share.

Lucy held the weapon in both hands and raised it to where the hilt was at eye level. Her blue eyes glistened with anticipation. Her thumb caressed the red button on the side.

The electronic snap that filled the air was of a different pitch compared to the one of Swenya's Blade, or of her earlier failed attempt, and the hiss carried on for half a second or so less. Nevertheless the effect was as intended; a brilliant blue blade of light and energy surged from the weapon, of the same length as Swenya's Blade.

Seconds passed. Robert waited to see if sparks would suddenly erupt as they had before. But even as the thought passed, something inside of him knew that they wouldn't.

Lucy slowly lowered the blade and walked over to a slab of what looked like metal held up between two flat tables. She brought her new weapon up and brought the blue blade down on the metal.

There was no sign of effort. The blade passed through cleanly, leaving reddened, nearly-molten bits of metal at the point of the cut that struck the ground on either end.

All Robert could say was "Congratulations."

Meridina's eyes were bright with the pride of a teacher, which was fitting as she was witnessing her student's grand achievement. "You have done it," she said. Tears started to fall. "Lucy, you have done something beyond compare."

"It works," Lucy said. She deactivated the blade and turned back to face them. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yes," Meridina answered, still smiling, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "I could not be more proud. By doing this, you have guaranteed that your name will be remembered by the Order of Swenya, no, by _all_ orders, all those who follow the Light in their own way. You have not simply reforged Swenya's Blade, you have proven we can build our own."

"Where did the crystal come from?" Robert asked.

"That's the best part," Lucy said. "It came from Gersal."

"Truly?" Meridina's joy, which had seemed unmatched, increased yet further.

"Yeah. Doreia has some too. And there's a deposit on an ice planet in L2M1, McQuarrie's Station. And on some other worlds… the crystals aren't always exactly the same, but they work." Lucy was tearing up too. "And I'll show them all, Meridina, I promise. Anyone who asks me, I'll explain it to them. I'll show them how to build a lightsaber. Starting with you two."

"I'm not sure I can do it yet," Robert admitted. "My control's a bit… well, that looks very precise."

"We'll work on it."

"Are you sure about 'lightsaber' though?" Robert asked. "What about 'beamsword'? 'Energyblade'? Or even 'Lucy's Really Awesome Laser Sword'?"

Meridina laughed at that one, and Lucy let out a giggle. She shook her head. "No, it doesn't sound right. None of those do." She looked back to her weapon. "It's a lightsaber. And anyone who is working the strengthen the Flow of Life, anyone who fights and strives for Light, will be taught how to build one. I _promise_." Lucy gestured to the table and met Meridina's eyes. "Would you like to begin?"

Meridina nodded softly. "Yes," she said. "I would be honored to learn this skill from you, _Mastrash_ Lucy."

Lucy didn't care for the title, but she let Meridina give it, if just to enjoy the warm and grateful smile on Meridina's face.

Robert, meanwhile, was already on his omnitool. "Dale to Andreys."

" _Andreys here._ "

"I'm going to be late to the bridge," he said, eying Lucy and Meridina as Lucy moved a hand over the extra parts. "I've got something important that's come up. Dale out."

And he watched, quietly and with a smile, as Lucy started to show Meridina what to do. 

* * *

The morning light shined over the city-moon of Solaris, over the gas giant of Solaris Major, and thus over the gray hull and transtanium domes of Villa _Straylight_. In the heart of the great space habitat, Sidney Hank walked into his personal office. Much like his office in the Pan-Empyrean Building, it was covered in artworks and books.

But this one also had photos. Private photos. As he entered, he glanced to his left, showing an image of him standing in the grand vistas of Paris, where even the Earthreign had agreed to keep the City of Lights bright. The Eiffel Tower was lit up behind him. The next photo was from a trip to North America. Niagara Falls. Another North American photo - the Grand Canyon, restored after years of labor - followed by Kilimanjaro in East Africa.

" _You're getting nostalgic again_ ," a voice chided.

"I could visit them again," said Sidney. "Earth's out there again. In other universes." He continued on, past the art and the photos, to the right of his desk and chair. He put his hand on the wall. "What do you think?"

" _I think it would be inadvisable_ ," replied the electronic voice of the computational intelligence called Dionysus, the governing mind of the entire villa and of Pan-Empyrean itself. " _And I see you're in the mood for auditory conversation this morning. How inefficient of you._ "

"Sometimes, D, I think it's inefficiency that keeps us Human," Sidney said. The security systems on the hand plate finished processing. They opened up the hidden door in the side, allowing him entry into the large chamber within. Much like the Pan-Empyrean building, this chamber was bigger on the inside. He looked to one of the images beside the entrance. It depicted him in the company of a Human-looking woman with dark hair and blue eyes. She was clad in a blue jacket with white shirt and matching white trousers. Her weapon dangled on her waist in the image, while he was wearing a tactical combat suit with a plasma pistol on his waist and a full-scale rifle slung over his back. "She never did like wearing that," he mused.

" _You're not being as open with your mental processes this morning, so I can't be sure what you mean. Oh. I see. You're accessing those memories again._ "

"I am." The next image was of the woman again, with Sidney, and the figure beside them was another old acquaintance, a Human-looking figure clad in a red jacket and a discarded scarf off one shoulder.

" _You've been accessing them often over the last two years. Nostalgia does not become you, Sidney._ "

"You mean it does not become _us_ , don't you D?"

" _When you get like this, I stop thinking of us as one being. And we often are not anyway. I believe that was the point of the exercise for this body?"_

"We were losing our Humanity. That would have caused us problems." Sidney moved on toward the center of the room. "But that's not the issue now." Sidney Hank's voice hardened. "They were right. Damn them, D, they were right. The _Aurora_ crew clinches it."

" _I sense you're rather impressed by them._ "

"Captain Dale's got power. Maybe more than he realizes. And there's more. But that's not the important thing." Sidney put his hand over a flat chest of about fifty centimeters by thirty by fifteen. It was locked, as it had been for a long, long time. "We have to be ready."

" _Perhaps this time will be different._ "

"We heard the others, back then. It's never different. It happens every time." Sidney admired the ornate writing, in alien script, on the box. "And if we're not ready, we lose everything."

" _I concur_ ," replied the CI. " _Are you going to give it to them, as he instructed?_ "

Sidney considered the question. "When the time is right," he decided. "But not before. We have to make sure."

" _I'm not sure he would agree with you on that course of action._ "

"Maybe not." Sidney smirked at the thought of the old man's ability to glower in disagreement. "But I'm the one here, and I'm making the call." He ran his hand over the chest one more time, contemplating what was inside, and what it was meant to do. He turned away from it and walked toward the exit of his vault of secrets. "Okay, D, transmit my schedule for the day. I've got work to do." As the data flowed into his implant, Sidney stepped out of the vault and back into his office.

There was, indeed, a lot of work to do.


	73. Episode 2-15-1 Blast from the Past

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 24 September 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. We are currently en route to Earth in Universe Designate N2C5 to oversee the final stage of negotiations for a new member system in the Alliance. The_ Aurora _was retasked to this purpose in light of concerns about potential hostility from other powers in the area. We will be attending all proper diplomatic receptions, but my officers and crew will be here primarily to act as protectors for the occasion in the hope that this will deter any planned aggression._

 _I admit that finding there are states willing to join our Alliance even if it means being drawn into the war with the Third Reich gives me a sense of admiration and pride. Whatever its flaws, the Alliance is still shaping up to become something that I believe it was worth building. It makes getting up every day and facing my duties easier knowing the good we are accomplishing._

A good breakfast awaited Robert in the Lookout. Zack and Julia were already waiting as well at their usual table in the corner. Hargert had put together a nourishing meal of breakfast sausages, fluffy toasted bread with butter and jam, and a ham and cheese omelette that covered an entire plate. Orange juice, fresh, rounded out the meal, with tea to come afterward. His friends had already eaten their way through their meal. "So, running late again?" asked Zack.

"I was up a little later than I thought. I'm afraid Lucy's enthusiasm hasn't borne results with me yet." Robert rubbed slightly at his forehead. They'd spent two hours trying to help him put together one of her new lightsabers. But the parts just wouldn't come together for him.

"Why doesn't Lucy just build one for you?" Julia inquired.

"She offered, but something… it doesn't feel right to me," Robert said. "To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be as strong in this stuff as they are, training or no training. And I'm not sure there's a point me in running around with a sword when, if there's a fight, I'm better off using a gun."

"Fair enough."

Robert started in on his breakfast, leaving Zack and Julia to talk to one another. "Your deadline's coming up, isn't it?" Zack asked.

Julia was chewing on her breakfast and her only reaction was a glare.

"I'm not trying… look." Zack sighed. "You've got to give an answer to Maran soon, right? So he knows if he needs another candidate for the _Enterprise_?"

Julia finished swallowing. "Zack, I'm still thinking about it," she said. "It's a lot to think about."

"Yeah," he agreed. "But we both know it's the best move for you. I mean, Captain of the _Enterprise_. I'm no naval buff, and even I know that there are people who would sell their souls to get that posting. And Maran gave you first dibs on it."

"I'm incredibly honored, too." Julia pushed her fork into a small mound of hashed potatoes on her plate. "And I'm completely tempted. But there's a part of me that…" She set the fork down and glanced toward Robert. He met her eyes but said nothing, opting to drink orange juice instead. "Farmer and Scotty and Tom and Jarod… they built the _Aurora_. But I feel like she's mine too."

"You named her, yeah," Zack said. "Who knows, if we never lost the Facility, maybe you'd have been her captain while Robert remained behind to oversee things."

There was no immediate response from Julia on that. "Maybe that's it," she admitted. "Maybe I would rather command the _Aurora_." She gave Robert a sad look. "But I could never do it at your expense."

He finished swallowing and shook his head. "I know, Julie." Robert set his fork into the omelette again. "Sometimes I think you should be Captain and not me."

"What would you do then?"

"Go to New Liberty, I guess," Robert said. "Find a plot of land, build a farmhouse and a farm. Grow some grains, get some cows…"

"Even after all of this, you'd do that?" Julia asked. "A Multiverse of possibilities, and you'd give it up for a farm?"

"I guess it does sound silly," Robert admitted. "But I miss it."

"I don't." Zack shook his head. "Your parents were great people, Robert, but I used to avoid sleepovers at your place just to get out of morning farm chores."

"Well, you weren't from Kansas originally, of course you'd want to get out of it," Robert guffawed. He looked to Julia with a twinkle in his eye. "But it wasn't all hard work. Do you remember when Grandpa…?"

Julia smiled in reply. "I do," she answered. "I couldn't stop laughing."

Robert nodded. His green eyes reflected old joys touched by the pain of loss. "Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days. To just have the family together on the farm, like it was back then."

"I miss my mother," Zack said. "It didn't matter how tired she was or how worn down Dad's drinking made her, Mom always had a smile and a hug for me when she thought I needed it."

"We all miss something from our pasts," Julia said. And it was clear she was considering her own. "My parents would have loved it out here. And I like to think they'd be proud of me."

"They would be," Robert insisted. "You've become everything they could have hoped you'd be."

Julia nodded. Looking down at her plate and seeing it was mostly empty, she let out a breath. "Well, it's been fun, but someone has to get on the bridge soon, and it looks like it'll be me."

"Not for long. Ledosh and Emissary Yadin want you coming with us when we get to Earth in…" Robert checked his omnitool time. "Wow. Barely an hour left. I'd better get eating."

"And I have paperwork that needs to be finished." Julia eyed Zack. "As do you. Don't think I haven't forgotten about that overdue ship readiness report, Zack."

Zack raised his eyes skyward, as if appealing to a higher power on the matter. When he looked back down he said, "You'll have it on your desk by the end of the day, O Responsible One."

Julia gave Zack a playful punch in the arm and left.

* * *

Holodeck 1 had again been set to resemble a meditation courtyard in the Gersallian style. Meridina was seated in her meditation robes and, if possible, would have glowed with delight.

Nearby were two more robed figures, although their robes and suits lacked the simplicity of those Meridina and Lucy were wearing. _Mastrash_ Ledosh was wearing his purple robes with blue trim, marking him as a member of the governing Council of the Order of Swenya, while his student and apprentice Gina Inviere wore the blue robe of a prospective field _swevyra'se_ , or "Knight" in the closest Human-English term.

Lucy was in simple training robes as well and knelt before the work table. All three felt her power flowing through her and into the multitude of objections that she was assembling in mid-air. Once the cylindrical object was complete it was in the rough shape of a flashlight, complete with a hook for fixing to belts. It was colored white and gold with a prominent blue circle that clearly functioned as a button, much like the models on Lucy's belt and on Meridina's.

Lucy stood to her full height and reached her right hand out to the object. After her creation came to her palm, she gripped it and held it out. Her finger pressed the blue circle. An electronic snap split the air and lingered off with a short hiss, and a fine green blade pure light surged from the object. It buzzed in the air, said buzz changing in pitch and tone as Lucy drew it over to a slab of solid metal and severed the slab in two with a single stroke, all to the awe of her visitors.

" _Hamatu kena'se_ ," Ledosh breathed. "Magnificent. Simply magnificent, Lucy Lucero."

Lucy turned the blade off. She levitated the weapon in her hand and sent it over toward Ledosh, who accepted it. He turned the blade back on and quietly swung it a few times, getting the feel for it. "How does it feel, _Mastrash_?" Lucy asked.

"Like I am wielding Light itself in my hand," the older Gersallian master said. "A _swenkesh_. You have built a _swenkesh_." He turned the weapon off and looked over the hilt.

Lucy nodded. She had learned enough Gersallian to know that the root term " _swen_ " meant light, or rather, the Light of Life. Swenya herself had been named for the Light of Life, and Lucy found it a truly meaningful name given what she accomplished.

She was surprised to see him bow deeply to her. "Were you in the Order, Lucy Lucero, this alone would merit for you the title of _Mastrash_. You have restored an ancient art that my people forgot they once possessed. The Order, no, the people of Gersal will be forever bound to your memory by this."

"I don't wish them to be," Lucy answered. "I'm offering what I know free of any debt. This is something your Order, that all who walk in the Light, should know. While you're here, I'll show you how I learned to put these together."

Ledosh shook his head. "I am no engineer. Learning how to forge a _lakesh_ was difficulty enough."

"You don't need to be an engineer, _Mastrash_ ," Lucy said. "That's where I went wrong for so long. This is a weapon that embodies what our power can do and what it means. You have to see it through your _swevyra_ , and once you do, you can assemble your own."

"This is true," Meridina said. She took the hilt of her weapon, marked with blue instead of gold, and a blue blade came forth when she activated the weapon. After a moment she turned it off. "And if I can build this…" Meridina smiled. "...well, you do recall my first efforts at a _lakesh_ , do you not?"

Ledosh laughed. It was a warm laugh too. "That I do, Meridina. Yes, I can see what Lucy means." He offered the new weapon to Lucy.

She shook her head. "Keep it. Study it with your _swevyra_ , then build your own and give it to another to study. And have everyone pass it on so that everyone learns."

"I shall do so," Ledosh said, smiling. "Gladly."

A tone came from within the folds of his cream white vest and tunic. Ledosh pulled out a small communication unit and held it up to his mouth. "I am here."

"Mastrash, _we're arriving at Earth N2C5 in a few minutes_ ," said Robert's voice. " _Emissary Yadin is already heading to the shuttle bay_."

"Ah. I shall be there." Ledosh nodded. He clipped his new test lightsaber to his belt on the right hip, opposite his _lakesh_. "I shall see you again later, Lucy, Meridina. I look forward to your training."

"I look forward to teaching you," Lucy answered, looking to both Ledosh and Gina. " _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_."

" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ ," they answered, after which they left the holodeck.

* * *

Robert had proposed taking the new runabout _Zambezi_ down, but he had been vetoed by Emissary Yadin who felt that the _Zambezi_ , though a normal cargo runabout, was still too large and not quite the signal he wanted to send. Instead they were going down in the shuttle _Gerard_. Robert and Julia were seated in the back with Ledosh, Gina, Emissary Shimon Yadin, and his daughter and assistant Leora Yadin. The Yadins spoke English with a Yiddish accent, Leora's less pronounced, and Yadin was conversing about his more sobering experience in acting as emissary to the provisional governments of worlds liberated from the Third Reich in Universe S4W8. "The poison of hatred has not left simply because the SS and the Nazi armies have been driven away," he was saying. "Anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and specieism persist on many of those worlds. I had people spitting on me on Gamma Taurus 3 once they realized I was a Jew. And most of the colonists on the planet were Levantine and Greek! They were non-Aryans to the Reich and treated terribly. But they still waste their energy on hating Jews!"

"Divide and conquer," Julia said. "The Nazis keep their subject nations hating each other, and hating a common target other than themselves, and it makes forming resistances harder."

"Yes. S4W8's world of New Ulster rejected Emissary Williams because she was a devout Catholic! It is madness, all madness. I wonder if we can ever heal such wounds…"

"They have been in darkness for centuries, Emissary," Ledosh said. "It will take time to heal them. But it will be worth it."

Robert and Julia noticed Gina nodding in agreement, which was in off itself a very meaningful gesture on her part.

At the helm of the shuttle, Ensign Violeta Arterria looked back. "We're on final approach. And they're ready for us."

"Take us in gently, Ensign," Robert answered. "I want to make a good impression." 

* * *

The shuttle flew in on a city of gleaming white structures and wide walkways bridging many of them. Violeta piloted them into an open port in the side of one of the main structures, bringing them into an open hangar bay.

Once they had landed the rear hatch of the shuttle opened. Robert and Julia followed side-by-side with Emissary Yadin and _Mastrash_ Ledosh toward several standing individuals. Peculiarly, one was clearly a robot or android of some sort with the height of a child and a circular device with blinking diodes hanging from its neck and obscuring most of its chest. Yadin directed their attention to the central figure, a thin gray-haired mind whose pale blue eyes showed appreciation for the occasion. "Good to be back," he said. "This is my colleague, _Mastrash_ Ledosh of the Gersallian Interdependency, a member of the Council of the Order of Swenya, and his assistant Gina Inviere." Yadin gestured to Robert and Julia next. "And these good people are some of our best; Captain Robert Dale and Commander Julia Andreys of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_." Yadin turned to face the others and gestured to the central figure. "Everyone, this is Doctor Elias Huer, the Director of the Earth Defense Directorate and Acting Director of their Foreign Directorate."

"Greeting, everyone," said the gray-haired man. "I am quite honored to welcome you to New Chicago on behalf of the United Earth Alliance."

Robert waited for Ledosh to finish shaking Huer's hand before he did so. "A pleasure, Doctor," he said.

"A pleasure to meet you," Julia said at her handshake.

"Here are a few of my colleagues. Doctor Theopolis of the Computer Council." Huer gestured to the robot nearby, or rather to the disc on his chest.

Said disc lit up with blinking red and purple lights, the wide thin purple lights giving the disc something of a face with their positioning implying eyes. "Greetings," it said. "I look forward to the successful completion of our discussions."

The others nodded back. Robert remembered that the briefing materials mentioned that the United Earth Alliance's leadership included Artificial Intelligences like Doctor Theopolis. Working with Lt. Commander Data from Starfleet had cured him of any concern about artificial lifeforms, but he suspected that others might not be so happy. The Citadel Council of M4P2, for instance, banned AI research and development, and he idly wondered how they'd take this.

Next Huer gestured to an attractive woman in a white uniform with a rainbow-colored band on the arm. Her light brown hair was shoulder-length and, for the moment, not kept in a bun or ponytail. "This is Colonel Wilma Deering, my military advisor and commander of New Chicago's defense squadron."

"Colonel." Again the handshakes and pleasantries. Robert and Julia both felt her light blue eyes, almost gray in coloration, appraise them closely.

"And last but certainly not least, a unique individual who works for my office when we need his talents," Huer was saying. He indicated a well-built man in the same uniform as Dearing, his posture confident. He had close-combed brown hair that Robert felt gave him a military feel, although not strictly military, with warm brown eyes and a face that seemed ready to grin easy.

Indeed, he didn't wait for his introduction. He extended a hand toward them. "My name's Buck," he said warmly. "Captain Buck Rogers." A smile crossed his face as his hand went toward Robert and Julia. "Good to meet you."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Blast from the Past"_**

The courtyard of the Earth government complex had been set up for the formal reception after the opening round of talks. Long tables bearing plates and trays of various foods were tended to by bright-suited waiting staff, while others in gray and white suits like Doctor Huer's milled around. At one end a stand had been erected for more computer forms like that of Doctor Theopolis. Near the stand with the AI attendees were a pair of flags, one showing the stylized globes of the Earth, Moon, and Mars on a dark blue field with a golden wreath framing the three globes, the other was the tetracolor flag of the United Alliance of Systems.

After seeing that everyone else had beamed down in time for the reception, Robert and Julia remained with Ledosh and Huer, with Gina remaining a slight distance behind. "Since our contact earlier this year, Earth has been debating this step," Huer was saying. "And many of us have agreed that our future is in your Alliance."

"The Alliance will be pleased to welcome your Earth into our number," Ledosh answered. "I am honored to be here to help your people, whatever their final choice."

Theopolis spoke up next, still carried by the short robot. "The Computer Council is still deliberating a few points on our membership petition. But I am confident these matters will be handled to satisfaction in the talks."

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, just make sure you read the fine print so we're not stuck with a raw deal," said another electronic voice, clearly coming from the robot carrying Theopolis.

"Twiki, that was quite undiplomatic of you," Theopolis scolded calmly.

Julia raised her eyebrows. "Twiki?"

"Twiki is a personal assistant ambuquad," answered Theopolis. "Much to my regret, he has been picking up Captain Rogers' 20th Century idioms and metaphors."

"Keep talking, wise guy," Twiki retorted, his voice definitely deeper than Theopolis'.

Robert directed his attention to Huer. "Doctor, do you have any expectations from joining the Alliance?"

"Well, we do believe it will make our universe more peaceful," Huer admitted. "The Alliance has the means to secure peace in our region of the galaxy and to make aggressive powers reluctant to act against Earth and other friendly worlds."

"What kind of hostile powers are in this area of space?" asked Julia.

"Well, there are a number of worlds that have embarked on aggression. We've had problems with the Ruathan, for instance. And Lozeria has been hostile. Aldebaran is chaotic and provides problems for our security." Huer was clearly building up to one last item, and one that Robert could sense he considered the worst. "And the Draconian Empire is certainly the greatest threat to Earth and many other worlds."

"And they're all Human-looking?" asked Robert.

"Many are, even the Draconians," Huer said. "We have theories about the possibility of Humans being transplanted to other worlds centuries or millennia ago by an unknown civilization."

Robert felt a memory in the back of his head. "There are records of this happening in other universes. The Federation in S5T3 has recorded encounters with artifacts from a species called the Preservers, for instance, who were known to do such things."

"It might make for an interesting research study," Julia said. "Although we have encountered alien species that look Human externally without actually being Human."

"Indeed," said Ledosh. "I have been mistaken for Human many times."

"And the Darglan recorded a few other instances of such," Robert said.

"The Darglan…? Ah, yes." Huer smiled and nodded. "As I recall, they were the source of your interuniversal technology."

"Among a number of other things, yes," Robert replied.

"I look forward to further access to files on the Darglan and their technology," said Theopolis. "It will be interesting to learn more about a species that discovered interuniversal technology."

"It's just a shame there aren't any left," Julia said, a slight frown creasing her features. "The Darglan were wiped out a thousand years ago by the Shadows."

"Truly a tragedy," Theopolis agreed.

Emissary Yadin and his daughter walked back up with an East Asian woman. "Ah, I see you've found Doctor Sung, Emissary," Huer said. "She is head of our Food and Medicine Directorate."

"I am sorry I am late," the woman said in accented English. "My shuttle from New Seoul was delayed."

"Well, allow me to introduce you to Emissary Ledosh, Captain Dale, and Commander Andreys from the United Systems," Huer said amiably.

"My pleasure," she said to them, accepting handshakes. "Emissary Yadin and I have been speaking on the technology the Alliance has available to assist in our work. Your replicator technology, for instance…"

Sensing where the conversation was going, Robert and Julia exchanged glances and he sighed. "Why don't you go check on the others?" he asked her.

She gave him a warm smile and slipped away from the ensuing discussion. 

* * *

Zack and Barnes were off to themselves at the reception, quietly watching everyone go by. "It makes me think of how people in the Federation dress," Zack admitted.

"You mean the jumpsuit look?" Barnes chuckled. "It's a bit off. I wouldn't want to be in one off those damn things. And the uniforms… dude, wearing white, I'd hate to see their laundry bill."

"Heh." Zack nodded. Thoughts crossed his head and he decided to go straight to the point. "Karen should be back at the end of the month."

"Cool," Barnes answered.

"That means you'll be back on the _Aurora_."

"Hey, it's where I belong." Barnes noticed Zack's look and shook his head. "No, man, I love the _Koenig_ , but the _Aurora_ , she's my babe, y'know? Scotty and me make sure she remains the best ship in the whole damn fleet."

"Yeah, I can understand that." Zack took a sip of what tasted like a fruit drink. He had intentionally sought non-alcoholic refreshments. "I've been giving thought to resigning," he admitted.

Barnes clearly wasn't surprised. "Clara?"

"She deserves to be happy," Zack said. "I'm not sure how happy she can be if I'm always a universe and a light year away. I figured we could get a home on New Caprica, I could spend my time as a baseball coach."

"Heh, you've made them all nuts for baseball," Barnes agreed. He sipped his drink. "So what's holding you back?"

"Well, I can't leave until the war's over. Regulations on that," Zack said. "And I feel the same way about the _Koenig_ that you do about the _Aurora_. She's my ship, my gut-punching girl, and I love to fly her."

"Or command Apley on how to fly her," Barnes pointed out. He patted Zack on the shoulder. "You'll figure something out."

"Yeah." Zack took a final drink. As he did he scanned the crowd and spotted an interesting sight.

Barnes saw it too. "The hot brunette in the blue uniform suit?" he asked.

"And the guy beside her. The one dressed in… our kind of clothes." Zack had nearly said 'normal' but caught himself. The Multiverse had long shown him that what seemed normal to him was no longer anything close to normal. Which the man had on, wearing a brown jacket over a light-colored polo shirt with dark slacks.

They stepped up to the two, who were quietly talking. "Hey," Zack said. "I'm Commander Zack Carrey, captain of the _Koenig_."

"Lieutenant Tom Barnes, currently Acting Chief Engineer of the _Koenig_ ," Barnes added.

The man smiled widely while the lady beside him had only a faint diplomatic grin. "I'm Buck. Captain Buck Rogers. Nice to meet you."

"Colonel Wilma Deering," the brunette said. After shaking their hands she asked, "Doctor Huer said that there was a second ship with the _Aurora_ , but it's not showing on our scanners. Did your ship leave you behind?"

"No, we're actually docked to the _Aurora_ ," Zack explained. "The _Koenig_ packs a big punch for her size and she's got agility and speed, but she's really just a flying cruiser battery and she's not built for operating on her own for long. So we stay on the _Aurora_ unless we're needed for something." He smiled wistfully. "I used to pilot her myself, but I'm her commander now."

"I noticed the wings," Buck said. "Are you a fighter pilot?"

"Certified, yeah," Zack said. "But I don't fly regularly. What about you?"

"I fly all the time," Wilma answered. "Buck sometimes joins us if the mission calls for it."

By this point the familiar, easy tone that Buck used was clearly setting him apart from Colonel Deering. Barnes asked, "You sound more like us than them, Captain Rogers, I guess you're not native here?"

"Oh, I was born and raised in Chicago," he replied. "The original Chicago, back in the 20th Century."

Zack and Barnes looked at him with surprise. "So you're… what? A time traveler?" Barnes asked. "Or are you from H1E4 Earth like us?"

Buck brought a finger up and smiled. "I thought you sounded too familiar to be from a space age Earth. You're from the 20th Century too?"

"Born in the 20th," Zack said. "Although it's the 21st now in H1E4."

Buck laughed and took Zack's hand again. "Well, how about that. Where are you from?"

"Born in Springfield, Illinois, raised in the middle of nowhere, Kansas," Zack replied.

"My family moved to Kansas from Florida," Barnes said, accepting a handshake as well. "So, how'd you get to the 25th Century, Captain?"

"Call me Buck," was the initial answer. "I got here as a popsicle. I was an Air Force pilot and astronaut and they fired me off on a one-man deep space mission. Something went wrong and I was frozen for five hundred years." Buck shook his head, even though the smile on his face didn't fade. "Waking up to find myself in the future was quite a shock."

"Damn," Barnes said. "That had to be crazy."

"How did you end up traveling on a spacecraft?" Wilma asked them.

"Well, my best friend found out that the mound on his family property was actually a marker for the location of a Darglan Facility," Zack replied. "And it all kind of snowballed from there."

"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" asked Julia, who stepped up to join them. "Good to see you again, Colonel, Captain."

"It's nice to see you too, Commander," Buck said. His grin widened as his brown eyes took in Julia's appearance. There was no mistaking the interest reflected in them. Julia, fully aware of it, smiled in return as her aquamarine eyes looked toward him, as if to say she was aware of the interest, was not offended by it, and might even consider returning it. "So, are you from this… H1E4 Earth as well?"

"I am," Julia answered. "You look like you could be too, honestly."

"Buck is from our 20th Century," Wilma said. She gave him a bemused look. "And it can be trying at times."

Julia gave Buck a look over. "Well, you dress like it. But how?"

"I was an astronaut and my ship ended up freezing me," he replied, clearly not interested in repeating the entire story. "I take it you're also from Kansas?"

"Born in Wichita, raised beside a farm," Julia replied, smiling. "Given the accent and attitude… Chicago, right?"

Buck nodded.

"You remind me of my cousin's boyfriend."

Zack snorted out a laugh in his attempt to restrain from laughing. Buck noticed and could see where this was going. "I'm guessing you weren't a fan?" he asked Julia.

Julia smiled widely. "He wasn't very faithful. And he tried not to be faithful with me."

"Oh, that… yeah, I remember that frakker," Barnes said. "You spent the night in jail, right?"

"Well, there was a deputy right there who was always self-conscious about 'girls' being able to beat up guys," Julia answered. "But the jerk couldn't press charges without having to admit what happened. Mister Dale picked me up the next morning."

"As in Captain Dale?" Buck asked.

"As in Robert's dad," she replied. "A number of us grew up together, Captain Rogers."

"Call me Buck."

"Buck, then." Julia nodded. "I'm Julia. Colonel?"

"Wilma will do," she said, looking at Julia with some respect, at least for rank. "Are you a pilot like Commander Carrey?" Wilma asked.

"I can pilot a runabout or a shuttle," Julia replied, "and I know my way around the helm of a starship. But I've never taken the time to get my wings like Zack has. I've found starship operation and command to be my calling." She gave Zack and Barnes a look that told them she would be irritated if they brought up the offer for the _Enterprise_. "If you want to talk about fighters, I believe Commander Laurent beamed down for the reception." She looked around until she confirmed it; Patrice Laurent, born on their Earth in the Central African Republic, was currently standing with Nick Locarno talking to one of the N2C5 Earth officers by another table.

"What do you fly?" Zack asked them.

"The Thunderhead model heavy starfighter," Wilma answered. "It's atmosphere-capable with eight laser cannons and hardpoints for two anti-ship missiles."

"Not bad. We have the Mongoose multi-role fighter on the _Aurora_ , she's a medium-weight fighter with four pulse phaser cannons and hardpoints for missiles or torpedoes. And atmospheric capability."

"Sounds like one of the F-18s they were developing in my day," said Buck. "I hope to fly one some time."

"If everything goes through, you may get your chance," said Julia.

* * *

"...and the Association of Aldebarani Colonies has spearheaded amazing advancements in repairing biospheres subjected to repeated radiological damage," Yadin was saying to Sung. "Your Earth's shortage of agricultural land could be reversed within a decade, depending upon the work needed."

"That would be wonderful," Sung agreed. "Earth's reliance upon imported food has been used as a weapon against us before."

"Restoring your people to self-sufficiency in food is one of many things we hope to aid you with." Yadin nodded to them. "And there is the matter of power generation. I have heard you use anti-matter reactors?"

"We do," Huer said.

"Naqia is a safer and superior alternative, Doctor," Robert said. "Numerous other civilizations we've met are swapping to it as soon as they reasonably can."

"We've already begun studies on this substance and have found a few deposits, although I'm not sure how well…"

As Huer, Theopolis, and Sung continued to speak with Ledosh and Yadin, Robert felt a tingle at the back of his neck. It grew, in power and strength, until it took on the feel of a full strength warning. It made him more alert than he had been before. His eyes scanned the crowds. The officers from his ship, the staff from Yadin's embassy in New Chicago, the various New Chicagoans and Earth officials and staff…

The staff. As in the waiting staff.

Robert felt the attack coming just before it started. He reached his arm out and twisted in place, allowing him to intercept and grab the wrist of the waiter who was pulling a firearm up toward Huer. He lifted the offending weapon high as the assassin pulled the trigger. Small darts of ruby light struck out and missed Huer's head by two centimeters, scorching his gray-white hair.

Robert felt the assassin react and shifted fully to face him - a man of swarthy complexion, dark eyes, and dark hair. He used his left hand to keep a grip on the gun, thus freeing his right arm so he could drive his elbow into the stomach of the assassin. The man doubled over and lost his grip on the weapon. Robert gave him a solid, knuckle-bruising punch to the jaw. The man toppled.

Given the screams and shouts, it was immediately clear he wasn't the only one. 

* * *

Zack was the one who cried, "Look out!"

Julia had already heard the sound of a blow coming from somewhere else in the courtyard. She turned in time to see the waiter, a small Caucasian man with a slight tan and dark blond hair, bring a gun up toward Wilma. She kicked the gun and the hand it was attached to just before it could be fired. The would-be assassin turned to face her and brought his arms up to attack. Julia readied herself and caught the first punch by deflecting it with her right forearm. Wilma moved in with a punch of her own that knocked the assassin back. He started to rise again.

As the cries continued, Zack and Buck soon spotted another armed waiter, a big one, threatening a couple of civilian staff. They charged him and caught him in a tackle that knocked the gun out of his hand, all three hitting the ground. Nearby Zack heard Caterina crying out in shock and the familiar grunt - Angel had just decked someone hard - but he had his own worries as the big guy grabbed him by the back of the neck and bodily threw him off. Zack rolled for a moment and got to his knees. Buck was doing the same thing. Their foe lifted himself to his feet and snarled. He charged at Buck, who ducked the right hook and drove his fist into the big guy's torso, just barely missing the solar plexus. A second, swifted punch from the big guy sent Buck falling backward.

Zack stepped up and kicked the big guy in the leg. Much to his dissatisfaction, it didn't seem to take him out. It did, however, draw his attention, and he threw a wicked backhand swipe at Zack that he barely stopped with his forearms. A couple of months of occasional Fight Nights on the _Galactica_ came back for Zack, who threw a punch that Lee Adama had taught him. It caught the big guy in the side of the jaw and knocked out teeth. Blood came from his foe's mouth with a roar of pain and anger. "Oh crap," Zack breathed as he tried to catch the next blow. He didn't quite manage it. Even though it hit his forearms, it hit with enough force to knock him onto his back. Laying prone, he watched the attacker step up and raise a fist to hit him again.

And then Buck jumped on the big man's back. He wrapped his arms in a chokehold around his neck with a determined look on his face. Zack kicked with his foot and smashed the giant's kneecap, making him roar despite Buck's hold on his throat. Zack scrambled back to his feet while the big guy swung around, trying to pull Buck off his back. He started backing up toward one of the courtyard's ornamental trees. When he hit it Buck grimaced, now stuck between a tree and a hard place. Zack moved up and kicked at the knee cap again, getting it at a different angle. He could swear he heard it crack this time, and the giant certainly screamed and dropped to a knee. Zack followed that up with a right hook against the giant's face, hitting the same side he'd struck before. Pain filled his knuckles from the impact.

And still the big guy didn't go down.

Barnes jumped in to help with the fight. Unlike Zack, he had absolutely no fight training, and a geek's built-in dislike of fisticuffs. Nevertheless he threw a punch, a bad punch that would have broken his knuckles before it did anything to the assassin.

Or it would have, at least, if he hadn't been fighting dirty and sent the punch between the giant's legs.

A shrill cry, higher than the earlier grunts, came from the big man. He collapsed onto his knees and then pitched forward.

Buck, breathing heavily, let go of their foe's neck and climbed off. "The bigger they are…"

"...the harder they… _watch out!_ "

Despite everything the big assassin was getting back up. Zack and Buck turned at Barnes' warning and, in the same motion, threw punches at the assassin's head. His face was big enough that their punches landed without their fists bumping together. The assassin toppled over onto his back and was out like a light.

Zack and Buck were both wringing their hands in an attempt to soothe their bruised, hurting knuckles. 

* * *

The small waiter who had tried to shoot Wilma was proving to be a nasty in-fighter. He moved quickly enough to deflect and counter the blows Julia and Wilma were sending at him. Julia managed to evade one such counter-attack and grapple his arm long enough for Wilma to deliver a kick to his ribs that made him double over.

Before Julia could take advantage, someone grabbed her left arm. She was roughly spun and took a punch from another, larger man that was half a centimeter off from breaking her nose. It forced her to let go of the first killer. Her attacker grabbed her by the throat and squeezed until she was choking. Wilma, recognizing the danger, grabbed the wrist doing the choking and kicked at the face of the choker. But the first assassin jumped on her back and pulled her away, leaving Julia to fend for herself as both hands now closed on her throat.

Julia gathered her strength, knowing this was a death grip she had to escape, and grabbed the arm. This gave her the leverage she needed to shift her body and get her legs up to deliver a savage kick to the man's throat. He gagged and let go enough for her to breathe. But only that far, as he kept his grip long enough to throw Julia back. She hit the low railing around the nearby flower garden and toppled over it and back into the cool, dark soil.

Julia started to get back to her feet. She only had seconds to think about things. As she did, she noticed that the garden had been sectioned off, presumably for different types of flowers.

And they had been sectioned off by thin wooden poles.

She grabbed one with her right hand and pulled it out as she stood up. It wasn't quite two feet in length, being right about fifty-five centimeters, which for her was good enough. Julia stood up as her attacker, recovered from the throat kick, was coming back for her. She hopped over the garden divider back onto the pavement of the courtyard and slipped beside him as he charged to grab her. She brought the stick up and slammed him in the side, hard enough that he cried out in pain, and used her free left hand to throw a jabbing punch that smacked him in the face. He fell backward.

Julia turned to face him. As she did, she felt someone brush up behind her. Wilma had blood seeping from the corner of her mouth and her uniform was disheveled, but she was still in the fight. In front of her, the short assassin was in a combat stance, bruises on his face from Wilma's blows. Julia's opponent also showed the results of her fighting prowess on him.

"A weapon?" Wilma asked.

"Just a stick from your garden," Julia answered. "But I've been working on my eskrima, and I could use the practice."

"Right."

The two assassins had been looking at each other past the uniformed women standing between them. They charged together.

Julia and Wilma separated briefly. Wilma exchanged blows with her quick, agile foe. Julia caught her opponent's punch, flowed under and around the blow, and smacked him in the face with her new weapon. When he fell back in surprise, she caught him in the elbow with the stick and used a snap kick to knock him back further. When he rushed ahead again she shouted "Incoming!" and ducked low. Her leg caught his in a roundhouse kick that threw him off-balance and sent him stumbling forward.

Wilma, having heard the warning, feinted a blow at her adversary to draw him into an attack. He took it, the frustration on his face making clear his desire to end their match. This gave Wilma the opening and leverage she needed to grab at his arm. He might have pulled free of the grab, but Wilma had no intention of holding him and giving him time. She immediately smacked him in the face with her free elbow, smashing his nose, and threw him off-balance toward Julia.

The timing was just a little off, as Julia's foe nearly ran into her. But the effect was as desired; the two assassins slammed into each other and toppled. Caught up in each other, they were in no position to resist Julia's stick or Wilma's fist when they came down. Both collapsed unconscious to the ground.

The two looked at each other. "Nice work," Julia said.

"Thank you." Wilma nodded. 

* * *

Another assassin came for Huer. This assassin never stood a chance.

Robert had met _Mastrash_ Ledosh before the Alliance was formed, years before he knew he had the potential to wield the same power. In all of that time, on ever occasion he met Meridina's mentor, he'd never seen the older man actually use his abilities in a fight.

Now, however, that streak would end.

Ledosh surprised everyone by pulling a weapon from his belt. Robert recognized it as one of Lucy's new weapons, one of her "lightsaber"s. An electronic snap brought a green blade into existence that intercepted several more pulses of ruby light. Gina moved into action with her own blade, which extended out with a metallic shriek. Her weapon intercepted shots from a third foe and sent them back. One deflected blast struck the second in the chest. There was a puff of flame on the killer's waiter uniform for a moment while he fell back.

Robert thought Ledosh and Gina had the attack well in-hand. He didn't see or feel the last one emerge from the nearby bush until it was almost too late. He came up with a pistol aimed at Huer's back. Robert reached out and gripped the weapon with his power to throw it off-target. Red bolts shot out and, again, misser Huer.

There was a cry. Doctor Song collapsed.

Ledosh whipped around and joined his power to Robert's, pulling this last assassin into the open. In the blink of an eye he was across the distance. The assassin screamed as his gun, and the hands holding it, fell from his arms. Ledosh disengaged his new blade and returned it to his belt in a single movement while the shooter crumbled before him, holding up the stumps of his wrists.

"Doctor Huer, are you alright?" Robert asked. Around them there were sounds of fighting and shots that were coming to an end.

"Yes," the older man said, although his voice was shaking. "Doctor Song!" he called out, seeing the Korean woman on the ground with a blackened spot on her torso.

Robert rushed over to her. He didn't need to put a hand to her neck to know she was alive, but he did so for appearance's sake. A weak pulse thrummed against his fingers. "She's alive, but wounded. We need medical help here! Leo!"

Moments later Leo arrived, accompanied by Angel and Caterina. The wound on his face was already turning purple, standing out against the black skin. Leo's medical omnitool appeared around his left forearm while his right pulled up the dedicated medical scanner that went with it. "It looks like a plasma wound. Internal burning and organ damage to the lungs, stomach…" Leo tapped his omnitool to open a comm channel. "Gillam to Medbay, Medical Emergency, I need a full medical team beamed to my location ASAP."

Doctor Lumenaram, a Gersallian physician, answered, " _Doctor Opani and a team are preparing to beam down now._ "

"Will she make it, Leo?" Robert asked.

"If we can stabilize her." Sweat was already forming on Leo's brow, but given the fight that had already raged this was to be expected. He looked up to Huer. "Doctor Huer, I'm not familiar with the full extent of your medical technology. I know I can stabilize her in our Medbay."

"As you are the attending physician on the scene, Doctor, I'll leave the medical decisions to you." Huer was still clearly shaken.

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, I hate party-crashers," protested Twiki.

By the surrounding sounds, it was clear that the attackers had been dealt with. Robert looked up in time to see a number of the others walk up. Zack and Barnes were with Buck, and Julia came back with Wilma Deering. With the exception of Barnes, they showed clear signs of having been in the midst of the attack. "Is everyone okay?" Robert asked them.

"Good enough." Barnes cracked a grin. "You should see the other frakking guys."

Robert didn't particularly find the situation grin-worthy, but he said nothing.

"Who are they?" Julia asked. "And how did so many sneak in?"

"I'll have security begin an immediate investigation," Wilma said. "They may have taken the places of our entire waiting staff."

Buck was already kneeling over the man Ledosh had disarmed, almost literally. The man's eyes were fuming with hatred, but he could do nothing to stop Buck from pulling his waiter's uniform open to reveal the tattoo of a red dragon. "A pirate, then," he said. "I think I've seen this before."

It was Dr. Theopolis who stated, " _My analysis indicates it is the insignia of a pirate band known as the Dragon Legion_. _According to records… oh, this is most disconcerting._ "

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, spit it out Doc."

For all that the silver robot's attitude was grating, Robert had to admit he agreed with the sentiment.

" _According to our intelligence sources, the Dragon Legion are a front for Draconian Intelligence._ "

"The Draconians." Buck frowned. "Why am I not surprised they'd pull something? They can't be happy that Earth is joining your Alliance."

"So this was an attempt to disrupt the final negotiations?" Huer's question was rhetorical. "No. No, that's not enough. This was too risky an attack to be a spiteful stab at our admission to the Alliance. My successors could negotiate it just as easily."

That gave Robert a very sick feeling. "Of course, if you and Colonel Deering and the rest of us were dead or incapacitated…"

Wilma and Buck shared worried looks. "Then the defense of New Chicago, of the whole Earth, would be completely compromised."

There was a tone. An orange omnitool popped into existence around Huer's forearm. For a moment he tapped at it. "My apologies, we just issued them to our Directors and I'm still getting used…" After he hit the right key a face appeared, a woman in uniform in what looked like a command center. "Major Logan, report?"

"Sir, the watch posts have picked up an unidentified vessel," the woman said with a strong Irish lilt. "Something big's come through the gate… and it's being escorted by Draconian Hatchet fighters."

"How many?" Wilma asked.

"At least two dozen," was the reply.

"Then this is the main effort of the Draconian attack," Ledosh said calmly. He looked to Dale.

Robert nodded. He lifted his left arm and brought up his azure-toned omnitool, just as it lit up above the back of his hand to indicate an incoming message. He pressed the light. "Dale here."

" _Captain, there is a developing situation._ " The voice on the other end was Meridina's; she had assumed command to allow the rest of the command staff to go planetside for the reception. " _We are detecting a number of craft now in the system. By Ensign al-Rashad's estimates, the largest vessel appears to be on a course for Earth._ "

"Standby." Robert looked to Ledosh and Huer. "We can make the intercept."

Ledosh nodded and looked to Huer. "Doctor Huer, the Alliance is ready to assist you in repelling this treacherous assault."

"Your assistance is welcomed," Huer said. "Colonel Deering, please join them."

Deering looked to Robert. "My fighters will be joining you as quickly as we can launch."

Robert nodded. "We'll be expecting you, then."

Buck and Wilma started running for the nearest door.

With help accounted for, Robert reopened the channel to the _Aurora_. "Meridina, have us all beamed back up. Put us on an intercept course and call Code Red. I want fighters and the _Koenig_ ready to launch."

" _Launch preparations beginning. We are beaming you now._ "

With the exception of Leo and his medical team the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ officers attending were beamed back, bruises and all.


	74. Episode 2-15-2 Blast from the Past

Meridina was watching with interest as the others returned. "Mister Scott is already in Engineering," she said, noting the bruises and injuries on Julia, Jarod, and Angel as they took their stations. "It would appear that the reception was more interesting than was expected?"

"Oh, you know, assassins, guns." Julia took her chair and smiled wryly. "Everything you need to spice up a quiet reception."

"I see." Meridina stepped away from the command chairs. "I shall prepare our security teams," she said as she walked away.

"First fighter squadrons ready to launch," Julia said.

"Launch," Robert answered.

As the _Aurora_ raced on, light blue-colored Mongoose fighters began to shoot out from the launch tubes along her upper drive hull. The main body wasn't too different from an atmospheric jet fighter's fuselage, with the sublight engines built to connect the atmospheric flight wings - also the site of the missile-bearing hardpoints - to the main body of the craft.

"Signal from Earth," Jarod said. "It's Colonel Deering."

"Put her on."

The voice of the Earth squadron commander came over the speaker. " _Captain, we'll be joining you as soon as we can get airborne. But half of my fighters were completely disabled by sabotage and our launch bays have been blocked with debris. It's going to take us several minutes to get airborne._ "

"I read you, Colonel. Do what you can, we'll handle this." Robert looked back to Caterina at the Sensors/Science station. "Cat, can you give me scans of the craft?"

"I'm trying, but they have a jamming field up," she said. "The best I can tell you is that it's the size of a small cruiser, but its mass is a lot heavier than it should be."

"What do we have on the Draconians?" Robert asked. "Can you find anything in fleet logs?"

"I'm looking, but so far all we have are long-range scans provided by exploration craft and trading ships," Caterina said. "And this craft's not matching exactly… it certainly is Draconian, at least if you ask me, but they didn't build it to their usual specs."

"I'm tying us into Earth's systems," Jarod said. "Maybe they have something more."

"I'm looking through the database now, but still nothing like that…" , Caterina stopped, as if stunned. " _Mother of God_ , it…"

"Cat?" Robert and Julia both turned to face her intently. "What's going on?"

Caterina was busy looking over her sensor returns. "I'm not getting any indication of life signs on that ship. I can't be sure until we're closer…"

Robert considered that. And given the look of realization on Julia's face, he knew he didn't need life force powered-insight to know what this thing was. "It's not a ship," he said. "It's a _missile_."

Jarod was already doing the calculations in his head. What he conceived horrified him just as much. "If it hits, even without a warhead it'll destroy any city it strikes. There could be millions of casualties."

"Then we keep it from hitting," Robert declared. "Angel, lock weapons on that missile, fire when we're within range. Jarod, put me on an open channel."

"You're on." Jarod's tone of voice made it clear how futile he figured it would be.

"This is Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_ from the United Alliance of Systems," Robert announced firmly. "You are violating the space of United Earth. On their behalf I'm ordering you to withdraw or you _will_ be fired upon."

After several moments it was clear there was no response coming.

"We'll be in weapons range in a minute," Jarod said.

The minute might have been quiet, but Caterina spoke up again. "I'm picking up naqia," she said. "And naqia-grade power sources."

"From the missile?" Julia asked.

"And the fighters."

"Then they might have naqia warhead anti-ship missiles or torpedoes," Julia said to Robert.

He nodded in agreement. "Send Laurent's fighters forward." Robert tapped the comm key on his chair. "Bridge to _Koenig_. Are you ready, Zack?"

" _My crew's at stations. We're preparing to launch_."

As the distance closed and the _Koenig_ began their launch sequence, the Mongoose fighters finished closing the distance. "The Draconian fighters are accelerating to engage," said Jarod.

* * *

The day was turning out quite hectic for Patrice Laurent. He'd gotten kicked in the stomach at the reception and now he was flying a combat sortie against a foe he had little information about. Half of his squadrons were still arming up back on the _Aurora_ , leaving him with four squadrons, 48 starfighters, behind him. "Bravo, Delta, prevent them from breaking through to the _Aurora_ ," Laurent ordered, his accented voice reflecting his origins in Francophone Africa. "Alpha and Gemini, you're with me. Remember to watch your backs out there, everyone."

A number of affirmatives came. The most important ones for his personal safety were from the fighters in his command flight. The strong soprano of Lieutenant Gwen Skydancer, leading the second element of his flight, and alien voice of his Kerbal wingman Lieutenant Jebediah Kerman were reassurances he didn't take for granted.

The first of the big, vicious-looking Hatchet fighters were coming up in view on Laurent's HUD. They looked almost like flying tridents, painted red as blood with their cockpits built above and at the back of their central point. Their heavy laser cannons stitched bright light in the void of space. Laurent had already changed his course and craft orientation to throw off the shot. He let his crosshairs move over the nearest craft before him and turn red before he opened up with his pulse phaser batteries. Amber light pulses nearly struck the enemy craft, which jinked in another direction at just the right moment to throw Laurent's aim off.

He persisted by matching the maneuver of the Hatchet fighter, bringing his weapons back on target. Again amber fire crossed the distance, and this time he hit. Bright blue energy flickered over the Hatchet. Much to his consternation, though, he couldn't see anything showing a direct hit. No debris, no brief spurts of flame or plasma, nothing.

"Enemy fighter acquiring," warned Ensign Sentana, a Lushan Dorei man who now served as his second seat sensor officer. Laurent heeded the warning and fired his engines and thrusters to execute a sharp one hundred and thirty degree turn in space. His fighter rumbled slightly. "Glancing hit. Rear deflectors down to eighty percent," Sentana said.

His maneuver had put Laurent in place to fire at another Hatchet. Again his pulse phasers battered strong deflectors that didn't seem to give. This time he fired off an anti-fighter missile. It also slammed into the enemy fighter. The shields flickered and he hit it with another barrage of phaser fire before the Hatchet broke away. This time he was rewarded with what looked like slight damage. But only slight.

" _I can't get a solid hit_ ," protested a pilot over the squadron channel. " _The deflectors on these things are too tough!_ "

"Use missiles and steady fire," Laurent answered. "We have a numbers advantage. Work together and attack from multiple angles."

As responses came, a frantic cry of " _I can't shake him!_ " came over the line. The nearby explosion that caught the edge of Laurent's sight told him the terrible news that one of his fighters had just been lost.

" _They're accelerating toward the_ Aurora!" another voice called out.

"Bravo, Delta, do what you have to! Stop them!" Laurent commanded. It was all he had time to say while dodging incoming fire from another of the Hatchets.

* * *

"Their fighters' deflectors are stronger than normal," Julia informed Robert as they continued to close the distance. "Our fighters are having a hard time trying to shoot them down."

"Bring our light batteries to bear as we enter range, but the priority remains the missile." Robert reopened his channel to Zack. "Zack, if you can help our fighters while engaging the missile, go ahead, but that missile has to remain our prime target."

" _Roger that_."

"It looks like two of the enemy fighters have made it through our squadrons," Julia said. "Fox and Echo squadrons are still preparing to launch. Charlie's fighters were down for a standard maintenance cycle and the flight deck reports they won't be ready to sortie for at least another five to ten minutes."

"I think we underestimated the possibility for trouble," Robert lamented.

"Enemy fighters are firing missiles."

The holo-viewscreen showed the two Draconian craft firing their anti-ship missiles. The automated particle interceptors built into the _Aurora_ 's hull opened up, their white pulses seeking out the incoming missiles. One missile took repeated hits that were clearly absorbed by a short-lived shield system. Angel shot it with one of her lighter phaser arrays just before it made impact, destroying it. A second missile was clipped by the same shot and was blown wildly off-course by the damage.

The other missiles, however, did make impact.

The _Aurora_ rocked violently from the blasts that were produced. "What the…?" Robert stopped himself from using any four letter words to finish the sentence. "Jarod?!"

"Shields are down to seventy percent effectiveness," Jarod said. "And Primary Generator 2 has suffering buckling damage from reaction stress."

"Just what are they packing those missiles with?" Julia asked.

"Going by the emissions given off by the initiations… I think it's de-stabilized naqia," Cat replied. "Like the stuff we used to blow up the _Kelley_ when we stopped the Daleks."

Jarod whistled. "That's insane. I wouldn't want to be the pilot carrying those things… more fighters coming in!"

"I've got a clear shot on the missile!" Angel announced. "Firing!"

The _Aurora_ 's forward weapons blazed to life. Amber and sapphire pulses from the pulse phaser and pulse plasma cannon emplacements raced across the void and crashed into the blue forcefield that quickly formed around the missile. "The missile's deflectors are down to only ninety-five percent," Jarod said. "They've got high-caliber shields in place."

"The Draconians' technology is a lot stronger than reports indicated," Robert noted irritably. Alliance Intelligence would be getting hell for this screwup. "Maintain fire, we need to take that missile down."

"Energy spike in the propulsion systems," Cat said. "The missile is picking up acceleration."

"Keep us on them Locarno."

"Another incoming missile salvo!" Caterina shouted.

The ship was nearly complete in its turn when the next missile impact hit. "Shields down to sixty-two percent. Bleedthrough damage to Decks 20 and 21, K section," Jarod reported.

"Can we do anything with the shields to ride these weapons out more?" Julia asked.

"I'll do what I can," was all he could say.

As they spoke Angel kept up her shots on the missile, which continued to absorb the fire.

* * *

The same was noticed by Zack on the _Koenig_ as the attack ship continued to track the missile. Her pulse phaser cannons opened up on the rear engine assembly with minimal effect. He could hear the frustration in Lt. April Sherlily's voice as her fire continued to prove so ineffective. "These shields are stronger than anything that size should have," she protested.

"No crew, no support space, more space for shields and power generation," Lt. Magda Navaez pointed out. "Enemy missiles inbound."

"Ap, shake them!"

Under the control of Lt. Creighton Apley, Zack's XO, the _Koenig_ began to dodge and weave from the anti-ship missiles locked onto her. Her dorsal phaser stabbed out and shot one to pieces. Just as the phaser targeted the second, it hit. The entire ship rocked violently. "Report!" Zack shouted.

"Shields down to seventy-four percent," Magda replied. "Superficial damage to the armor plating. All systems still functioning."

"Bringing us back on attack run," Apley added, as the _Koenig_ again turned toward the missile now accelerating toward Earth.

* * *

Another of the fighter-launched missiles from the Draconian fighters struck the _Aurora_ 's faltering shields. "Shields down to thirty-five percent. Primary 4 is offline from an overload, secondary shields coming online."

While Jarod informed them of the result of the latest hit, Robert and Julia were both watching Angel pouring fire into the missile as it drew closer and closer to Earth. "Fox and Echo are ready to launch," Julia said. "I've had them re-armed with solar torpedoes, they'll go after the missile."

"How's Laurent doing?"

Julia shook her head. "Not too well. He's lost seven fighters already and the other side's only lost three. We're getting transponders on at least five escape pods." The tactical map showed the current battle. The missile was heading toward Earth with increasing speed, the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were following it and pumping fire into its thick shields, and behind them the Hatchet fighters were in hot pursuit, weaving around with the _Aurora_ 's Mongoose fighters.

"The missile's shields are still at seventy-five percent," Jarod said. "And at its increasing rate of acceleration, I'm not sure we can hit it before it strikes Earth."

"There's no telling what's aboard that weapon, we can't let it reach Earth," insisted Robert, who was already starting to consider that their only hope of stopping the missile might be to plow his ship right into it.

It was, needless to say, not a choice he was eager to make.

* * *

Laurent watched his last missile streak through space and strike one of the Draconian fighters. His phasers were already ablaze, pouring fire into its flickering blue shields. More phaser fire came from an alternate angle, fifty degrees up and to the right of Laurent. Lieutenant Skydancer, he suspected, as the firing was more tight than Jeb Kerman's usual. Either way, the convergence was enough to overload the enemy fighter's shields. Flames broke out from the rear briefly before it blew up.

Skydancer blew past him with a Hatchet fighter on her rear. Laurent engaged it with his weapons. "Where's Alpha 4?" he asked.

" _Damaged, I told him to RTB_ ," said Skydancer. " _This one's good, I'm having trouble shaking him_."

"I'm on him. Keep going, Alpha 3. Alpha 2, can you join me on this?"

" _I'm on you, Alpha 1_ ," his Kerbal wingman answered in his accented, warbly voice.

The same results were nearly repeated as Laurent's prior engagement, although this time the Hatchet broke away quickly enough that it only had an engine blown off, leaving it to careen wildly away from the fight.

Satisfied that it was a partial kill, Laurent was looking for another engagement when his warning lights went off. He twisted and jinked to avoid the incoming energy fire. The Hatchets were surprisingly agile for their size and this one's angle of attack gave the pilot a great initial advantage. Until Laurent got out of the Hatchet's engagement zone on its angle, he was going to take fire. And take hits, as his systems showed.

"Deflectors down to thirty," Sentana informed him. "I'm trying to shore them up with auxiliary reserves." He didn't have to add that another barrage or two like that would probably finish the fighter off.

Laurent had little time to consider this consequence, as he was busy trying to prevent it. He threw the Mongoose into a strong turn and fired thrusters to shift the fighter's orientation, barely evading the shots. In his head he could imagine the space he had available, which maneuvers might work and which would expose him to fire…

And then Sentana shouted, "New contacts!"

There was that brief moment of uncertainty, of fear, of wondering if more of these tough heavy fighters were about to join the battle.

A voice crackled over the line. " _This is Colonel Deering of the 69th Earth Defense Squadron to_ Aurora _fighters. We're engaging_."

The Thunderfighter heavy fighters came in at full burn on their engines. They were sleek fighters for their size, orientated around twin engine booms with canard wings for atmospheric flight near the rear. They lacked the exotic effects of nuclear-disruption technology like phasers, but what they lacked was made up for with the power behind their weapons. The lead fighter, under Wilma Deering's expert command, opened up on the fighter tracking Laurent. A second fighter came in and added its fire; with both shooting the Draconian's shields failed swiftly and the fighter was blown apart. " _Is it just me, or are these things thicker-skinned than usual?_ " Buck inquired.

"They are using heavy deflectors of some kind," Laurent replied. "We have been combining fire to overwhelm them."

" _Good idea, Commander._ "

The reinforcements to the battle didn't change the Hatchet pilots' determination to break through and lob their missiles into the _Aurora_. Laurent linked back up with Kerman and noticed the performance of the Earth Defense Directorate fighters; they were having better luck blasting through the Hatchets' new deflectors with the heavier volume of fire from their main laser emplacements, but the Hatchets were doing their best to evade that fire and the Thunderfighters had a similar maneuverability profile, making it easy for Hatchets to escape them if their pilots caught on quickly enough.

"Colonel Deering, this is Commander Laurent," he said into the comms. "My fighters will maneuver them into position for you."

" _The assistance is appreciated, Commander_."

"All fighters, focus on driving the enemy into the Earth fighters' line of fire. And keep them off of their backs." His order was answered by a number of " _Yes sir_ "s. Laurent worked himself to do the same. He found a Hatchet fighter slipping up behind Colonel Deering and engaged it at the same time Buck's Thunderfighter did. The phaser and laser fire from different angles overwhelmed the enemy fighter's shields and turned it into a blinding white fireball.

This cleared Deering for her own attack on a Hatchet. The lasers of her Thunderfighter pummelled the enemy craft relentlessly. Every maneuver it tried was matched and countered. Just as Laurent started to get a bead on it, the Hatchet fighter exploded. "Excellent shooting, Colonel."

" _Thank you, Commander_."

They both got back to work as the Draconian fighters' numbers continued to dwindle.

* * *

The _Aurora_ 's battering was over, or so it seemed to Robert, with the Earth fighters helping to keep the remaining Draconians with missiles fully occupied. Now all he had to worry about was the missile streaking directly toward Earth.

Which was a big enough worry, since it was just minutes from impact.

"Any progress on their shields?" he asked, while on the screen the fighters of Echo and Fox Squadrons fired away with more solar torpedoes. It felt like he had seen Nazi dreadnoughts succumb to the pummelling that the missile was taking.

"They're down to twenty-five percent. But at the rate we're going, it won't be enough." Jarod shook his head. "I'm reading heavy armor plating below the shields. Even if we finish degrading the shields, we'll never blow it apart before it's in the atmosphere."

"And what's it carrying?"

"Destabilized Naqia," Caterina answered. "The blast will be horrific. It will inflict planetary-scale devastation."

Robert's fists clenched. "What if we ram it?"

"It could knock it off course," Jarod said. "But a hard enough impact will set off the destabilized naqia within. There won't be much left of the _Aurora_ afterward."

"But the Earth will survive." Robert drew in a breath and exchanged a look with Julia. She knew what he was planning and knew it appeared to be the only choice.

A solution flashed to mind just before she could agree with his plan. "Jarod, what if we tractor it off-course?"

"It's close enough to Earth that its delta-v will carry it a far distance before it can come back around. At least, with the propulsion technology I'm showing."

"Then let's try that first," she said, looking to Robert. Her green eyes flickered with confidence.

Robert nodded in agreement. "Make it work, Jarod."

"I'm charging up the main tractor beams now." Jarod tapped a number of keys on his board. "Get us in close, Nick. We're going to need both ventral tractors to make this work."

Locarno responded by accelerating the ship further, pushing the engines to overtake the rapid missile.

For his part, Robert opened a channel to Engineering with the control on his chair. "Mister Scott, we're going to need full power to the engines and tractor beams to stop this missile."

" _Ye'll have everythin' we can give ye, Cap'n. Tell Mister Jarod t' trim th' graviton wavelengths, it'll give ye a tighter, stronger tractor beam, shud be enough t' stop th' bloody thing._ "

Jarod smiled warmly and answered, "Thanks, Mister Scott. A wonderful suggestion."

"I'm sending you a calculated flight path to get clear of Earth, Nick," Caterina called out.

"Receiving it."

A moment after he said that, Jarod triggered the tractor beams. Two thin ribbons of blue light suddenly linked the _Aurora_ to the missile. The _Aurora_ shuddered and strained in pulling the deadly craft off its cataclysmic course to Earth. Bit by bit, it was clearly working. The question was if it would work enough.

Caterina was watching her monitor like a hawk. "We've diverted it off course by one percent. One point three. One point five."

"Is that enough?" Julia asked.

"It depends on time to impact," she answered. "But if we don't get it up to twenty-five percent soon, we'll never deflect it. Three percent. Three point two."

" _Ye've got maybe two minutes left_ ," Scotty warned. " _We're redlinin' th' impulse drives somethin' fierce._ "

"I don't think we'll manage it in two minutes," Locarno said.

"Koenig _to_ Aurora," said Zack's voice, now coming over the speaker. " _We're moving in to help_."

The _Koenig_ flew up on the other side of the missile and orientated herself to present her main tractor beam. Once she finished the maneuver a third thin ribbon of blue light connected the Draconian craft to the two Alliance ships. Working together they continued to push the missile off-target.

"Fifteen percent… fifteen point five… sixteen point five… _we're doing it!_ ' Cat's voice was full of energy, nervous and exhilarated at the same time.

On the viewscreen they could all see the Earth looming ever larger. North America was starting to shift to one side of the screen.

"Twenty-three…. twenty-three point nine… _Twenty-five!_ "

The missile was turned away enough that it dragged the two ships beyond Earth with it.

"I'm picking up a fluctuation in the warhead! I think the tractor pressure is affecting the naqia inside! We need to get distance, _now_."

"Break off! Break off!"

At Robert's command the tractor beams shut down and the _Aurora_ pulled away from the missile. The _Koenig_ did likewise. The missile flew on, accelerated to such an extent that it would take a complicated maneuver to put it back on course for Earth.

It never got that chance. The delicate payload it was carrying had been disturbed too greatly. Resonating with energy, there were no mechanisms to stop the destabilized naqia within from exploding with the massive energy it contained within. The missile was instantly vaporized.

The _Aurora_ shields shuddered slightly. "No damage from the blast," Jarod said. "But I'm reading faults in all main and secondary impulse drives."

" _Aye. I'll be needin' tae take 'em offline an' put work crews on 'em for a day or so, otherwise we'll be sittin' ducks,_ " said Scotty.

"You're free to do that as soon as this fight is over and we safely make orbit. Bridge out." Robert checked the tactical map. The Draconian fighters were down to just ten, and that number was declining more and more quickly as the inverse square law went to work. "Recall Fox and Echo for re-arming," he said. "And have Charlie launch. I doubt they'll get there in time to fight, but I want a CAP out now at all times, at least until we find out if we're facing more attacks."

He was answered by nods and "Aye"s.

"Signal Doctor Huer and Emissary Ledosh," he said to Julia. "I'd like them to beam up so we can go over this attack."

"I'm sending Ledosh a signal now," she answered. "And I already ordered out the S&R runabouts and shuttles. And I detailed the _Irrawaddy_ to beam up whatever's left of that missile for study."

"A good idea." And as the _Aurora_ moved into orbit and the battle came to an end, Robert let himself wonder just what was going on. The Draconians were an aggressive and powerful empire, yes, but technologically, they weren't supposed to be this well-off. _What's going on? And who was responsible for this? Some rogue Draconian officer or is it their Emperor?_

* * *

In a star system not too far from Earth, an angry female voice cried out, "Damn them! How did they survive?!"

The reserved man standing next to her considered his answer carefully. "We may have underestimated Earth's new friends."

At that the woman's look soured. Princess Ardala of the Draconian Empire was used to getting her own way, but yet again the defenders of Earth had thwarted her. She took solace in the idea that the failures were from others. "It shouldn't have mattered. Clearly our agents were inept. And now one of the weapons has been expended uselessly. My father will be incensed. He will blame me." She looked toward her right hand man. Kane was a man of tanned complexion and reserved cunning, which she found useful when she didn't find it utterly annoying. "How long until the other weapons can be fired?"

Kane made the mental calculation of his answer. He recognized that look of imperial impatience crossing the otherwise-lovely Ardala's face. "Assembly is taking some time," he confessed. "There is only so much of the special material, after all, and it is needed for powering the new deflectors as well as being used for the warheads. It will be at least a day before we can launch another wave."

"We must speed things up." Ardala's scowl was joined by a look of consideration. "Surely you can get that thing to be more cooperative?"

"It will not."

"Your torturers cannot break it?"

"They have not yet. They dare not use the furthest degree, it would kill the creature in its fragile state."

"Very well. See what can be gleaned from the data we recovered instead. We cannot let this happen again. The next time we launch these weapons, the Earth must be destroyed." Ardala smiled ferociously. "And then all of known space will bow to the Draconian Empire."

 _And I will be remembered as the one who brought it about_ , was her concluding thought on that outcome.

* * *

Conference Room 1 was the site of the assembly chosen to examine the Draconian attack. In attendance were the command officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ joined by Ledosh, Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis (With Twiki carrying him as usual), and Wilma and Buck. Leo was conspicuously absent, still tending to Director Sung and to other casualties in the battle. All of the attendees had seats and Jarod took the seat to direct the briefing while Huer and Robert were at the heads of the adjacent tables. "I've managed to get some atomic analysis scans of the missile debris, to give us an idea of where the Draconian technology comes from." Jarod frowned. "And the answer isn't good."

"So what is it?" Buck asked.

"Well, the remaining energy pattern is consistent with what destabilized naqia would give off," Jarod said. "But I would say the most important piece evidence is from the fighter debris. We managed to recover part of the deflector generators they were using on the Hatchet fighters."

"Nice," said Buck. "Whatever it is, it took a lot of time to punch through."

"And that's not surprising, given what we've found." Jarod's look was somber. "The deflectors are Darglan technology."

Mouths opened in mute disbelief. Everyone stared.

And then, after checking the scan results Jarod displayed, both Scotty and Barnes nodded. "Well, I'll be," said Scotty. "It's Darglan alright. Looks t' be a more advanced version of th' deflectors we installed on th' _Aurora_."

"So the Draconians have frakking _Darglan technology?_ " Barnes shook his head. "Because… holy crap, man, that makes them really frakking dangerous."

"That it does," Ledosh agreed, his calm tone a contrast to the disturbed expression that came to his face. "To think that such a treacherous people are abusing the legacy of the Darglan people…"

Of course, the weight of the finding was lost on much of the other side's attendees. "Who were the Darglan anyway?" asked Buck.

"A species that existed thousands of years ago," replied Julia. "They built the interuniversal jump drives we use. They built a lot of advanced technology."

"It's gonna frakking suck if these bastards got their hands on IU drives," Barnes complained.

"The only way to know for sure is to find out more about this attack," Buck said. "And where it was launched from. Doctor Huer, any ideas?"

"Before I came up I consulted with our intelligence people," Huer said. "There have been reports about intense Draconian interest in the Pleiades Sector. They've recently annexed several systems in that area."

"Did anyone protest this?" Robert asked.

"None. That region of space is open, and has little value."

"Pleiades?" Caterina looked up. "If it's the Pleiades Cluster, then that actually makes sense."

"What makes sense, Cat?" Robert asked.

She operated the control at her seat to bring up a sensor reading. "I got this from the remnant debris of the missile. There wasn't much left, but there was enough for me to determine that it contains a rare isotope of Hafnium, Hafnium-178m2, probably in the missile's batteries."

"I am aware of Hafnium-178m2," said Dr. Theopolis, the lights of his disc flashing as he spoke. "It occurs naturally in only one solar system. Pleiades-24."

"Just like in every other universe." Caterina smiled. "I bet that the missile was manufactured in that system, or somewhere near it."

"What do you want to bet the Draconians are building these things wherever they found this alien technology?" Buck asked rhetorically.

"Using local resources where possible would keep their project from becoming more visible," Jarod agreed. "So this is the perfect place to begin a search."

"There's a stargate that leads to Pleiades," Wilma noted. "We can make it in two jumps. But it could take weeks to search with conventional drives, if the Draconians are in another one of the systems."

"The _Koenig_ 's warp drive will make it easier to cover distance," Zack said. "We can go out there and look around. Under cloak. And I bet if they've got anything Darglan, it's got a DT field."

"A DT field?" asked Huer.

"A dimensionally transcendental field, Doctor," Caterina said. "It makes things bigger on the inside than they are on the outside."

"That sounds like an extraordinary technology," Theopolis remarked, with as much excitement as his robotic voice could perhaps muster. "I look forward to learning more of these Darglan."

"I'll be glad to open our database to you, Doctor," Caterina said, smiling at the AI. "With permission of course."

"So what happens when you find this place?" Buck asked.

"We put a few solar torpedoes into it, I suppose," Zack answered. "Unless we want to try to insert a team to see what's there?"

Buck nodded. "That's exactly my thought. It might tell us more about what the Draconians are planning."

"Are you up to it, Buck?" asked Huer.

That prompted a grin from the pilot. "As always, Doc. You know me."

"Hopefully you will not do anything reckless," stated Theopolis, "although past experience indicates a high probability of my hope failing."

"I'm not sending Captain Rogers in alone," Robert stated. He looked to where Commander Kane was sitting quietly. "Take a squad that you think works for this op, Commander, and have the _Bastilone_ ready."

"The _Bastilone_?" Buck asked.

Kane nodded. "She's our special ops assault runabout, comes equipped with a cloaking device. The _Koenig_ can get us close and the _Bastilone_ will insert us."

Meridina nodded. "I shall accompany you."

"And we'll bring Lieutenant Lucero, if she's up to it," Kane said. "Which I'm sure she'll be."

"As long as our force isn't too big, otherwise we'll never sneak in," Buck warned. He was still grinning slightly. "Although I'll enjoy the backup."

"Should I go too?" Caterina asked. "If you're handling Darglan technology, I mean."

"I've got another project for you, Cat, with Jarod." Robert looked at them. "Just in case more of these missiles come, I want a countermeasure that doesn't require us to burn out our impulse drives."

"Right." Jarod nodded.

"And since the _Aurora_ is bound to orbit for another…" Robert looked to Scott next.

"Give me another thirty hours, sir," Scotty answered. "My crews are doin' th' best they can, but a lot o' our components need replacin'."

Robert nodded. "Then we're not going anywhere until then. Once we have a countermeasure idea in place, we can join the _Koenig_ in Pleiades for the search or to hit their base."

"Might I join you in your efforts to counter the new Draconian missiles?" Theopolis requested. "I believe I will be able to assist you."

"We'll be glad to have you," was Robert's answer.

"We'll see you in Science Lab 2, then," Caterina said, still grinning. Working with Data had been great, and she was looking forward to working with another AI.

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, at least she's a cutie," said Twiki.

"Twiki, that is quite unacceptable. Lieutenant Delgado is a scientist and should be treated like one."

"You're no fun."

Wilma cracked a slight grin and looked to Buck. "You have taught him too well," she said, prompting an innocent look from Buck. After that remark she turned her head toward where Robert and Huer were sitting. "I'll keep my pilots on standby. We should have the entire squadron back to full readiness by tomorrow evening."

"I can coordinate with Commander Laurent and Colonel Deering," offered Julia, glancing Robert's way.

"That works for me," he replied. Robert, in turn, met Huer's look. "And I'll ask Admiral Maran for more ships. I'm just not sure how many we'll get or when. The fleet's heavily engaged in operations against the Nazis right now."

"I shall consult with President Morgan on the issue," Ledosh stated. "And it is possible I may be able to persuade the Gersallian government to provide assistance independent of Alliance command."

"I understand," Huer said. "I'll call in what favors I can. There are worlds near to us, trading partners and allies, also being threatened by the Draconians. We can get help."

"It looks like we've got everything planned out. Is there anything else, Doctor Huer?"

The older man shook his head. "I'll issue my report to the other directors and to the Computer Council on what our reaction will be, and begin mobilizing our remaining defense squadrons."

"Then our meeting's over." Robert stood, signaling the others to do the same.

Zack turned to Buck and nodded. "You've got anything you want to bring with you?"

"A few things," Buck said.

"My people should be ready to launch in a couple of hours, I'll be waiting for you at the airlock."

While they left, Huer approached Robert, Ledosh standing beside him. "Do you know anything about Director Sung's condition, Captain?"

"Before the meeting Leo said he was prepping her for surgery to repair damaged organs," Robert replied. "I can take you to the medbay to see if she's out of the OR."

"Thank you, Captain, but I wouldn't wish to be a burden when you have so much to do already."

"I shall escort you then, Doctor," Ledosh said quietly. "I will use the time in the medbay to compose my messages to President Morgan and Director Anjila. And then we can discuss matters as they are needed."

"Thank you then, Emissary."

Ledosh led Huer off. Robert took a moment to let everyone get out before he left as well, his message to Admiral Maran already forming in his mind.

* * *

Meridina found Lucy in the Lookout enjoying a late lunch. Like Meridina she hadn't gone planetside for the ill-fated reception. Meridina had volunteered to stay while Lucy, never one for diplomatic receptions, had turned down Julia's offer to list her as a senior officer for the reception invitations.

Now, the thought came to her that if she had gone down, she might have seen the attack coming, and maybe fewer people would have gotten hurt.

There was little time for guilt, however. Lucy was finishing a much-desired meal and was already thinking about the repairs she would need to do when Meridina stepped up. "Lucy," she said. "I am afraid I recommended you for a dangerous mission."

"Well, as long as you didn't volunteer me," Lucy answered, grinning. "I'm up for it, as you know."

"Indeed." Meridina nodded. "And now that you have shared your insights with _Mastrash_ Ledosh, the knowledge will pass on as you requested."

"If it were any _Mastrash_ other than Ledosh, I'd be worried about the plans being shared with other groups," Lucy said before digging her spoon into a mostly-consumed container of sausage stew. "But I know he will. So, how are we going to be facing death now?"

Meridina felt the calm confidence and humor in Lucy and smiled with satisfaction. She could never stop appreciating Lucy's bravery. "The Draconians of this universe have Darglan technology."

The confident grin vanished from Lucy's expression. "Crap," she muttered. "That's bad."

"It is. We will join a team of Commander Kane's Marines and Captain Rogers in attempting to infiltrate whatever installation we discover."

"Right." Lucy thought deeply for a moment. "I wonder how the Draconians accessed a Darglan database or Facility. Their access panels don't recognize just anyone."

"Indeed. Perhaps we shall find out."

"So this Captain Rogers guy… is he an observer or something?' Lucy asked. "Someone Earth's sending along to see how we do it?"

"Actually, he volunteered to perform the mission alone," Meridina said. "Which is brave and reckless."

" _Really_ reckless." Lucy nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I'd better get my stuff together. We're riding on the _Koenig_ , right/"

"We are."

"Right. I guess I'd better get my pack for the _Koenig_."

Meridina's look was curious. Lucy, in turn was bemused by feeling that curiosity. "A pack for the _Koenig_?"

"Clothes. Hygiene essentials. Snacks. The replicators on that ship are crap, I don't care what people say about that Quarian girl fixing them. And some reading material in case I'm too keyed up on caffeine to meditate and need something to do." Lucy sighed. "And maybe I'll take a shower since only Zack has a shower on that ship, dammit."

"I'm quite certain he will let you use it if you ask," Meridina said.

She was quite surprised when Lucy broke out laughing at that suggestion. "I am _not_ getting into Zachary Carrey's shower," Lucy announced. "I don't care how faithful he is to Clara Davis. Not. Happening."

Meridina's response was a confused look, followed by a bemused one as she understood the context.

* * *

Wilma was still on the _Aurora_ when Buck came back, now wearing his favored brown jacket over a dark blue shirt and black trousers. His duffel bag was on his shoulder. Julia had provided Wilma a digital reader with a map of the ship and appropriate directions so she could take Buck to the airlock for the _Koenig_ 's dock. "It's too bad you're not going," Buck said to Wilma. "It's going to feel odd, not having you watching my back."

"You seem to have done well enough for yourself before you met me," Wilma pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but…" Buck stopped speaking as he considered what to say, and how Wilma might react. "...I've gotten used to being watching my six, in and out of the cockpit."

A soft smiled came to Wilma's face at that admission. "And I've gotten used to keeping you out of trouble. Or trying to, anyway." They stepped into a turbolift. Wilma had learned about the voice control and asked for the appropriate deck. The lift began moving. "They're good people," she said. "This crew. You're in good hands."

"That's what I was thinking."

When they got to the airlock Zack was waiting with a crewman, a well-built young Dorei man. "Crewman Hagao will take your bag to the guest quarters we've set aside for you," he said. "I'll take you on a tour once we're away, if you'd like."

Buck nodded and handed the duffel bag to the blue-skinned, teal-spotted alien, who walked back through the airlock.

Meridina and Lucy arrived behind Wilma, wearing their blue robes and purple combat armor. Each carried a bag as well, although Meridina's was smaller. "You're not moving in," Zack said to Lucy.

"She desires to be quite prepared," Meridina explained. "And she does not want to use your shower."

Buck cracked a grin at that. Zack gave Lucy his best "I'm offended" look, which Lucy answered by sticking her tongue out before heading on through the airlock. "Those aren't your standard uniforms, are they?" Buck asked Zack.

"No, they're in special field armor for the whole 'move things with the power of my life force' thing," Zack answered.

"Ah."

When they looked back, Julia was now standing beside Wilma. "Don't take stupid risks and find out everything you can," Julia said.

Buck looked to Zack. "Is she talking to me or…?"

"She's being a mother hen, _as usual_ ," Zack announced, causing Julia to cross her arms. "I'm already feeling sorry for her crew on the _Enterprise_. Now let's get going…"

They walked through the airlock and into the _Koenig_. Buck noted how much more restricted the space was in the smaller ship. "It's not quite as bad as a submarine," he said, "but this feels like an entirely different design style from the _Aurora_."

"The _Koenig_ isn't made for multi-mission long-distance cruises," Zack said. "Back in the day we built her to be a gut-puncher and not much else. She's quick, she's agile, she packs a wallop and is a lot harder to kill than she looks, but she's not built for extended missions. That's why we're hooked up to the _Aurora_."

"So she's a set of guns strapped to an engine?"

"Pretty much." Zack led Buck into a turbolift and said "Deck 1". the lift carried them down and up the ship until they stepped out onto what passed for Deck 1, which was the lift door, an escape pod hatch, Zack's ready office, and beyond these, the bridge itself.

Meridina and Lucy were already at the rear of the bridge, standing quietly. As Zack approached his command chair Magda was the first to begin speaking. "Sir, all crew have reported in. Engineering is bringing all reactors online."

"Good." Zack stopped at his chair and looked to Buck. "Captain Rogers, this is my remaining command crew. Lieutenant Creighton Apley, my first officer, is at the helm. Lieutenant Magda Navaez, operations officer, and Lieutenant April Sherlily, tactical officer. Doctor Roliri Opani is down in the infirmary as usual. Everyone, this is Captain Buck Rogers of Earth, he's joining us for this mission."

"You can call me Buck," he said to everyone. "There's no need for formalities."

"If you wish," Magda said. "Although the name is bizarre. Did your parents think highly of deer?"

Zack took his seat. "Alright, we have an evil empire and a secret base full of Darglan technology we have to take away from them. Let's get going."

"Yes sir," said Apley. "Releasing umbilicals and docking clamps. The airlock is secure…"

Zack sat back and let his crew get to work on the launch.

* * *

Julia showed Wilma to the observation deck beside the airlock. They watched the doors to space slide open and the _Koenig_ back out of its protected dock. As the doors began to close the _Koenig_ was already turning in place. They had one last look at it accelerating away from the ship before the dock doors were again shut.

Wilma glanced toward Julia. "You're worried for them?"

Julia sighed and nodded. "Every time," she said. "Zack's one of my oldest friends in the world, as much as I want to smack him sometimes. And I'm always afraid that one day, he won't come back."

"I know the feeling." Wilma nodded. "Over the years, many of my friends in the Defense Directorate's pilot corps have come under my command." Her light blue eyes took on a distant look, as if imagining faces… faces she would never see again. "I don't want to count the number of times we flew back from a mission and they weren't there."

"And it was worse being their commander, wasn't it?" Julia asked.

Wilma nodded quietly. "It makes me responsible." After a moment she asked, "Do you have an officer lounge?"

"We have an senior officers-only wardroom up by the bridge, the Conference Lounge," Julia answered. "But in a mood like ours, I think Hargert's dinner is just the thing we need."

"Hargert?" asked Wilma. "And that is…?"

Julia smiled. "The best damn cook in the Multiverse. This way, Colonel." She started walking toward the exit.


	75. Episode 2-15-3 Blast from the Past

Space split open and the _ASV Koenig_ emerged, her lines and squat size giving her the look of a predator. This was enhanced as she shimmered out of sight like a shark sliding beneath the waves to hunt prey.

"We're secure from the jump," said Apley.

"Cloaking device engaged," added Magda. "The cloak is operating properly."

Zack nodded and winced. "Those jumps, do they make you feel nauseous like that, Buck?"

Buck nodded from his spare chair to the side, at an auxiliary station. "Every time." A glint appeared in his eye. "But don't tell Colonel Deering."

"Our lips are sealed," Zack promised on behalf of his crew, confident they'd keep the secret. "Magda, what do we have on our scans?"

"Absolutely no sign of a DT field effect," Magda replied. "And I'm running all of Lieutenant Delgado's search parameters."

"Huh. Well, keep scanning. Ap, do you have a course for Pleiades-24?"

"Already laid in," Apley replied. "Warp power at your word."

"It's given."

After the flash of energy and light on the screen confirmed they had completed the jump to warp, Zack looked to Buck. "Want that tour?" he asked.

"Sure."

Zack stood up. "Ap, you have the bridge. Let me know when we get to Pleiades-24." 

* * *

Julia was surprised to see Wilma Deering eye her plates cautiously as they were delivered by Albert. The young German man noticed it as well. "Is something wrong, Colonel?" he asked.

"Oh… nothing," she said, and forced a small smile. "Nothing at all."

"If you need anything, let me know." Albert nodded and walked away, leaving them with plates of chili beef and cheese burritos, corn chips, mashed and diced potatoes, and oranges and avocados.

"Is something wrong?" Julia asked. "You look like you already know you're not going to enjoy it."

Wilma's smile remained. "Buck tries to cook these kinds of things for us."

"Oh." Julia chuckled. "And I'm guessing he's not a good cook."

"The taste is… special." Wilma eyed the food for another moment before transferring one of the burritos from the central plate to her empty personal one. "We normally don't eat food like this, actually."

"Oh?"

"Much of Earth's agricultural land was left irradiated by the Third World War," she explained. "That's why we import so much of our food, and import is more efficient with processed food discs. Buck often complains about them not being real food."

"Hopefully your Earth's choices will grow now that you're involved with the Alliance," Julia said. As she considered what Wilma had just said about her Earth, Julia could imagine the nightmarish image of all of the golden fields of grain she'd grown up with withering and dying off. "And maybe we can fix your Earth. I hear they're already making progress repairing the Earth in N2S7, and L4R2's Earth is going to be resettled soon."

"So our Earth wasn't the only one to get ruined."

"They can't even _find_ Earth of S0T5 anymore," Julia said. "It's been gone for three thousand years. Your Earth's made it through pretty well compared to the others."

It was clear Wilma was not going to be heartened by that alone. Julia wondered how she might have turned out living in such a world, an Earth trying to crawl its way back from the edge of extinction. "I've read that there are Humans on a number of other worlds not connected to Earth."

"Yes. The histories are vague," Wilma answered. "So many records were lost during the war and all of the ships fleeing. It's hard to believe Humanity was able to spread so far after the war."

"Did you have help?" Julia asked. "Maybe another species took pity on you?"

"None that we know of." Wilma tried another corn chip for a moment. "I suppose it's possible in the years after the war. What we have now is owed to the Computer Council, the original artificial intelligence computers that directed the rebuilding of Earth."

To that, Julia nodded before taking a bite and enjoying the taste, although she was quick to ease the spiciness of the food with a drink from her glass of fruit juice. "Do you ever regret your position? Climbing to command?"

Wilma shook her head. "No. Well, not usually. Once and awhile I wonder if I might be happier if I'd done something else. But this is where I want to be. It's where I can meet the challenges that I want in life, and protect the things I care about. The people I care about."

Julia nodded quietly. "I know the sentiment."

Wilma, who was nibbling at a corn chip but still avoiding the burrito, swallowed and said, "I heard Commander Carrey mention something about an 'Enterprise'?"

Julia drew in a breath and raised her eyes for a moment, as if seeking strength from above. "He's trying to be helpful." She took another bite of the burrito and wanted to moan at how good it tasted, at the texture of the burrito or the taste of the filling. It was almost uncomfortably hot, but Hargert had been very exact in the balance of spices, making the burrito hot but manageable and, most importantly, rich in flavor. "I was offered a command earlier this year. A promotion to Captain and command of a new starship, the first in a new class of ships based off of the _Aurora_."

"Congratulations," said Wilma. "When do you take command?"

"At the end of the year. If I say yes. I have about a week to give my final answer." Julia took another drink.

Wilma nodded. "So you're not sure if you want the post?"

After a moment of quiet consideration, Julia said, "I'm divided. A part of me is leaping at it. Leaping at the chance to be the Captain of the _Starship Enterprise_. But at the same time… these are my people. This is my ship. Leaving to take over another ship, I… well, I'm worried about the others. Robert will have to find a First Officer that works with his command style, he'll need a new tactical officer because Angel, that is the older Lieutenant Delgado, would come with me… plus I'll have to put together my command crew and get used to the whole thing." As she listed the challenges, Julia felt something inside of her that was almost eager. Yes, challenges, challenges that she could take charge of.

It was clear Wilma could see some of that. "Something tells me you'll do well either way," Wilma said. "You could stay here and continue to be Dale's First Officer until he's promoted. But that's not the same as taking a ship and making it yours, is it?'

"No." Julia shook her head. She felt the rush recede. "No, it's not. The _Enterprise_ would be _my_ ship. _My_ crew."

"I felt the same way when I took command of the 69th," Wilma said.

Julia nodded in acknowledgement. It wasn't hard to imagine. Wilma Deering had that feeling to her, a confidence in command that Julia respected. She liked being around the starfighter pilot and commander.

It was, to Julia, time to end this topic of conversation. She eyed the uneaten burrito Wilma had pulled onto her plate and smiled. "You wouldn't happen to be trying to avoid eating this, would you?" she asked, her tone full of humor.

The response from Wilma was a bemused look. After that she took in a breath, as if to steel herself, and picked up the burrito and took a bite of it. Her eyes widened as she experienced the taste for the first time. Julia considered it a good sign when she commenced chewing and eventually swallowed. "This is… actually very good," Wilma admitted. "I wish Buck could cook like this."

"I told you." Now Julia's smile widened. "Hargert is the best damn cook in the Multiverse." 

* * *

The tour of the _Koenig_ was brief, given the size of the ship. It ended in the mess hall, where they replicated a meal of basic chicken sandwiches with french fries and potato chips, plus drinks. Buck took his first bite and Zack could see a familiar uncertainty in his face. "It doesn't taste right, does it?" Zack asked.

"It is a little off," Buck said. He ate another chip. "But it's better than food discs."

At that Zack chuckled. "It's actually still pretty good compared to what it can be. A young Quarian girl we had on the ship several weeks ago fixed the mess replicator to the point it almost tasted real. I'll have to ask Tom about giving it another maintenance repair soon." Zack took a bite of his sandwich while Buck tried the same. When he finished swallowing, "She's a small ship, but she's mine. In a manner of speaking."

"I know that feeling." Buck nodded. "Once you've flown something like this, it always stays with you."

"It does."

After they enjoyed their meal a little more, Buck said, "It looks like you and your friends have managed to land on your feet when it comes to leaving behind the 20th, 21st Century world."

To that Zack remained quiet for a moment. "We didn't have a whole lot to go back to," he admitted. "Rob's parents were dead, Julie's, Leo's… Tom left his folks behind and never looked back. Angel and Cat lost their mother a couple of years before everything happened, I lost my mom years ago…"

"Nobody to go back to, then?" asked Buck. "Your father?"

An old pain shot through Zack. It appeared on his face and was evident in his brown eyes. "Dad had problems. Alcohol."

Buck nodded slightly.

"Eventually it got his health. Before it did, he made mistakes, and we both paid for them." Zack held a fry in his hand and considered it a moment. Old memories of happy visits to fast food restaurants, of plastic toys and salty french fries, bubbled up despite his desires to the contrary. "A… friend of mine, a close friend, talked me into going back to Earth and seeing him. I wanted him to come out here, maybe get treatment, but it was too late. He died the morning after I arrived."

"I'm sorry," was all Buck could say. "And your… friend?" He'd noticed the look Zack had on bringing the friend up, and it wasn't hard to imagine what he was talking about.

"She left Earth, came out here. We met again by chance." Zack's thoughts went to Clara. He wasn't sure when he'd get a long enough leave period, but when he did he intended to catch the next starliner to New Caprica. "She's a nurse on a colony of Human survivors in N2S7. We see each other when we can."

"Good. I'm happy for you."

There was something in the way Buck said his well-wishes that made Zack look at him more intently while he chewed, quietly, on the fry he'd been holding. Buck continued to eat quietly as well.

"We're luckier than you," Zack finally said. "I mean, we don't have a lot to go back to, but at least we could."

"It's nothing."

Zack looked at him. Buck, noticing that Zack was looking for a reaction, responded with a smile. "I've gotten used to it," he said. "And it's not like I can complain. I wanted to be an astronaut from the moment I joined the Air Force. Now I travel between worlds and I fly a starfighter." He held up what was left of his sandwich. "And now that the Alliance has come along, maybe we'll even get proper food again. So in the end, being frozen until the end of the 25th Century worked out for me."

For a moment Zack said nothing. He couldn't help but think that Buck was hiding something behind his smile. But he couldn't be sure. "It's good to hear that," Zack answered. "It's been a long day, and we'll arrive at Pleiades-24 in the early morning hours. I can show you to your quarters before I head back to the bridge."

"A little sleep won't hurt," Buck agreed, still smiling.

Zack nodded back, still wondering what could be beneath that friendly smile.

* * *

The time flashed 0100 and Caterina was only now yawning. Jarod had already left for the evening, leaving her alone with Theopolis and Twiki. Working with them wasn't like working with Data, but she enjoyed it all the same.

Of course, the problem wasn't so easy to deal with. The screens in Science Lab 2 showed the simulations and the news wasn't happy. Another result flashed across the main screen. Cat groaned at the result. "Another successful hit," she said.

"And the casualty numbers are catastrophic," Theopolis added. "By my calculations, three of these missiles alone would do lasting damage to Earth's biosphere. Even one will devastate a large section of the globe. Billions of deaths are likely."

Caterina checked the simulation parameters again. The planet-based weapons solution, already unlikely to establish, would still fail because the missiles couldn't be destroyed in time. Not with their powerful deflectors. "The tractor beam satellites might still be our best bet," she said. "If they can cause destabilized naqia warheads to detonate prematurely…"

"Unfortunately, the power requirements to restrain the missiles for a long enough period to induce destabilization is not feasible. Starships will be required."

"Do you have civilian ships? Merchant ships? Something we can rig up for this?"

"We have very few of the ships of requisite size and power generation capability, and re-directing them to this task would have a severe effect upon food imports." Theopolis' lights blinking continued to draw Caterina's attention. Unfortunately, they also seemed to be making her even sleepier. Assuming that wasn't just general sleepiness. "I will still forward the idea to the Computer Council and determine if there are sufficient available ships to protect the planet."

"I'm sure we can come up with something…" Caterina yawned yet again. "...better."

"Lieutenant, might I recommend you get some rest?" Theopolis suggested. "Your thought processes will benefit from getting sleep."

"What? No. No, I can just…" She yawned again. "...get coffee."

The door to the lab opened. Violeta walked in and let out a sigh at seeing Caterina slouching slightly in her chair, clearly desperate to stay awake. "Commander Andreys warned me you'd do this," Violeta sighed.

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, that's what I call a dye job."

Violeta ignored Twiki's remark and finished walking up to Cat. She knelt down beside her and touched her on the cheek. "You need your sleep, Cat. Let's go back to your quarters."

"I'm almost… if I look at the problem a bit more…" Caterina looked at her girlfriend with her hazel eyes now bleary. "Just get me some coffee?"

"No. Commander Andreys and Captain Dale made it clear you needed to go to sleep tonight." Violeta stood up. "Let me take you to bed."

"It is an excellent idea," said Theopolis. "Twiki and I can continue to run simulations while you rest."

"But…" Nevertheless Caterina was swaying as she stood up. As a result she nearly fell into Violeta's arms. Violeta steadied her lover and gave her a slight kiss on the cheek. "Come on, Cat."

Cat mumbled a protest but did not resist. 

* * *

Given the time and their ETA, Zack had ordered his command crew to bed and left the bridge in the hands of Ensign Driik and the third shift bridge crew. He'd settled into sleep well enough and dreamed of being back home, of his mother and a warm summer sky and a baseball game…

He had just hit the ball low through the infield, sending it just below the out-stretched hand of the short-stop, when a tone woke him up. Zack gently raised his head from the lone pillow for his cot. A blue light was blinking above his left palm. He sighed and tapped it. "Carrey here."

" _Sir, we will be arriving at Pleiades-24 in precisely three minutes_ ," chirped Ensign Driik. The young Alakin male's voice was slightly distorted and off due to the translator systems needed to convert Alakin speech into something that could sound English. " _Technical Officer Robinson is already commencing sensor scans. Do you wish me to alert the senior officers?_ "

Zack yawned and rubbed at his right eye. He could still imagine the warm Kansas sun and the dust of the baseball diamond, as if his brain didn't quite want to come out of the dream yet. He forced in a breath and shook his head, as if to clear his mind with the motion. When it didn't quite work he started to rub his forehead instead. "Okay. Let me know if you find anything, but don't call up the others yet. They need their rest."

" _Yes sir._ "

The omnitool disengaged its interface, leaving only the small braces on his elbow and fingers that served as the physical pieces of the omnitool. Zack laid back in his cot and rested his hands over his belly, or rather over the plain gray uniform undershirt covering it. He felt himself start to nod off.

He was just starting to fall asleep again when the tone went off again. His eyes opened again and he reached for the flashing light of his omnitool. "Carrey here."

" _Commander, we have something on sensors_ ," Driik said. " _We're reading a power signature on the third planet of the system_."

Zack sighed at that and sat up. "Alright. Alert the senior officers. I'm on my way." 

* * *

The bridge opened and Zack, now in his uniform, found that Apley had already beaten him here. "You didn't sleep in your uniform, did you Ap?" he asked as Apley vacated the command chair and relieved Driik from the helm.

"No sir, I'm just a quick dresser."

Zack took his chair and looked to where a young woman, fair-haired and with a slight tan, was seated at Ops. "What do we have on sensors?"

"Looks like a structure in orbit over the third planet. It's only showing on the narrow band subspace sensors," she replied, her accent reflecting her Australian roots. Zack quickly recalled what he knew of her. Technical Officer Jane Robinson was an enlisted crewwoman who had completed sufficient training to man an officer's bridge station without a full officer course or commission yet. He was certain she would eventually transfer to the _Aurora_ to become a full science officer once her posting on the _Koenig_ was complete. "It looks like there's some kind of sensor dampening field present to hide the power signature from most kinds of sensors. Honestly, if we didn't have Darglan tech in our sensors, we wouldn't be seeing them either."

"Take us in, Ap. Set ship condition to Blue."

"Yes sir," Apley said.

"Setting to Code Blue, sir," Robinson added. With a few key presses she caused blue lights to appear in the wall paneling, informing the crew of the potential for hostilities.

Over the next minute both Sherlily and Magda arrived, relieving Robinson and the young man who'd been at tactical; Technical Officer Jesus Perez, Zack recalled. Everyone was in place for when the _Koenig_ dropped out of warp some distance from the planet.

The planet itself was a barren, rocky world, clearly not a life-bearing planet at first glance. As they drew close Zack could make out a shape in orbit. It was a series of blocky, open structures. "A construction yard," he murmured.

"There's definitely a dampening field that's hiding this location from most sensors," Magda said. "Robinson was spot on about that. I might have missed what we are seeing, it looks a lot like background subspace radiation. The kind you'd expect to see around a B1V sequence star."

"So it's a perfect place to hide something, that's what you're saying," Zack said.

"It is, sir." Magda started examining her sensors again. After another ten seconds passed she cried out, "Stop! All stop, now!"

Apley did so, confident in Magda's judgement and Zack's likely agreement with his assessment of it. The _Koenig_ cut her velocity and came to a stop (or at least a relative one).

"What is it?"

"Detection satellite, sir," Magda said. "Still inside the dampening field, but they didn't calibrate its systems properly or we'd have stumbled right into it."

"Can they see us cloaked?"

"Likely. I'm detecting signs of a gravitic grid. No sign of tachyons, though."

The thought immediately occurred to Zack. "Can the _Bastilone_ slip through?"'

Magda clearly had to think about it. Finally she nodded. "I think so, yes. The runabout has a very good cloaking system, and the smaller mass may not disturb the gravitic triggers."

"Well then." Zack hit a key on his chair. "Carrey to Meridina."

The reply was swift, enough to show she was awake. " _Yes, Commander?"_

"Please get Kane, Lucy, and Captain Rogers and be ready to meet with me and Lieutenant Navaez in our conference room on Deck 2 in half an hour. I'll have breakfast ready."

" _Very well, sir. Meridina out_."

"Ap, you have the bridge, alert me if anything changes." Zack looked to Robinson, who had moved to an auxiliary station. "Tech Officer Robinson, resume Operations, and see if you can get us some better scans. On the down low, I don't want them to see us coming."

"Yes sir," the young Australian answered.

"Magda, with me please." He stood from his command chair. Driik stepped forward to reclaim the helm while Apley moved to take the chair. "I need coffee." 

* * *

Thirty minutes later Zack and Magda were with the core of the insertion team. Further sensor scans by Robinson had yet to show anything else. "It's possible that the _Bastilone_ might find more information once it's in range," Magda informed them while a holographic view of the planet and the yard structure over it hung in the air. "So far what we can see is that they are constructing spacecraft of an unknown kind."

"Although it's probably those missiles," Lucy remarked.

"I agree. Either way, we can't get any closer without triggering their gravitic net. And there's no telling what defenses they have."

"So this is an insertion to discover and disable their defensive systems," Kane noted. "And we'll have to figure out an insertion strategy on the way in."

"That about sums it up," Zack said.

"Well, it's not the best plan." Buck nodded to Kane. "But I'm pretty good at making it up as we go in."

"Murphy always messes plans up anyway," Kane agreed. "I'll get the squad ready. We've got suits in case we need to go EVA or if there's something planetside."

"Meanwhile we'll stay here and monitor the situation," said Zack. "If you need us to come in, call right away. Now, are you ready to go?"

"Like I said, I'll get my squad and load them on the _Bastilone_ ," Kane answered. "We'll brief on the way in, since there's not much to brief."

"I'm ready," Buck said.

Lucy and Meridina both nodded. "Ready," added Lucy.

"Then you're all dismissed." Zack stood up. "Good luck." 

* * *

The _Bastilone_ cloaked before leaving the shuttle bay built into the bottom of the _Koenig_. The assault runabout turned toward Pleiades-24 III and accelerated ahead. In the cockpit of the runabout Lucy was on pilot duty with Ensign Yang as co-pilot. "We're coming up on the gravitic grid," he said.

"Keep an eye out for any reactions." As she said so, Lucy looked over the readings and guided the craft toward the point least likely to generate any reaction. She focused with her senses and sought out the grid's satellites. She would sense if they triggered, at least if she was right about this.

"We're in the grid." Yang kept at work. Behind them, Buck, Meridina, and Kane watched quietly. Tense seconds passed before Yang added, "We're through. Still no sign that they detected us."

"Good." Lucy carefully upped the sublight drives. As they drew closer to the planet she signaled for Yang to swap seats with her. He took over piloting duties while Lucy, now in his seat, brought up the sensors. "I'm detecting a microwave beam linking the yard to somewhere on the planet. I think that's their power source."

"Microwaves? I'm guessing they're not for popping popcorn," Buck remarked.

"It's a widespread method of transferring power between a planet and its orbital spaces," Lucy explained. "It's a weakness, though. If we take out the power source, the yard will be forced to rely on backups. It may be weakened. It might even be completely shut down."

"And it'll definitely take out their defenses," Kane said. "Maybe we should go for removing the power supply then?"

"That seems the wisest course," Meridina agreed. "Although it may be dangerous if the power source sustains an atmosphere."

"That's what the suits are for, ma'am." Kane looked over her field armor suit. "Do you have a helmet for those?"

"We do," Lucy answered. "I've already set their comms up."

"And we've got a suit for Captain Rogers in the back." Kane motioned. "Mind joining me, Captain?"

"Certainly." They stepped into the back.

"Yang, take us in toward the source of those microwave emissions." Lucy used her own controls to indicate their destination. "The thin atmosphere will make it easier to avoid detection."

"Aye ma'am."

The _Bastilone_ flew down into the atmosphere of the planet. The craft's special heat absorbers drew in the re-entry heat, helping the cloaking device to hide it, with said heat being sent into thermal heat exchangers to gradually be released into the atmosphere or to provide steady heating for climate purposes inside the craft.

As they came up on the source of the microwave transmissions, Lucy gasped in shock. "Oh my _God_."

"Swenya's Light," Meridina whispered. "It is… _beautiful_."

The source of the emissions had been coming from a tall mountain, at least 12 kilometers tall. Stretching for dozens of kilometers around the mountain was lush, live-bearing landscape. To the north was a rich temperate forest, to the south a green canopy of jungle terrain. The west had a wide open steppe and the east, closest to them, was beautiful green grassland interspersed with patches of trees. As they swooped overhead Lucy looked out to see that a herd of quadruped mammals that looked like… "Wooly Mammoths," she murmured, in shock.

Yang slightly adjust course, which allowed for them to evade a flock of orange-and-white avians that were flying proud.

"It's a nature preserve," Yang said. "On a barren world."

Lucy nodded. She could _feel_ the life here. Nothing sapient, or entirely so, but still… She checked her sensors. "Life forms are all around this zone. It… it looks like some sort of field is sustaining an artificial atmosphere. Or maybe it was an attempt at terraforming."

"Ma'am…"

Yang prompted Lucy to look up… and scowl. The sides of the mountain had been scoured of life. She could make out open mining pits that had been torn from the forest along the northern edge. Large foundries and refineries had been built in the shadows of the mountain. "More life signs. Human, or at least near-Human. They must be the Draconians."

"Where do we set down?" Yang asked.

"One moment." She kept scanning, and as she did she felt angry. So many star systems, so many planets and moons and asteroids… why did they have to scar such a marvel of engineering? This was a _nature preserve_. This was unnecessary, nothing but greed.

Her scans confirmed Lucy's choice of landing. "Take us to these coordinates on the northeast face of the mountain," she said. "It looks like a landing pad for a structure inside of the mountain."

Yang obeyed and flew them in that direction. Lucy, meanwhile, was already noting the presence of turreted defense guns, undoubtedly meant to shoot down aerial intruders. _At least our cloaking device is holding_.

When they arrived at the landing pad Lucy made a quick scan. As she expected, there were security sensors, including a camera system. She walked into the back to find the others ready. "As you may have noticed looking outside, we won't be needing helmets."

"My sensors were showing a breathable atmosphere," Kane said. "But we're keeping our helmets anyway. Makes it impossible for us to get hit by knockout gas."

"We are quite impervious to such as well," Meridina stated. "Or at least, it is very difficult to use such on us."

Buck eyed the helmet he had been about to put on. He tried it on. It was a standard model, which meant his face was fully visible through the main plate, and it wasn't too heavy. "This works for me," he said while holstering his gun. "So how do we get in without being seen?"

"Whenever you're ready, Lucy?" Meridina asked.

Lucy nodded. She went to the rear of the runabout and opened the hatch. The landing pad was empty, a light gray slab buried into the mountain-side, with two large red metal doors serving as an entrance. Lucy got down to her knees and put her hands in her lap.

From Buck's perspective, nothing seemed to be happening for several moments. Lucy, of course, saw differently, using her connection to the universe to feel for energy currents around the sensors. Buck only realized what she was doing when several small bulb surfaces around the door sparked. "There." Lucy stood and gestured. "I knocked out all of the cameras here and within the first section. They'll think they had a mechanical fault, at least for a while. Meridina and I will cover for you once we're far enough inside, allowing you to hunt for a power source."

"You're not just going to walk in, are you? Visible?"

"They're going to know someone's here sooner or later. By the time they find out those cameras have failed intentionally, you'll be deeper inside, and we'll be ready to provide a distraction," Lucy replied.

"I'll come along with you ladies," Buck said. "The Draconians will know me. It might help sell the deception."

"We will appreciate any assistance you might provide, Captain Rogers," Meridina said. "Let us begin." 

* * *

It was breakfast in the Lookout, with a variety of breakfast choices being made available for the crew. The engineers were particularly hungry, many having worked extra shifts to make the wide-scale impulse repairs that Scott had deemed necessary.

Julia sat at one corner table with a mug of coffee and an unfinished bowl of cereal beside the scraps of what remained of a cheese omelette. Her thoughts were on the choice she was faced with.

"Any seats taken?"

She looked up and saw Locarno standing over the table with a tray of breakfast in his hands. When she shook her head he sat down. "How are you this morning?" he asked.

"Alright, I suppose. I'm due to beam down to New Chicago in an hour. Colonel Deering and I are going to discuss our defense plans with Doctor Huer."

Locarno nodded. "Right." He dug into hashed potatoes. Before taking a bite he said, "She seems to be a good commander and a great pilot."

"She is," Julia said. She waited for him to start his first mouthful before she continued. "I look at her and I think… 'That's what I want to be. I want to be in command. I want to be in charge.'"

After swallowing Locarno said, "I know the feeling. I used to be convinced I was going to make Captain by the time I was thirty. Faster than Kirk."

"I'm not looking to rush it," Julia said. "I was content to wait for Robert to decide to move on, or get promoted. He will be eventually, or he'll be transferred to wherever Admiral Maran thinks he can be useful."

"Maybe. Although I hear the Gersallians believe in leaving people where they are if it's where they work best." When Julia didn't answer that Locarno said, "I suppose being offered the _Enterprise_ changed your plans?"

"It might. It should. Even thinking about how I'll need to adjust to a new command crew, how I'll need to settle into my new ship, it doesn't scare me as much as it excites me." Julia smiled slightly. She raised the cup of coffee and sipped at it. "It's a challenge. And I know I can meet it."

"You've got the confidence." Locarno set his fork down and leaned forward in his chair. "What's holding you back, then?"

"Like you need to ask." Julia took another drink.

"You're worried about the rest of us? About how Robert will manage?"

"Yes."

Locarno nodded. And then he shook his head and chuckled. "It's funny. Your devotion to the rest of us may hold you back. My devotion to my friends is what kept pushing me on. To tackle bigger challenges, bigger assignments." He didn't state how that eventually ended, there was no need. "I've got no advice for you. I mean, I can understand both sides of what you're going through. But I can't help you choose. You're the one who has to live with it."

"I know." Julia sighed and sipped at the coffee again. "But I can't help but thinking that no matter what choice I make, I'm going to feel regret for it."

"Yeah. Probably." Locarno took another bite. After he finished swallowing it he added, "That's part of life, I guess. Hell, if I'd decided against trying the Kolvoord Starburst, I'd have probably regretted it. I would have kept thinking I had lost an opportunity to prove how skilled we were. How skilled I was." The bemused look on his face had a tinge of sadness at it. "Of course, I'd still be in Starfleet if I made that decision, and so would Hajar, and Josh and Jaxa would probably still be alive…"

"Is that you trying to make me feel better…?"

"Oh, no." Locarno shook his head. "That's just me thinking of how ridiculous that other Nicholas Locarno would be, and how if he found out what my life went like, he wouldn't feel a damn bit of regret."

"Heh. Yeah, I can see that." Julia breathed out a sigh and let her spoon drop into the unfinished cereal. "I've eaten my fill, and I need to get things together for the meeting. I'll see you later, Nick."

"See you later, Julia," he replied. 

* * *

They had made it some way further into the mountain base when Buck finally said what he was thinking. "This place isn't Draconian."

The inside of the structure was gold in coloration, with blue and gold flooring. The aesthetics emphasized triangular shaping, with the ceiling tapering inward until it was a point about four meters above their heads, with open-bottomed rectangles hanging down every five meters or so and filled with bright white light to illuminate the halls. Occasionally they moved past shorted out sensors. The doors all seemed to lead to storage areas filled with boxes of material.

"I have never seen a design aesthetic like this before," said Meridina.

"It's certainly not Darglan." Lucy continued on, looking over her omnitool as she did. "I'm using low frequency, low power sonic pulses to try and map out this place. At least until we can find a terminal…"

Their wish came at the next door. They stopped just outside of it; there were people inside according to Lucy's sensors. "If we go in, they'll raise an alarm."

"Let us go first," Kane said. He reached for his belt and triggered his cloaking device. His Marines did likewise.

The others stood back and allowed the Marines to enter. After several seconds a series of thumps were heard. They entered to find the Marines has finished off their opponents and decloaked. "Well, we're ten seconds shorter on the batteries for these things," Kane said while his Marines secured prisoners with tie-straps. "But look what we have here."

The storage room was the largest yet, clearly meant for receiving or shipping out large, bulky containers and pieces. Lucy went up to one container and scanned it. "Naqia," she said. "But Pleiades-24 III isn't rich in… wait." She narrowed her eyes. "This… this isn't raw naqia ore. This is refined. In fact, it's already ready for use in reactors or warheads."

"Maybe they're bringing the naqia here for refinement and then shipping it back out?" Buck asked.

"Let me see…" Lucy went about the room, scanning. Kane was busy helping his Marines find an empty container to hide their captives in. "No. I'm not seeing any raw ore. I suppose they could be out, but I doubt it."

"As do I." Meridina frowned. "They must be looting this place of its naqia."

"Or just its extra naqia, otherwise they wouldn't be able to power their construction yard." Lucy found a computer terminal. She switched the mode of her omnitool over. "Let me see if I can gain access to their systems."

"How does that work, anyway?" Buck asked.

"Omnitools can be equipped with remote data interfaces. They let me do… this." With a final key tap Lucy gained the access she was looking for. "It looks like they're shipping out this naqia regularly, along with other minerals from the planet. Including the Hafnium-178."

"To the construction yard?"

"Yes." She nodded at Buck. "Which tells us that whatever Darglan technology they uncovered here, it doesn't include transporter technology. Or at least, nothing they've learned to use yet. Anyway… okay, there we are. Commander Kane, I'm relaying you and your Marines coordinates for their microwave emitter assembly. It's further up, near the apex of the mountain."

"But not their power source?"

"No." Lucy shook her head. "We don't know what it is, Commander. It could be something that we can't safely sabotage, or even sabotage at all."

Kane still had a skeptical look on his face. "Or because you don't want to destroy the nature preserve outside."

Lucy met his look. "I don't. Not unless absolutely necessary." _And I'll hate all of us for bringing it to that_. "But we don't know what we're dealing with. However Darglan tech ended up here, this structure doesn't conform to anything the Darglan built. This is someone else's building. Maybe someone else's nature preserve."

"Right." Kane relaxed his expression. "You make a good point."

"And save your cloaks," Lucy instructed. "I just hacked into their computer systems and disabled the entire system. They had to rig it with the pre-existing structure, so hopefully they'll think it's still mechanical failure. If not… that's why Meridina and I are ready to cause a lot of noise."

"Acknowledged." He turned to his troops. "Okay Marines, we're moving out!" He operated his light power armor's omnitool interface. "I've relayed our target and our path to your omnitools, let's get a move on…!"

The Marines filed out, leaving Lucy with Meridina and Buck. "Anything else we can find in here? Like where they're getting their technology?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. They may have it on an isolated system. What I am seeing is the way to the command deck, personnel quarters, a couple of labs, and something called the "Source Chamber".

"That does sound the most promising," said Meridina.

"It does." Lucy quickly loaded the necessary data to their omnitools. "I just got us a path to it. It's three levels down and there's an access ladder. Let's go!" 

* * *

Just as Commander Kane was leading his Marines toward their target at the top of the volcano, another Kane was moving through the halls deeper in the volcano. This Kane disliked this alien place. It was too bright and it was hard to secure in proper fashion. But its value to the Empire was incalculable, so he endured.

His destination was a set of quarters closest to the command room for the base, at the end of a long hall flanked by two Draconian soldiers bearing assault laser rifles in their arms. They saluted to him with a clenched fist over their heart and he saluted back. "Did you awaken the Princess?" he asked.

They looked to one another with some nervousness. "We attempted to, sir, but her servant said she had left strict instructions to…"

Kane suppressed the desire to shoot them. "Open the door, now!"

They obeyed. The door slid open and he entered the Princess' private chambers. She was still in bed, splayed out on her luxurious bed with its golden sheets with her back turned to Kane. Two slave-girls, her personal attendants, were laying beside the bed, and the older woman in charge of her chambers moved to intercept Kane. "The Princess left strict instructions not to disturb her rest…"

Kane shoved the woman out of the way and barked, "Princess, we have a situation, I must speak with you!"

The form under the sheets moved and turned. Ardala's brown eyes flashed with irritation at seeing Kane. "What is it now, Kane? Speak before I have you shot."

Kane showed no reaction to Ardala's threat. He knew she wouldn't dare, it would displease her father too greatly, and even Ardala would not countenance the Emperor's wrath. "Our security monitors are down across this alien facility."

Ardala took interest in that. "Really? And you are having them repaired, of course?"

"Of course," said Kane. "But the timing is suspect."

"Ah." Ardala smiled. It was a predatory smile. "You believe that Earth agents have entered the base? Perhaps even Buck Rogers himself?"

"It is a possibility. Our spies have reported that the Allied Systems have invisibility technology known as cloaking devices. Indeed, the gravitic net we purchased through Aldebaran was intended to deal with such craft, but we can't guarantee it works. Even now Alliance or Earth agents may be loose in our base."

"Well, take precautions then. Have the guards around the microwave emitter and the power core doubled." A thought came to Ardala. She slipped out of the bed, exposing her body to Kane. He averted his eyes, as was appropriate, and waited until she had donned her clothes. As usual, Ardala was not one for physical modesty. The top was exquisitely-crafted, with strong shoulder pads of light purple silk and cotton that supported the bands covering her chest, and a semi-translucent silk dress of the same color that hinted at the shape of her legs. "And gather my guards," she added. "At least a half dozen."

"Where do you intend to go, Princess?" Kane asked.

"To satisfy a hunch," Ardala said. 

* * *

Going down the access tube wasn't difficult, thankfully, and Lucy led them down more of the gold-and-blue corridors. "This place must have been a command facility to maintain the nature preserve," she said.

"And now the Draconians want it for something else," Buck said. "And they'll tear this place apart in the process."

"We'll have to come back and drive them out. We can't let this place stay in their control."

"You won't get any argument from me."

As they approached the next turn Lucy stopped and flattened herself against the wall. "Guards," she whispered. Meridina and Buck did the same. All three moved close to the corner. Buck was tempted to look around it, but Lucy held him back and shook his head. She looked to Meridina. _You or me?_ she asked.

 _You could use the practice_ , Meridina answered, noticing the bewildered look on Buck's face. _My apologies if I have presumed, Captain, but telepathic communication is the safest course_.

 _I'm just not used to someone being in my mind_ , he answered, looking at her.

 _I will not enter your memories or thoughts without your permission. I am bound by my Code to respect your mental privacy_.

Lucy was already moving around the corner. The guard saw her and raised their weapons. Lucy brought her hand up and waved it. Her will pressed against their wills. "You will let me and my friends pass," she said. "We have permission."

For a moment Lucy wasn't sure it worked. Then both repeated what she said in dull tones. She looked back as Meridina led Buck around the corner. He watched the guards warily as they walked past. "How did you do that?" he asked.

 _It is a mental compulsion through our swevyra, our life force energies_ , Meridina explained. _It only works against those who are not willful enough to resist the compulsion._

"Right." Buck patted the pistol on his waist. "How much further?"

Lucy consulted her omnitool. _Not much further_ , she thought. _And remember, telepathic conversation._

"It's not…" Buck caught himself. _Sorry._

 _No harm done_.

They went past an access room for one of the power conduits running through the base. Their path eventually led them to a closed door with a Draconian guard. Lucy stepped forward to repeat the same mental trick on this one.

At first it looked like she succeeded. But as she drew closer, and Buck and Meridina moved into sight, the guard started to bring his gun up. Lucy already recognized that his will had re-asserted itself over the compulsion and reached out with her hand. The gun went flying from his grasp. The Draconian stood and gawked in utter shock at being disarmed. Buck ran past Lucy and delivered a solid punch that laid the Draconian out. He looked up at her. _I guess it doesn't always work?_

 _Not always. And I'm not as used to doing it as Meridina._

Meridina stepped up while Buck used tie-straps that Commander Kane had given him to secure the Draconian's wrists and ankles together. _I am a_ farisa _, however. A natural telepath. You are not._

While the two women watched his back, Buck picked up the unconscious guard and stepped into the "Source Chamber". He took a couple steps in and put the man down, even as he stared at the sight within. "Well, I don't think I expected that."

Lucy and Meridina entered and looked around the room.

In the far wall was an alcove with a flat pod or chamber that was surrounded by inactive screens or displays, the pod itself wide open. The walls were lined with power lines that ran to the alcove, creating gray bumps in the otherwise gold surface. Closer to them, in the middle of the room, was a chair. It was plainly not a nice chair, with strong metal straps in place to bind the occupant by the wrists, the ankles, and across the chest and waist. A battery of mobile devices was set to one side.

The occupant raised a head. While it - or apparently he - was bipedal, the occupant was also clearly alien given the shape of his head. His skull was tall and not covered with hair, but rather a sort of fine yellow fuzz that ended halfway between the top of the head and the eyes. Their location gave the alien the feel of having a caricatured, vertically elongated face. The eyes were pinkish in color, revealed when the alien's eyes opened to see them. The alien was in a blue jumpsuit of sorts, but there were numerous tears and worn parts to it.

A faint little smile crossed an otherwise-pained expression. It spoke in an alien language that their translators lagged in decrypting.

"Swenya's Light," Meridina gasped.

"What?" asked Buck.

"My God." Lucy stared in shock. "It can't be…"

"Human," the alien said. It spoke again in its tongue. This time the translators worked, having found the language in their databanks. "Not one of the others." The voice had a medium pitch to it, with a hint of a difference in sound produced by what seemed like an altered breathing pattern. Its pink eyes focused on Meridina. "You speak of Swenya. You are Gersallian. To see one of your people again…"

Buck motioned to it. 'You know this guy?"

Lucy swallowed. "No, but I know the race." She stared forward. "It's… he's a _Darglan_. _A living, breathing Darglan_."

"Oh, so that's what the wretched creature is."

The three whirled around and faced the door, now barred by several armed men flanking two figures. One was a man in a militaristic black uniform, with dark hair and mustache with dark eyes. The other was a woman who was clearly beautiful and, even more clearly, glad to show it with how much skin the suit revealed.

Buck frowned. "Princess Ardala," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Ah, Buck Rogers." Ardala's grin was ferocious and pleased. "I thought it was you. I'm pleased you've come, actually."

"Oh?" he asked. "And why's that."

Her eyes glinted wickedly. "Why, so you'll survive the destruction of the Earth, of course. As my prisoner."


	76. Episode 2-15-4 Blast from the Past

Lucy and Meridina reached for their lightsabers. Ardala raised a hand with a device in it. "Lower your weapons. This is tied to the chair our guest is kept in. It will send a solid electric shock through his body. If you make any other move, I will trigger it with enough strength to kill this 'Darglan'."

Buck stepped ahead of the others. He gave Ardala a skeptical look. "Really, Princess? You're going to kill the source of all of your new technology?"

"He has not been cooperative in that avenue, I fear," Ardala replied. "Most of what we have learned comes from examining what we found here."

"I am dying already," said the Darglan. "Do not let them hold this place. They do not deserve it. They are cruel and petty…"

"Come, Buck, do you really expect to survive if you start a fight here?" Ardala asked. "We have you trapped. If you all surrender you will be treated well and I will not harm the alien."

"And I'm just supposed to trust your word?" Buck asked. "You've always had problems keeping it in the past."

"Ah, but now I have no need to break it. The power in this place will make the Empire ultimate in this space. Perhaps we will even gain the secrets of the interuniversal drive from this place."

"It would be your destruction to use that secret from this place," said the Darglan. "It is not safe."

 _I can yank the control from her_ , Lucy said. _Or Meridina_.

 _But can you do that and stop them all from shooting?_ was Buck's mental reply. _We may just need to play along_ …

Meridina didn't join their conversation. She was focused elsewhere.

"We'll be the judge of that, alien," Ardala snapped. She returned her attention to Buck. "Ten seconds, Captain Rogers, then I press this button and my men open fire. Ten, nine, eight…" 

* * *

The microwave emitter dominated the chamber. Kane looked it over from a second tier entrance, the highest he could find into the room. It resembled a satellite dish vaguely, but with a large needle coming from the center and pointing up past the ceiling of the chamber toward the open sky. Men in dark uniforms milled around. All were armed, but only some had rifles. "Barker, Yamashita, to the right. Hajama, Toussiers, left. Ijala, pick your targets. Belyakova, you watch his back and spot. Rosenfeld, get your charges ready, I'm with you."

His Marine squad split up as he requested. Kane followed Rosenfeld toward a walkway that would take them up to the microwave emitter. Lance Corporal Leah Rosenfeld, as the best-trained of his current demolition specialists, was as careful as he could hope. Even cloaked, sound could give them away if they let their footsteps clang along the metal walkway. Careful steps prevented such an easy giveaway of their presence.

There was a single technician at work on the walkway. Kane kept an eye on him while Rosenfeld went to work with her charges. They would become visible after she moved away from them, adding a challenge to this operation. Kane noted with approval that she was deliberately placing them to reduce the likelihood of someone seeing them. If it all went according to plan, the first sign that there was trouble would be when they hit the detonators.

Assuming, of course, that it all went to plan.

Usually, things going wrong didn't start in the way they did.

 _Commander Kane_.

Kane blinked and looked around.

 _I cannot speak over our commline_. It was Meridina's voice. _We have a hostage situation. A distraction would be most welcome._

Kane sighed at that, wondering how their part of the mission could turn into a hostage situation. But he knew what this meant.

"It looks like we're the distraction now, Marines," he said. "Rosenfeld, keep fitting those devices, and put some on the bottom level if you need to. Ijala, pick a target. I've got this guy."

The poor technician never saw him coming. Kane held his arm out and clotheslined the guy onto his back with a loud thud. That clearly drew attention from below. "What's going on up there?" one voice called out.

Ijala fired his shot. One of the guards went down. Visibly.

That was enough to set the others off. "Sound the alarm!" one of them shouted.

The Marines decloaked, if just to save their battery power for the moment, and opened up from their places on the upper catwalk. Kane pulled his rifle from the attachment point on his back and did the same. _WHOM WHOM WHOM_ sounds filled the air and the Draconians had no chance to put up a fight. The technicians ran for the door and safety while the armed men sought cover. Kane saw one succeed before lifting his rifle up. He ducked into cover himself. Sparks flew above from the unseen shot that hit the casing of the emitter. Barker's voice sounded over his comms. " _It looks like they're packing laser rifles, sir._ "

"Don't get hit, and everyone remember there's no fire to track them. Rely on other ways of finding shooters." Kane slowly rose from his cover and drew a bead on his shooter. A burst of orange light took him out; Ijala had hit his target.

And then a loud klaxon filled the air. Someone had indeed gotten to the alarm.

 _Just as planned… I guess_ , was Commander Kane's thought. 

* * *

Ardala had gotten to "Two" when the alarm split the air. For a split second, confusion reigned.

Meridina's free hand snapped up and the device flew from Ardala's grasp to strike the ground behind Meridina where it was now nestled against the wall.

Buck rushed forward, not expecting Meridina's act, and slammed into Ardala before he realized she didn't have the device anymore. He stopped himself from following her to the ground and turned to throw a fist at Kane. Kane moved enough to not take the punch directly to his face and took the impact on his shoulder instead. He kicked out and knocked Buck back. "Fire!" he shouted.

It hadn't been necessary. The other Draconians were already shooting.

They just weren't hitting anything.

Lucy's lightsaber was active and moving, a blade of blue light catching the unseen lasers and deflecting them back into their shooters, while Meridina's protected both herself and the Darglan behind her. One had sparks erupt from his leg and toppled. The other cried out from a laser to the shoulder.

Kane had already lifted Ardala up and was pulling her to safety. Buck set into the nearest guard. He punched the guard in the jaw, a blow that bruised his knuckles but set the Draconian out cold.

The remaining Draconians retreated back through the door. Lucy gave them a final shove with her power to get them out of the door. Buck went up to the control and hit a key. After it was shut he turned back. "That was good timing."

"Commander Kane was kind enough to provide us a distraction," said Meridina. "One moment." She looked to the captive Darglan and held her hands up. The metal bands tying the being to the chair snapped in sequence. He stood up and immediately fell forward into Meridina's arms. "You are injured."

Lucy was already scanning him. "More than just hurt. The scans show cellular damage."

"Yes," said the being. "I am afraid my rescue is a waste. I am already dying."

"How?" Buck asked.

"The stasis chamber… unh." The Darglan grimaced. "The Draconians did not disengage it properly. They damaged my body when they took me from stasis."

"We'll get you medical attention," Buck promised. He extended a hand. "I'm Buck. Buck Rogers."

"Lucy Lucero."

"I am Meridina."

The Darglan looked to all of them. A smile was showing on his amber-shaded lips. "I am Jornam, the keeper of this place."

"This place being a Darglan base?" Buck asked.

Jornam shook his head. "No… we did not build it. We discovered it, and the wondrous preserve. After the war I stayed…" He stopped and grimaced.

Sensing Jornam's problem, Lucy took her canteen from her belt and opened the top. "Water," she said.

"Thank you." The Darglan drank the water weakly, but with visible enjoyment. "They have been denying me sustenance beyond my basic survival needs. But I would never cooperate with the like. They will abuse the gifts of this place."

"They already have. They attacked Earth and nearly hit it with a missile."

"Yes."

"Is there a way to make them leave?" asked Lucy. "Without destroying the Preserve, if we can?"

Jornam nodded. "The structure is made to seal off its power source from the rest of the base. The mountain itself no longer contains a volcanic chamber, but the builders created the means to fill the levels with lava as a precaution. I can provide you the means to trigger the security system."

"Right now I'm more worried about escape,." Buck gestured toward the door. "Ardala's going to have her goons ready for us to come out."

"Then we will not go out that way." With Meridina's help Jornam went over to a wall. He pressed his hand against it, showing off the longer, slender fingers of a Darglan hand in the process. Once it was settled against the wall for a moment, the wall slid open. "Come. My personal chamber."

Buck and Lucy followed Jornam and Meridina into what looked like a cozy little sleeping room. The air smelled surprisingly fresh given how long it had been sealed. A soft cot was to one side. A chair faced a screen on an elevated part of the floor with a control panel between the two. "For my rest," he explained. He moved into the room and to the controls. They lit up when he pressed them. Meridina remained at his side. Her power was focused on Jornam in an attempt to heal.

"If Caterina was here, she would still be shrieking in joy," Lucy observed. She watched Jornam begin his work.

"Who is this 'Caterina'?"

"Our ship's science officer," Lucy answered. "She hasn't met anything she doesn't love to scan and learn all about."

"I suspect she wishes she was immortal so she could see everything," Meridina added.

A pleasant smile appeared on Jornam's face. "I would very much like to… unh… meet this person. It pleases me that the spirit of my people lives on." Lucy and Meridina exchanged sad looks. Jornam noticed this and added, "I know the Darglan people are extinct," he informed them. "That the First One species called the Shadows killed us. It was not a surprise."

"You knew? How?" Lucy asked.

"An automated message from She'teyal about the attack." He had to stop and take a breath. "My friends promised me they would ensure I received any emergency communications from the Homeworld, and though long dead, they did." Jornam tapped another key. "You must have many questions."

"Oh, a lot," Lucy admitted. "There's still a lot about your people we don't know. We've found databanks and a couple of your Facilities…"

"Truly?" Jornam seemed happy at that. "And you have used them well?"

"We think so. We don't have the Facility any more. The Daleks attacked…"

"The _Daleks_?!" Jornam, despite his weakness, put heat into his voice. He turned, his pink eyes wild with fear. "Did they take it from you?!"

"We blew it up," Lucy assured him. "We detonated one of your small multi-mission ships' power cores after destabilizing the naqia. It wiped out the DT field."

Relief showed on the Darglan's face. "Good. That is…" He grimaced as pain visibly shot through him again. "I am connecting to the old database of this place."

"Who built it?" asked Lucy. "You made it sound like it isn't Darglan."

"It was not. Though it does… resemble... " He grunted again. "...the styles of the S'kama people of my species. This is a place built by an old species. One that came before us." Jornam looked to Lucy and gestured toward a circular container on a shelf near the bed. "I prepared a device during my last waking cycle, a data storage databank that has my database of knowledge from this place. Please, take it. So that it is not forgotten. That was my… ungh… purpose."

Lucy nodded and retrieved the container. Within it was a familiar orange disc, much like the one the Consort had given Robert the prior year, but this one lacked the pocket dimension storage that made Robert's impossible to read. "And the security measures?"

"I will soon be able to activate them."

"Can you contact the Draconians?" Buck asked. "And warn them to get their people to safety?"

Jornam considered what Buck had just asked. "You would warn them? Despite what they have done?"

"I've seen enough death in my life," was Buck's answer.

The Darglan looked to Meridina. "And you, you are both followers of Swenya? I remember her… she would argue the same if she were here."

"Yes, she would," said Meridina. Lucy could feel the energy building within Meridina, a tension between her fear for Jornam's life… and her desire to learn more of what Jornam knew of Swenya and of the Gersallians in her time. Knowledge that was lost or distorted for her people, and here was someone who could share it…

"Of course. And you are right to do so." Jornam operated his controls. "I have the original structure's operating system fully accessed. I will activate a link to the command center shortly."

"How is Commander Kane doing?" Lucy asked Meridina. "You still have telepathic contact with him?"

Meridina nodded. "He is… occupied." 

* * *

As more laser shots created burns into the wall behind him, Commander Kane had the mental image of being stuck in a hive that's just been kicked over.

The Draconians didn't have power armor. What they did have was an almost suicidal willingness to charge his Marines in the hope of getting a shot off, and with numbers that was effective enough. Kane was now kneeling beside Ijala and focusing fire on the lower level, where Rosenfeld was finishing the last of her charges. Ijala claimed another officer with a direct headshot. Behind them Barker was busy overseeing their escape route.

" _This is the last one_ ," Rosenfeld said. She turned away from the emitter, glanced toward the stairway to see how exposed it was, and did the smart thing. She braced herself and activated her power armor's short-use jump jets. Plumes of energy surged from the back and the young woman was airborne.

"Suppressing fire!" Kane had already shouted, and the Marines promptly moved from cover and began firing everything to keep the Draconians' heads down. This did draw fire, as hoped.

Rosenfeld's pained " _Oy vey!_ " made it clear at least one Draconian had gotten a shot off. Kane spotted the offender and shot him in the chest, putting him down.

Toussiers ran from cover to help Rosenfeld, who was cursing profusely in Yiddish that their systems didn't both translating. Kane distinctly heard " _Mamzer_ " and " _schlimazel_ " in the rant, the only words he could make out. He hoped that the rest were proper cursing like a combat-wounded Marine was permitted. That hope was joined with shooting up another of the Draconian soldiers. "Toussiers, status on Rosenfeld?"

" _Hit to the shoulder, sir. She can walk, but the laser penetrated the armor enough to damage the tissue. Her left arm's immobile_."

"Right. Time to go then!" Kane looked up. "Withdraw! Back to the LZ!"

Ijala immediately compacted his sniper rifle. The Alakin was still pulling his backup pulse pistol out as he went through the door they'd entered through. Barker and Yamashita were spraying fire in one direction to keep enemy troops from coming that way. Belyakova pulled back to join Ijala and Hajama remained with Kane. The Dorei man kept his rifle firing with superb control. Together Kane and Hajama gave the cover Toussiers needed to help Rosenfeld back through the door. "Go," Kane ordered, following Hajama.

A burst of energy and light came from the far corner, courtesy of a pulse grenade Barker has thrown. The team moved with swiftness down through the base, retracing the steps they'd taken to come this way. When they reached the desired distance, Rosenfeld used her functioning right hand to trigger her explosives. The vibrations shook the structure around them.

"Kane to _Bastilone_. Primary objective complete." Kane checked the remaining charge in his pulse rifle. "We're returning to the LZ. Expect a hot evac."

" _Roger that, Commander_ ," replied Ensign Yang.

"Kane to Meridina. Emitter's down. We'll hold for you at the main storage bay."

" _Do not, Commander_ ," said Meridina. " _We are preparing a process to render this place uninhabitable to the enemy. Proceed straight to the_ Bastilone. _We will be behind you._ "

"Copy that." Kane motioned to his people. "Double time it, let's go!" 

* * *

In Jornam's room, he turned to Buck and nodded. "You wished to speak? I am establishing a link to the command center."

Buck nodded. A holographic image popped up beside the wall. The Draconians had filled the structure's command area with their own equipment. He could see numerous Draconians were at work, and an angry Princess Ardala was fuming from a chair. "Hello, Princess," he said.

" _Rogers!_ " Ardala looked at him and glared. " _Do you really think you'll escape this?_ "

"I'm pretty confident of it," Buck answered. "I just wanted to let you know that we're about to fill this entire structure with lava. You might want to evacuate."

" _You… you couldn't. You can't!_ "

"Well, seeing as I have the place's custodian with me, I'm pretty sure I can." Buck showed her a confident smile. "I'll give you ten minutes to clear out. Rogers out."

Jornam recognized the terminology and cut the communication. He pressed several more keys. "I have set the security system to begin the failsafe procedure. Only I can undo it."

"It is a shame to destroy this place," Meridina lamented. "I feel there is much we can learn here."

"The power core will survive. That is what matters. The wonders of this world will not be extinguished." Jornam stood and winced. "I… I am sorry, but my energy is spent. You should go."

"We're not leaving you here to drown in lava," Lucy declared. "We're taking you with us."

"You will need all of your skill to escape," Jornam insisted. "I cannot be responsible for your deaths. Not when I am dying… unh… already."

"We will bring you to safety, Jornam," Meridina assured him. "And you will again see the stars your people so enjoyed traveling among."

Jornam gave Meridina a wistful, sad look. "My poor people. Our curiosity could be such a curse, but it is what made us the people we were. Very well…" He tapped another key on his console. In the corner the wall opened to reveal something that looked like a mirror. A second key press caused the surface of the mirror to begin rippling. "It is a dimensional portal device. I have set it to take us to the upper section of this facility."

Lucy stared at it. "Is that… did your people make that?"

"No. The original builders did. I spent many…" Jornam groaned yet again. Meridina and Lucy could feel the pain inside of him and Lucy was worrying he might not live much longer. "...many years studying this place."

"I shall give you the benefit of my strength." Meridina held onto Jornam. She reached into him with the Flow of Light and used her power to ease his pains. "Come."

"Well, off we go to Wonderland," Buck observed.

One by one they went into the portal. On the other end they were in a dark, empty chamber. Jornam stepped up, with Meridina's help, to examine the wall. One panel lit up and became a Darglan interface panel. He tapped several keys of Darglan script and a door slid open. Once they were through Lucy checked her omnitool. "We're just one level below the LZ," she said.

"This is the way," Jornam told them. With Meridina beside him to help him, he took the lead in taking them down the gold-and-blue corridor. 

* * *

Alert lights were showing on long-dormant alien screens. Draconian officers and technicians tried desperately to understand what was going on. Ardala watched them, her face an impassive mask hiding frustration and a little rage. Kane looked none too happy either. "I am sorry, Highness," one technician said. "We… we cannot access the core processes of this place's computer systems. We never have been able to, and it is from there that this sequence is being controlled. Lava will begin flowing into the base in eight minutes."

"We should have killed that alien long ago," Kane said gruffly.

"Perhaps." Ardala looked toward Kane. "What of the missiles?"

"I completed three," he said. "The others are hours or days away from completion."

"Then begin their launch sequences," Ardala ordered. "And have my ship ready for my arrival. We will personally escort the missiles to Earth this time."

Kane nodded to a technician. "Enabling launch sequences, Highness."

"Good. Now sound evacuation." Ardala eyed Kane. "Let us depart."

"At once, Highness," he agreed. 

* * *

Magda noticed the changes on her screens. "Commander." She looked over to where Zack seemed to be thinking quietly. "I'm detecting activity in the yard. It looks like they're energizing some of the craft."

"They're preparing to launch," Zack said. "Okay, let's hope they stirred up a mess down there. We're going to Code Red. Ap, take us in. April, prepare weapons. Magda, decloak when we're in range."

Everyone answered and the _Koenig_ flew forward, flying through the gravitic net. Whatever warnings it would give, it didn't matter now. 

* * *

Commander Kane and his Marines made it to the LZ with a platoon of Draconians on their tails. Standard fire-and-move tactics helped them keep the enemy suppressed with a generous use of grenades. Kane threw his last into the corridor as he went out the door to the landing pad. Draconian craft were already moving toward them to evacuate the Draconian personnel. Kane and his people ran into the _Bastilone_ , disappearing from view as they passed into the cloaking field's effects.

Kane left Barker to get everyone ready to hold the LZ for the others while he went to the cockpit. Yang was sitting there watching the incoming Draconian shuttles. "They're unarmed, sir. Do you want me to begin offensive action?"

"No. Stay cloaked. They're just evacuating. Commander Meridina and her team are wrecking this place."

Yang nodded. "Okay sir."

Once Kane knew the young pilot wouldn't move the ship, he returned to the back. He swapped out his charge clip for a fresh one and joined the others in defensive positions. 

* * *

Jornam was managing to move at a quick pace with Meridina's power bolstering his failing body. They made it to the staircase and had gone through the main cargo receiving area before they found Draconian soldiers behind them. Lucy turned and ignited her lightsaber. "Keep going!" she shouted. "I'll cover you."

Meridina and Jornam did. Buck, however, turned back and pulled out his laser pistol. He timed his shots, causing spurts of sparks to appear along the walls and floors when his shots weren't hitting the Draconians themselves. Lucy's lightsaber was a blur of blue. The lasers hitting it were invisible to the human eye. But Lucy could still sense where they would be. Her life force was guiding her arms and weapon, putting it in position to deflect shots, while Buck's fire was keeping the Draconians from pressing her with their numbers. They kept backpedaling as they went.

Meridina and Jornam got to the door first. She led him in the direction of the _Bastilone_. He seemed surprised to be going toward nothing. Just before he spoke of his uncertainty on the matter, they entered the cloaking field. The runabout and the armed Marines suddenly appeared.

"Commander Meridina." Commander Kane nodded to her. "A friend?"

"He is Jornam, the original caretaker of this place." She nodded to him. "And he is a Darglan."

Meridina thought there was something quite amusing about the surprise that briefly showed on Kane's face. The other Marines had reactions ranging similarly, from quiet, stunned surprise to incredulousness.

Meridina turned back to where Lucy and Buck were coming through the door. The fire against them was forcing them to keep their focus on defense and was slowing them down.

A sudden rumble filled the mountainside. "That would be the security system, I believe, Jornam said.

"We need to get out of here. Barker?"

"Yes sir." Barker grabbed hold of a set of rungs built into the side of the Marine waiting bay. She climbed up into a seat set into the ceiling. "I've got the angle, sir. But we need to decloak first."

Kane nodded and hit the intercom key on the wall. "Yang, decloak, we're going weapons hot back here."

" _Yes sir_."

The Draconians, undoubtedly, got a sight when the squat runabout shimmered into view, resting on her warp nacelles toward the rear and with her back wide open.

The twin turret anti-personnel pulse cannon built into the top of the craft was also an unpleasant surprise.

It began to fire, a massive **_WHOM WHOM WHOM_** filling the air as the bright blue pulses flew over the heads of Lucy and Buck before striking their pursuers. The hits were instant killers, vaporizing the Draconians with direct hits. Even glancing ones could kill or severely wound.

And then they saw it. Felt it. From within the structure a wall of bright orange and red rock was spewing forth, a river that would kill everything it touched.

With the weapon's suppressive fire Lucy and Buck were able to turn and run into the back of the runabout. Lucy went through the Marines' space and up to the cockpit, where Yang quickly let her assume the helm. "Lifting off now, restoring cloaking device."

The _Bastilone_ picked up from the landing zone just as the lava began to surge from the entrance. It shimmered out of view again and raced for orbit.

In the back, Toussiers helped Meridina secure Jornam. "This kind of cellular damage is just… how could this happen?" asked the combat medic.

"The Draconians did not awaken me properly," said the Darglan. "The damage is fatal."

"Well, maybe not if we can get you back to the _Aurora_ on time." Toussiers kept scanning. "I don't even think I can offer painkillers for you, though. I've got no idea of your physiology, if any of our meds will help you or might kill you."

"It is… alright." Jornam looked to Meridina. "Might I see them?"

Meridina nodded. "Follow me to the cockpit, then."

The _Bastilone_ was in orbit by the time they made it there. Jornam was contented as he sat down at a panel, his eyes focused on the open void ahead of them.

"Let's get back to the _Koenig_ ," Lucy said.

Meridina nodded and tapped a key. " _Bastilone_ to _Koenig_ , we're ready for pickup."

" _Standby_ ," came Magda's reply. " _We're on an attack run_."

"Standing by," Lucy answered, while ahead of them the _Koenig_ decloaked and opened fire. 

* * *

The _Koenig_ bridge was all business when the ship opened fire. The viewer showed the phaser cannons blasting into the Draconian construction yard. Explosions flowered from the surface, with atmospheric gas and debris spewing from the new wounds in the yard. Solar torpedoes raced across the distance and slipped into one section of the yard, where they hit an incomplete missile. A large explosion consumed the rear half of the weapon.

"I'm reading power surges in the yard. They're trying to power their defense guns."

"Prepare evasive maneuvers, Ap, if we need them. April?"

As the _Koenig_ moved past the yard, the aft torpedo launchers fired as well. These shots nailed another of the partially-completed missiles, blasting the warhead clear off.

The _Koenig_ made a sharp turn in space and opened up again on the yard. Another spread of torpedoes blew apart the skeleton of a missile while the phasers gouged out chunks from another.

The Draconian energy weapons opened up on the _Koenig_. The bridge shook from the hits they took while Apley corkscrewed the ship into another attack run. "Shields at ninety percent," Magda reported.

"Take us on another run," Zack ordered.

They flew in on the run and another of the enemy missiles was blown apart. "The last ones are mostly intact, we'll need several more attack…" Magda's attention was drawn to a new contact. "I've got a ship approaching at high sublight velocity. I've never seen it before, running it through recognition profiles…" Magda waited for the results while the _Koenig_ threaded more defensive fire to damage the yard further.

"Magda, any better idea on what it is?" Zack asked.

"Still… ah, there. I have the profile. It's a Draconian warship, believed to be called the _Dominator_ -class." Magda looked to Zack and shook her head. "It's definitely out of our weight class, and they're already launching Hatchet fighters. I've got a dozen coming in to intercept."

"And probably more soon enough. Are they armed with naqia weapons?'

"I believe so, going by these readings."

 _A dozen of those fighters, all of those missiles… this won't work._ "Alright, we're getting out of here. Bring us back around and give Lucy an approach vector to land the _Bastilone_ quickly."

Apley's response was immediate. "Yes sir."

The _Koenig_ broke away from the damaged construction yard. A few more shots from the dorsal phaser, and another spread from the aft torpedoes, did further damage to it. Ahead of the ship the _Bastilone_ decloaked while Apley raised the _Koenig_ 's bow relative to their approach vector. With precision Lucy flew up to the underside of the _Koenig_ and entered the opening shuttle bay door.

"The _Bastilone_ is secure," said Magda. "Enemy Hatchet fighters entering range. They're locking missiles."

"Take us back to the Pleiades Cluster Stargate, maximum warp."

The _Koenig_ jumped to warp just as the first missiles fired. 

* * *

Ardala stomped onto the bridge of her flagship, the _Dragon's Fire_ , with all of her usual imperiousness. The captain of the ship saluted to her, fist over heart. "Your Highness, the smaller vessel escaped with their stardrives."

"Yes. Well, you were out of position."

"What will your punishment be?"

Ardala smiled at the man, who was trying to hide his fear. She glanced toward Kane and shook her head. "Nothing, for the moment. If all goes as desired, I may show leniency."

"The yard is badly damaged. It will require weeks to repair," the captain continued. "But the three missiles you ordered launched were not severely damaged. We can resume the launch sequence soon."

"Ah. Very good." Ardala settled into her own personal chair on the bridge. "Then do so, with all haste. Buck Rogers and his friends have taken our prize and ruined our lovely new base. But it will be for nothing when our missiles ruin the Earth."

"As you command, Princess."

Ardala watched the captain return to work with quiet pleasure. Her father would not be happy with the damage they took, but it could be repaired. Even the alien structure could be reclaimed with a lot of work. And the Earth… the Earth was still hers to destroy.

And she would be there to see it happen. 

* * *

When Zack stepped into the infirmary, he still couldn't believe what Lucy had told him about over the comms.

Seeing made him believe.

Barnes came in behind him. "Holy _crap_ ," the engineer said. "It's… it's actually…"

"...a Darglan," Zack finished for him, looking over the orange bipedal alien. Meridina was standing beside him, holding her hand to his back, while Doctor Opani was scanning him with a medical omnitool. Buck and Lucy were standing nearby. "A living Darglan."

"I am Jornam," the Darglan said. His pink eyes took in the sight of the two. "You are the commander of this ship?"

"Commander Zachary Carrey, Alliance _Starship Koenig_."

"...'Alliance', you say?"

"Yes, the United Alliance of Systems," Zack answered. "We're an interuniversal group of Humans, Alakins, Gersallians, and Dorei. We've also made contact with a large number of other galaxies…"

Jornam sighed in contentment. "Then you accomplished our dream. We had wished to see the same happen. If only…" Jornam grimaced and clutched at his chest. "I apologize, Commander. I am dying, and it is becoming painful."

Zack looked to Opani. The Dorei woman, her skin a dark teal with light purple spotting, shook her head. "The cellular damage is bad, Commander. I definitely can't save him here, and even the medbay on the _Aurora_ might not do it."

"I have done what I can," Meridina added. "But my power only alleviates his pain and helps him to move easier. I lack the strength to heal him."

Zack couldn't keep the frown off his face. A Darglan, alive, but dying. Perhaps beyond their power to save. It seemed unfair. "Make him comfortable," Zack ordered. "We're still an hour out from the stargate. As soon as we're back to Earth…"

"You must warn them," said Jornam. "The Draconians will attack again."

"With their FTL drives, those surviving missiles won't arrive in Sol System for days," Barnes pointed out. "Don't worry, we've got…"

"No." Jornam shook his head. "They will not need to use the stargate you are heading toward."

"What do you mean?" asked Zack. "Why not?"

"Because, they already have one," said Jornam. The Darglan's voice was firm, showing his certainty of that statement. "They will use the stargate in the solar system with the Preserve."

Zack looked at him with surprise. "Wait, we didn't read one."

"It is set to remain off. I made it that way centuries ago. But Ardala has reactivated it. And it connects directly to the Earth system's stargate."

"Which means that her missiles will fire directly to Earth's solar system," Meridina said.

"Yes." Jornam's face fell. "She learned enough from my things… from me… that her weapons can destroy all life on your world."

"Unless we stop them," Buck said.

"Yes. Unless you stop them," Jornam agreed.


	77. Episode 2-15-5 Blast from the Past

Robert, Julia, and Ledosh joined Doctor Huer and Wilma in Science Lab 2 to check up on the progress there. The news, however, was not what they had hoped to hear.

"It is quite a difficult problem given our available resources," Theopolis said to them. "Even a complete deployment of our available starfighter squadrons would be incapable of stopping more than one missile given their noted acceleration and defensive capabilities."

"And we don't have the means to build a theater shield large enough and strong enough to block them," added Jarod. "So if they get past us to Earth, there's nthing we can do to prevent a mass casualty event."

Huer nodded. He turned his head toward Robert. "Captain, can the Alliance provide any more ships?"

Robert shook his head. "Admiral Maran's already informed me that reinforcements aren't available. The best he can offer is the _Shenzhou_. She's leaving drydock tomorrow and will jump to join us."

"Regrettably, the Gersallian fleet is also incapable of sending reinforcements for the moment," Ledosh added.

"Let's just hope the _Shenzhou_ isn't a day too late." Julia crossed her arms. "Colonel Deering and I have some ideas on how to support each other in another fight, but if they bring a lot of fighter cover I'm not sure we'll be able to stop multi-..."

Before she could finish Robert's call-received light appeared on his hand. " _Bridge to Dale_ ," said Locarno.

Robert tapped the light over the back of his left hand. "Dale here."

" _The_ Koenig _just came back through the stargate. Commander Carrey wants to see you at the airlock when they get back. He said to bring a medical team and Cat_."

"Did he say why?" Robert wondered just what prompted Zack to make those requests.

" _They found something in Pleiades-24._ "

"Tell him we'll be there, then. Dale out."

"Do you mind if we join you?" Huer asked.

"Not at all." Robert checked the time on his omnitool. "We have some time. Jarod, what about trying…?" 

* * *

By the time the group from Science Lab 2 arrived at the dock, Leo and a medical team were waiting, complete with anti-grav stretcher, for the arrival of the _Koenig_. They all watched her dock and walked on to the airlock entrance.

When it opened, Zack stepped through with Buck and Lucy behind him. Twiki spoke up immediately. "Biddi-biddi-biddi, nice to see you in one piece, Buck."

"It's nice to be in one piece, Twiki," Buck replied.

"What's going on?" Robert asked him.

Zack gestured toward the airlock. Opani stepped through and stood to the side, allowing Meridina to exit with another humanoid. The tall skull and orange complexion were immediate giveaways. Robert and the others each had a wide-eyed look, with jaws lowered to varying degrees. "It's… it's…" Caterina seemed unable to finish the sentence.

"This is Jornam," said Zack. "He is, was, the caretaker of some ancient nature preserve on Pleiades-24 III that the Draconians looted." He smiled at Caterina. "And he's a Darglan."

"Swenya's Light," Ledosh murmured.

"A Darglan. A _living Darglan_ ," Caterina squeaked.

"Not if we don't get him to the medbay," Leo said, already looking over his medical omnitool. "The cellular degeneration is killing him." Leo motioned to his team. Nasri led a couple of nurses in helping Meridina set Jornam onto the anti-grav stretcher. They departed immediately with Ledosh joining them to help Meridina in her healing attempts.

"A _Darglan_ ," Julia said, her awe echoing Caterina's. "I never… how?"

"He was in a stasis chamber of some kind," Lucy replied. "But the Draconians removed him from it. And not in the correct way."

"This is… this is amazing," Robert said. "If Leo saves him, imagine the things we'll learn."

Lucy produced a spherical container from an internal pocket on her robe. She twisted it just so and the top slid out and then down, revealing the orange Darglan data drive within. "This is supposed to be all of his critical data."

"So this was a Darglan Facility?" Julia frowned. "Or a data center? Do the Draconians have access to the IU drive?"

"It didn't appear to be," said Lucy. "Apparently the nature preserve itself, and the central facility built into the mountain to sustain it, were built by another race. Jornam chose to live there."

"Another ancient race, then?"

"We have scans of the structure. We can look through them later," said Lucy. "But we can tell you it's unlikely the Draconians got IU drive tech or even Darglan weapons technology."

"Okay, let's move from the scientific curiosity from a moment," Zack said, looking to Lucy. She looked back and nodded, and both turned their heads to face Robert and Huer. "Jornam says there's a special stargate in Pleiades-24. One that the Draconians can turn off and on to send out their missiles. And it can lead straight to Earth's stargate."

"A stargate with that kind of distance?" Wilma seemed stunned by it. "Normally that's a two jump distance."

"They can do it in one. We did what we could to their construction yard, but we weren't able to finish off the three completed missiles before a Draconian carrier showed up and we had to retreat."

"Three missiles." Huer drew in a pained breath. "How do we defeat three?"

Julia shook her head. "We need a fleet. Or some way to keep them from getting to Earth. Can we shut down your system's stargate?"

"No," Huer answered. "You can't shut down stargates like that. At least, not to our experience."

"So we can't keep them from coming through. We'll have to fight them and find a way to stop them here."

"What if you reactivated the thermal shield?" Buck asked Huer.

"Thermal shield?" Robert asked.

"Back when they woke me up, Earth had a thermal shield to protect the planet," Buck explained. "It would destroy any craft that approached without the proper codes."

"The shield system was decommissioned," Huer explained. "The Draconians developed countermeasures to thwart it. It could take days to get it back up."

"The tractor satellites have some merit," Julia said. "We know tractors can trigger the destabilized naqia to go off."

"But not quickly enough," Jarod reminded her. "Certainly not with three of the missiles coming after Earth."

"What if there was a way to trigger the same thing with something else?" Julia asked. "Something that would…"

Something in Caterina's mind clicked. Everyone could see the moment of epiphany on her face. When she left at a near-run, they followed.

Science Lab 2 was Caterina's destination. Once she was there she called up the data they had been going over. Calculations filled her mind while her fingers danced over the controls, activating new simulations with new parameters.

The simulations were running when the others entered. "Cat, what is it?" Julia asked.

"Come on… come on… the calculations… _yes_!" Caterina stood up and let out a squee of triumph. "It works! It, I mean, it _will_ work!"

"What will work?" Buck asked.

"I think I understand." Theopolis was studying the simulations. "You would convert the thermal shield generators into a series of graviton pulse emitters."

"Yes!"

"The power demands will be quite high," Theopolis said. "However, Doctor Huer, I believe the Lieutenant is onto something."

"What would this plan do?" Huer asked.

"It would allow us to subject incoming missiles to intense graviton fields, such as used in this vessel's tractor beams," Theopolis answered. "This would cause the Draconian warheads to destabilize and explode."

"Good thinking, Cat," Jarod said. The simulations looked good to him too. "We'll have to do some converting of their existing shield generator stations to make this work."

"Get any operations or engineering personnel you can find that's not essential to Scotty's repairs," Robert ordered. He turned to Huer. "Doctor, we'll help you get the modifications done."

"Thank you, Captain. The Defense Directorate will cooperate fully. I will need to return to New Chicago to oversee the modifications."

"I will see to the necessary modifications for the generator in New Chicago."

"Jarod, Lucy, see if you can help them," Robert said. He could feel the room's feelings pick up. They had a solution, and now they would see about implementing it.

They nodded and joined Huer and Theopolis (and Twiki) in leaving Lab 2. It was clear to everyone just what was on Caterina's mind. "Your simulations will give Jarod and the others what they need," Robert said. "Why don't you head to the medbay?"

As Cat jumped from her seat, Julia added, "But you have to listen to Leo. If he says you have to wait, you wait."

"I will," she vowed.

Once she was gone Zack left as well, stating he was going to return to the _Koenig_ "just in case". Robert and Julia exchanged looks with each other and with Buck and Wilma. "We should go back to New Chicago," said Wilma. "We'll need to have the squadrons ready."

"Of course. And we have work to do as well," Julia said.

With common assent, they all departed. 

* * *

Leo, as it turned out, was willing to let Caterina visit Jornam in his intensive care room. Meridina and Ledosh were sitting and meditating in the room, using their power to help the Darglan keep his strength up. Caterina stood at the door for a moment, trying to think of what to say, what to ask, of the orange-skinned alien she had never imagined she would ever meet. She felt like every cell in her body would vibrate until she drilled through the deck.

"You are the one they call Caterina?" Jornam asked, as if just now noticing her.

She nodded. "Caterina Delgado. Lieutenant Caterina Delgado, actually. I'm the science officer."

"So I see." A pair of pinkish eyes focused on her. "I can see you have questions."

"Too many. I can't think of one," Cat confessed. She pulled up a chair to sit beside Jornam, taking care to not bump into Meridina as she did. "There's still so much we don't know about your people, and so much I want to learn about, well, about everything."

" _Kestim ram_ ," said Jornam. "That is our term for the state you are in. When you can't figure out what question you want to ask because you want to ask them all, at once, and have them answered together." He gestured to her with his hand. "Feel free to ask, and I will answer while I have the strength to. And please, do record our conversation. My knowledge should be shared with all of your people."

Cat nodded. She moved her left arm and brought up her omnitool interface, which she used to enable the recording option. As she did, one question slipped through the rest and came to her tongue. "So… how did you survive the three thousand years?"

"A cryostasis chamber set to wake me up every century," Jornam replied. "I would check on the preserve and examine the findings from probes I left at other inhabited worlds in this region of space."

"To see how they were developing?" Caterina asked.

"Yes. And, if necessary, to provide what assistance I could."

"Assistance?"

Jornam nodded. "My people did not always agree on the scope, but many of us believed that we should be more than distant observers. Life is a precious gift of Reality, Caterina Delgado, and all beings have a moral obligation to protect it where they can. My people often used our starships and interuniversal drives to relocate endangered species and races to safer worlds where they could thrive."

"Just like…" Cat swallowed. "When we found your technology, we… we would help people, take them from places where they suffered and bring them to another world to live in peace. We called it New Liberty."

"Might I see this world?"

Caterina nodded. With her omnitool she interfaced with the wall monitor in the room and used it to display images of New Liberty Colony. "People from our Earth, from C1P2 Earth, and now from other universes, they all live here together."

The images played, including the last two anniversary celebrations and the recordings Caterina had personally made from them. She looked back to Jornam to see the Darglan was quietly tearing up. "Are you okay?"

"I am happy," he said. "You have used our legacy well, Caterina Delgado. In this New Liberty Colony you made, and in the Alliance you put together… it is everything my people wanted to see."

Seeing Jornam say that, hearing the pride in his voice, made Caterina think of Control. The AI operator of the Darglan Facility had often assured them that his creators would approve of their rescue missions and their conduct. "Is there anything of your technology left in this universe?" she asked Jornam. "Maybe… maybe newer computer hardware?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because, Control… the Control of our Facility… he is in our databanks on the _Aurora_. But our computers don't have the capacity to let him operate like he's supposed to. His memory and program have to remain heavily compressed and only partially-functional in our auxiliary computer cores."

"A Control? You wish to bring him back?" Jornam smiled sadly. "I am sorry. It is a worthy goal, but I did not have such technology left to me when the others returned home."

"Oh." Caterina nodded, disappointed. "Well…" Something came to her mind then. "Jornam, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Was it you?" Cat asked. "Were you the one who took Humans from this Earth after their nuclear war, to resettle them on other worlds?"

Jornam went quiet for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I did."

"So all of the Human civilizations, even the Draconians, are…"

"No," he said. "Some predated our arrival in this universe. They were transplanted long before we gained the IU drive."

"By who?" Caterina asked.

"An old and powerful empire seeking to preserve other species. They were the ones who built the preserve to protect many old species from a number of worlds. The _timital_ of Yutam, the oronthi, the gutabi bird… even your Earth's wooly mammoth and dodo, among other animals."

Caterina decided she wanted to see this place. But more importantly, she wanted to continue on the topic of the Darglan themselves.

"How many species did you transplant?"

"In the three generations of our interuniversal civilization, we must have performed hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. Sometimes it would be as little as relocating them on their own worlds. Or to other versions of their worlds in a different universe. If deemed necessary, an entirely different world in an entirely different universe was selected, so long as their new environment was close enough to match the one they were familiar with." Jonram drew in a breath. The conversation was becoming an effort, and his ability to continue speaking with groaning in pain was entirely thanks to Meridina and Ledosh helping him. "That was our way."

"Is that why you didn't return to your homeworld?" asked Caterina.

Jornam nodded. "She'teyal was not my home. I was born in the Universe N2S7 to a mission keeping watch over a transplanted species called the Mi'qote."

"The Mi'qote really aren't indigenous to Ys'talla?"

"No, they are not. Their world was suffering a severe catastrophe. So we removed samples of the major sapient species of that world to new homes. My database has some of their locations listed."

Caterina nodded. She would have to consult Lucy's new database as soon as duty and time allowed. "So you stayed with the preservation missions?

"I did," Jornam said. "It was my calling. After the Dimensional Fracture, I volunteered to remain in this universe to observe. And I turned down my people when they were ordered by the First Ones to return to She'teyal and to abandon our interuniversal holdings. This was my place, my calling. I would not abandon it."

"Were you the only one? The only one working here, I mean?"

"Not at first." Jornam shook his head. "I had colleagues. But they elected to return home. Only I desired to stay, and to see if your people or another would one day find my place. I felt it was my duty even though I would miss them greatly."

"I wish it had been someone better than these Draconians," said Cat.

"As do I." Jornam closed his eyes. "I fear that my energy fails me, Caterina Delgado. I do not know how many more questions I might answer."

"Maybe I should go, then," she said. "So you can get your strength back up. Or… would you like to ask me questions? I mean, I'm sure you're curious about what things are like now. About the Alliance, the Multiverse..."

Jornam smiled and laid his head back on the pillow. One of the nurses had specifically replicated one to accommodate his taller skull. "I would enjoy that," he admitted. "I admit that I too have a case of _Kestim ram_."

Caterina couldn't hold back the tears. The weakness in his voice, the way he was laid on the bed… she knew he was dying. That there was likely no hope. She'd seen this before. When the cancer was close to killing her Mama. She sniffled and forced a smile. "Whatever you want to know. I'll tell you."

"Very well… Speak to me, then, of your Alliance. How was it founded? What is its purpose?"

As the tears flowed down her eyes, she told him, and hoped and prayed it would make his final hours better. 

* * *

Not too far away, Leo and Julia were watching on a monitor. Caterina was busy trying to explain the Alliance Council despite her severe lack of political science understanding.

Julia looked toward Leo and asked, "Is there any hope?"

Leo gave her a look that answered her question. His verbal reply was, "It'd be cruel to give hope." A shake of his head and a sigh later, he added, "If he were Human or another species I'm familiar with, he might have a shot. But our knowledge of Darglan physiology is limited. The cellular damage is… well, it's just too much. I'm sorry. All I'm sure I can do is try to ease his pain and make him comfortable."

"Then how long does he have?"

"I can't tell. He might have an hour, a day, a week. Maybe close to a month if we find a therapy to restore function to his cells. I just can't think of anything that will work enough to bring him back from the brink." Leo smacked his hand on his table. "Damn Draconian butchers. They killed him when they screwed up his waking sequence. That man is living history and they killed him with their impatience and arrogance."

"I doubt they care. Given what Meridina and Lucy have said about this 'Princess Ardala'..." Julia set a hand on his shoulder. "Do whatever you can anyway. We won't give him on him without a fight."

"You know I will," Leo promised.

Julia nodded. She turned to leave.

Her omnitool went off. When she answered, it was Lieutenant Pacetti starting his bridge shift early. " _This is the bridge, we have a situation. Multiple contacts are coming through the system stargate. They're Draconian._ "

Wherever he was, Robert answered just as she started to. " _Go to Code Red. Sound battle stations._ "

Julia started to rush for the door as klaxons started echoing through the _Aurora_. 

* * *

The generator facility for the old planetary thermal shield reminded Jarod of a power plant with all of its capacitors and emergency fusion reactor backups in similar layouts to turbines and emergency generators. One wall covered in blinking lights was showing off displays of projected power draws and other vital information.

There was a puff of smoke from a solder nearby. "Please be careful, Twiki. These circuit boards are quite rare, and we don't have the time to replace them."

"Get off my back already."

"Twiki, I am not on your…" Theopolis stopped himself. "I do think you have been around Captain Rogers a little too much lately."

Jarod returned to the control panels. As he checked the status of the modified projectors for the system, his omnitool flashed to life. " _The Draconians have arrived_ ," Robert said. " _What's the status on the shield conversion?_ "

Jarod looked up to the panels. "We've almost completed the New Chicago conversion. The others are in various stages of completion. We still need at least four hours to cover the entire planet."

" _They'll be at Earth in one_ ," Robert replied.

Jarod checked the sites' reported completions. "We might have thirty-three percent coverage by then."

" _It will have to be enough then. Standby to beam back._ "

"I'll give you the signal." Jarod lowered his arm and turned his head to face Twiki and Theopolis. "Can you finish the conversion?"

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, no sweat, pal."

"Yes, Commander Jarod, I believe we will," Theopolis replied. "However, a thirty-three percent coverage of Earth will leave dangerous gaps in our defenses."

"I know. But that's the best we can do." Jarod tapped his omnitool again. "Jarod to _Aurora_ , I'm ready."

The transporter whisked him away. 

* * *

Huer arrived in the flight bay in New Chicago to find every available pilot was present. Buck and Wilma were standing beside a wheeled in transparent board with combat maneuvers drawn on them. "...must remember to focus your fire," Wilma was explaining. "The Hatchet fighters have been configured with protective shield systems that can absorb multiple direct hits from individual fighters." A hand went up. "Yes, Major Danton?"

The curly-haired man in the front row asked, "Can't we do the same thing, then?"

"Unfortunately not," Huer said, joining the conversation. "The Thunderfighter will have to be re-designed to make use of shield systems. That process is still in the planning stages. The Defense Directorate had no idea of the Draconian modifications, unfortunately."

Danton and his pilots nodded.

"Commander Andreys and Commander Laurent will be directing the Alliance fighters to keeping the Hatchets off of us," Wilma continued. "Their Mongoose fighters are more maneuverable than the Hatchets. Work with them whenever you can. We'll be operating on a common frequency."

There were nods from the assembled.

"The Draconians are still nearly an hour out," Huer said. "As such, we're launching now."

The assembled pilots stood and dispersed. Huer watched them go before turning his head toward Wilma and Buck. "Good luck to you both."

"Thank you, sir," Wilma said. Buck nodded in agreement, and then they departed as well.

Huer stood and watched. Briefly he recalled his younger days flying for Earth. But it was not his place anymore. All he could do was watch and hope. 

* * *

Jarod was the last of the command crew to arrive on the bridge of the _Aurora_. Lieutenant Jupap, an Alakin, quickly changed his position to an auxiliary console along the rear of the bridge to let Jarod reassume his station.

Caterina turned from her sensor station. "They're going to be in range of Earth in forty-five minutes."

Robert nodded. "I don't see any point in waiting for them to get close. Set an intercept course, full impulse."

"Yes sir," Locarno answered.

"The _Koenig_ is following," added Jarod. As he received more information he added, "The Earth squadrons are forming up to join us."

Robert looked to Julia, who nodded and brought up her tactical display. "I'll coordinate our efforts with theirs."

"And I'll focus on our maneuvers." Robert keyed his intercom. "Mister Scott, how are the impulsors?"

" _All repairs are complete, Cap'n,_ " was the reply. " _Ye've got full impulse power with nae problems._ "

"And it hasn't even been thirty hours yet. Another miracle for you. We may have to submit your name for sainthood."

" _Thank ye, sir. But I'm satisfied with what I'vve got. Engineering out._ "

Once the line was cut Robert looked to the holo-viewer and counted down the minutes until they intercepted. 

* * *

In the medbay Meridina and Ledosh could feel the tension of combat readiness in the crew. The two Gersallians kept their focus on the Darglan patient on the bed between them. Concern filled Meridina at the clear ebbing of Jornam's life.

 _Is there nothing more we can do?_ she asked her old teacher.

 _Yes_ was his response.

A low tone filled the room. With focus Meridina ignored it. That focus was still broken, despite her efforts, when the door opened and feet began to thump. She looked up and opened her eyes to see Leo and several nurses. "His vitals are failing," one of the nurses said. "What do we do?"

Leo looked over the readings and sighed. "I don't think there's anything we can do. Still… prep the cortical stimulators."

Nasri's expression betrayed her concern. "But, do you know how to set it for a Darglan?"

"I'll have to go by the scan results when we brought him in," was Leo's answer. "It's better than nothing." 

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge holo-viewscreen, the Draconian warship was now visible, flying above the three missiles, each over half the length of the _Aurora_. The ship was colored a dark brown tone. Its ship was vaguely similar to Klingon ships, at least if you counted the prow, although a higher deck was also attached to the main body. Defense weapons were visible at several points, but there was no sign of truly capital-scale emplacements. He wondered if that would hold up during the fight to come.

First, of course, was a perfunctory gesture. "Hail them, Jarod.'

There was a moment of silence before Jarod confirmed the signal was being answered. The viewer changed to show a beautiful woman with long, well-kept brown hair and clothing that made Robert think of Las Vegas more than militant empires. An austere uniformed man stood beside her. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance…"

" _We know who you are, Captain_ ," the man said. " _This is Princess Ardala of the Imperial House of Dracon._ "

" _I shall speak for myself, Kane_ ," snapped the woman, who glared toward hier compatriot. " _As stated, I am Princess Ardala. I will make this quick, Captain. Earth has become a threat to the Draconian Empire, and I have come to remove that threat. I demand Earth's immediate surrender to the Empire or I will have it destroyed._ "

"Earth is under the protection of the United Alliance of Systems," Robert replied. "I insist you withdraw or we will engage you."

" _Do you think the Empire fears your Alliance? You are trapped in war with another power already. You would not dare to strike at us._ "

"If you destroy a potential member under our protection, we'll have to." Robert leaned forward in his chair. "Last chance, Ardala. WIthdraw."

Ardala fumed at them and shook her head to someone off the screen. The viewer switched back to the view of the ships.

"They're still moving forward."

"Target the nearest craft."

"Targeting now," Angel confirmed.

Robert nodded. "Fire when ready.

The _Aurora_ 's weapons blazed to life, targeting the lead missile. In one full salvo four of the _Aurora_ s squadrons fired torpedoes at the lead missile. There was barely enough space for the volume of firepower that converged on the missile. Its powerful deflectors absorbed the barrage with mixed success.

"Hatchet fighters coming in," Jarod warned.

" _We're on them_ ," Wilma Deering said over the bridge speaker.

The Earth fighters and _Aurora_ fighters accelerated ahead in several organized squadrons. The space ahead of the _Aurora_ soon filled with both kinds of fighters.

"Opening fire on the missile again," said Angel. The _Aurora_ 's weapons tore into it once more. This time the _Koenig_ , clear of the enemy fighters, engaged the missile as well. Sapphire and amber energy washed over its straining deflector screens, joined by the particular blue-white fields of active solar torpedoes.

"Some of the Hatchet fighters are getting clear of the dogfight," Jarod said. "They're firing missiles."

"Nick, evasives!"

The _Aurora_ twisted in space. Beams of phaser fire struck out in rapid succession toward the incoming projectiles. One by one explosions flowered from destroyed missiles.

Only two made impact on the _Aurora_ 's shields. They still caused the ship to shudder from the feedback on the deflectors. "Deflectors down to seventy-one percent," said Jarod.

"Fox Squadron has adjusted, they're engaging the enemy fighters."

"Keep us on that missile," Robert ordered. 

* * *

In the medbay, Meridina and Ledosh remained with Jornam, who had been transferred to the OR in lieu of any other appropriate ward for his condition. Leo and Lumenaram continued to discuss his condition. "Replication of his organs is a slow process," Lumenaram said. "The cellular damage is forcing the systems to adjust. And there is no guarantee they will function as needed, or that he will survive the surgery to implant them."

"I know. But we owe it to him to give him every fighting chance," Leo insisted. He was now in operation scrubs should they have to make any invasive procedures. "Do we have any good ideas on a cellular repair treatment?"

"Few. THe time limit is simply too small…"

There was a low, hoarse breath. Jornam stirred on the table, drawing their attention. Both doctors attended to him. "Can you hear us?"

Jornam nodded. "Please… your telepath. I have… something to share… too weak…"

Meridina heard him. Her face remained a stoic mask even if her heart was pleading to Leo on the matter. Leo gave the matter two moments of thought before he nodded.

Meridina stepped up to the bed. _I am here_ , she thought, projecting that thought into the Darglan's mind.

Jornam reacted slowly. He was in pain dulled by the increasing failure of all aspects of his body, including the nerves. But once he reacted Meridina felt their minds connect. Images of his past filled her. Knowledge. Names. His mate, Keluz, had died in the war with the Darkness. His parents. friends, all were dead, forcefully returned to She'tayel. But he had left them willingly to become caretaker. Images of the Preserve flashed through Meridina's mind. And of a ship. Of Humans climbing into his vessel amid a ruined city. A virgin world with new fields growing.

With the memories of Jornam, Meridina felt closer to the ancient being. She could feel his happiness at meeting them and seeing the legacy of his species carried on. His regrets at not seeing more of the Multiverse now that it was again open. Sadness that his people were gone.

A stray thought came through his mind. Meridina saw a world. Darglan structures. Entire groups of Darglan working around an interuniversal jump drive, taking measurements, making modifications. Improvements. New layers of existence to be accessed.

 _No!_ The cry was Jornam's. A feeling of shame. _It was error. Our error. Forget this!_

 _What did you do?_

 _Our curiosity went too far. We should have heeded them. We should have listened! It was our fault!_

Another stray memory. A world consumed by a hungry void. Space twisting as if in pain. And a shape, a large shape, many shapes, emerging from the void, their forms wavering with life, black enough to blot stars.

 _No! No! Not these! Not them!_

Meridina felt horror and knew that Jornam suffered. Whatever her own curiosity, she steered his mind away. She opened her own memories. She showed him images of the Great Temple of the Order of Swenya, of Jantarihal. She recalled the Citadel of M4P2, _Babylon-5_ in his species' home universe. Other beautiful things. Things that made her happy. Her family. _Mastrash_ Ledosh, her teacher and mentor. Her comrades on the _Aurora_. Lucy, her first student, who had accomplished so much in such a fairly short time. Brave, smart, passionate and with a good heart. Robert, equally brave, determined, ready to sacrifice.

She felt his mind make connections and swing back to happier thoughts. Words and singing filled the connection between them. _Thank you_.

And then his thoughts ceased. Meridina opened her eyes and found Ledosh was pulling her away from Jornam, as warning tones sounded. "Ready cortical stimulators!" Leo shouted. 

* * *

Outside of the _Aurora_ , the battle between the groups of fighters continued. Wilma Deering maneuvered her Thunderfighter with skill, evading fire from two Hatchet fighters coming up behind her. She pulled the fighter into a loop and twisted its orientation into space, a maneuver at the very edge of the envelope of the craft's capabilities. More fire zipped past her while her maneuver brought a Hatchet into her gunsights. With a press of her thumb triigger the eight laser cannons on her fighter opened up. Pale blue light pulsed through the void. The deflectors of a Hatchet fighter lit up briefly. But the craft had already been damaged. The deflectors failed and her target blew up.

" _Colonel, fighter on your five o'clock low_ ," warned another pilot. She triggered her Thunderfighter's engines to full and evaded the fire. She finished her corkscrew maneuver.

But her sensors still showed an opponent firing on her. "I'm having trouble shaking this one," she said.

" _We're on him_."

Buck's voice was joined by Major Danton's. Their fighters moved in from different angles and opened up on the Hatchet. It exploded spectacularly as soon as the shields failed.

"Thanks, Buck, Major Danton." Wilma noticed the fighter showing up on her screens and pulled her fighter's nose up. This let her intercept a Hatchet firing on Buck. She opened up with her weapons. Deflectors met her direct hits, but it did scare the enemy pilot off his run against Buck.

" _Thanks, Wilma_ ," Buck said.

" _Colonel Deering, this is Brigadier Gordon_. _I'm leading my squadron on an attack run against the Draconian carrier ship. Do you think you can handle the remaining fighters?_ "

Wilma considered her screens for a moment. "Roger that, Brigadier. You're clear."

" _Lieutenant Krlkt here_ ," chirped an alien voice. " _Bravo Squadron will protect your six on your attack run_."

" _We welcome the assistance, Lieutenant_ ," Gordon answered. 

* * *

Princess Ardala watched the enemy fighters swoop in on her command ship. The protective screen of Hatchet fighters, eight strong, moved to intercept them. But they were outnumbered three to one. The Alliance Mongoose fighters raced ahead of the Earth Thunderfighters and engaged the Hatchets. One blew apart from being targeted by three enemy ships and the others scattered to avoid being picked apart. The resulting gap was more than wide enough for the Earth fighters. "Fire all defense guns," Ardala ordered.

"Tracking… engaging."

The _Dragon's Flame_ carried several laser cannon turrets for anti-fighter defense, supported by particle flak cannons that generated damaging particle busts. Both of these weapon systems opened up on the approaching Earth fighters. They retaliated with missiles and their own fire. The ship began to shake under Ardala's feet. Her screen showed an occasional burst of flame and light from a destroyed fighter. But for her, it was not nearly enough. "The enemy is engaging our defense weapons," an officer stated. "We've already lost two flak emplacements."

"Should we recall our fighters?" asked another.

"If we do, they will destroy our missiles." Ardala quietly pondered their situation.

"The new deflectors, Princess," Kane suggested. "They are not as good as those we placed on the missiles, but they can protect us from these enemy fighters."

"Very well. Raise the deflectors." She faced the officer overseeing the missile tracks. "Do the missiles have a firm course for Earth?"

"They do, Highness. The lead missile's shields are down to one third power, however."

"Then activate the terminal stage thrusters on the missiles. I will leave nothing to chance."

"Yes, Highness." The officer did as commanded, hoping that the fuel tanks on those engines would hold out. 

* * *

While the fighter battle continued, the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were still unloading on the missiles. "Missile shields now at thirty percent," Angel said. "I'm giving it everything I can."

"At this rate we'll finish off this missile and start on the next by the time they get to Earth," Caterina added.

"Any news on their readiness planetside?" Robert asked.

"Twenty-five percent coverage, and New Chicago's is still offline."

"Keep firing, then, and let's see if…"

On the screen the rear portions of the missiles lit up. "They're activating additional sublight drives!" Cat shouted.

"Keep us up with them!" Robert gripped the chair arms. "What's their new ETA?"

"Five minutes for the first missile to enter Earth's atmosphere. Three minutes until it reaches optimum engagement range for our graviton pulse generators."

"Is there coverage for it?"

Jarod checked his calculations, after which he shook his head. "No. It's going to be in the New Chicago engagement range." Jarod tapped a key on his board. "Jarod to New Chicago shield generator. Doctor Theopolis, are you there?"

" _I am here. We are finishing final adjustments. Everything should be ready within three minutes._ "

"Good," Jarod answered. "Because that's when you need to activate it." 

* * *

The Hatchets' numbers had thinned enough that Buck had no distractions keeping him from overhearing what was being said about the missiles. "Wilma, we may need to help with those missiles."

" _I'm not sure what we can do to help, Buck. But just in case, take the 27th Squadron out of New Amritsar_."

"I hear you."

An accented female voice said, " _This is Major Kaur. Orders confirmed_."

Buck broke his fighter away from the fight and hit the engines to full speed, and then beyond. "Whatever else happens, we've got to stop those missiles," he said over the radio.

" _We are ready_ ," was the only reply. 

* * *

Theopolis checked on the tracking for the incoming missiles and concurred with Jarod's statement. "Oh dear," said Theopolis. "We must hurry, Twiki."

Twiki's response was what one would expect from the one doing all of the work. "Biddi-biddi-biddi, you can't rush perfection, Doc."

"I do regret that I lack the arms to assist."

"I'd pay real money to see that."

Theopolis ignored Twiki's continued use of Buck's colorful 20th Century language and kept his calculations on the work still to be done and the time left. He wished Twiki could be faster. But ambuquads did have some limits in their forms, and he was doing quite a good job.

They were in the last twenty seconds of their allotted time when Twiki rose up from where he was working. "Biddi-biddi-biddi, that ought to do it."

"Then activate the graviton generator, Twiki. Defense control will take over."

"Roger." Twiki's metallic hand tapped the final key.

Nothing happened.

This, as one could imagine, highly concerned Theopolis. "Oh dear, Twiki. We only have ten seconds…"

"I'll do what Buck would do," Twiki announced.

"And that would be?"

Theopolis needn't have bothered. Just as he finished his question, Twiki's hand struck the control panel.

"Twiki, I doubt hitting things will…"

The generator lights lit up in rapid sequence.

"See, Doc?" Twiki asked. "Always count on Buck."

"How interesting that it worked," was the only reply Theopolis could think of. And given his calculating power and expansive computer brain, that was quite the indicator of how flummoxed he was.

* * *

Robert was holding his breath when the missile entered the engagement range according to Jarod. If their plan worked, they still had a shot at saving Earth. If it hadn't…

Blue light shot up from the surface of North America and struck the Draconian missile directly. The missile suddenly lost its forward movement.

"There we go," he said. "Angel, keep up the pressure." 

* * *

Ardala was also observing, but felt entirely differently for obvious reasons. "What is that?" she demanded. "The Earth doesn't have defenses like that!"

"They may have modified their own thermal shield system," Kane proposed. "And our other missiles will soon be caught."

"Divert them!"

"I can only divert the third," the Draconian officer controlling them said. "I've re-assigned its target. The second missile is already entering the same range of effect and is slowing."

Ardala was not satisfied by the idea of just one out of three hitting. But that was better than none. And with her ship occasionally shaking from the damage it was taking against the Earth and Alliance starfighter attacks, it was time to go, before their half-powered deflector systems were overwhelmed. "Bring us back around to the stargate," she ordered. "It is time we left."

"Coming about." 

* * *

"It looks like the Draconian flagship is withdrawing," Caterina reported. "They're on a course back to the stargate."

Robert nodded. "Jarod, are those missiles going to engage the same generator?"

As Robert asked that, the second missile joined the first in the grip of the blue beam from Earth. The third, however, was pulling away. "It looks like they're moving it to a different target. We've got to pull it into position for one of the other generators."

"Firing tractor beam." As soon as Jarod did so the _Aurora_ began to shudder. "I'm reinforcing the tractor beam now. But we're going to burn out the impulse drives again at this rate."

"We don't have to divert it all the way from Earth this time," Julia pointed out. "Just into range of another active generator."

"Go for Northern Asia, the Siberia generator is online," Jarod recommended.

"Moving us over now," said Locarno.

The _Aurora_ 's engines wrestled with those on the missile, which was trying to angle and turn back toward Earth. "Strain on the impulsors and tractor beams is increasing."

"It looks like the engineering crew's going to be repairing our impulsors again," Robert replied. "Keep it up." The deck was already shuddering from the strain.

As before the _Koenig_ moved in and grabbed the missile with its tractor beam to assist with moving it. The small ship couldn't contribute much, but she was overpowered enough to contribute something, and that was the important part.

"We're getting a warning sign from the surface," Jarod said. "The New Chicago generator is overheating."

"Probably from holding two missiles at once," Robert mused. "Cat, any idea on when those missiles will go boom?"

"There are too many possible variables. I can only guarantee it shouldn't take more than five minutes for the destabilized naqia to react to the gravitons."

Robert's response was to nod and wait quietly, and with strained patience, for something to happen.

The first thing that happened was that a ribbon of blue light shot up from the region of Lake Irkutsk and snatched the missile they were dragging. The _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were freed to pull away.

The second was that the lead missile went up in a bright flash. A crackle of blue light covered the second missile during the flash. "One missile down!" Jarod declared. "And the other one lost most of its deflectors to the blast."

"Angel, take it down," Robert ordered, even if it seemed unnecessary after a moment's thought. Either way, it didn't hurt anything to have the _Aurora_ pounding away at what was left of the missile's deflectors.

Robert allowed himself a moment of belief that it was all over. Just a moment. A part of him knew it wouldn't be that easy in the end.

And, of course, it wasn't.

The blue ribbon holding the missile in place wavered suddenly. "Jarod?" Julia asked, worry in her voice.

Jarod was already examining what was going on. "It looks like the strain of holding both missiles overheated the graviton emitters. They've been degraded by the heat damage and are having trouble holding that last missile."

"Angel, give it everything we have," Robert said.

She delivered, throwing all of her firepower at the missile's failing deflectors. Angel immediately stated the results of her efforts. "The missile's shields are down to ten percent. Just a few more hits…"

The blue beam flickered out of existence.

"Jarod to Theopolis, what just happened?"

" _The graviton emitters have shut down due to strain and heat damage. We will not be able to restore the beam for several minutes_."

On the screen the missile was already picking up speed again. Robert shouted, "Cat, status on the naqia in that missile!"

"Signs of complete destabilization, but not enough yet." Caterina checked her figures. "We need to hit the warhead with everything."

"Jarod, get our tractors on it, now! Angel…"

"Firing everything."

The pulse plasma cannons on the _Aurora_ , joined by the other weapon systems, continued to hammer away at the missile. A tractor beam linked it as well, but the range and the power of the missile's boosted drives were making the effort an ineffectual strain on the _Aurora_. "The shields are almost down," Angel said. "We're getting bleedthrough damage."

"Tractor emitters are already stressed, we're putting them over the redline," Jarod added.

"Keep them up as long as we can," Robert urged. "Are there any fighters in range?"

Julia was about to say no when a check at her display confirmed that there were indeed fighters coming in. "Earth Thunderfighters, they're entering range."

" _Buck to_ Aurora," a now-familiar voice said. " _Looks like we got back just in time._ "

Robert didn't dare grin, not until the missiles were gone. "Focus fire on the missile's warhead. If we can finish destabilizing the material in the warhead it'll go off."

The Earth fighters moved in for the attack… and the _Aurora_ 's tractor systems gave out. "Stress failure in the graviton generators," Jarod said. "We've lost tractor beams for the moment."

"Dammit."

As Robert uttered that curse - and thought of many nastier ones - the missile began its deadly course to Earth once again. It likely wouldn't hit New Chicago directly, but with its payload any hit would be catastrophic to Earth. It had to be stopped.

The _Aurora_ , _Koenig_ , and Buck's fighters were certainly making the attempt. The deflectors on their target failed completely and every hit now registered on the dark hull of the missile. Flame and debris gouted from the wounds being carved into it. Torpedoes slammed into the missile's sides.

But it still kept going.

"I'm targeting the engines too," Angel said. "It looks like we're slowing it down."

"You're just slowing the acceleration, it's got enough speed to hit Earth," Jarod corrected. "We need to destabilize the warhead."

"Well, I'm hitting it with as much as I can, but I'm trying not to hit the others too," Angel pointed out. "And the warhead's got some thick armor protecting it."

"Yeah. Wait." Caterina was examining her sensor returns carefully, even though every instinct was to rush. They were down to just three minutes, maybe less, until the missile would be too close. As she focused on the scan a small smile crossed her face. "There's a weak point. It's a small one, it's right behind the forward stabilizing fin on the nearside to us. A gap in the armoring. If we hit it directly, head on, I think the shots would get to the warhead." Caterina relayed the data to Angel.

Angel looked at it. She cursed under her breath. "At this range and angle, I'm not sure I can hit it. But I'm going to try."

"Relay it to the fighters," Robert said. "They might get a better shot."

"I'm sending the data now," said Jarod.

" _Targeting point received_ , Aurora," Buck said. " _We're going in_."

Even as the _Aurora_ did its level best to blast the missile apart - now restrained to avoid hitting the Earth fighters - Buck and the other fighters went in on an attack run. One by one the Thunderfighters poured their lasers into the weak point. Some hits were off, scoring armor instead. Others, though, were not.

As the fighters peeled away from the run, and the clock ticked down further, Robert looked anxiously to Caterina. "Cat?"

"I'm definitely picking up signs of instability, one more run should do it!"

" _Roger that_." The Earthfighters made the maneuver and repeated their attack run.

Still nothing.

"The missile will enter the upper atmosphere in sixty seconds," Jarod warned. "We're almost out of time." 

* * *

Buck heard Jarod's news and looped his fighter back around. He did the calculations in his head. They could make another pass, but only one, and if it didn't work, Earth would take the hit.

On the other hand, if he made a slow pass by himself and matched velocities, he could get in all of the fire he needed to.

"I'm going in alone," Buck said. "Everyone else hang back. When this thing goes, you don't want to be near it."

" _Rogers, what are you doing?_ " asked Robert.

"Matching velocities with the missile," Buck explained. He was coming back up on the target area. The Dakotas loomed ahead beyond the missile. His systems confirmed he only had thirty-six seconds and counting before they hit atmosphere.

With his crosshairs spit over the weak point, Buck opened fire.

Laser fire poured into the small chunk in the warhead's protective armor.

" _Buck, what are you doing?_ " It was Wilma. " _If you don't pick up velocity, you won't get away fast enough_."

"I know what I'm doing, Wilma," he replied. Twenty seconds.

More fire.

Fifteen.

Buck adjusted his heading slightly, keeping his laser cannons on target by doing so.

Ten seconds.

As he approached seven seconds, he heard Caterina Delgado's voice yell, "Instability peaking! It's going up!"

Buck fired off a last volley and hit his engines to beyond full.

And then light consumed everything. 

* * *

The Draconian missile exploded in a brilliant burst of light. The _Aurora_ tremored slightly when the energy from the detonation hit. "Report."

"Shields holding," Jarod answered.

"And Earth…?"

"The blast was still outside the atmosphere." Caterina looked over her instruments. "Local satellites are gone. It looks like the energy from the detonation was insufficient to to severe damage on the surface. Just a few fires in the Rockies."

Tension seeped out of the bridge with that news. Robert let out a sigh. The Earth of N2C5 was safe. "And the battle?"

"The Draconians are withdrawing. Their fighters are breaking away from the fight," Julia answered. "Do you want to pursue?"

Robert was ready to say yes. But he had a larger concern for the moment. "What happened to those Earth fighters?"

"They're reporting in." Julia checked her display. "They've all suffered damage but they're intact. Wait…" She double-checked the display on the fighters. "I'm not picking up Captain Rogers' fighter."

"He was breaking away too late," Jarod said. "There might not be anything left."

"Captain Rogers, this is the _Aurora_ , please respond," Robert said.

There was no answer.

Another voice came over the tactical channel. " _Buck. Buck, it's Wilma. Respond, please_."

For several seconds there was nothing. Just long enough for those on the bridge to consider the likely outcome. Robert closed his eyes and tried to focus, to sense if he could…

" _Rog… -_ rora. _Pl… -spond_."

"It's him," Jarod said. "I'm getting the IFF code on the subchannel."

"I'm scanning now." Caterina looked over her screens. "I've got his fighter on sensors. There's no power and he's lost all drives."

" _S… -gain. Rogers… respond_."

"And his radio is probably badly damaged," Cat added. "We need to get his fighter secured, Earth's gravity is pulling him in. And beaming him out would probably be nice."

"I'm relaying the order to the Transporters now," Jarod confirmed.

"So what do we do about the Draconians?" Angel asked. "We can intercept them before they get back to the stargate."

Robert nearly gave the order, but he held off for the moment. "Put me through to Huer, Jarod."

"Opening channel now… Doctor Huer is responding."

Huer's face appeared on the holo-viewscreen. He was clearly recovering from just how close a thing this fight had been. " _Huer here. Congratulations, Captain. I hear you've found Captain Rogers?_ "

"We're beaming him aboard now, Doctor," Robert said, grinning. "He's going to be okay."

" _That is a relief_." Huer's face made that clear too. " _Did you need something?_ "

"We can intercept Ardala's ship before it makes it to the stargate, Doctor. If you want us to, we'll make the intercept."

Huer immediately shook his head. " _No. No, it's safer, and smarter, to let her go."_

"Even with all of the deaths she's caused?" Angel asked bluntly.

Huer's posture was relaxed now. He showed no impatience when he answered Angel. " _As things stand, the Draconians have been beaten, but they won't retaliate. They made an effort, we beat them, and while their honor's been bruised, it's not lost. But if you kill or capture Ardala, the Draconian Emperor won't be able to tolerate such a loss of face. He'll declare war on all of us to avenge her. And we've had enough fighting for now._ "

Robert gave a single nod of his head in acceptance. It was a smart decision. Earth clearly needed more time to build up its defenses, and the Alliance was still at war with the Reich. The Draconians were a problem for later. "Very well. I'll recall our fighters and stand down."

" _I thank you again, Captain. You and your crew. Earth wouldn't be here today if not for your efforts._ "

"We all pitched in, Doctor," Robert answered with a smile. The running lights were already set back to Green and the _Aurora_ crew was standing down from battle stations. "We're at your disposal for a final debriefing, sir."

" _Give us a few hours, Captain, and I'll be ready to meet with you. Huer out._ "

Huer's image disappeared from the screen. All that was left was the Earth; an Earth that had suffered terribly, but which still bore life and could be brought back to its full glory with effort. Robert didn't let himself think what it would look like if any of the Draconian missiles had hit. "I'm going to file a report with Maran," he said. "But first…"

There was a tone over the speakers. " _Medbay to Bridge_ ," said Leo.

Robert tapped the comm key on his chair. "Bridge here. Go ahead, Leo."

" _I'm sorry. Our new Darglan friend… he didn't make it. Jonram's dead._ "

Given what had been said before, this wasn't a harsh surprise. But it didn't stop Robert from feeling tremendous loss. Jonram was, as far as he knew, the last of his species. The knowledge of who the Darglan were, of their culture and society and history, he could have provided them with all of that. With explanations beyond what had been recovered from various Darglan databases.

But now… now he wouldn't. Now it was all lost, due to the short-sighted greed of the Draconians. Robert wished he could seize Princess Ardala and make her pay for what she'd done.

Caterina was weeping bitterly at her station. Angel, at Robert's nod of acceptance, walked over to comfort her. "Thank you for telling us, Leo," Robert said. "I know you did what you could."

" _Not that there was much to do._ " There was a pause. " _We didn't take heavy casualties, so I'm free for whatever final staff meeting we're holding over this._ "

"I'll let you know when Huer tells us a time, Leo. Bridge out." With that done, Robert stood up. "I'll be in my ready office, everyone. Julia, you have the bridge." 

* * *

There was silence on the bridge of Ardala's ship. It was not an easy silence, but one positively humming with imminent danger. The officers refused to look toward their princess for fear of earning her wrath.

"Curse the Alliance," Ardala said. "Buck Rogers alone was a dangerous foe, but he was just one man. He posed no threat to the Empire. But the Alliance… they are a threat to us. They're a threat to everything we are."

Kane nodded in agreement. "The Emperor can find little fault in your operation, Princess. But I suggest you may wish to give him time to accept this outcome before you return to the Throneworld."

Ardala's only reply was an angry glare. Kane was right, of course, and she hated it. She couldn't face her father with this defeat fresh. "Let us return to our base and collect our survivors," she said. "Holding the world will not be possible for now."

"We could always destroy that preserve, if you wish," Kane said.

After flirting with the temptation, Ardala shook her head. "No, darling Kane. I will not. That would be unseemly. My father would be even more angry at me for destroying something priceless like a brat. We will withdraw and leave it as it is. After all, we can always come back. When the time is right…"


	78. Episode 2-15-6 Blast from the Past

_Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 26 September 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. The Draconians have withdrawn completely from Earth's solar system and show no signs of returning. Our casualties were light this time, at least in total numbers. Twenty lost pilots and crew is a blow to our fighter group, however, and the others will be feeling those losses keenly._

 _I am also saddened to log the death of Jonram, the Darglan caretaker of the alien-made preserve on Pleiades-24 III. The entire Alliance will know the loss whenever we consider how much we might have learned about his remarkable people, whom we owe so much to._

 _Despite these losses, we can be satisfied with the survival of billions on Earth that the Draconians would have killed with their attack. The Earth of N2C5 is on track to join the Alliance, and it is always possible their allies will join as well. And we will all benefit._

Huer returned to the _Aurora_ with Wilma, Theopolis (and thus Twiki), and Buck. They had agreed to have a last meeting with the _Aurora_ crew on a new subject. They were meeting in Conference Room 1 again to accommodate all of the visitors with the command crews of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ with Ledosh, Gina, and Emissary Yadin. At Robert's request, Caterina played her conversation with Jonram. "Extraordinary," said Huer. "There have been theories, of course. But to actually have confirmation that Humanity was spread through our region of the galaxy by alien intervention…"

"The Computer Council will go through our records to see what may or may not have been recorded on this population transfer," said Theopolis. "Perhaps it is possible that Jonram aided our creation in some fashion. If so, we are further indebted to his memory."

"I wonder if he's happier," Buck said, quietly. "He's not alone any more."

"Perhaps. But it is a loss, Captain Rogers." Meridina appraised him with sad eyes. "Jonram still had a place. He had hope of making new bonds with other beings, and of seeing the fruits of his millennia of labors."

"Not to mention having the Multiverse open again," Caterina added. Her eyes were slightly reddened from crying. "He was so eager to learn more about it."

"Did he have any wishes?" asked Yadin. "Do we know anything about Darglan funeral rites?"

"Sadly, we do not." Meridina shook her head. "But he did inform me that by his time, many Darglan born away from their homeworld preferred to have their remains launched into a star."

"That makes sense," Caterina said. "Stars are the furnaces that create most of the chemical elements in the Multiverse, including those that make life possible." Tears were forming again in her eyes. "The elements that make up the Darglan body, any body, would be returned to their source, and inevitably be spread back into the universe at large."

"I see," Huer said. "Then, we would be happy to have his remains sent into our Sun."

"And given that this ship's foundation frame was built by the Darglan, it is fitting that it be the launching point for Jornam's remains into Sol," Ledosh proposed.

"We can't say no to that," Robert said. "Doctor Huer, since we were talking about a joint ceremony for our dead…"

"...we have no objection to Jornam joining them," Huer finished for Robert. "He saved us from our own mistakes, and he helped to save us from the Draconians."

"Very well. I'm still waiting for official word from Defense Command on which of our casualties' remains are being claimed by family, and which are to be given a burial in space. When I do, we'll schedule the ceremony."

"Of course."

"What about this alien preserve on Pleiades-24 III?" asked Wilma. "We can't leave it to them."

Robert responded with a grin. "Yes, well, once I let Admiral Maran know we had no problems here for the moment, he redirected the _Shenzhou_ and the _Armstrong_ to that system. I spoke with Captain Chung this morning and she's confirmed the Draconians are pulling out of the system. Princess Ardala's ship is keeping its distance for the moment."

"Yeah, well, I don't blame her," Zack said. "Ming's a conservationist, and with two _Discovery_ -class starships with her… I wouldn't want to face those odds with a carrier."

"Once they've ensured the Draconians are gone, Ming and Captain Lojin will send science teams down to begin examining the preserve," added Julia. "Earth scientists will be invited to join them once it's safe."

"Thank you, I'll let the Science Directorate know." Huer rose from his chair. "I believe that covers everything. Again, on behalf of the people of the Earth and our fellow planets, we thank you for your help in this manner. Your bravery and resourcefulness have confirmed the wisdom of our decision to join the Alliance."

"Thank you, Doctor Huer," Robert replied. "If that's all…?"

Nobody reacted.

"...then this meeting is adjourned. You're all dismissed."

Everyone started to file out. After exchanging looks with Meridina and Lucy, Robert made sure to get to the door. When Buck got to it he asked, "A moment or two of your time, Captain Rogers?"

Buck showed curiosity at Robert's request and nodded. "Alright."

Robert led Buck into a corner of the room to speak privately. "This is informal," he said. "You can call me Rob or Robert, and unless you object I'll call you Buck."

"I think I'll go with Rob, then," Buck answered, a charming grin on his face.

"Alright, Buck." Robert smiled in reply. "You saw Meridina and Lucy's powers on display yesterday, of course?"

"I did. It's not the first time I've seen people use mind powers of some sort, though," Buck revealed.

"I suppose mind powers is a good way to refer to it in the short hand," Robert allowed. "Well, I have similar… abilities. Meridina's been teaching me like she taught Lucy, although I'm nowhere near either in raw ability."

"Really?"

"Yes. I honestly couldn't persuade a dog to chase a thrown stick with my powers," Robert confessed. "And I won't be winning any gunfights with a sword, whether it's made of memory metal or energy. No, the one thing I've found I can do with these abilities is understand people. More than ordinary, I mean."

It was clear Buck was wondering where this was going, or perhaps knew and wasn't looking forward to it. "Alright. And you're bringing this up because…?"

"Because when I look at you and the charming grin and the humor and all of the other things you project, that's not all I'm seeing," Robert answered. "You arrived in this time and almost immediately you started doing risky missions and jobs for Doctor Huer. You threw yourself into piloting starfighters. You put your life on the line constantly when you could just as easily live a happy life being interviewed by legions of historians."

"Well, yes," Buck said. "I don't want to just sit down all day chattering with historians. I became a pilot and an astronaut to see outer space and meet challenges. And that's what I'm doing. And I'm doing it while serving in uniform, just as I did in the Air Force."

Robert could sense the truth in that. But he could feel, if just a little bit, the feeling hidden under it. "I can sense that," he said. "But that's not all, is it?"

Buck went silent.

"You weren't just talking about Jornam earlier," Robert continued. "You were talking about yourself. And I can see why. You're just like him. A man who lost everything when he woke up in a new time. A new world." Robert waited a moment to confirm how close he was with Buck's emotional reaction. What he sensed prompted him to continue. "You left people behind, right?"

After a moment Buck nodded. "Yes."

Robert replied with a nod of his own. "I… I didn't lose everybody. I don't have it as bad as you. I acknowledge that. But I've still lost people I loved and cared about. And I've lost my family home and land. A century and a half of Dales farmed that land, and I lost it. I'll never be able to go back. Even if it was on another Earth… it wouldn't be the same." Robert felt the pain of that truth wash over him. He didn't deny it. He didn't let it pull him away. "And that's how I know there's a part of you, Buck, that doesn't care about living and dying anymore. You're not suicidal, no, but I don't think you care if you live or die sometimes. Am I right?"

For a moment Robert thought Buck would protest hi9m. But there was nothing but silence. No, Buck couldn't deny what he said. He couldn't admit it out loud, of course. But he wasn't going to deny it. "If it saves Earth, yes, I don't mind dying," Buck said. "I'm not looking to, but I'm not going to save my skin at the expense of my world."

Robert took that answer for what it was, the closest to an admission that Buck would give, and nodded. "I know that feeling." He drew in a breath. "Just as I would give my life to save the people I care about. All I want to say, then, is that I hope that this feeling doesn't lead you into throwing everything away. You've lost a lot, more than I have, but you have people in this time and place that respect you and care for you."

Buck wasn't grinning now, but he wasn't frowning. A neutral, thoughtful look was on his face as he considered what Robert said. When he spoke, it was with a firm, gentle tone. "Well, Rob, I'll take that to heart. And the same goes for you. This crew, they're not just your friends and comrades. They're your family. Take care of them."

"I always will," Robert pledged.

There was nothing more to say. Their hands came up and they shared a firm handshake, at which point Buck left the room.

When Robert went to follow, he found Meridina waiting for him. "You did the right thing," she said.

"I would like to think so," Robert replied. "Well, I have to go see about this mixed ceremony. I just wish we know more about Darglan burial traditions."

"I may be able to help," Meridina said. "I was connected to Jonram's mind when he lost consciousness for the final time. He gave me his final wishes."

"Oh?" Robert asked. "And they are?"

"You will see," Meridina replied, smiling thinly. "I will discuss them with Caterina. I believe she was the one he intended."

"Well, I look forward to it," Robert said.

* * *

That evening, Julia finished her paperwork for the day and looked out the window of her quarters toward the spinning Earth below. Her uniform was hanging in her closet and she was wearing her emerald nightrobe. Its silky surface was soothing to her skin, scrubbed clean in the shower from the day's sweat and work. She sipped at a cup of warm tea that would, ultimately, help her to sleep.

Julia's mind returned to the question looming over her. It was the question that only had one guaranteed outcome: she would feel regret from it. There was no escaping it.

As she looked out the window, she thought of Jonram. The Darglan had placed his sense of duty, his desire to fulfill his goals, above remaining with the ones he loved. It hadn't been easy. That was certain. But in the end, he'd made the choice. She wondered if he had agonized like she had. How easy had his decision been?

Another regret. She had never been able to talk to Jonram, to ask him these things.

Her thoughts wandered further to another new acquaintance. Working with Wilma Deering these last two days had been an experience. She was a leader and confident in that, just as Julia was. And it was clear Wilma would have regretted it if she hadn't reached as far as she could.

Just as, in her heart, Julia knew she'd regret it if she turned down the opportunity presented to her. An opportunity she had _earned_.

"This is what we signed up for," Julia murmured to herself. "We knew this could happen. We can't regret it when it does."

A part of her felt pain, as she should. This decision… she would leave people behind. She would leave _Robby_ behind. He would be on his own.

 _Maybe that's good for him. Maybe… maybe he'll become a better commander, or maybe he'll have an easier time moving on if that's what he wants._

 _Or maybe… maybe they'll all get killed because of something I would have seen and stopped..._

Quiet passed. Julia sipped on her tea as time wore on toward the end of the day. When the cup was empty she stood up. The tea cup and saucer went back into the replicator, which reclaimed them in swirls of light. She walked up to her desk and gently eased herself into her chair. Her finger found the activation key for her personal computer unit in her quarters. The screen flashed on. "Computer, record a message for me, please. The recipient is Admiral Maran, Chairman of the Alliance Defense Staff."

The computer's feminine voice immediately requested, " _Please provide personal code to verify clearance for action._ "

"Andreys Charlie Gamma Echo 3392."

" _Code authenticated. Ready to record message._ "

"Record." Julia took in a breath. This was it. She was casting the die, and it would determine how her life, and the lives of those she cared for, would go on from here.

Despite everything, there was no wavering in her voice as she spoke. "Admiral Maran, this is Commander Andreys. Sir, you have my apologies for the time it's taken me to speak to you on the manner of your offer. It was something I had to consider carefully, and I'm afraid it took longer than I expected.." Julia set her hands in her lap. "I'm sending this message, Admiral, to let you know that my answer is 'Yes'." Something twinkled in her aquamarine eyes. "I am ready, and with gratitude and confidence I accept your offer to be named Captain of the _Starship Enterprise_." 

* * *

**Tag**

The _Aurora_ 's launch deck was filled with uniformed men and women and beings. Caskets draped with the flags of the Alliance and Earth were arrayed on special launch gantries. Out the rear hatch of the deck, the distant light of Sol shined through the protective forcefields.

Doctor Huer and Emissary Yadin were the speakers for the occasion. They praised the heroism of the dead flight crew as the friends of those lost watched on with eyes brimming with tears, shed and unshed. Colonel Deering and Commander Kane gave the orders to the ceremonial guard to fire the appropriate salutes. Said fire filled the launch deck while Chief Tayal Lagamo, a dark blue-skinned, teal-spotted Sanusa Dorei, played a remembrance hymn from the _hita_ instrument - a set of five pipes bound together like a flute. The hymn was interspersed with the bagpipe tune of "Amazing Grace" played by Junior Petty Officer Heather Cameron.

Then, in one complete group, the caskets were launched out into space.

The service did not end there. One last casket was brought up. This casket was covered in a unique flag, replicated specifically for this service after consultation with the various sources of information about the Darglan. The insignia was a stylized emblem that reminded Robert of an atom, an atom being refracted through mirrors as if to show more than one, although the actual symbol was a Darglan emblem representing unity and discovery. All music stopped.

After discussion, and learning what was to be said, no eulogy was given. The Darglan believed in memorializing their fallen after the fact, but not during their burial ceremony. That was a time to reflect on the loss of a living being; remembrance was for later. Or so the records, and what Meridina had learned, had said.

With sad tears and a determined expression, Caterina stepped up to the dais and the podium. All eyes turned to her as she looked down at Jonram's casket. She was in full dress uniform, as they were, and despite her small stature Robert felt that Caterina was looking the part well. She swallowed and raised her head. For a moment her eyes closed as she brought the words from her memory, words she had been memorizing with Meridina's help for the past two days.

 _All who are born walk a road  
The road of choice and chance  
We walk in hope of our future  
That those we walk alongside  
Will know a better path for our efforts_

 _All things change, all things strive  
As atoms spin and fuse  
The past can guide, but should not blind  
For our future must be seen  
If it is to be_

 _We seek to grow  
We seek to learn  
That is the core of life  
For life's sake knowledge is gained  
For with knowledge comes growth_

 _Like children leaving their cradles  
Now we have come out to the void  
With the stars of infinity our guide  
Solar winds will carry us on  
New discoveries the reward for our dedication_

 _For what is Reality but the existence of all  
And what is existence but a chance to learn?  
We learn, we grow, and by our knowledge  
Reality itself comes alive  
And we grow closer to understanding it_

 _Now my road has ended  
Cry not tears for me  
Knowledge is what I gift  
My growth the map for your benefit  
And my matter returned to the source of life_

 _For matter cannot be destroyed  
It is only transformed  
And we came from starstuff, all and one  
And to starstuff we return  
To one day become life anew_

By the time she was finished the tears were streaming down Caterina's face. She nodded quietly to Julia. Julia, in turn, looked to the ceremonial pallbearers. Meridina, Lucy, and Buck were joined symbolically by Robert, Huer, and Leo. They picked up Jornam's casket and moved it to a launch platform. After they stood to the side, Caterina was the one who walked to the launch controls and keyed the sequence.

With a great heave, the platform launched the casket into space. A small thruster powered by a microfusion core fired, directing the remains of the last Darglan on toward their final destination in Sol.

Julia pressed a key to close the launch deck door. Once it was closed, she declared, "Burial company dismissed!" and the ceremony broke up.

Caterina was met at the door by Lucy and Meridina. "Jornam would have been quite proud of you," Meridina assured her.

"Thank you," Cat answered. "I just wish I didn't have to give it."

"I know." Meridina set a hand on Caterina's shoulder.

Caterina, however, looked to Lucy. "What did you do with that database that he gave you?"

"I put it away in my quarters," Lucy answered. She knew where this was going. "Do you want to meet me in Science Lab 1 later? We can start analyzing it."

To that, Caterina nodded. "Yes. I think I'd like that. And it's what he'd want. He'd want us to learn more."

Lucy and Meridina nodded in agreement and joined Caterina in heading on to the Lookout.

* * *

The Lookout was becoming crowded by the time Julia and Robert arrived at its doors. Earth and Alliance personnel were mingling freely as Hargert's staff brought up food and drinks for their benefit.

Just before they entered, Julia gestured to Robert to follow her. Despite the crowd they found that there was a spot near the door where they could be relatively alone. Once there Robert met her eye to eye and asked, "Okay, what's on your mind?"

"I said yes," she said.

Robert immediately knew what she meant. After trying to think of a proper reaction he settled for nodding and saying, "Congratulations, Captain Andreys."

Julia gave him a droll look. "I'm not a Captain until New Year's. Admiral Maran's going to make it official in a few weeks and I'll be here until a few days after Christmas."

"Right." Robert let a grin form on his face. "Congratulations, Julia. Do you mind if I announce it to everyone?"

"I suppose it's better to get it out of the way," Julia said.

With that permission given, Robert went to the bar where Albert, Hargert's protege, was preparing more drinks. A few whispered words and thirty seconds later a tone sounded over the speakers, ending all conversation. Sets of eyes began to turn toward Robert and to Julia, who stepped up beside him. "I have an announcement to make," Robert said, using the speaker system himself so he didn't have to make his voice too loud. "It is my honor and privilege to introduce to you my oldest and best friend in the Multiverse. Everyone, applause for _Captain_ Julia Andreys, the new Commanding Officer of the Alliance _Starship Enterprise_!"

"Aye!" shouted Scotty. "Three cheers an' a toast for th' Captain of th' _Enterprise!_ "

Pink turned to slight red on Julia's cheeks at the resulting cheers and applause, joined by the clinking of glasses and cups.

Once this had died down the two made their way to a table where Doctor Huer and Buck were eying a table laden with Texan and Southwestern food. Wilma stood behind Buck and winked at Julia, who winked back.

"Are you sure about this, Doctor Huer?" asked Theopolis from his place hanging on Twiki's chest. "You were quite unwell the last time you attempted 20th Century cuisine."

"That's because Buck cooked it," Wilma said. Buck gave her a faux-angry look.

"Yes, well…" Huer chuckled a little nervously. "The other people in the Alliance eat this, obviously. Perhaps I should learn too." He picked up a burrito and, after a moment of hesitation, took a bite. His eyes widened and he slowly started to chew.

"Well, Doc?" Buck asked. "What do you think?"

When he swallowed, Huer quickly took a drink. "I think…" He looked over the meal again. "...it's not so bad. It's certainly edible..." Huer looked to Buck. "...not that your efforts weren't edible, Buck, it's just… I suppose this fits my appetite better."

"You don't have to protect my feelings," Buck insisted. "I know you two hate my cooking."

"Well, it was certainly…"

"...special?" Julia offered for Huer.

Buck gave her a look that told her he didn't consider that any better a compliment.

"Well, I suppose we could ask Hargert if he's willing to give Buck lessons," Robert suggested. That won him a playful glare as well.

"Biddi-biddi-biddi, everyone's a critic," groused Twiki.

"At least someone here is rushing to my defense," Buck said. "Now let's see what's so special about this…" He snatched up the chili on the table and took a spoonful of it for himself. Once it was in his mouth, his expression shifted to surprise and a little contentment.

"Judging by the look on your face, Buck, I'd say even you're a convert to the Church of Hargert's Cooking," Julia remarked, grinning widely.

Buck finished swallowing, took a drink of offered water, and sighed. "Alright," he said. "I admit it. I'm defeated. I can't match your cook. This is the best chili I've had in, oh… centuries."

Given the humorous glimmer in his eye and the delivery of his concession, it was no surprise that everyone at or near the table broke out laughing.


	79. Episode 2-16-1 All That Remains

**Teaser**

 _Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 11 October 2642. Captain Robert Dale recording. We are still in orbit over the planet Ys'talla in N2S7 as to support a diplomatic mission to the Miqo'te. The planet's governing body, the Council of Clans, is considering a new defense treaty with the Alliance that could provide great benefits to this region of space._

 _Although our main purpose is diplomacy, I have won permission to consult the Miqo'te on the matter of their origins. Ys'talla is not their original homeworld according to their teachings and examination of the planet's fossil records. And now we have proof of how they ended up on this planet through the efforts of the Darglan. I'm hoping we find clues as to where more knowledge of the Darglan can be found._

The capital city of the planet Ys'talla had the unassuming name of Sweetwater Springs. As he had walked along the long pathways between buildings in the Ys'talla Academy of Sciences and felt the warm sea air that regularly moved through the city, he reflected on the reasons why.

Set aside the obvious fact that the name was actually a near-unpronounceable one, and that "Sweetwater Springs" was just the English translation. The fact that a city that sounded like it was a resort and vacation town had become a gleaming planetary capital was, in fact, due to being a resort town. Or rather, a recognized meeting place for the various nations and clans and tribes of the Miqo'te. It had been such for thousands of years, since the planet had been settled, declared a neutral place where no warfare or violence was allowed. The step up to planetary capital had not been a large one.

Robert and his entourage - Caterina and Meridina - were walking another pedestrian bridge between two of the main towers of the Academy. The gleaming splendor of the capital was visible out the windows. The architecture tended toward the round shape - inspired by old Gersallian building? - and wide avenues spoke of former street markets. The smell in the air was a scent of tropical wood like none on Earth, a faint hint of sweetness with the strong wood smell.

The Miqo'te themselves were an interesting sight. Felinoid species weren't unknown in the Multiverse, of course. The Caitians of S5T3 were a valued member of the Federation. One of the species of L4R2 were the Rr'timm, and on the few times Robert had seen one they always made him think of panthers to the point he half-expected to meet one named Bagheera. Universe E5B1 had once contained the Dilgar, who had a feline look to them.

But those species all had distinct elements to set them apart from Humans, including actual fur over their bodies. The Miqo'te, however, had skin of the same texture and feel as Human skin. Their fur was limited to the tails that came out of their backsides, or rather the base of their spines, and to the cat-ears on the tops of their heads, which were surfaced with fur. The eyes were certainly cat-like. Their clothing varied by tribe and culture in terms of coloring, style, taste.

And as Tom Barnes had so _helpfully_ pointed out the day before during a walk in the capital's marketplace and parks, the Miqo'te girls had busts like a number of other humanoid species did. While Robert already knew that from briefly meeting a Miqo'te piloting officer on the _Aurora_ , the outfits of the troupe of dancing girls they'd seen had made that an inescapable fact.

Stepping into the building reminded Robert of stepping into retail stores back in the pre-spaceship days of his life. Powerful air vents acted as something of a barrier for the outside air. The tropical wood smell was replaced by something flowery like lavender mixed with cinnamon and the warm sea air was now climate-controlled cool air. What little perspiration had formed on his forehead now grew cool. His skin immediately stopped that slight production of sweat in recognition of the changed climate. The halls were colored in earthy tones of brown and pale yellow. Plates in the characters of the Miqo'te language pointed toward various places. Caterina's omnitool provided a translation and she directed them down the hall and then to the right.

Their eventual destination was an office. Windows looked out to a classroom that was now empty. Tomes bound in leather revealed the Miqo'te, at least urban ones, had the same tastes in printing books as Humans did. A male with rust-colored hair and fur on his tail and head indicated seats for them. Robert and the others noted that his skin, while fair in tone, seemed to be bluish-gray, and his eyes were widely dilated. "I am H'rmaz R'mar," he said. "Assistant to Doctor Y'shmyn O'yano, the Professor of Ys'tallan History."

"Mister R'mar, Doctor… or do you prefer Professor?" Robert asked, looking at the scholar. She was wearing a white coat that matched the fur and short-cut hair on her head. Red markings - tattoos? Some sort of facial marking? - were visible on her cheeks, giving the impression of cat whiskers. Eyes of light teal color looked up from a book. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_."

"Ah, Captain. Doctor will do." The translators rendered her speech into an accent that sounded like a well-spoken English academic. "I received your message and the materials your science officer provided."

"That's why I brought her along." Robert gestured to Caterina, who as usual looked like she was about to burst into questions. "This is Lieutenant Caterina Delgado, _Aurora_ science officer. And my chief of security Lieutenant Commander Meridina, who helped rescue the Darglan Jornam."

"Doctor, it's a pleasure to meet you," Caterina said, offering her hand. Y'shmyn accepted it.

"Doctor." Meridina did not offer her hand. She bowed her head in greetings.

By this point Robert could feel what Meridina had already felt. He looked to Y'shmyn with a bit of surprise. Y'shmyn smiled back. "Yes, Captain. You and I share the Gift. Azeyma has blessed me with power. In my younger days I made use of it, but today I am an academic, and I vastly prefer mysteries in books than hunting slavers across the U'nar Plains."

"I see." Robert nodded and accepted his seat among those that H'rmaz offered. "What can you tell us about your history of how you came to be on Ys'talla?"

"Very little, until now," Y'shmyn confessed. "I have studied what our oldest oral histories hold to have been our arrival point, known as Azeyma's Rest. There is an ongoing excavation there. But all evidence we have found simply reflects the state of the Miqo'te when we arrived on Ys'talla. We were a pre-industrial species. Almost all of the tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic, and some still are I will add. Our science was laughable and superstitious beliefs still predominated."

"My grandmother told me as a child that Menphina and Azeyma opened a door to this world so that our people could escape a great calamity," H'rmaz offered. "That is the belief of most Miqo'te today."

"And it will remain so, I suspect. We do not recall the place of the Darglan in our histories."

"It's possible the Darglan hid themselves during the transplantation," said Caterina. "They might have interacted with you through holographic disguises."

"To protect our culture from the effects of being introduced to space flight and interuniversal drive at our stage of development? A reasonable hypothesis." Y'shmyn looked thoughtful. A pen levitated from the surface of her desk and began to spin in mid-air. "I will continue my academic work on the matter. As it is, many of my colleagues I've consulted find the theory of the Darglan role meritable, and I am writing a paper on the evidence. I hope to lay out the case well enough to be accepted by our people."

"I am curious as to why your people were brought to this world. Was it a war of some sort?" asked Meridina.

"It was something wrong with our world of origin. Our oral histories all match in that respect, whether one is a Keeper or a Seeker."

"Keeper? Seeker?"

At Caterina's question, Y'shmyn said, "You may have noticed that my assistant has a different base coloration from my own, with wider eyes. Miqo'te have developed into two distinct racial groups, diurnal and nocturnal. I am a Seeker and I function best in daylight. H'rmaz's ancestors on our original homeworld took to caves and night-time living, becoming nocturnal. Keepers."

"The distinction does not matter as greatly any more," H'rmaz said. "Aside from physical attributes and some theological squabbling about whether Azeyma or Menphina is the more important deity for our people."

"At least, not in our cities. In the countrysides, it can vary. I have learned this from harsh experience." Y'shmyn spun her finger around and the pen spinning in mid-air began to spin with greater speed. Robert got the feeling it was something she did while in deep thought. "The Darglan. Such a mystery. We learned they existed from our contacts with the Gersallians, small as they are. To think that we owe our existence on this world to that ancient species…"

"Your people tend to be isolationist, right?" Caterina asked.

"In general." Y'shmyn frowned. "It is an annoying tendency, mind you. The Coserians and their Jeaxian proxies nearly enslaved us due to it, and to this day we have trouble with the Jeaxian warlords and the most violent of our own clans."

Robert was darkly reminded of Doctor Opani's ordeal as a volunteer. "So I've heard."

"It is waking us up, bit by bit. I hope, in fact, to one day see my species within your Alliance, Captain." She smiled slyly. "Although I would be grateful to you for not mentioning that to the Academy Chairwoman. She is rather strict about political neutrality among the senior academics."

"A wise policy," H'rmaz observed.

"And we are getting off the subject that you came all this way to speak with me on," Y'shmyn added. "I presume you have more questions about our history?"

"We're trying to learn more about what the Darglan did during their time," Robert said.

"For the sake of knowledge?"

"Yes," Caterina insisted. But she looked to Robert for correction, indicating her answer was more her own desires than the official ones.

"Among other things," he clarified. "The more we learn about Darglan activities in the past, the more likely we are to locate other remaining sources of Darglan technology. Now that we know more about what they were doing back in the day and that there might be other caretaker stations like Jornam's, we need to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands."

"I think I understand." Y'shmyn took the pen out of mid-air with her hand. "You're hoping the Darglan might have left observers here too?"

"Maybe not living observers," said Caterina. "But perhaps observation stations. Automated ones, maybe. Or, like in N2C5, they may have had a central location to observe any other systems they were interested in. With probes or automated observers for remote watching."

Y'shmyn thought deeply about that. "I have heard nothing of such a site being found. But our sensor technology is not as advanced as your own, Captain. It is possible your sensors might detect something our means have missed." She pulled a sheet of paper out of a drawer. "I shall write you a recommendation to my colleague at the Azeyma's Rest dig site. Perhaps you will find something there."

"If we do, you'll be the first to know," Robert promised.

"I should hope you inform Professor B'rrel first," Y'shmyn remarked. "He will be your man at the dig site." She smiled slightly. "I do hope you find something. It would be quite the discovery."

"Thank you for your help, Doctor." Robert stood, prompting the others to do the same. "We appreciate your time."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
" _All That Remains_ "**

The command staff met in the conference lounge off the bridge upon the trio's return. "I've already spoken with Doctor B'rrel via commlink," Robert informed everyone. "He's ready to receive a science team in the morning."

"Which will be this evening by ship time," Caterina clarified. "Due to the hour difference."

"Right. Jarod, you and Cat will take down a contingent of science officers."

"I'll also invite our new xenoarcheology specialist, Doctor Tralamina," Caterina said.

"I'll leave the team makeup to you and Jarod," Robert said. He turned to Julia. "Have we heard anything else about the defense treaty negotiations?"

Julia crossed her arms and sighed. "A couple of the critical votes are being troublesome. Chief U'mhaka was basically asking for his weight in latinum."

"So he wants to be bribed into voting for the treaty." Robert sighed at that. But he shouldn't be too shocked. Some people were just naturally greedy. "And who's the other hold-out?"

"Chief U'dahra."

A mental image appeared in Robert's mind that he wished to rub out. "The one who showed up on the train with nothing but women in his retinue, half of whom were dressed like they were going to a swimsuit contest?" _And more than a few looked unhappy to be there_ , Robert thought darkly, well aware that the Miqo'te were still having issues with their nomadic groups' blaise attitude toward the rights of servants as people.

Julia nodded to him. "Yes."

"And what does he want?"

"Me."

For a moment Robert had to process that answer. "You? As in…"

"As in biblically," Julia clarified. Seeing the looks she was getting, she continued, "Well, he didn't say that, but it was pretty clear he wants me to visit his personal quarters wearing those skimpy things half of the girls in his retinue wear, and that would be just the start of the evening."

"It might be because of your height," said Jarod, matter-of-factly. "Miqo'te females average about four-eleven, you're six feet tall. The idea of being with someone taller than him might be the point."

"I figure it's being head of his own clan and thinking this gives him access to any woman he wants," Julia answered with more than a hint of just how she felt about Chief U'dahra's attitude towards women.

"Well, we'll write him off the list," Robert said.

Julia continued form there. "If we can bring Chieftess Y'mali over, that should give us enough votes. She's sympathetic, but she's opposed to joining wars by the Alliance." Julia tapped some keys to show the text of the proposed treaty. "I think that if Emissary Jopari and I amend a couple of the terms, Chieftess Y'mali might even swing the other borderline isolationists over to a yes vote, and we won't need either of those bastard chiefs."

"I doubt the Senate will mind the idea of the Miqo'te not sending troops to fight the Reich," Locarno noted. "That's not really the point here."

"Forward the amendments to Jopari, then," Robert said. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Now it was Zack's turn. "Karen has been released for active duty. I'm trying to make arrangements for her to meet up with us. And Ys'talla is pretty far for an average transport so having her come out this way just for us to leave in the week it's going to take her to get here would be… well, annoying as all hell."

"Right." Robert nodded. "I can't think of any reason we'll need the _Koenig_ any time soon, so if you want to launch and meet up with her at a fleet base, go ahead. Your crew could probably use the deployment time anyway."

Zack leaned back in his chair. "Fine. I'll send her a signal and work with Apley on a good spot to meet her. You're going to want Tom back, I guess?"

"Th' lad willnae be happy if ye have him workin' as a third wheel once th' lass is back aboard," Scotty pointed out. "Besides, I still have some work t' dae with him t' make him ready for his new post."

For a moment the room quieted as everyone considered what Scotty meant. Not about Tom, but about his new job, as it reminded everyone of how the senior staff was being divided with Julia assuming command of the _Enterprise_ at the end of the year. Cat even briefly glanced toward her sister Angel, who was also going to transfer with Julia.

"I could use Tom here, actually," Jarod added, quickly cutting through the moment before any further awkwardness could build. "If we find Darglan technology, he's one of the few qualified officers with it. I'll want everyone I can get."

"That makes sense," Zack said. "I"ll have Ana Poniatowski run Engineering until we meet up with Karen."

"Alright then. I'll leave you and Lieutenant Apley to make the arrangements, let me or Julia know when you're ready to launch." Robert shifted his weight in his chair. "Alright, anything else?" When nobody answered he nodded and stood. "Alright. You're all dismissed."

Everyone got up and left. Everyone, that is, except Julia. The look in her aquamarine-colored green eyes told Robert she wanted to talk and he too remained. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"About?"

"About all of this drama about the _Enterprise_." Julia drew in a breath and let it out. "I'm not sorry for taking command. But I never meant to tear our team apart."

"Well, I'm not sure that was in your power," Robert answered. "I mean, let's face it, Scotty is thrilled at the idea of a new _Enterprise_ , and of getting to be the first chief engineer to put the design through standard field operations. And Angel…" Robert shrugged. "...that's on me. I chose this." He gently held his hand up and caused the teacup in front of him to briefly levitate in the air. "I chose it over her. I don't blame her for wanting to move on, especially if she gets to keep her favorite sparring partner."

Julia smiled thinly at that. "She's on my list of potential First Officers. Not that she'd get the position first, I doubt Maran will approve a two rank jump."

"And Angel would have to qualify for command first," Robert added. "I'm not sure she wants that."

"Nor does Jarod," Julia said.

"You already asked?"

"No." She shook her head. "But I know him. He barely tolerates the idea of being in charge if both of us aren't available. He doesn't want a command posting. Frankly I think he'll leave before he accepts something like that."

"Right." Robert considered the question for the moment. "Nick?"

"I'll ask him, but only if it's okay with you. As things stand you're already losing three senior officers. Four if Caterina wants to stay with Angel."

"I know," Robert said. "We're both going to have adjustment periods." After a moment he added, "And go ahead and ask Nick, it's fine."

"Alright. Later, of course." Julia stood. "I'll go speak with Emissary Jopari."

"And I'd better get back out to the bridge."

They left the conference lounge together. 

* * *

Given the excavation they were due to assist that evening, Caterina and Jarod were relieved from further duty so they could get sleep. Caterina stopped by Science Lab 1 long enough to check on the process of examining the database given to Lucy by the Darglan caretaker Jornam before heading to her quarters. When she arrived she pulled off her uniform jacket and hung it up.

Before she could remove her skirt and finish swapping into her sleeping clothes, a door chime sounded. Caterina called out, "Come in!" and walked to the exit from her bedroom.

Violeta stepped in wearing her uniform and carrying a bag. Caterina skipped up to her and accepted a warm kiss from her girlfriend. When the kiss was over Violeta said, "I'm due on the bridge in two hours. But I wanted to show you what I picked up during my shore leave this morning."

"Oh?"

Violeta set the bag down on the coffee table and pulled out several items. One was a necklace with an amber piece, the amber mixed with a blue substance that gave it a beautiful mix of colors. A data slip was marked with Miqo'te characters and added English labels denoting titles. "Movies?" asked Cat.

"Some Miqo'te romances. Action-romances, comedy-romances… and one harem romance that I'm told is pretty spicy with the love scenes."

"But…"

"Love scenes between the ladies _only_ ," Violeta added, grinning.

Caterina matched the grin. "Okay, that's different." Nevertheless a little pink blush had formed on her cheeks at the thought of what the movie in question contained.

Violeta removed the next items and the blush deepened. "Those… those are…" Caterina held up one her size. "...you bought me a dancing girl outfit?"

"Sure." Violeta put an arm around Cat and kissed her reddening cheek. "I can't wait to see how it looks on you."

"But…" Caterina shook her head, laughing at the silliness of it. "I mean… you and I have been naked before. Together. In bed."

"Among other places," Violeta added with a grin that brought Caterina's blood rushing to her cheeks (among other places).

"So… I mean, we've seen each other without clothes. It just seems weird that we'll enjoy being in clothes more." Caterina dug into the bag's bottom and pulled out more clothes. "Wait," she said. "These are your uniform undershirt and…"

When she turned to present them to Violeta, Violeta had removed her uniform jacket and trousers. She was wearing the same kind of "dancing girl" bikini outfit, where the fabric was no thicker than a centimeter save the diagonal bands that provided support and just enough coverage to be appropriate. The bottom worked under the same principles. Violeta raised her arms up and bent her elbows to put her hands above her head, a seductive smile on her face as she swayed slightly in her pose.

Caterina looked at this display intently. She swallowed. "Okay," she said, her heart picking up. "I see what you mean."

Violeta nodded. "I'd like to see you in yours," she said. "If you're okay with it."

The initial, instinctive reaction was "No". Cat had spent her life avoiding these things. Ever since it became clear she wasn't going to have the curves that all of the other girls she knew had. Just looking in her mirror in bra and panties in her teen years had convinced Caterina she was too short, thin, and puny to make a swimsuit like that work. She'd always worn one-piece suits and that was that.

But the glint in her girlfriend's vivid purple eyes convinced her that maybe, just maybe, she _could_ look good in something like that.

Caterina picked up the suit. As she did, Violeta murmured, "And just think how much fun it'll be taking them back off."

It didn't take much thinking for Caterina to decide that it would, indeed, be a lot of fun. 

* * *

The yellow sun of Ys'talla gave the excavation site the feeling of being in an open air oven. Azeyma's Rest was three hundred kilometers from Sweetwater Springs in an area of semi-arid steppe land and scrub that saw just enough rainfall to support agriculture (with the assistance of the underground springs in the general region and a river system that helped replenish those springs). Looking at it was enough to tell Jarod that the Darglan had picked the site well. That judgement did not include the possible existence of game animals for the Miqo'te to hunt after their arrival. Today there seemed to be few, but thousands of years of hunting and being pushed out of habitats by growing Miqo'te communities could easily account for that.

Professor B'rrel was a male Miqo'te of bronze complexion with wheat-colored hair, including facial hair that gave him an almost leonine appearance. He was dressed in a work jacket and shorts that were almost khaki in their coloration, with his feet padded by dark brown boots. Jarod had already observed that B'rrel tended to let his tail swish absent-mindedly when he was focused enough on something else, whether it be a conversation or examining an artifact.

"We have definite estimates for the ages of these artifacts," he was saying to Jarod. "The deepest strata include tools and weapons that are approximately three thousand and two hundred twenty-six years old."

Jarod did the conversion in his head. "So roughly three thousand and sixty-four years old by Human reckoning."

"Mrrr… yes, I suppose." B'rrel held up one item. "Some puzzle us. For instance, this amulet."

Jarod visually inspected it. The band was of old, crackled leather, while the amulet proper was a crystal of white color that could pass for ice. He held it in his right palm. It felt cool to the touch, cooler than the environment suggests it would be. Jarod activated his omnitool with his right hand and ran the scanner over the crystal. "Hrm. I've never seen a material like this before."

"Yes. We have found a few similar items. They seem to be jewelry, set into amulets and rings. You don't suppose…"

Jarod could tell what B'rrel was getting at. "I can cross-check what information we have on the Darglans to be sure. Although I don't recall anything like this in their technology."

"Very well." B'rrel looked out over the site from the covered platform they were standing on. Jarod looked as well, watching the Miqo'te archeologists and students at work digging and checking while, among their number, Alliance science officers were scanning away for more signs of the Darglan. Their black and dark-blue field action uniforms set them apart from the other examiners. Jarod had insisted on the action uniforms, not because he worried about a confrontation but because they were made for easier use in extreme climates, and the warmth of the semi-arid steppe was just high enough to be a concern.

"It will be something to corroborate the theory," B'rrel said. "Some of the clans may dislike discounting divine involvement in our arrival on Ys'talla, but for me, the thought that the Darglan had a hand in our destinies… marvelous. An honor."

"I wonder what your homeworld was like?"

"As in the world our species comes from?" B'rrel's tail widened its arc of movement in response. "A good question. I wonder if it still survives."

Jarod had no response to that. It was an interesting speculation, certainly, but not what he had on his mind right now. There was too much going on, and far more important questions still loomed. 

* * *

While the action uniform did provide some protection from the heat, Caterina found she was wishing she had the looser, cooler near-khaki outfits of the Miqo'te archeologists. Or the cooling suit that Doctor Tralamina was currently clad in. Tralamina was a Gy'toran. Facially he looked more like a koala than anything, although the facial structure was still different with deeper dark eyes and a tall, lithe body of very fine violet fur. The fur was more hair than fur, in fact, but it did give Gy'torans a unique appearance compared to most Humanoid species.

Of course, the main differences revolved around the fact that they also had four arms. Or rather, six limbs, given the incredible dexterity of the Gy'toran species. Tralamina was currently walking on his two legs, but he could easily use his middle pair of appendages as a set of legs too given the segmented nature of the Gy'toran body that gave them an almost insectoid quality. If push came to it, Gy'torans like Tralamina could even run on all six limbs, although it could be awkward for them. Caterina had only seen such in video records, in fact.

For the moment Tralamina was busy examining a blade. "This is quite peculiar," he said with the benefit of auto-translation. He held up the rusted weapon. "The blade is larger than one would imagine a Miqo'te of either gender would utilize. In fact, it appears to be large even for most other species, such that it would be a two-handed weapon. Yet the balance and design imply it is for one-handed use."

"Maybe it was ceremonial?" Caterina suggested while scanning away with her hand-held sensor. The omnitool was also scanning, but the scanner she held had ground-penetrating capability beyond what the omnitool could do.

"Perhaps. I shall take it to Professor B'rrel."

With that Tralamina left her vicinity. Caterina tried not to feel frustrated with him. The assignment of a xenoarchaeologist to the _Aurora_ civilian science specialist team had seemed unnecessary. Indeed, Tralamina's secondary speciality as a geologist received more use than his primary skill. The chance to practice his education in these circumstances was clearly causing him great joy.

 _But we're not here to look for swords_ , Caterina grumbled to herself as the scans came up empty yet again. She moved over to another search area. Given the map they had already searched half of the existing excavation. If nothing came up they had nothing to do but wait and see if B'rrel's team could find anything else.

Tralamina returned. "The good Professor has informed me that there are more blades like that one," he said. "So the idea that they are ceremonial is definitely a good theory."

"Thank you."

Caterina couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice. And Tralamina heard it. "It is possible there is nothing," he pointed out. "The Darglan would not have left anything to contaminate the Miqo'te species culturally or socially."

"Not intentionally," Caterina said. "But maybe we could find something. An old disguised sensor, maybe."

"Perhaps our wind will change," Tralamina said, keeping his reassuring tone. "In the meantime, I hope to see if we can find any signs of their cutlery. Or perhaps animal bones. How the Miqo'te ate can help us determine how the initial settlement may have sustained itself…"

Before Caterina could respond, her omnitool started blinking with an incoming message. " _Lucero to Jarod or Science Officer Delgado_."

Caterina pressed a key to open a channel. Jarod started speaking first. " _Go ahead, Lieutenant_."

" _I've got something for you_ ," she said. " _We've found something in Jornam's database_."

" _We'll beam up in a few minutes. Jarod out_."

"Hrm," said Tralamina. "I hope this doesn't lead to us leaving this excavation so soon. It is such an excellent dig site."

"That's why I'm leaving you in charge of it," said Cat. She smiled at him. "Let me know if you find anything."

"Of course, Lieutenant," he chittered, quite happy with himself. "Of course!" 

* * *

Robert and Julia entered Science Lab 1 at the same time as Jarod and Caterina, coming in from the opposite side. The former two were a little rumpled; it was 0143 ship time and they'd been called from bed.

The two sets of newcomers converged at the central console where Lucy, Barnes, and Meridina were sitting and going over data. "Yeah, that's definitely a jump drive," Barnes remarked.

There was no need to ask what he was talking about. The computer was showing an image of a lab with azure-tinted walls. Orange-skinned figures with tall skulls and wearing dark green coats were gathered around a machine, a squat, wide device that was easily three meters long and about one hundred and twenty centimeters wide. It was squat, like a standard probe or torpedo casing, but with interfaces along its top side and an open port at the end.

"I thought jump drives were five meters long?" Robert asked. "I remember seeing them as being pretty long…"

"They are," Barnes agreed. "I mean, that's the smallest model, and it's got crap for redundancy. The _Aurora_ 's jump drive is almost ten meters in length and two meters wide, and it's the best frakking model we've got. It's why we can't install the damn things on smaller ships like runabouts. Not enough power or volume."

Lucy tapped keys that brought up Darglan characters, then converted them to alphanumeric ones. "But this model is far more efficient according to their lab data. And it's capable of a wider band of universes."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Julia.

"Different bands of space-time, different continuums" Caterina said. "I mean, they exist theoretically, and we have some possible confirmation of them from a handful of encounters. Like the Q in S5T3. It's possible that the Darglan may have been building a jump drive that would access those continuums."

"And it may be why they were punished," Meridina said. She couldn't take her eyes off the image. "I saw something like this."

All heads turned to face her. Robert asked, "Where?"

"In Jornam's mind, as he lay dying," Meridina replied. "He… he pleaded with me to forget the memory. That it was an error." A horrified look crossed Meridina's face at the implications.

Implications that the others quickly grasped. "Could this be what caused the Darkness to attack three thousand years ago?" Robert asked, holding a finger toward the screen.

"I believe so."

"I suppose," Caterina said. She eyed the image. "I mean, if it accessed other bands of space-time, other continuum… it might have brought something into our continuum, our band of space-time and universes I mean, that was hostile."

"Or it might just be a cooler new jump drive," Barnes pointed out. "Something we could use."

"I would hesitate to share this device with anyone, Lieutenant Barnes," said Meridina. "It is dangerous."

"In more than one way." Robert kept his eyes on the image. "Imagine if it's still out there. If someone found it…"

"Swenya's Light, no," Meridina said in a hushed tone.

"We have to find it, then," said Lucy. "I'll keep searching the Darglan databases we have."

"Well, maybe there's another way?"

Everyone looked to Caterina. Her old shyness disliked this, but she was used to it enough that she didn't stammer when she resumed speaking. "Years ago, we were told that old species, 'Ancient Ones', punished the Gersallians and took away their IU drives, right?"

"Yes," said Meridina, who remembered learning it at the same time as Caterina.

"Well, it's likely the Ancient Ones came from E5B1, right?" asked Caterina. "At least some of them. And we know that E5B1 had species known as First Ones. If there's anything left, any sources of information from those First Ones…"

"I find it unlikely," Jarod said, shaking his head. "These kinds of species and beings aren't the type to just leave maps lying around."

"It's still worth a shot," Cat insisted.

For a moment Robert considered the question. A feeling within him built up, a sense that Caterina had a point and this was the thing to do. He nodded. "Alright. I'll ask Admiral Maran to contact President Sheridan. If anyone knows what we're looking for, Sheridan may know who we should ask."


	80. Episode 2-16-2 All That Remains

The call shortly after Robert got out of the shower. He finished pulling on his uniform pants and sat at his desk to accept the call. "Dale here."

" _We have Admiral Maran for you, sir._ "

"Put him through."

Admiral Maran looked as he always did. At middle-age for a Gersallian, he had dark hair going gray at the temples and a trimmed beard of similarly-graying dark hair. He looked natural and at ease at his desk in the Alliance Defense Command complex, with the distant skyline of L2M1 Earth's city of Portland (in what was still called Oregon by some) visible in the window behind him. " _Captain_."

"Admiral."

" _How is Ys'talla?_ "

"Beautiful. Hot. And I find a few of their chiefs to be completely disgusting beings."

" _Ah._ " A hint of a smile came to the admiral's image. " _Just as I remember it, then. To get down to business, Captain, I've contacted Tuzanor with your request_."

"We already heard back from them?"

" _We did_ ," confirmed Maran. " _President Sheridan has asked me to send you to Minbar to discuss the matter in person._ "

Robert didn't hide his surprise at that. "He wants to see me in person? He doesn't trust comms?"

" _He has expressed concern on the matter, yes. Normally I would not mind ordering the_ Aurora _to Minbar, but for now we need her to stay at Ys'talla._ "

"Is there a threat?"

" _Nothing definitive. But the Coserians and their Jeaxian warlord proxies won't be happy if the Miqo'te come under Alliance protection. The_ Aurora _'s presence will dissuade them from any direct pressure._ "

Robert nodded once in acceptance. "Alright, I suppose Sheridan can wait."

" _We'd rather not, Captain._ " Maran's expression darkened. " _We've had reports of unknown parties launching survey missions into the region around the Darglan Homeworld. We suspect someone is looking for Darglan technology. If there is some newer, superior model of jump drive out there we can't allow it to fall into the wrong hands._ "

Robert recognized what he was getting at. "So you want me to leave the _Aurora_ and visit Minbar personally?"

" _Yes. And we need you to keep it off of scanners, so to speak._ "

"The _Koenig_ is launching in a couple of hours to rendezvous with Lieutenant Derbely," Robert said. "Could you arrange for her to be re-directed to Minbar?"

" _No. We can't allow anyone to know the_ Koenig _was there. What we can do is have her drop you off while cloaked before proceeding to a more visible port._ " Maran thought for a moment and checked something on his systems. " _Ah. I will have Derbely re-routed to_ Babylon-5. _As soon as you're dropped off on Minbar Commander Carrey can go pick her up._ "

"While we take private ships," Robert said. "Or make some other arrangements?"

" _I have no doubt that President Sheridan will arrange something for you if there is actionable information_ ," Maran said.

"Right." Robert thought on this for a moment. Being away from the _Aurora_ for days, perhaps a week or more, had an excitement that wasn't quite able to hide the danger this involved. "I understand that you won't want me to bring any kind of team."

" _A team of your officers would be too visible._ "

"I need to bring at least one," Robert said. "Meridina. She touched Jornam's mind before he died. She saw this drive and the lab it was built in from his mind and maybe information this recording wouldn't have."

" _Meridina will work. But no others. Everything must seem to be running as normal._ " Maran put a hand on the table. " _I'll let Sheridan know you're coming. Maran out._ "

After he disappeared Robert pressed the key on his desk for the ship's comm system. "Dale to Carrey."

After a moment a reply came. " _Carrey here_."

"Delay your launch. There's been a change in your itinerary. And your passenger list. I'll explain shortly."

" _Alright. I'll have the crew to depart whenever you're ready. Carrey out._ " 

* * *

"I don't like this."

Julia's complaint was not unsurprising. She stood inside Robert's ready office as he finished up enough paperwork to make it look good. "You're not even taking a runabout."

"Yep," he said. "Maran wants us under the radar on this one."

"Which means you won't have any help if you get into trouble," Julia pointed out. "I mean… at least they should have Zack take you where you need to go."

"Then it begs the question of where we came from, and what ship we're in." Robert finished a final item and turned the system off. He stood up and faced Julia. The concern on her face was unmistakeable. "We're bringing a portable IU radio with us, if we run into any trouble we'll call you for help."

"IU radios don't have jump anchors installed, so there's no guarantee we'll get to you in time."

"Normally, yes." Robert grinned. "That's why I'm going to Science Lab 2 next."

* * *

Jarod, Scotty, and Barnes were waiting for Robert and Meridina when they arrived at Lab 2. Julia followed them in and saw that the three were at the work table with a portable IU radio. "Will it work?" Robert asked them.

Scotty feigned offense. "Oh, dinnae ye have any faith, Captain?"

Robert smiled at him and answered, "I do, Mister Scott, I do."

"Ah, good."

"We hooked an anchor unit into the radio," Jarod explained. "And we've confirmed it's working."

"But as usual, there's a damned catch," Barnes added.

"Aye." Scotty tapped the table. "We cannae put a big enough power source intae th' thing t' let it send out regularly." He indicated a physical switch near the top of the pack. "Ye flip this switch t' turn on th' anchor. Th' batteries will keep it runnin' for ten minutes or so."

"Right. And it's still backpack mobile?"

"It is," Jarod assured him.

"Excellent work, then." Robert took the straps and put it on. It was heavy-ish, certainly too heavy to effectively carry in his arms, but as a backpack unit it would work. He took a few steps with it and took it off. "Have it sent to the _Koenig_." He checked the time. "And we'd better get going. Sheridan's a busy man."

"You're not going in uniform, are you?" asked Jarod.

"No. Civilian clothes."

"Yeah, but if you get into a frakking fight, that's not gonna do you jack crap," Barnes said. "Action uniforms at least give you options."

"We'll have personal forcefield generators for safety," Robert assured them.

"Yes." Meridina looked toward him. "Although, Robert, I would like to accompany you to your quarters. I may have some suggestions for garments."

After they left, Julia became the center of attention. "Any idea why Maran's risking them like this?" Jarod asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I understand wanting us to stay at Ys'talla longer, but this secrecy is a bit too much."

For a moment everyone was frowning. And then a small, quiet smile came to Jarod's face. "Maybe there's an alternative," he said.

"Like?" asked Scotty.

Jarod looked to Julia. Julia, in turn, wondered what he was saying before she caught the look in his eye. A grin formed on her face. "Yes," she said. "I think I know what you mean…" 

* * *

Zack was waiting at the airlock for Robert and Meridina. From what Robert had told him, Zack expected to see them in civilian clothes.

What he got instead was the two shimmering into view behind him, inside the airlock. He turned to face them and saw that Robert now wearing the same purple armor and blue robe combination that Meridina and Lucy favored. He had a bag over one shoulder and a holster for his charge pistol on the hip. And, like Meridina, there was no sign of his rank strip.

Meridina had her own bag and her lightsaber on her hip.

"Well, and truly incognito, eh?" Zack asked. "Was that why you came in with cloaking devices?"

"That's why we did our goodbyes quietly," Robert answered. "As far as the crew knows, Meridina took me off to train in the holodeck."

"Right." Zack motioned to the airlock. "Well, let's get going before someone from the crew notices you."

"And so I can get out of this thing," Robert added. "You won't believe how much this chafes."

The resulting chuckle from Zack made Robert glower at his friend while Meridina watched on in quiet bemusement. 

* * *

Robert and Meridina had been assigned guest quarters on Deck 3. The room, of course, was barely the size of a hotel room, with two bunk beds, a meal replicator, and a table with a computer access panel and controls. Seeing it made Robert appreciate the officers and crew on the _Koenig_ all the more. And it made him consider that he did wish they were going to remain as transportation, but Maran's orders were already cut.

For the moment Robert was busy putting away the pieces of the armor, which he was determined to adjust before he ever put it on again. Meridina sat on the floor nearby, already out of her suit and wearing a sleeveless white vest and baggy trousers. "I would like to resume your training while we journey to Minbar."

After she said that Robert went to the computer and tapped its communication key. "Guest Quarters to Bridge."

" _You know that the crew already knows you're aboard, right?_ " asked Zack. " _You can't hide anything on this ship, Rob_."

Robert sighed at that. "I figured. Just make sure people know that we're not supposed to be here."

" _My people know to keep their lips shut_ ," Zack replied. " _What do you need?_ "

"What's our ETA to Minbar?"

" _Since you're in a hurry, Poniatowski and Hajar have the warp drive running us up to Warp 9.25. We should be there in the morning."_

Robert sighed at that. He hoped that whatever Sheridan had to share with them was worth coming out all this way. "I appreciate the extra speed, Zack."

 _"Just pray we don't blow a plasma injector. Or maybe use your funky life force powers to reinforce them or something._ "

Robert chuckled at that. He could sense that Meridina was amused as well. "Yeah, I'm not sure we can do that much."

 _"Then just pray. Or pay for our funerals. Karen will probably kill Ana, Jean, and me if we blow out any vital components in the system before picking her up._ "

"We'll think of something to save you from her wrath. Dale out." Robert let the line cut. With nothing more to do he sat down in front of Meridina. His T-shirt matched the color of her vest while the pair of blue shorts certainly did not. "Okay, training. In what?"

"Clarity. Control." A slight grin came to her face. "And then we shall resume your sword training."

" _Here_?" Robert asked in surprise.

"Of course not," Meridina scoffed. "The cargo bay is spacious enough."

Robert already saw what his evening would look like. A lot of getting clapped on the shoulders and arms and chest by a wooden stick. He let out a resigned sigh and closed his eyes to focus on his life energy. 

* * *

After the day of training Robert and Meridina retired to their bunks. Meridina slept soundly.

Robert did not.

Getting to sleep was challenge enough. The cot was somewhat uncomfortable. He had little room to turn. It felt too cold to be without the blanket but once he pulled it on he felt too hot. His mind kept wandering. The cloak and dagger aspects of this seemed to be so unnecessary. Why a clandestine meeting to Sheridan? What would that accomplish that a call couldn't? What was Maran so worried about?

And that jump drive in the records. Was Tom Barnes right? That it was just an improved model? Or was it the source of an ancient Darglan mistake? Could they bring about the same destruction if they used it?

Sleep came for Robert. But his rest was haunted by the dreams. He watched Nazi troops burning their way through New Liberty. Julia strapped into a strange chair, screaming in agony. The fear in the amber eyes of the girl in the red and gold clothing before her eyes went white and raw power whipped around him.

Metal figures. A tall man in a long coat. A blond woman, or girl, right at the end of her teens from what Robert could tell. She spoke with an accent when she said two words.

" _Bad Wolf._ "

Robert, as he often did when the dreams got intense, shot up to a sitting position. But the bunk space was too short for that. He slammed his head into the top of the bunk space and cried out in surprise and pain while flopping back to a laying position. A hand went to his forehead while his head throbbed from the impact.

Before he could finish getting his bearings, blue light appeared on the back of his left hand. A comm tone rang. He groaned and tapped it. "Yes?"

" _Gooood morning, buddy_ ," crooned Zack. " _Just wanted you to know we're an hour out from Minbar and that I had Hajar re-align the replicators in the mess hall. If you get up now you can probably fix a quick breakfast in between your shower and departure._ "

WIth his head still throbbing, Robert was in a cranky mood. "I don't care what Scotty says," he grumbled, "it's not a real shower unless it includes water!"

" _Agreed, Rob. That's why I'm going to let you use my shower. You and Meridina both._ "

That dampened the crankiness somewhat. Before he could react, Meridina answered, "That sounds pleasant."

Robert looked off the bunk. Meridina was sitting quietly at the desk in her night clothes - a silver silken suit that went down to her knees - with a cup of steaming liquid in her hand and a plate of Gersallian breakfast pastries on the desk. She looked up at him with concern.

Robert blinked and shook his head. This was a mistake, of course. "Okay, cool," he mumbled, now woozy. "I'll be up to your quarters in about ten minutes. Dale out."

"Your dreams are quite intense." Meridina sipped at her cup. "And I see why you worry about the term 'Bad Wolf'. I feel a particular energy from that element of your vision. It is… _worrying_."

"Tell me about it," Robert sighed. "Right now I just want some damn toast and eggs and a big aspirin."

Meridina said nothing to that request. 

* * *

It was on approach to Minbar that the _Koenig_ picked up instructions on how to deliver Robert and Meridina. The signal came in on the Rangers communication band; a specific point of space, a location on the surface in Tuzanor, and instructions to beam at a specific time.

Robert and Meridina materialized into a scene of beauty, once again wearing the _swevyra'se_ armor and robes. Their destination was a courtyard of sorts, filled with sculptures of beautiful crystal that seemed to sing as the wind brushed across it.

Waiting for them were two figures. One was a Human woman with a dark bronze complexion and the second was a Minbari man. Both were in full Ranger garb and no others. The woman bowed respectfully. "I am Lucille Solonandrasana," she said. "President Sheridan will see you shortly. Please follow us."

Robert and Meridina followed them. And not without difficulty, as they were nearly enthralled by how gorgeous the Minbari buildings and garden looked. Inside the structure the walls seemed slightly more normal-looking, with blues and purples and violets as the colors for the walls.

They were escorted to an office deep in the complex and left alone. Robert set down the portable IU radio set and both put down their bags and placed them at the side of the room. "Such a gorgeous place," Meridina said. "I see why _Mastrash_ Ledosh was so enamored with it."

Robert nodded without giving any verbal agreement. He didn't need to. This place was stupendously beautiful.

A few moments later the door opened. Sheridan walked in carrying… a baby carrier.

Robert blinked and then watched avidly as one of the most influential leaders in the Multiverse, the man who had led the galaxy to victory over the Shadows and then led the rebellion against the fascist President Clark on Earth, gave an almost worried look toward the carrier. Relief appeared on the man's bearded face. "I put the earmuffs on," he confided to them in a soft voice. "As long as we're careful we shouldn't wake him."

"Your son?" asked Robert.

Sheridan nodded. "Delenn had some… religious caste ritual to attend, and she couldn't have David there." The smile of a proud father eager to show off his newborn son appeared and the carrier was turned to present the occupant. David Sheridan was only a few months old, clad in a blue baby one-piece suit that had little cartoony animals covering it. At first glance he looked like any baby would, or so Robert thought, but upon second glance he noted the formative Minbari bone crest circling the baby's head. The earmuffs were placed lower than they would be on a Human infant's head.

"He looks… great," Robert said, trying to avoid even thinking about how babies often didn't look cute or adorable until they were quite a bit older.

Meridina's reply was more authentic. "A healthy, wonderful child. Although I continue to be confused by the Human desire to place unrealistic, drawn pictures on their childrens' clothing."

Sheridan chuckled at that. "Delenn has said the same thing. They were a gift from my father, actually." He pulled up a spare chair and placed the carrier into it, facing him so he could keep an eye on David. "Well, we should get on to business, as soon as Delenn gets back I have a Council meeting to get to."

"I understand." Robert deliberately kept his voice as soft as possible without letting it become inaudible. "Admiral Maran filled you in?"

"He did." Sheridan nodded. "I'm sorry that we couldn't handle this over the comms."

"What's going on?"

"Well, as you may recall, a certain legally questionable Akdorian-flagged Human ship was raided a little over a year ago." Sheridan flashed them a quick grin. Robert had no doubt he knew what had happened to the _Pedicarus_. "The raiders made off with some ancient computer databanks taken from what we now know to be the Darglan Homeworld. I'm sure you can imagine how certain parties felt about that."

"They probably didn't know what they had before," Robert remarked. "Now that they do, I can't imagine they're happy about it."

"They're not. In particular, a company called Interplanetary Expeditions, IPX for short, has been demanding greater Earthforce support for their expeditions into neutral space. They've also prompted several influential Earth Alliance Senators to oppose the Allied Systems' annexation of the Darglan Homeworld and surrounding space. Space that, I will point out, your people have yet to fully assert control over due to your war efforts. And the InterStellar Alliance has had its own concerns diverting our attention."

"Especially since Delenn sent Rangers to fight on our side in the war," Meridina added.

"So I'm assuming IPX has been running illegal excavations into the space around the Darglan Homeworld?" Robert asked.

"They're being quiet about whether they are or not," Sheridan revealed. "Miss Holloran has been discreetly tracking IPX's movements in the region and even she can't be sure what they're up to. At best guess, they're still doing preliminary survey work while avoiding your patrols." Sheridan's eyes briefly glanced toward the baby carrier. "And they're laying the legal groundwork by encouraging the Earth Senate to pass a resolution declaring the Alliance annexation of the Darglan Homeworld null and void."

"Which is nothing but a political statement." Robert shook his head. "But is one we have to take seriously while we're busy fighting the Nazis. Dammit."

"The Alliance has invited the Minbari and other species to join us in protecting the Darglan Homeworld and what is left," Meridina noted. "Certainly this IPX could work with us?"

"No, they can't," Sheridan said. "Trust me, I know these people. IPX claim to be xenoarchaeologists out to further our understanding of old civilizations, but they actually work for Earthforce. Since the Minbari War their entire purpose has been finding the remains of old civilizations to see if there are any technologies that can improve Earth's technology. Even if they agree to cooperate with you, it would be for show while they pulled every dirty trick in the book to steal whatever they could from your efforts."

"So this is the reason for the secrecy?" Robert asked. "To keep IPX from figuring out that we're looking for a big new find?"

"Exactly. Because given the situation, they might just show up with an Earthforce destroyer to assert control," replied Sheridan. "So it's best if we keep this off their scanners. Do you know where to look?"

"We're waiting to see if any more data comes from examining the Darglan data we have on hand," said Robert. "But we did have an idea."

"Yes?"

"We know that the Darglan were forced to give up their interuniversal drives after a war with an enemy called the Darkness," said Meridina.

Sheridan let out a little sigh that covered a sentiment Robert could sense within him, a sentiment summed up as "Here we go _again_ ".

"And we know that a number of ancient species were responsible for this demand," Meridina continued.

"You think it was the First Ones?" Sheridan asked.

"It makes sense," Robert answered. "We know the Shadows hated them enough that they wiped them out in the end. And we were thinking that maybe these First Ones might have an idea where we can locate that Darglan prototype jump drive."

"There aren't an First Ones left in our galaxy. They're all gone." Sheridan turned thoughtful. "But there is someone that might have the information you want."

"Oh?"

A distant look came over Sheridan's face. "She's dangerous," he said. "Part of it might be my fault. A lot happened after the Shadow War and, in retrospect, I was too hard on her." Seeing his guests weren't sure whom he was talking about, he said. "Her name is Lyta Alexander. She's a telepath, one of the most powerful living telepaths to ever exist."

"Indeed?"

"Yes. She was augmented by the Vorlons years ago," Sheridan said. "They did… things to her. They told her things about their past that no other Human being has ever been told. I'm not sure how much they changed her, but it's enough to know she scares the hell out of me. I'm not looking forward to her return."

"Where did she go?" Meridina asked.

"G'Kar of the Narn wanted to go out on the frontier," Sheridan said. "He felt his people were relying too much on him for leadership. So he bought a ship, inviting Lyta along, and they flew off to travel the frontier for a year." Sheridan shook his head. "A year that's almost up."

"Do you think Lyta Alexander will assist us?" Meridina asked.

"I can't say for sure." Sheridan had a pensive look now. "By the time she left, she was bitter. She felt used by us, by Psi Corps, by everyone. And it wouldn't surprise me if she's already itching for a fight with the Psi Corps."

"I have heard of this 'Psi Corps'," Meridina said. Her voice betrayed only a sliver of her distaste. "Their behavior is abominable for _farisa_."

"That's your word for telepath, right?" When Meridina nodded, Sheridan could only nod in agreement with her sentiment. "They're a monster of our own creation. Frankly I wish we could have removed them along with Clark, but circumstances didn't allow it."

"Yes. Sometimes we must be content with what could be done, not what might have been done."

Robert spent the conversation thinking things over. Lyta sounded dangerous, immensely so. But she was likely their best shot at finding something. And if these IPX people were on the move… well, they had shot down a _White Star_ to preserve the secrecy of their digs. There was no telling what they'd do. "Maybe we can offer her something," Robert remarked.

Sheridan immediately provided his attention. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, she's opposed to the Psi Corps, right? I'm betting she's sympathetic to the telepaths who run from them?"

"I'd say so." Sheridan thought of Byron's group, and old thoughts of blame and guilt and betrayal briefly worked their way through his mind.

"The Alliance has laws allowing such people to claim asylum. To my knowledge, few have tried, and we've gone out of our way to avoid causing friction with the Earth Alliance over this." Robert considered his options. "But I have friends, allies, who could be persuaded to act in support of these fugitives and whatever organizations help them. We could organize an underground railroad of sorts to bring them to the Alliance, our Alliance."

"You could," Sheridan agreed. "And Lyta might work with you for assurances on that. Just be careful. The Psi Corps isn't above its own dirty tricks, you might put people in the crossfire. God help them if a Psi Cop catches them."

"I may be able to provide aid there," said Meridina. "I am not the only _farisa_ in my family. My mother is a great _farisa_ with many connections across the Interdependency. She would know which of them would be willing to protect the minds of those involved in this 'underground railroad'."

"Well, it sounds like you have a plan, then," said Sheridan. "Now you just need to find Lyta and G'Kar."

"And a ship."

"Oh, I already arranged that," Sheridan revealed. "Or rather, Admiral Maran and I arranged it. A private craft is waiting for you at Tuzanor spaceport." Sheridan pulled a data crystal from a shelf in his desk and handed it to Robert. "The access codes for it are there. Holloran has some information on suspected sightings of G'Kar and Lyta. You'll find those loaded as well."

"If we need help from a combat ship, any chance of it?" Robert asked. "Something to get to us quickly?"

"It depends." Sheridan thought about it for a moment. "If you send a transmission back to me with the channel encoded in that crystal, I'm sure Delenn can arrange for a _White Star_ to be on 'training maneuvers' in the area. But that won't work more than once."

"No, it won't," Robert agreed. He put the data crystal away and stood up. "That's it, then. Thank you for having us, Mister President."

"Good luck, Captain, Commander."

Robert and Meridina picked up their things very carefully. Once everything was together they went to the door.

As they stepped through it, a sudden cry pierced the air. It grew in volume, joined by earnest pleas for calm, until they were nearly out of the building. 

* * *

The _Aurora_ retained her place in geosynchronous orbit of Ys'talla, which rotated quietly from the window of the conference lounge as Julia waited. She had made the calls she felt necessary and could do no more. It was back to business. Which was why she was currently in her usual chair in the conference lounge off the bridge. This interview wouldn't have felt right in Robert's ready office.

Indeed, despite this venue, a part of her still felt wrong over the conversation she was about to have.

She forced those thoughts from her mind when the door opened and Locarno entered. "You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Sit down, please," she replied gently. He sat down across from her. Julia looked over Locarno briefly. He was handsome and intelligent. His hair, brown with a tinge of red, was combed precisely. His light-green eyes looked back at her with curiosity. "I've got something to ask you, Nick. You don't have to give me an answer right away, either, just within the next few weeks."

"You want to know if I want to serve on the _Enterprise_ ," he said, recognizing what was coming up.

"Not just that." Julia put her hands on the table. "I want to know if you would like to be my First Officer."

For a moment Locarno went quiet. He lowered his eyes as if in thought. Julia waited patiently for him to respond while trying to gauge his likely reaction from the way he was looking.

"You want me to be second-in-command?" he asked. "To be that close to a command of my own?"

"Yes," she said. "I do." Looking into his face, Julia thought she could tell what was wrong. "You've learned your lesson, Nick. And I think you'll make a great captain one day."

"I suppose you do." Locarno drew in a breath. "And I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way, that I wasn't interested."

"But?" Julia drew the word out.

"Honestly?" He met her eye to eye. "I think that's the reason why I can't. Not right now."

"So your answer is no?"

"Correct. No. I'm not interested in being your First Officer, or taking any other command position," Locarno said. "Frankly, the way I feel… I'll resign my commission before I accept a command."

"You've been making progress over the past," Julia pointed out. "Why do you feel this way?"

"It's one thing to be inching toward forgiveness from Jean, but it's another to go looking for command again," Locarno answered. "I don't mind doing the occasional bridge watch for you, or heading a department, but I'm not interested in ship command right now. Maybe not ever. So again, my answer is no."

After a moment of looking into his eyes for any sign that he was waving, Julia nodded. "Fair enough."

"And before you ask, no." Locarno shook his head. "I'm not transferring to the _Enterprise_. This is my ship, this is my place, it's where I'm staying."

"Alright. I understand."

"Do you?"

Julia blinked. Locarno's voice sounded heated. "What do you mean?"

Locarno, for his part, seemed to consider what he was going to say next. "I understand you want command. That's your choice. I wish you the best of luck. But this… this is wrong."

Julia said nothing, inviting him to continue.

"This crew, this team, we've done amazing things," Locarno said. "And now you're tearing it apart. Why? You don't have to break up everything just because you're getting a new ship."

"It's not just me," Julia pointed out. "Angel asked me even before I said yes. Scotty made it clear he wants to serve on the _Enterprise_. Am I just supposed to tell them 'no'?"

"You could try to talk them out of it," Locarno suggested. "You could keep our crew as intact as possible."

"You and I both know this crew isn't going to last forever, no matter if I take people with me or not. It's part of this life," Julia retorted.

"That doesn't mean you just do it on a whim." Locarno drew in a breath. "Because… because we're a family, remember? And you're splitting us up."

Julia went quiet at that. And as much as she wished… she knew he wasn't wrong. They were a family, and now they were going to be divided between two ships. They might never work together again.

 _I knew this would happen. And I said 'Yes' anyway._

"You're right. We're splitting up. But we'll still be family, being on different ships doesn't change that." Julia stood up from the chair. "But thank you for telling me how you feel, Nick. Thank you for your honesty. You're dismissed."

Locarno stood and nodded before walking out. The door slid closed behind him, leaving Julia to her private thoughts. 

* * *

The ship that left Tuzanor Spaceport thirty minutes later was not a common ship in the E5B1 Universe, but was instead a New Chongqing Spaceworks Type 121 Personal High Speed Transport Vessel. The craft was the size of a standard runabout in the Alliance service (or Starfleet's for that matter). The warp nacelles were built into the top of the craft instead of the bottom, unlike runabouts. It wasn't the sleekest vessel either, built for power and volume, with the advantage that it made it less aesthetically-pleasing and, thus, less likely get noticed. The hull was colored a bland gray.

While it wasn't pretty, it was fast, and within an hour it had traveled to within range of the system's jumpgate.

In the helm area of the craft, Robert was in the piloting seat and Meridina in the co-pilot chair. "We're clear to the jumpgate," Robert said. "I'm setting a course for our first destination, Kalnit Station."

"Have you heard of this place?"

"I haven't. Going by the library computers, it's an open port on the edge of Brakiri space."

Meridina checked the list. "Minister Holloran rated it as only the third likely location."

"She did." Robert nodded. "But consider it for a moment. In our way."

A moment passed and Meridina concentrated with her _swevyra_. She felt her energy connect to the wider universe and let the insights come in. "I see," she said. "And I agree."

"Thanks." Robert smiled. "Besides, if she and G'Kar are on their way back to B5, it's the second furthest possible route they could take."

"I see. The closest being too obvious…"

"...and the furthest being just as obvious," he finished the thought for her. "According to these calculations on hyperspace travel times by sublight capability, we should be at our destination gate late tonight. Then it'll be a six hour warp flight at Warp 5."

"So we will not get to our destination until the early morning hours," Meridina noted. "Which is how much of the Multiverse's populace experiences interstellar flight, I imagine."

"We're going to be missing that Warp 9.2 cruise speed before we're done," Robert sighed. Outside the window ahead the jumpgate started flashing to light. Points of light formed along the four struts, traveling down and inward until they jumped from the struts and coalesced to form a hyperspace jumppoint. Robert triggered the impulse drives and flew their ship into the brown-colored vortex and into the shifting crimson energies of hyperspace.


	81. Episode 2-16-3 All That Remains

The _Koenig_ decloaked long before it arrived in the Epsilon Eridani system. It came out of warp and approached _Babylon-5_ at half impulse. Magda double-checked the time and smiled at Zack. "Three hours to spare," she said.

Zack answered with a single nod of his head. "Contact station control and see about getting us a station-keeping area within transporter range." His eyes kept on the sight of the five mile long space station spinning away in orbit over the barren planet beyond.

"Opening channel…"

While Magda spoke with a Lieutenant Corwin in Babylon Control, Zack continued watching the station. The others had spoken about visiting _Babylon-5_ last year while his ship was with the Colonial Refugee Fleet. While it wasn't the most advanced or largest space station he'd ever seen, it had a charm to it. And given Zack had spent over twenty years of living in an era when a small space station not even the size of the _Koenig_ had been a massive achievement, it was no surprise that any space station that was five miles long and contained nearly a quarter of a million beings would seem a marvel.

 _I wonder what Clara would think of it_ went through Zack's mind. He'd sent off another message to her before they left the _Aurora_. Would one be waiting once the _Koenig_ re-connected to the communications networks?

His thoughts about Clara were interrupted by Apley's announcement that they had achieved their station-keeping position. "Have Driik and our reserve bridge crew assume stations in an hour," Zack said. "We need to find a good spot for the 'welcome back' party."

"Weren't we going to hold one for her on the _Aurora_?" April asked. "Hargert's going to bake a cake."

"Oh, we'll have another one," Zack said. "But this one will be just for us."

"Sounds good to me, sir," Apley stated. Without removing his eyes from his control board Apley followed that up by asking, "How do you think our passengers are doing?"

"Knowing Rob?" Zack chuckled. "Worrying or brooding."

* * *

A few hundred light years away, the Type 121 transport was still cruising along at Warp 5. Robert stepped into the cockpit to find Meridina sitting quietly at the controls. "Your turn for some sleep," he said while trying, and mostly failing, to enjoy the coffee that the replicator had provided to him.

"I am rested sufficiently," Meridina replied. She turned in her chair and held up a cup of what Robert thought looked like beef broth. She sipped at it. "Although the replicators leave something to be desired. My _jalnen_ is entirely too bitter-tasting."

"Gersallian coffee?" Robert asked.

"No. This does not contain caffeine. It has a blend of herbs that ease the mind." Meridina set the cup to the side. "And is quite good for meditations. When it tastes properly." She gestured to the piloting panel. "We are due to arrive at Kalnit Station in a few minutes. What is your plan?"

"Plan?"

"We will undoubtedly have to explain our presence," Meridina said.

"Well, we could claim we're smugglers, I suppose." Robert got into the co-pilot chair and took another drink. A displeased expression crossed his face.

"Then they will expect us to pay," Meridina pointed out. "And there may be questions about why our ship is not a smuggling craft." A thought crossed her mind. Robert sensed it and frowned. "Unless we make them believe we smuggle sapient beings."

"In other words, we masquerade as slavers."

"It does not appear to be a severe problem in this universe, granted, but I suspect it exists in some form."

Robert thought about the problem. A thought finally came to him, one that made him chuckle. Meridina gave him a curious look. He returned it with a smile. "Not slavers. People smugglers works. We simply imply that we get people from Point A to Point B in a quiet fashion."

Meridina nodded in understanding. "Our clientele is theoretically composed of desperate, likely armed beings looking to escape certain death or imprisonment, then."

"Exactly. And best of all, if we need to, that's the hook we can use to get a conversation with Lyta. After all, Human telepaths fleeing the Psi Corps will be looking for any means of escape. We just have to be careful we don't end up with a prospective client."

Their conversation ended with a tone at the helm informing them of their arrival at Kalnit Station. Meridina brought the ship out of warp with precision that Locarno would have appreciated, Robert thought, and put them on course for the station.

The station itself was an O'Neill-cylinder like _Babylon_ - _5_ had been. But it was nowhere near the size of the diplomatic station. It was about a kilometer wide and shaped roughly like a bicycle wheel with a shaft through the center that ended with external docking ports for large ships. Robert noted an incoming signal and answered it. "Hello."

" _Identify your vessel._ "

"We're the…" Robert thought about it for a moment. "... _Eagle… 5_. Private personal transport."

" _State your business._ "

"A quick stop-over, maybe see if there's some work available," he answered. "Any problems with that?"

There was a pause. " _Pay your docking fare and there won't be_."

"Fine by me, Kalnit Control. _Eagle 5_ out." Robert killed the channel and let out a breath. "Charming, aren't they?"

"How do you propose to pay the fare?"

Robert started tapping keys. "Admiral Maran gave me authorization to an expense account. A very anonymous account, I gathered."

"Ah." Meridina clearly had no surprise on that score. "The Admiral has always been one to stand for preparation." She tapped the flight controls as their ship flew in. "We are being assigned to an internal dock. I have a flight path."

"Alright, take us in." Robert watched the station grow larger and felt anticipation grow. "We should probably wear our alternative suits over the armor instead of the robes."

"Agreed."

Jarod was on bridge watch when the call came from Julia. Jupap immediately put her image on the holo-viewscreen. She was standing in one of the halls outside the Clans' Council meeting chambers. "How is the vote going?" asked Jarod.

Julia looked around before sighing with relief. " _Good. Chieftess Y'mali just voted yes and the treaty just won a floor vote. The opposition called for recess to rally but I don't see it happening._ "

"I take it Chiefs U'mhaka and U'dahra weren't pleased?"

Now Julia grinned with satisfaction. " _U'mhaka voted yes after all. Internal clan politics or something. As for U'dahra, I took the time to visit his suites to explain things._ " The smile turned gleeful and a little wolfish. " _I made it pretty clear to him that I was off-limits. And I'm sure he'll find out about the girls who slipped out of his suite later today. Coincidentally, the starliner_ Arcturus Clipper _just hired some new waitresses eager to see the rest of the Multiverse._ "

"I'm glad to hear it."

" _Anything from the others?_ "

"The _Koenig_ arrived at B5 and are waiting to pick up Karen. Zack is going to stay on station for a little. Liberty for his crew."

" _And he'll be on hand to help Robert and Meridina. Good._ " Julia looked to something off-screen. " _It looks like they're assembling for another reading. I'll talk to you later. Andreys out_."

The holo-viewscreen shifted back to showing the orbital space of Ys'talla. Jarod settled back into the chair and waited for his bridge watch to end.

* * *

Karen Derbely breathed in the air of _Babylon-5_ and sighed with contentment. Months of surgeries, physical therapy, doctors and nurses, and she was back where she belonged. Out on the frontier, out in space. A surge of excitement rushed through her at the thought of being back on her ship and with her colleagues and friends on the _Koenig_ and _Aurora_.

Her Alliance uniform stood out among those of the Earthforce personnel working the station, black with beige trim and two gold strips on the collar rank badge. Her light brown hair was loose for the moment, flowing down around her shoulders and the top of her back. Her oval-shaped face looked about at the myriad of species at this magnificent port of call. As she walked up to the customs area with her duffel bag over her shoulder, she listened to a Tellarite visitor continue what sounded like a heated argument with a greenish-gray scaled humanoid alien - a Drazi, she recalled.

At the customs area a smiling young Southeast Asian man in a security uniform accepted her Stellar Navy-issued identity card. It didn't fit his identicard standard so he turned to a multidevice, one that he was clearly not familiar with. "Sorry, ma'am… Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," she replied.

"We're still getting used to these things," he said apologetically while working with the controls. "And now I hear they want us to switch to those hardlight ones…"

"Omnitool," Derbely clarified. She activated her new blue omnitool model. "I'm in the same boat. I just got back on duty and they've swapped us over to this."

"Yes, those look like they're going to be a pain. Why can't they just build new identicard scanners that lets us scan… ah." He finally got her information. "Welcome to _Babylon-5_ , Lieutenant Derbely. Do you have anything to declare?"

"Nothing but personal effects," she said. "Change of clothes, hygiene products, and a datapad for personal use."

"Alright." He handed her a flyer. "Here are the basic customs rules for the station. The back side has a printout of the sectors. I hope you enjoy your stay on B5."

"Hey, Irwansyah," a new voice called out. A man with a black station uniform walked up. "You're still having problems with these things?" He gestured to his own multidevice.

"Sorry, Chief."

"Well, send her through, you're holding up the line…" The Chief gestured to Derbely, who followed him out of the way. "Sorry, we're still getting used to this stuff."

"So your man said," Derbely answered. "Chief…?"

"Zack Allan, Chief of B5 Security," he replied. He accepted a handshake with Derbely. "Say, you're with that ship that just left, right?"

Derbely made a face at that. "What?"

"It's the… what was it… _King… Koing?_ "

" _Koenig_ ," said Derbely with a flat tone.

"Right, that one. Sorry. They got called away…"

Derbely let out a sigh. "Of course, these things have to happen, right? It's not like I didn't get flash-fried by plasma."

Allan made a face at that. "Sounds unpleasant. Say…" He gestured with his head. "Let me get you a drink. Doug's Dugout, on me. Maybe I can find out when your ship will be back."

Derbely almost said no. But there was something earnest and friendly about Zack Allan that caused her to reconsider before she spoke. "Alright," she said. "And then I'd better see about getting quarters…"

Chief Allan led her out of the arrival terminal and through Blue Sector to Red Sector. "Hell of a place, isn't it?" Allan asked her.

"Yeah. It reminds me of Jury Station back in my home universe."

"Oh? Where are you from, then?"

"Universe D3R1, I'm from Littlefield Station," she answered. "It was a small, half-impoverished mining outpost gathering minerals from a moon in the Sagan Eta system. My dad was an ore hauler pilot. Two days to Jury Station at Warp 3, two days there for offloading, two days back." Derbely smiled from old memories. "He started taking me when I was ten years old, every school break. Best week a kid could ask for. Dad taught me everything he knew about running a starship's engine room."

"I can imagine. Ah, here we go."

Zack Allan led Derbely into the entryway of an establishment that looked like the sports bar she remembered her father frequenting on Littlefield Station, only slightly less grimy. She easily recognized the aroma of greasy food and beer.

She turned toward the bar.

" ** _SURPRISE!_** " cried the _Koenig_ officers waiting there.

A banner had been strung over the bar: " _WELCOME BACK, KAREN!"_ A smiling bartender, undoubtedly eager for the sales this impromptu party would bring him, brought up more pitchers filled with dark amber-colored drink while her crewmates applauded. Zack was in the middle, with Apley, Magda, and April Sherlily to one side and Doctor Opani, Ana Poniatowski, and Ensign Hajar on the other. Zack stepped forward with a mug full of beer. "Good to have you back, Karen," he said to her.

Derbely started to laugh. She couldn't hide her joy even as she looked to Chief Allan. He smiled back. "Hey, Commander Carrey asked nicely for the best place to welcome a buddy back, so of course I helped out."

"What's in it for you, then?"

"Nothing." Allan shrugged. "He told me what happened to you, so of course I helped out."

"Are you off-duty, Chief Allan?" Zack asked. "I've got a mug with your name on it."

"Ah, in an hour or so," was the reply. "Save me a seat, I'll bring some of my people and we'll wipe the floor with you at darts."

"Ha!" Zack laughed at that. "I think that's a challenge we can't refuse, isn't it everyone? Ap, you're going to have to show them the error of their ways, right?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Apley vowed.

"But that's for later." Magda finished hugging Derbely so April could. "For now, we celebrate!"

As she hugged them one by one, Derbely couldn't hold back the tears. It was great to be home.

* * *

Kalnit Station was a grimy, dirty place, with the air so stale Robert spent their first hour on the station nearly choking from it. Throngs of individuals of various species moved around to various stalls and shops. It looked like the space station equivalent of urban blight to Robert's eyes, and he worried about what was in the hazy smoke that seemed to waft in from some of the shops.

The mystery of the "multiversality" of Humanity and Human-looking species did allow them to go mostly unnoticed, as species from E5B1 predominated. Pak'ma'ra to one side haggled with a Vree proprietor. A Brakiri looked over a jewelry store run by another Brakiri. Drazi were bickering with a Human shopkeeper at his entrance while a Hyach watched and shook her head.

Meridina drew Robert's attention to a pair of Llort that nearly ran into them. Robert felt a hand start to brush against his trousers. Someone was pick-pocketing him, or seeing if he had a gun at his hip. He intercepted the hand and smacked it away, thankful for the shoulder holster he'd decided to employ. It had seemed the right thing, hiding his weapon from view under the dark blue-jean jacket he had on. Meridina likewise wore a full suit with a dark red jacket, but there was no hiding the lightsaber on her belt. This was an advantage, though, since nobody would recognize them where some might now know about _lakesh_ hilts.

"This place is still big enough that I'm not sure we'll find either of them just walking around," he said. "Not that we can just call them over the intercom."

"If you consider President Sheridan's description of her, Lyta Alexander has a great deal of power," Meridina said. "We may sense her."

"Right now I'm just sensing the fact that these people are generally unfriendly and a lot of them want to shoot someone. Maybe even us." Robert kept scanning the crowds. "I wonder… places like these, they have people who keep an eye out for things, right? Information dealers."

"Yes."

"Maybe one of them can help?"

Meridina's skepticism on that point could be sensed even before she replied, "Possible, unlikely, and for a price. I suspect the Admiral's expense account is not bottomless."

"I wouldn't want to find out," Robert admitted.

They continued walking on until Robert gestured to a bar that didn't smell quite as bad as the others. The sign over it was on alien writing. Robert could have used his omnitool to translate but didn't bother, instead stepping up to the bar and sitting on the stool.

The bartender looked Human. His accent sounded vaguely European when he asked, "What will it be?"

"That depends on what you have," Robert replied.

"All sorts of drinks. Jovian sunspot, perhaps? Kompa. I even have a case of brivari that a friend from the Homeworld sends me."

"Brivari?"

"Ah, sorry, the hair." The barkeeper laughed. "I am a commoner, so I don't get to have a hair crest. Not a very high one, anyway. I am Terlo, a Centauri."

"Ah. I've not met a Centauri before," Robert admitted.

"Eh, we are not very popular in the galaxy," Terlo said, sighing at the end. "Those idiots in the Centaurum had to go invading nearly every species in the League. Then, despite all of that, when we were in a position of influence in the InterStellar Alliance, what do they do? They start attacking the other species _again_." He shook his head. "And the idiots were so ready to fight they let the Narn and Drazi slip through and bomb our homeworld. And when Sheridan forces them to stop, our new Emperor pokes him in the eye and cuts us off from the rest of the galaxy." Terlo shook his head. "It is all a terrible mistake, all of it. And to make it worse, the Emperor is letting that… that insufferable man Durla take charge back on the Homeworld…" Terlo noticed Robert and Meridina weren't quite paying attention and stopped himself. "But I am digressing. What would you like?"

After thinking it over, Robert decided to go for something that sounded like it was meant for Humans. "A Jovian sunspot," he said.

"And your lovely lady?"

"I am not…" Meridina stopped herself. Their cover would be strained if she protested a disinterest in alcohol. "I will take a Jovian sunspot as well."

"Very well."

Robert took out his cash card and allowed Terlo to scan it, withdrawing money from Maran's expense account to pay the amiable bartender. He looked back into the bar and noticed various figures moving around.

"...so what are you doing at humble Kalnit Station?" asked Terlo, bringing their drinks back. "I'm here praying to the family gods that I raise enough credits to go home with something more than the clothes on my back."

"If you lack funds, how did you get here?" inquired Meridina.

Terlo nodded and grinned at Meridina, while Robert consciously felt for danger before taking his first drink of the fruity alcohol drink. "I was actually a merchant, with my own ship, passing through here when the InterStellar Alliance revealed my government was responsible for the attacks on Alliance shipping. To shorten my tale of woe, my ship was sabotaged, most of my cargo stolen, and the outcome of the war led to the Centauri ducat's value dropping like a Drazi drunk on _Bor'Kaan_. That meant I couldn't afford the repairs on my ship, and I wouldn't have the money to pay docking fees for long. I had to sell. Thankfully it was enough to rent out this establishment." Terlo gestured to his bar. It was a small place. Robert doubted it could fit more than twenty-five, maybe thirty, without violating fire codes (presuming Kalnit had them, Robert doubted this too). But it was, as the station went, well-kept, and a multitude of species were represented at the tables.

"And the rest of your cargo was booze?" Robert asked.

"Not at all," said Terlo. "It was Quantium-40, actually. I managed to keep one crate from being stolen. I was able to barter it for a ship's hold worth of several Brikari liquors. A few other drinks here and there and, gods be thanked, I had my opening stock."

"It cannot be easy, being an enemy of these peoples," Meridina observed. She gently sipped at the glass.

"Oh, I get vandalized every now and then," Terlo admitted, "but most of the locals know me by now. And I pay protection to the Tos'Meton Syndicate. The Brikari who run this station," he clarified immediately. "The Brikari can be quite pragmatic about these things, if you have the money." He waited for Robert and Meridina to finish a drink each before asking, "So, who are you?"

"Me? My name's Jerry. Jerry Furland. And this is Mira Doyle."

"And you are here for…?"

"Coming through, checking out business opportunities," Robert answered. He grinned slyly. "Mira and I are… travel specialists, you might say."

"Travel specialists?" Terlo smiled at that.

"When someone wants to travel from where they are to somewhere else, and they'd like their trip to happen quickly and with minimal fuss, they pay us and we take them to that somewhere else they desire to go." Robert sipped at his drink afterward.

Terlo grinned at that. "Presumably these customers have very good reason to travel."

Robert shrugged. "I suppose. Sounds like you could be a potential customer."

"I suspect your rates would wipe me out, Mister Furland," Terlo answered. "I have to have _something_ to show to my family if I don't want to get disowned. I may never be able to afford a noble title now, but anything's better than returning penniless."

"Right." Robert looked to Meridina. He had an idea. "Still, if you're not interested in our services, maybe you know someone who is?" He gave Terlo a knowing look.

"Well…" Terlo thought it over. "There are a few, I admit. Those who want to leave Kalnit quietly, without attracting attention…"

"Such as?" Meridina asked. She looked toward him as well, keeping her look from seeming too intent.

Terlo leaned in and lowered his voice. "Do you see that Human over there?"

Robert quickly glanced further into the bar. The distant table was occupied by a Human male. He looked Caucasian, with a complexion and look Robert thought to be pasty - too much time in space? - with a neatly trimmed beard of dark hair with clothes that Robert thought looked fairly non-descript. Clearly someone trying not to call attention to himself.

Robert immediately moved his head to avoid making any long contact, anything that could give away he was looking that way. Clearly this potential client wasn't Lyta, but the cover demanded Robert seem interested. "What about him?"

"His name is Gagnor. He orders the same drinks every day. Schnapps, a Human beverage. Although he switched to brivari when I was out of schnapps for a few days."

"He's a long-term resident?"

"A number of months, he comes and goes. But he is not whom I am referring to." Terlo looked around briefly, including making sure Gagnor wasn't looking their way. "He has a new client. A Human woman. She wants things from him. Weapons, I hear, but also transportation back into Earth Alliance space."

"Gagnor can provide this?" asked Meridina.

"I do not think so. He does dabble in arms dealing, but that market, it is not as lucrative as it once was now that the Shadow War and all the other wars are over and nearly everyone is in the InterStellar Alliance. The larger dealers are buying up all of the war surplus to keep it off the market and keep the prices from falling too quickly. Gagnor… he is a minor player, so I do not think he has much product to sell. Mostly old League surplus from the Dilgar War. And in this market, I am not surprised if he will have to… how do you say it… 'diversify' his business."

"There are wars in other universes," Meridina pointed out.

"True," Terlo allowed. "Anyway, he has been meeting with her daily. She may be here soon. Pay me a finder's fee, forty percent commission of your deal?"

"Twenty percent," Robert countered.

"Thirty-five percent."

"Twenty-five."

"Thirty-three. I will not go lower."

Robert narrowed his eyes to play along. He could sense Terlo's plan if he didn't agree; he would warn Gagnor that they were _Anla'shok_ , Rangers, and scare the dealer off and his client too.

He looked to Meridina. She nodded back. Her response wasn't telepathic - there could be telepaths that could hear them - but he could sense her answer. She'd seen Lyta's face in Terlo's mind. This was their chance.

"Thirty-three percent," Robert agreed.

Terlo smiled. "I do so enjoy working with Humans," the Centauri said. "Another Jovian sunspot?"

Robert had to admit he enjoyed the drink. And he was also quite glad that the detoxicants he and Meridina took before leaving the _Eagle 5_ would keep him sober, even if it would inevitably result in a bathroom visit before long. "Of course," Robert said.

After Terlo stepped away to prepare their drinks, Robert and Meridina exchanged glances. This was the break they'd been hoping for.

Now all they had to do was sit… and wait.

* * *

Cheers and light-hearted boos filled Doug's Dugout when a member of the B5 security force, a Narn, hit a dart just above the 20 triple score section. A successful hit would have made B5 Security's lead insurmountable.

But it was not, and everything fell onto Zack Carrey's shoulders to win the game for his officers. Dart by dart flew. The first was a hit on the double ten portion on the right side of the outer ring. The second, which caused flinching from all, was when Zack hit just to the right of the high value 20 point slice of the board, scoring just 1 point. He took careful aim and, with one eye open, threw one more time. The dart thunked into the lower left side… just inside the 48 point mark.

B5 security's lead had been 42.

Both sides cheered regardless of who won or lost, and a round of beer mugs rose up in celebration before their contents were guzzled down enthusiastically. Zack high-fived anyone who offered one while making his way back to the bar. Zack Allan was seated there looking at the vidscreen showing a baseball game. "I guess one of the benefits of the Multiverse is that it's always summer on some Earth," Zack said, looking at the game in question. "The trick is keeping which universe's team is which straight."

"Yeah." Allan noticed the wistful look on Zack's face. "Something wrong, Carrey?"

"Nothing wrong, Allan." The two, due to sharing the same first name, had already opted to go by surnames. "Just thinking how things might have been." Zack accepted a fresh mug from the bartender. "I played back home. In the minors. But I had major league scouts checking my games out."

"What happened? Injury?"

Zack shook his head. "Family issues," he answered laconically, in a tone making clear his refusal to say more.

"Right. So you ended up… I don't know, there's all sorts of stories about how the Alliance came together." Allan quaffed at his own mug. "Stuff about an Earth from the 20th Century having some ancient alien base from a species in our galaxy and people adapting the technology…"

"It sounded crazy then, and it still sounds crazy," said Zack. He grinned at Allan. "But I lived it."

"Yeah, well, crazy sometimes happens. I mean, when I was assigned here, I had no idea how crazy things were going to get." Allan shook his head. "President Santiago getting killed, the Chief getting shot in the back by his own second in command. Then the Nightwatch came along. I signed up thinking, hey, fifty more creds a week. Next thing I know, I'm being told to report shopkeepers for complaining about the President."

"Damn," Zack said, shaking his head.

"Then we declared independence from Earth and fought the Shadows and Chief Garibaldi had his mind hacked by the Psi Corps and quit over it… Just saying it makes me realize how crazy things got."

"I realized things were going to be crazy early on, and I just try to roll with it," Zack admitted. "It helps when you're having to save Human refugees from religious robots who want to exterminate them. Or with fighting Nazis."

"Nazis." Allan shook his head. "I hear the war's grinding on. Rumor has it that the Senate's considering sending an expeditionary force to help you guys out."

"They'll be welcome. We could use the allies. And besides, kicking Nazi ass shouldn't be a spectator sport."

"I'll drink to that, Carrey."

After they both quaffed again, Zack said, "I love my ship and all, but sometimes I think that when the war's over, I'm going to walk away."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Resign. Go to New Caprica, marry my girlfriend Clara, coach Little League."

"Sounds like a good life."

"Just have to be careful when using the Lord's name in vain," Zack said. Seeing Allan's confused look, he said, "Remember what I said about religious robots? The New Capricans are the people they tried to wipe out. The robots, Cylons, worship one God, but the New Capricans are polytheists who worship the old Olympian gods."

"Really?" Allan blinked. "You mean like Zeus and…"

"...Apollo and Athena, yeah."

Allan laughed. "That's a damned thing." He took another drink.

"And so, y'know, they get tetchy if you say you believe in one God," Zack explained. "But they're getting used to us monotheists in the Alliance."

"I'd hope so." Allan gave his head another shake while chuckling. "Clara wants to stay?"

"She's gotten close to them. There's nothing for either of us back in our hometown." Zack shrugged and took a drink, after which he continued. "I suppose we could move to New Liberty, but… I dunno. As long as she's happy, I don't care where we are."

While Zack took a drink, Allan asked, "Do you love her?"

"I do. And God knows I don't deserve her." Zack shook his head. "I don't know why she's stuck with me for so long given how things went when we were teenagers. I knew even then she was too good for me. She didn't deserve to be with someone like me."

"Well, love's crazy sometimes." Allan chuckled. "Like, well, back in my first year on the station, we had this officer on the night watch shift. Lieutenant Zhungwi, Zhengfi, Zhengli…" Allan focused on the last one for a moment, as if deciding if it was the right name, before continuing, "Zhengli Varma, I think it was. Anyway, one night I'm late in my shift when we get a report from Green Sector. Now, that's diplomatic and command staff only, but Londo had kicked up a fuss and gotten a suite for this Centauri nobleman, and I mean bigwig because he had this _huge_ crest of hair." Allan had his hands on his head, mimicking a fan or something like a peacock tail. "Anyway, we have this guy visiting the station for a trade delegation, right, and I'm sent in because he's about ready to blast the door down with a gun he's smuggled in because his wife had locked him out. Turns out she was cheating on him."

"Youch," Zack said. "Those domestic calls must be the pits."

"Oh, they always are," Allan agreed. "Anyway, I get there so they don't bother the Chief because he's having this special meal for his birthday, and the nobleman is shouting, and Londo is shouting, and the technicians are trying to open the door before the guy blows it off the hinges, right…" By this time Zack, imagining the scene if not the specific people, was laughing. "...so finally, just as this guy is going for his gun right in front of me and two other security guys, the technicians finally open the door. And poor Bo and Mack are knocked over by this guy as he rushes in with his gun, and Londo's going after him and I am because I think he's about to shoot his wife, and… and Londo's yelling at us to get out because 'This is an internal affair of the Centauri!'..." Allan faked an accent and gave his voice a new pitch, as if to emulate the Centauri ambassador.

Zack, still switching back and forth between chuckling and laughing, said, "It was a damned affair alright!"

Allan laughed too. "Yeah, well, just as I'm about to get to this guy, and I mean I'm a second from drawing my PPG, he suddenly lowers his gun and starts _laughing_."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I brush Londo off and look into the bedroom… and there's this guy's wife with our night shift lieutenant. _Completely naked_."

Zack laughed even harder.

"Right, so, this nobleman, after all of that screaming and threatening, he's laughing at it. His wife's in bed with a Human woman and he does not give a damn. Just doesn't give a damn." Allan stopped to laugh while Zack struggled to stop long enough to drink. "I look at her and say, 'Uh, ma'am, he's got a smuggled gun, I have to report this', and she gives me this _look_ , and Londo just about throws me out of the damn apartment."

"Oh _man_ ," Zack laughed. "Did you report it?"

"Are you _kidding?_ If I did I'd have the second in command of the night shift hating my guts! And who knows what Londo would've done! I was just a few months into the job, the Chief was just starting to trust me, no way was I rocking the boat!"

"I bet that lady was more careful after that," Zack chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think I saw much of her after that. She ended up siding with Clark when the Civil War kicked off." Allan shook his head. "Last time I heard her name, it was when someone in C&C said her mother had shown up a few months ago and talked with one of the C&C night shift officers about her. Turns out Lieutenant Varma is a Captain now and got one of those new _Warlock_ -class destroyers thanks to General Lefcourt."

"Damn. She goes with the wrong side and still gets rewarded, huh?"

"That's what it feels like," Allan admitted. "Maybe it's more complicated than that, but I dunno. Captain Lochley remained on Clark's side too, and she's a great commander and a good person."

"Good people can still do terrible things," Zack observed. As he did so he thought about Adrana for the first time in months. About Gylao and that simulation he'd been in, what Gylao had seen in his mind to create it. A world where he had let Robert die so he could have Julia… the thought sickened him and forced him to push all of that into the back of his mind.

It put the subject of love back on his mind, so he faced Allan again and asked, "What about you? Do you have anyone special?"

The moment the pained look came to Allan's eyes, Zack knew the answer to that. "Sorry," he said.

"Maybe it never would have worked out," Allan admitted. "She had a lot of, well, things were bad for her. I just, y'know, I just wish we could've tried something…"

It was with pure, aching sympathy in his voice that Zack replied with, "I know what you mean, man, I know what you mean."

* * *

Robert was beginning to wonder if the detoxicants were wearing off from the number of Jovian sunspots he'd downed. Meridina seemed fine, though, and so he figured it was just his impatience getting the best of him. Gagnor was still alone at his table, on his third shot of schnapps, but looking no worse for it. Was he using an alcohol blocker or detoxicant? He glanced toward Terlo, who was busy serving a Pak'ma'ra with the look of a man performing prison chores. There was still no deception in him, none Robert felt, but could they be wrong about him?

Robert leaned in toward Meridina. "Do you think we've been had?"

"Have patience," Meridina urged him. "I sense no deception."

"Maybe not, but I don't…"

Before Robert could finish his sentence he saw movement at the entrance. A Human woman with red hair and a light brown leather jacket over black shirt and black pants stepped through the door. Without a word she went to Gagnor's table and took a seat that let her see toward the entrance.

"Never mind," he murmured. "So, now we have to figure out how to play this."

"We wait until she is finished with Gagnor. Or…" Robert nodded his head toward Terlo. "We get him to do it."

"We wait," was Meridina's reply.

So they did. Lyta and Gagnor were disputing something. Their discussion was getting more and more heated.

Meridina suddenly stood. She walked toward them with Robert, after a surprised delay, following. Even before they got to the table Lyta was looking up and toward them. When Meridina slipped up to an empty chair and stood behind it, Lyta asked, "Can I help you?"

"The question is if we can help you." Robert heard Meridina speak and was impressed with it. She didn't sound like herself, with that halting, lilting accent that sounded Irish and Cherokee at the same time. Instead she sounded more like Lucy, very informal and relaxed. "I'm a lip reader," she said. "And I watched you ask about transportation off Kalnat."

Lyta appraised Meridina and Robert shrewdly. "And you can provide that, Miss…"

"Mira Doyle," replied Meridina. "My partner, Jerry Furland. We provide transport services."

"To where?"

"Anywhere you need to go," Robert said. He could sense interest and caution in Lyta, caution almost to paranoia.

"And what, you think I'm just going to board a ship flown by people I know nothing about?" Lyta asked. "And that I'm going to pay for the privilege?"

"What are your alternatives?" Meridina asked. "Clearly you can't use standard transportation, or you wouldn't be interested in the sort of transportation Mister Gagnor could theoretically provide."

"And I doubt an arms dealer wants to show too much of his operation to an outsider." Robert nodded to him.

"He's right," Gagnor said. "It's why I can't accept your offer."

Lyta was quiet for a moment. Robert felt her mind gently probe his and didn't fight back. That would spook her too easily. He didn't even let himself think that. He simply let thoughts and edited memories bubble to the surface.

After a few moments Lyta nodded to Gagnor. "I'll take the rest of the shipment." She slipped a data crystal out of her jacket pocket. "Here is where you will deliver them. The first account on that crystal will provide your up front payment. After my people receive their shipment, the other account will be unlocked for you to access."

"Thank you, ma'am. You won't be disappointed." Gagnor stood and left.

"Now that he's gone, let's get down to business." Lyta looked to Robert and her brown eyes seemed to turn dark right there. "Whoever you are, you clearly have no idea how powerful my mind is. I already know you're not actual 'transport specialists' or whatever line you fed Terlo. You're looking for _me_ in specific, and the only reason I haven't fried your brain out, 'Mister Furland', is that I know you're not Psi Corps or Earthforce. They'd never send someone not trained to fight deep scans up against me."

Robert and Meridina exchanged uneasy glances. Robert sighed. "Right. Okay, no, we're not smugglers of fugitives. We picked this cover to talk to you."

"Who are you?" she asked.

Speaking at just a low enough tone to not be heard in the rest of the bar, Robert answered, "I'm Captain Robert Dale from the United Alliance of Systems, commander of the Alliance _Starship Aurora_. This is my Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Meridina. She's a telepath and is trained in metaphysical energy use."

"Ah. From the other universes, then?" Lyta nodded. "I've heard about you out on the frontier. Why do you want to talk to me?"

"We've heard of your connection to the Vorlons," Robert replied. "And that makes you the most likely person to be able to help us."

Lyta considered him. "I think you'll find I'm not in a helping mood."

Sensing she was about to stand up, Robert kept going. "I can understand that. I'm not here empty-handed. We can help you and your people. We can get them to safety, far from the Psi Corps."

"I see." Lyta sat back in her chair. "How?"

"Asylum in the Alliance, or worlds close to it," Robert answered.

"My people would also be willing to help," Meridina added. "I am a telepath myself, as are my brother, sister, and mother. In my culture, telepaths are given full lives, and your people deserve the same."

Lyta crossed her arms and looked from Meridina to Robert and back to Meridina. "Let's say I'm interested," she said. "How would you get my people to safety beyond the Psi Corp's reach?"

"We could arrange regular ships." Meridina placed her hands on the table. "Your telepaths would not be the first mistreated people we have aided. There are ships equipped to safely hide refugees from scanners. Our _farisa_ , telepaths I mean, would be on the ships to hide their minds from detection."

"I'm sure your people already have a regular underground railroad," Robert added. "We can be waiting for them."

"Right." Lyta was clearly in deep thought. "You have multiple copies of our arm of the galaxy to work with," Lyta stated. "Correct?"

"Well, yes…"

"Then my price is this." Lyta grinned slightly. She was clearly considering the boon she was about to request and enjoying it. "One: you help blips, rogue telepaths, escape the Psi Corps. Two: you make sure they're cared for in transit and you leave them alone. No prodding them for genetic samples, no testing their abilities. My people will be security against any Psi Corps agents or any other threat. Three…" She leaned in on the table. "You give us a planet. A homeworld for Human telepaths completely under our control. And you give us means to protect it."

Robert considered that for a moment before nodding. "Those terms are all acceptable, with a reservation."

Lyta narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"

"When you say we provide the means for you to protect it, I need to know what you consider sufficient protection. We can provide a theater shield, orbital defenses, arms for a militia, maybe even a small starship or two," Robert said. "But I can't guarantee we can give you a larger starship. Cruisers and above…" He shook his head. "I can't be sure you'd get something like that. I'm not even sure you could maintain a ship of cruiser size with just one colony."

After a moment Lyta nodded. "Fair enough. Reservation accepted."

"I'll make arrangements when we leave," Robert said. "Now, our problem…"

"I'm all ears."

"What do you now about the Darglan?"

For a moment Robert thought he sensed something. Not surprise. A sense of realization, or even expectation. A tinge of… concern? Worry? Something of that nature. But just as he began to focus on the sense it was gone. "The Darglan," Lyta said. "The Vorlons mentioned them once or twice, yes. They used to be not too far from the Minbari frontier. They were wiped out by the Shadows in the Shadow War a thousand years ago. A first strike when the Shadows began moving against the rest of the galaxy."

"Why did the Shadows destroy them?" asked Meridina. "Was it because they had knowledge of interuniversal travel?"

"Yes," stated Lyta matter-of-factly. "The Shadows didn't want that technology falling into anyone else's hands. They spread through Darglan space and wiped out every inhabited world. The Darglan Homeworld was dealt with by their planet-killer cloud. Their other colonies were destroyed by orbiting Shadow vessels."

Robert frowned at that. The Darglan had been such a brilliant, kind race. Being hunted down and exterminated like that…

"I can tell you're unhappy that the Darglan are gone," Lyta said. "But it might have been for the better. Their technology was danger, and they took it too far."

"You mean the newer jump drive they had built and were testing?"

Lyta looked at him with suspicion. That suspicion turned into stony realization. "That's what you're after, isn't it? The Darglan Dimensional Drive."

"Dimensional Drive?" asked Meridina.

"Their attempt to improve upon the interuniversal drive," Lyta said. "The Vorlons told them not to. They did it anyway. The Vorlons never did tell me where they tried to test it, or why, but all I know is that it had severe consequences."

Robert had a feeling he knew what those consequences were. "Whatever it is, we're worried it'll fall into the wrong hands," Robert said. "We already had one aggressive empire get their hands on Darglan weapons technology, and they nearly destroyed Earth in N2C5."

"Is that all?" Lyta asked. "You're not out for it yourself?"

"Our primary mission is to keep it out of the hands of others. If that means destroying it, I will."

"Right." She nodded, but there was still evident skepticism over Robert's motives. "How about this, then? We'll go to your ship. Your people will verify that the deal is accepted and is being enacted, and then I'll reveal a location that may give you what you're looking for."

"That works for me," said Robert. "When can we leave?"

"I have to accommodate my chaperone first," Lyta said. "So I…"

Robert felt something wrong. Lyta did too, given how she stopped speaking. She twisted her position so she wasn't looking directly at the door. "Were you followed?" she hissed.

"No," Robert said. "I'm sure of that."

"Don't even think," Lyta instructed.

And that was enough to tell Robert just what she was worried about. He glanced toward Meridina. She didn't glance back. Concentration showed on her features.

Robert decided he wanted another Jovian sunspot. Even if it made him sick to his stomach, even if it meant spending five minutes standing over the toilet once the detoxicants were ready, he just couldn't resist another drink from Terlo. He had to pay the man, after all. So he got up from his chair and turned toward the bar. Doing so let him see the two individuals stepping in. One was Caucasian, male, white-blond hair, probably in his thirties. The other was male as well with brown complexion and dark hair with a trimmed beard. Both men were standing at the entrance not looking at anything. They were in standard civilian clothing.

And they wore thick, black gloves.

Robert turned away from them and let the mental image fade from his mind. He looked to Terlo and nodded. Terlo grinned and nodded back. Robert brought up his cash card. "Another Jovian sunspot," he asked. "And a distraction. Your share is ten thousand credits."

For a moment Robert was afraid he'd underestimated the value of Earth credits and gone too high. Thirty thousand did seem the right amount for a single passenger to "disappear", after all. But thankfully Terlo seemed to not think it too high and ran the cash card over his scanner. "There we are," he said. "As for a distraction…" He looked around the bar and smirked. "I could use a vacation, I think. Give me a few minutes and head to my storage door when the time comes."

Robert nodded and waited while his seventh Jovian sunspot of the day was delivered to him. The drink had lost its appeal now, but negotiations required he put up the appearance. Once Terlo handed it to him with a wide grin, Robert walked back to the table. He consciously put himself just inside the line of sight from Lyta to her pursuers. "So, back to business," he said. "The terms are satisfactory. We'll depart shortly, just in time for me to finish my drink."

Lyta glanced his way. Clearly she was more focused in keeping her pursuers from noticing her. Meridina was, Robert imagined, shielding her mind and trying to shield his as well. Even now he could feel something, a slight presence tickling at the edge of his thoughts, trying to tease into them unobtrusively. _Hello there_ , he thought. _If you keep this up, I may have to get nasty_.

The presence remained. Robert retaliated by imagining Barney the Dinosaur singing " _I love you, you love me_ " over and over again.

Just as Robert took his last drink, all hell broke lose.

It would have been too obvious to have the fight directly involve Lyta's shadows. No. Instead, a provocation of some sort had been caused, and a group of Drazi were now in heated discussions with another Human and a Hyach. Something was said, the wrong mother was insulted or something like that, and within moments the sounds of a fight were breaking out. The fight swiftly spread to encompass the entire entrance and even the hall outside.

"Here we go," Robert said to them, standing up. Meridina and Lyta both followed, quietly, as he stepped toward the rear door. A lock was visible beside it with a slot for a standard identicard. It opened from inside with a small "click" and the trio went through. Terlo closed it behind them. The back area of his bar was full of boxes of various alcoholic drinks, some atmosphere controlled, and other items. He gestured toward a second door and unlocked it. "The access corridor," he murmured. "Turn to the right. Go down far enough and a door to your right will take you back out into the market."

"Right."

"And keep thinking of Dock 23," Lyta added.

Robert almost asked why, but stopped himself. Telepathic pursuers could be misled that way. He nodded to both. "Thanks, Terlo."

"It's always entertaining to do business with Humans," Terlo answered before returning to his likely-trashed bar.

The trio rushed down the dark gray corridor. It wasn't wide open and on several occasions they had to thread through empty boxes or those with discarded items. It reminded Robert of being behind a strip mall.

They arrived at a door and pushed it open, returning to the market. There was no immediate sign of pursuit. "This way," Meridina said quietly.

There was nothing on the trip to the lift, nor on the lift itself, to cause them alarm. They made their way at a brisk pace to customs, where the lines were rather slow and the guards being painfully thorough. Sensing that the Tokati guard on the right gate was the self-interested type, Robert quietly held up the electronic cash card and walked up to him. The Tokati nodded and just as quietly offered a reader with a very ill-fitting attachment that let it read the card. Robert held the card up and used the screen to deposit two hundred Earth Alliance credits into the guard's personal account. This bribery saw the three whisked through the gate with no fuss.

As they approached the door to Dock 14 and its cargo-receiving area, Robert felt something off. Instinct, or rather his abilities, were warning him about something, something wrong. He quietly pulled the gun from his shoulder holster while Meridina opened the door. It slid open and they walked into the docking bay, empty save the form of their Type 121 transport.

The feeling was getting worse. Worse enough that Robert realized they had made a mistake coming back to Dock 14.

"Trap?" Robert mumbled to Meridina. She nodded. Behind them Lyta was tensing. She could sense it too.

A thought crossed Robert's mind, that they should run, but the sound of the door sliding closed and a latch shifting into place told him it was too late. All they could do was walk forward into the trap.

The trap, as it turned out, was a number of black-clad figures dropping down from the upper level of the docking bay. PPG charge sounds echoed around them as silver pistols and rifles popped up into place to threaten them.

"A very good distraction," a voice said from the entryway to the " _Eagle 5_ ". "Mister Diamond will be sporting a black eye for days."

The figure that stepped out of the entryway and into view was another Human male. He wasn't very tall, and he was well into middle-age. There were only hints of gray at his temples, but his hair was otherwise brown, a few shades lighter than Robert's. Brown eyes of a darker shade looked over them.

Unlike the other dark-clad figures, he was in a uniform, although it too was black. Completely black, with a black leather belt and a connected shoulder strap of the same color over the right shoulder that was somewhat reflective in the light. The gloves were, of course, also black.

The only sign of color on the suit was the pin on the left side of the sternum, right by the wearer's heart. A golden pin with a silver insignia: the Greek letter _Psi_.

A wave of anger and revulsion filled Lyta.

"Hello again, Miss Alexander." The man looked from her to Robert. "Ah. Now you, I wasn't expecting to meet."

"Should I know you?" Robert asked.

"I think everyone should get to know everyone else," the man replied. "It would make the galaxy a nicer place." He grinned. "Although I suppose I should say 'Multiverse' now. Anyway, I suppose an introduction is in order." He stepped closer. "Captain Robert Allen Dale of the _Starship Aurora_ , I presume? And Lieutenant Commander Meridina of the same vessel. Hello."

Meridina and Robert gave no immediate reaction to being identified. Meridina kept the conversation going by asking, "And you are?"

The man's grin took on an edge. "My name is Alfred Bester. I'm with the Psi Corps. And I'm still deciding whether or not I'm going to kill you."


	82. Episode 2-16-4 All That Remains

The dock cargo area was completely quiet for a moment. Robert kept his gun low to avoid triggering anyone shooting. Talking would give time for the others to think of something, at least.

Not that he let himself really think about that.

"I applaud your use of misdirecting thoughts," continued Bester. "If I didn't have someone watching the docks, we might have fallen for it."

"What is it that you want?" Robert asked.

"Peace, quiet, and justice. In reverse order." Bester took another step closer, but he was consciously remaining far enough away to avoid being grabbed at. "We came for Miss Alexander. She and her traveling companion have done well staying below the Corps' notice this past year, but we knew they would have to come back to civilized space for resupply sooner or later. It's quite interesting that you've sought her out as well, Captain."

"I wasn't aware you were a fan," Robert replied. "Actually, I've never heard of you before, Mister Bester."

"I suppose I should be hurt that Sheridan and the others never mentioned me. We have worked together before, in common cause."

"What do you want from us?" asked Meridina.

Bester remained quiet for a moment. "An eye for an eye. A year ago, unknown raiders killed two of my telepaths on a cargo ship, the _Pedicarus_. Ah, sorry, Captain, I'm afraid that flicker of recognition was quite loud enough for me." Bester held a gloved finger up. "I've actually known it was your crew for some time. All we had to do was determine the source of the stolen databanks. After all, your Alliance had just opened contact with our galaxy. Who else would have seen value in Darglan computers? The fact that within two weeks of that attack your people launched their operation to secure the Gamma Piratus Facility merely confirmed my suspicions."

Robert and Meridina said nothing.

"The sad thing is, if your people had simply asked, we would have given you access to that data. After all, we don't want the Reich rummaging around the Multiverse either." Bester's face became a mask of anger. "Instead you attacked our operation and killed two of our people. We can't ignore that."

"And that's why you're thinking of killing us?" Robert asked.

"You'd already be a gibbering lunatic trying to rip his own eyes out if I went with my first plan," Bester said. "A nice little warning to your Alliance at the penalty for crossing the Corps. That's what we do to mundanes who kill our own. The reason you're sane, Captain, is because we don't know _what_ you are. You're not one of us, but you're clearly not a mundane either. The attack on the United Systems Senate demonstrated that fact." Bester looked between them. "So killing you would be a waste. Miss Alexander has to die, unfortunately. She's become an unacceptable threat to our kind."

"You mean a threat to your Corps," Lyta retorted. "You don't give a damn about any telepath that doesn't want to be a drone."

"If I thought I could persuade you otherwise, I would try. But you're not going to change your mind and I have other things to do." Bester returned his gaze to Robert. Robert could feel the telepath poking at the edges of his mind. "I am curious as to why you came looking for Miss Alexander. Well, I'm sure your debriefing can cover that before we send you to the labs."

"Labs?"

"To see what you are, Captain. To find out how your powers work. The same with the Commander here."

"Somehow, Bester, I don't think poking us with needles will tell you much about what we can do."

"You might be surprised by what our scientists can manage."

"I'm not exactly in a hurry to find out."

"Maybe not." That satisfied grin reappeared on Bester's face. He motioned him. "But I have a dozen Psi Corps agents who say otherwise. It would be a loss if you made us kill you. But one way or another, you _are_ coming with us."

The conversation was going nowhere. The only thing they could do now was fight and hope their personal forcefields would let them hold out long enough. He glanced toward Meridina and sensed she agreed.

It was also clear that Bester could tell. He raised his hand and made a motion. PPG guns snapped up to open fire.

Before the fight could break out, the door to the docking area slid open.

Eyes turned that way and watched a single large figure step in. Red eyes looked over the gathered crowd and the hairless being stopped in his tracks. "Well," said the Narn, "it seems I have the wrong dock." He looked toward them, or rather Lyta, with an intent expression.

"G'Kar," Lyta said. "Sorry, we're busy."

"So it appears."

A series of things happened at once. G'Kar took a quick step and threw a punch at a surprised Psi Corps man who had trouble with alien minds. Meridina's lightsaber flashed to life, the blue blade immediately intercepting PPG shots that flashed red over the walls. Robert drew up his power and threw out a wave of force that sent Bester and another of his agents flying. Lyta glared toward the nearest of them, who promptly turned and shot her buddy before being shot by the agent beside her.

This, alone, was unlikely to have gotten them free. Bester's other agents had them in a kill zone. But these things were not the only things to happen.

Two people descended from the upper dock floor, the same the Psi Corps themselves had just used. There was a metallic sound and one of the newcomers was spinning around a metal staff that smacked teeth from the jaw of a Psi Corps agent. The other arrival hit the ground and held her arms out. Two quick metallic shrieks sounded, that of memory metal taking form into two short blades.

Robert turned with his gun raised and put a pulse shot into the arm of a Psi Corps shooter bearing down on the newcomers. One was a Minbari with a light bone crest on his head and a Minbari fighting pike in his hands, the other a Dorei woman with blue skin and light purple spotting. She had dark blue hair pulled into a combat bun at the back of her head and purple eyes that made Robert think of Violeta Arterria's gene-engineered eye color. She moved with deadly grace, driving her blades into one of the Psi Corps men and then the other with a speed that told him she had abilities even as he started to sense them.

A shrill cry came from another of the enemy agents, who had just had his hands and forearms severed by Meridina's blade. She twirled the blue energy blade around and deflected a shot heading toward her. The red PPG shot flashed red over the back of another of the Psi Corps operatives, this one threatening G'Kar from behind.

The sudden arrival of the two newcomers immediately turned the fight against Bester's people. They began to fall back toward the far side of the dock under his telepathic guidance. Bester had a PPG out now and aimed toward Lyta.

Meridina moved in his way as the shot fired. Her lightsaber intercepted the blast and sent it back into Bester's hands. Bester's control was enough that he didn't cry out, but he dropped his weapon. Robert had him dead to rights.

But he could feel it. There were more figures coming. Maybe more Psi Corps, or Kalnit Station security forces, mercenaries… whoever it was, he sensed they didn't want to be here when they arrived.

So instead of shooting Bester, Robert knocked him back with energy.

The Minbari put down his opponent by jabbing one end of his fighting pike into his belly and the other end swinging to smack the man in the face. He turned to Robert and said, "Our ship is nearby, we should go there."

"And you are?"

Meridina stepped up beside him. "Lennier," she said. "Druni."

"Meridina." The Dorei woman, who looked younger than Robert expected from seeing her fight, smiled at Meridina. "It is good to see you, but we should get going."

"She's right." Lyta joined the conversation. "I could sense it in their heads. Your ship's been sabotaged. Probably ours as well." She looked to G'Kar who nodded.

"A Narn couple among the dockworkers warned me about the sabotage. Repairs are proceeding, but we do not have time to wait."

"This way." Lennier took the lead and led them to the door. 

* * *

Bester watched them go with a frown. The plan to take Lyta Alexander out had been months in the making, waiting only the news of her presence to swing into action. Now this unexpected complication had ruined everything.

There was still a chance, however. He activated his link. "Bester to Omega Squadron, launch. They're fleeing in a vessel, unknown configuration, likely alien. Disable if you can, but destroy it before it can escape."

" _Understood._ " 

* * *

The vessel that Lennier and Druni led them to in Dock 18 was a Dorei design, a blue-colored ship resembling a bird with wings swept back, with a feather design painted on the wings in green color. The cockpit was in the "head' part of the ship with the body widest where the wings were attached to the ship. Robert could make out a pair of twin ball turrets built into the top and bottom of the ship and an array of plasma cannons in the front of the wings. The wings themselves sloped down slightly enough to end in warp nacelles. "Nice ship," Robert said to them.

"The _Keyeri_ is her name," Druni said. "She is fueled , stocked, and ready."

As they entered the airlock Robert asked, "Do you have a transporter? We left some things on our ship that we should bring along."

"I'll show you to it," said Druni, leaving Lennier to head to the cockpit and start the ship up. The inside of the ship was likewise colored to Dorei standards, vibrant green with purple trim. From the airlock entrance along the ship's port side one could either turn left to the cockpit and what Robert guessed was the main quarters, or to the right and the engineering spaces, mess hall, and cargo space.

G'Kar and Lyta went off to do their own thing - possibly argue - while Druni led them to the cargo bay of the ship. Robert thought it more of a storage room from the look of it. Even the cargo bay on the _Koenig_ was larger. In one corner was a transporter. Robert activated it and quickly aligned the scanners on the Type 121 they were leaving behind. It wasn't hard to find the device he was looking for. He initiated the transporter and the portable IU radio appeared on the transporter pad in a burst of light.

"What is that?" Druni asked. "Why is it so important?"

"Oh, it's how we're going to call the cavalry if we need to."

The entire ship shuddered. It was lifting off. They left the cargo bay and followed steps back up to the main hall of the ship and toward the cockpit. Lennier was lifting off. As they walked along Robert looked back at Meridina and asked, "How do you know them?"

"They were on the team Commander Andreys assembled to rescue Jarod from the Centre," Meridina answered. "Druni Jestani is a former Sister of the Silver Moon."

Robert nodded. "One of the Dorei orders, right. The all-lesbian one?"

A sound of frustration came from their hostess. "Goddess, if I hear that one more time I may scream," she growled. "No. Men are in the Order too as lay members. And it is not unheard of for a Sister to marry a man in the laity."

"Alright, alright," Robert answered, recognizing that he'd inadvertently stepped into a bit of a minefield there. "That's the last time I let Tom's descriptions worm into my brain."

They made it to the cockpit area. The lone seat at the front and in the middle was for the pilot. Flanking seats were for other functions. Druni took one. "You are trained, yes? Those are the controls for the ship's main weapons and sensors," she said, indicating the seat beside her. The seat behind that was described as being for the turrets.

"And yours?" Robert asked while taking the sensors and weapons post.

"Ship communications and operations."

"Right." Robert could already see they were pulling away from Kalnit Station. Lennier weaved them between an Earth freighter - possible with Bester? - and an Abbai ship. Robert checked the sensor returns and the weapons. "For a ship this size, it's pretty well-armed," he observed. "Four ultralight plasma cannons and dual pulse guns on the turrets for covering the other arcs. You could probably shoot up a corvette with these thing. What is this design?"

"It is from the Henjan-Kimati Shipbuilding company in the Daxai Republic, a Model 4 _Rotaga_ armed courier," Druni answered. "It is used by a number of Dorei governments and corporations for protective interstellar transport of low volume high-value goods or important individuals."

"I cannot imagine your share of the bounty from the _Deadman's Hand_ covered this," Meridina noted.

"No, it did not," Lennier said. "That reward bought us an unarmed private transport."

"And we crashed it," Druni added. She grinned. "Into the palace of a Jeaxian slaver. I shall tell you the story some other time, but right now…"

Robert was already looking at his screens and seeing what she meant. "...right now we have incoming contacts." He used the panel's viewing capability to zoom in on the approaching craft. "Earth Alliance Starfuries. Their weapons are armed."

"Black Omega fighters," said Lyta. "They're an elite wing of Psi Corps pilots."

"Are we ready to go to warp?"

"I am getting us clear of Kalnit's traffic lanes now," said Lennier. "I recommend you raise shields.

"Shields are raised," said Druni, while Meridina began tracking the Starfuries. The positioning of the four turrets meant only two would point toward the aft. She breathed in and let her instincts guide her in opening fire.

Since she didn't consciously think of her target, the telepathic pilots had no warning. Bursts of white light slammed into the lead fighter and blew upper wings off. As it began to spin helplessly in space, the other fighters returned fire. Their weapons played over the _Keyeri_ 's shields. The vessel rumbled slightly. "Shields down to eighty-eight percent," was Druni's report.

The Dorei courier ship raced on through the void with the Psi Corps fighters in hot pursuit. White pulses flashed back and forth between hunter and hunted. Another of the Starfuries took a hit, this one just off the cockpit. It stopped accelerating.

"We are clear in three… two… one." Lennier hit a sequence of keys. "I have finalized our course. Activating warp drive now."

With a quick rumble through the deck, the _Keyeri_ jumped to warp.

"They don't have warp drives so no pursuit." Robert let the tension of the unexpected fight out with a breath. "Alright, now that the crazy part is over, perhaps we should all talk?"

That prompted laughter from behind them. All eyes turned to face G'Kar. The Narn leader was smiling and an amused twinkle was in his eyes. "Captain, if you believe the 'crazy part' is over, you have clearly not been involved in our humble universe for long enough."

"Fine. Now that the most _recent_ crazy part is over, we should talk." Robert turned his head to face Druni. "How did you find us?"

"It wasn't easy," she answered. "I had to meditate to get enough clarity. And Lennier's guess that you would go for Lyta helped narrow down the potential choices."

Robert almost asked why before it came to him. "Julia asked you to help?"

"She did." Druni grinned. "And Lennier and I like helping people out, so we said yes."

Lennier nodded. "Although I did not expect to face Agent Bester." He looked back. "Do you have a destination in mind?"

"Not yet." Robert turned to look at Lyta. "That depends on Miss Alexander. Which reminds me that I have a call to make. Does this ship have a secure IU radio?"

"It's meant to be a government or corporate transport," Druni reminded him. "Of course it does."

"Then I have a call to make." Robert stood up. "Do you have a mess room or something where we can direct the call?"

"In the back, to your left," Druni replied. "If you eat my _seemai_ strips, I will throw you out of the airlock."

Robert was familiar with what she was talking about; strips of _seemai_ fruit, which always seemed to him to taste like an avocado mixed with a grapefruit. "Meridina will keep me out of trouble." He looked over her console. Druni moved to let him input the call channel and an access code. "Let me know when he answers?"

Druni nodded in reply and let them depart. 

* * *

Angela found Julia right where she expected her to be. Namely, in her Deck 3 office, thinking and worrying. Julia looked up and asked, "What is it?" when Angel entered fully.

"I was just seeing how you were holding up," Angel said.

"Ah. I'm alright." Julia motioned to her screen. "Emissary Jopari just let me know that the treaty passed final reading. As soon as the Committee of Chiefs signs off on it, and they probably will, the defense treaty will be in force."

"What about the Senate? We still have to ratify, right?"

Julia nodded. "The treaty's going before the Senate today. Passage is expected without complaint."

"Well, our job's done then." Angel sat in a chair. "Now we can jump to E5B1 and help Rob and Meridina."

Julia shook her head. "No, we can't. Orders are we remain here."

Angel frowned. "Why?"

"To help finish the excavations of the Azeyma's Rest site, and to protect the planet until a force of Dorei starbirds arrives," answered Julia. "Although I think the real reason is that Maran and Sheridan don't want us traipsing around E5B1 looking for Rob and Meridina."

"What are they hiding?"

"I've no idea." There was an unease in the room. "I've thought about calling Zack and asking him to look for Robert and the others."

"It's an idea," Angel agreed. "Of course, if Maran finds out he'll order him away."

"Yeah." Julia thought on it another moment before sitting up in her chair and activating her systems.

A wry grin appeared on Angel's face. "Calling Zack?"

"Yep." After a few key presses and a wait on the screen, Zack's image appeared. He looked slightly bleary but quite satisfied. "How is B5?"

" _Incredible. We gave Karen a welcome back party and beat B5 Security at darts_ ," Zack replied. " _I'm letting some of the other crew take shore leave over there right now. Then we'll jump back to N2S7 and heard your way._ "

"How about you stick around and go find Rob and Meridina?"

Zack seemed to think on it. " _I suppose, if I can find any indication of where they went. At least until Maran calls for me to go somewhere._ "

"Well, do what you can and let me know?"

" _Sure, I_ …" Zack stopped. " _Speak of the devil_."

Julia blinked. "What?"

" _Admiral Maran's calling_ ," Zack said. " _Sorry. I'd better take this_."

"Yeah, you'd better," Julia sighed. She canceled the call on her end and looked at Angel. "That's just… ugh! How did he know?!"

"Well, he's either spying on us, or he's got bad timing," Angel pointed out.

"I'll go with 'bad timing' because the other option is something I don't want to contemplate," mumbled Julia. With a stroke of a key she shut down her screen. "That's it. I want to go hit something."

Angel laughed. "Usually that's my line."

"It's a good line." Julia stepped around her desk and went for the door. 

* * *

Zack watched Julia disappear from his office desk computer screen. Three seconds later, Maran appeared. "Yes, Admiral?"

" _Commander, you've picked up Lieutenant Derbely, correct?_ "

"We have, sir."

" _And you've undoubtedly recovered from whatever celebration you had to welcome her back?_ "

"Mostly, sir." Zack grinned at that. "April's a bit under the weather, but we're good."

" _Excellent. Because you're the closest ship for a special mission I've got in mind._ " Maran tapped a control on his desk. " _I'm sending coordinates and a series of special codes to you on a double-encrypted subchannel._ "

Zack blinked at that. Double-encryption? That implied Maran was worried about interception. By whom? "Alright sir." He tapped a key on his end and acknowledged the subchannel had opened. "What can I do for you?"

" _At those coordinates you'll find an Earth-built transport vessel named the_ Hycantha _. Identify yourselves to them with the codes I have just sent to you. You are to escort it into hyperspace and to the Gamma Orionis Jump Gate, at the edge of Alliance space. There will you oversee its rendezvous with the Gersallian transport_ Hencerasa _and the transfer of its passengers. Once this is complete, escort the_ Hencerasa _to our colony at the Reynar System. This mission is on a time limit, so you are authorized to use interuniversal jumps to hide your course and get to the target area as quickly as possible._ "

As Maran laid out the orders, Zack grew concerned. That concern grew when the computer finished the double-encryption on the coordinates and displayed the location. "Sir, these coordinates… this is for the Sheffer System. In Earth Alliance space."

" _Yes, they are_ ," Maran said. " _Earthforce's sensor systems in that system can't see you through your cloak. Use a narrow beam transmission to contact the_ Hycantha _and let them know you've got them under escort._ "

Zack's concern became a full-fledged bad feeling. "If we're escorting them, who is it against? I mean, are you expecting us to engage Earthforce?"

" _Not unless absolutely necessary and they fire first. And do not engage if it puts your ship at risk. However, it is imperative that the passengers and crew on the_ Hycantha _get to Reynar. If you have to abandon the_ Hycantha _and beam them aboard, do so. Captain Dale's safety may be at stake._ "

 _Just what does he have Rob doing? What does this have to do with the hunt for Darglan stuff?_ Zack forced himself to nod once. "I see, sir. I'll do what's necessary."

" _Before you go, Commander, one last clarification of your engagement orders._ " Maran's mouth shifted slightly, becoming a frown. " _Normal Earthforce vessels are to be left alone unless absolutely necessary to safeguard the people on the_ Hycantha, _and under no circumstances can you destroy one_. _But if you're facing a vessel used by the Psi Corps and it threatens the_ Hycantha, _feel free to commence an engagement on your terms_."

"Sir?" Zack blinked. "Are you telling me to open fire, without provocation, on a ship belonging to a branch of the Earth Alliance's government?'

" _Yes. Psi Corps has already committed hostile actions against the Alliance and they can pose a grave threat to your ship. Consult Commander King's records of the engagement at Venir a year ago September if you want to understand what I mean. If a Psi Corps vessel is involved, do not hesitate to destroy it._ "

Zack swallowed. _I effectively fired the first shot against the Nazis. Will I fire the first shot against these people as well?_ Still, he knew what he had to say in response. "Orders understood, Admiral. Is there anything else?"

" _No. As I said, Captain Dale's safety may rest on this mission. Get to it immediately. Maran out._ "

Once Maran disappeared from the screen Zack left his office and walked to the bridge. Apley looked at him from the helm. "Sir?" He could see that Zack was no longer in a happy mood.

"Order all of our people back from B5. All shore leaves are canceled."

Magda and April looked at each other with worry. "Sending orders, sir," she said. "It will take them a few minutes to get through departures and arrive at a point to beam out through their magnetic shields."

Zack nodded. He supposed he could ask Captain Lochley to temporarily lower the mag-shields so he could get his people off… but given his orders, he didn't want to specify what they were doing to her. "Set the jump drive to…" Zack consulted his memory. "...set it to Vega Fleet Base, Universe L4R2."

"Sir. Vega is just outside of the spatial aspect zone," Magda pointed out. "We won't actually arrive there."

"I'm well aware of that, Magda. We're not staying in L4R2. We'll be free-jumping back to E5B1 as soon as the jump drive can be safely re-engaged. Once we're back in E5B1, engage the cloaking device. Apley, you'll lay in a course for the Sheffer System, maximum warp."

"That's in Earth Alliance space," Apley said. Now he was showing worry.

"I'm aware of that, Ap." Zack imagined a more strict officer would have been angry with his people for seeming to question his orders. But he was proud of them. "Those are our orders straight from the top."

Apley drew in a breath and realized what that meant. "Alright. I'll lay in the course and engage as soon as our double-jump is complete."

"What's going on?" asked April. "Why are we sneaking into EA space?"

"Escort mission," Zack answered. "I'm not sure who we're escorting yet. All I know is that our orders are to leave Earthforce alone, to get the people on the ship to the Reynar System, and that if a Psi Corps-operated vessel tries to stop the ship we're covering, we're to blow them out of the stars before they can blink our way." He drew in a breath. "And that Captain Dale's safety is at stake."

That caused nods all around. This was for comrades and friends, then. They could accept that.

Magda's board toned. "Sir, the last of our crew just beamed off." Another tone went off. "Babylon Control just signaled. They want to know if everything is fine."

"Put me on." When Magda nodded, Zack raised his voice and said, "Babylon Control, this is Commander Carrey on the _Starship Koenig_. We've been called on priority assignment and are about to commence an interuniversal jump. Please provide us a flight path to a safe jumping point."

The voice that came over the line was that of a woman, with a firm tone. " _Captain Lochley here. I understand, Commander. Good luck._ "

"Thank you, Captain. Hopefully we'll be back some day. Carrey out."

"We're getting a flight path, activating impulsor drives."

The _Koenig_ twisted away from B5 and gained speed as she flew toward the station's rear. Once she was clear of the station and at a safe distance, Magda activated the jump drive. A green vortex expanded into existence and they accelerated into it. 

* * *

The mess room on the _Keyeri_ was a two-part room set into the starboard side of the ship just aft of the quarters. The rear portion was a kitchen, or rather a kitchenette, while the forward portion was a dining area with a small round table that could comfortably seat six people.

The dining area's fore-side wall had a viewscreen embedded into it. Admiral Maran's image appeared after a few minutes of quiet. " _The Koenig is en route to rendezvous with the_ Hycantha," he said.

"That's good." Lyta put her hands on the table and tapped a key. "Lennier, can you please take us on a course for the Kuzaram star system?"

" _I am doing so now._ "

"That's in Minbari space," Robert observed.

"It is," Lyta said. "But it's not too far from where we're going. As soon as your ship makes the rendezvous with the _Hycantha_ , I'll provide you with the system in question. Provided that Admiral Maran can follow through on my request."

Maran nodded. " _I've consulted with Secretary Saratova and President Morgan. We've found a world that fits your criteria. In this universe it's inhabited by a Centauri colony, the Kitamo Colony. In A4P5, it's uninhabited, but is considered acceptable for Human habitation with no environmental or biological hazards. We can arrange prefabricated colony structures to be available when your first colonists arrive._ "

There was evident pleasure on Lyta's face at that. "Thank you very much, Admiral. You won't regret this, I promise. In time the telepaths of the Byron Free Colony will be among the Allied System's strongest supporters."

" _And we thank you for your help_ ," Maran answered, diplomatically evading the issue that Lyta's help was coming at a cost. Near-Earth garden worlds were not entirely rare, but given the desire for colonies setting one aside as a refugee colony exclusive to one group of refugees did present a challenge. If this was about anything less than potentially-dangerous Darglan technology that could fall into the hands of people like the Psi Corps, Robert doubted Maran could have managed it. The best Lyta could have hoped for was an enclave on New Liberty which was clearly not what she desired.

"I'll keep you informed of any new developments, Admiral," Robert said.

" _Please do, Captain. Maran out._ " He disappeared from the screen.

"You admire him," Lyta observed.

"Maran is a good man," Robert answered. "He's not afraid to step forward when he has to, he always recognizes success and rewards it, and he watches out for his subordinates."

"He reminds me of John Sheridan, a little."

Robert considered that and gave a slight nod. "The thought crossed my mind too."

Given the conflicted look on Lyta's face, Robert realized the comparison hadn't entirely been a compliment. "The thing about people like that is… the moment you're not useful anymore, and you decide to stand for something they find inconvenient to their plans, all of that effort goes away. They'll turn on you without pause."

There was just the right bit of bitterness in Lyta's voice to tell Robert what she was referring to. Meridina was the one to ask, "What happened?"

"I tried to do the right thing. We all did. And we bled and died for them. But we weren't convenient politically, so they ignored us," Lyta said, sourly. "They gave us shelter and then let Bester and his Bloodhounds hunt us down because it was easier than standing up to him. The only reason Bester left empty-handed was because they came up with a procedural technicality to stop him." Lyta's voice was picking up in anger. "And when we finally demanded our due, they all turned on us. And Byron paid the price."

"I have heard of this incident," said Meridina. "Did Byron not attempt to blackmail the InterStellar Alliance's council members into giving you a world."

"Yes, he did," stated Lyta. She glared intently at Meridina. "The fact that he felt it necessary to go that far should tell you just how bad things were for us. How little they cared for us in the long run. "

Meridina looked at her with sympathy. "I understand your pain and anger. But if you let it drive you, it will consume you."

"I'm not in the mood to be psycho-analyzed." Lyta stood up from the table. "I'm going to lay down for a while. Let me know if we get to Kuzaram. If we end up stopping by, the Minbari colonists were quite good to me and G'Kar when we dropped in a few months ago."

Once she was gone Robert glanced toward Meridina. Meridina bowed her head. "I fear for her," she admitted. "That much pain and anger can mislead."

"But she has to want to let us help," Robert pointed out. "She has to be willing to hear us. She's not. We can't do anything for her."

"I fear you are right." Meridina stood. "I shall find a room and meditate."

Robert nodded. "And I…" He stood, feeling an old, familiar, and very uncomfortable sensation. "...am going to find a bathroom before my bladder explodes."

"That is why I was very careful with those Jovian sunspots." The merest hint of a smile appeared on Meridina's face before she stepped out. 

* * *

Meridina sensed the arrival into the cargo bay and nodded. "You are G'Kar, yes?"

"I am." The Narn sat down on the floor in front of her. "You are one of the near-Human species from the other universes?"

"Yes. I am Meridina of Gersal, formerly a _swevyra'se_ , a Knight, in the Order of Swenya." Meridina opened her eyes and considered G'Kar. "I have spent some time reading a translation of your book."

"I see." He showed no sign off the sort of reaction a writer might ordinarily give to his or her or their work being read by another. "Do you have questions?"

"There are always questions. But for the most part, I have observations."

"And those would be?"

Meridina clasped her hands together. "You are a man who once dwelled in darkness, full of anger and pain. You did things in the name of your people you should not have done."

G'Kar shook his head. "Indeed. I was a different man."

"And yet here you are. I sense the Light in you, strong, pure. You have let go of the hatreds that bound you to your past. You seek to lead your people to embrace those qualities. That is an admirable goal."

"When you speak of Light, what is it that you mean?" G'Kar asked.

"The Light of Life. The Flow of Life surrounding us all. Light enriches and strengthens it. Darkness chokes it." Meridina held her hand up and used it to levitate a tool that Druni or Lennier had left on the ground. "My training as a _swevyra'se_ , a Knight of Life, allows me to draw upon the energies of my _swevyra_." Sensing what G'Kar was about to ask, she added, "There is no term in the Human English tongue for it, and I am unfamiliar with your own language enough to know if you have a word for it. _Swevyra_ is the energy of life within oneself. Some have a _swevyra_ that lets them feel the Flow of Life and to connect with the universe, or Multiverse."

"I see." G'Kar folded his hands in his lap. "An extraordinary gift. But not exclusive to your species?"

"Any may have a _swevyra_ that has such a connection."

"As your Captain does. And the young Dorei woman Lennier has been traveling with."

"Indeed." Meridina settled her hands back onto her knees. "I sense you feel no anxiety over such a thing existing. Even though your universe seems to lack in any traditions similar to my own."

"I would feel no anxiety over something like this," G'Kar answered. "What you have told me merely confirms my own views on life. That it is wondrous and full of mystery, and that we should be privileged when the mystery is revealed to us."

Meridina nodded and smiled. "I have learned to feel the same."

"You have used the Human word 'Knight' to describe yourself. I once met a Human who considered himself such. He was willing to fight against superior odds to reclaim a picture belonging to an old woman, an image dear to her memory."

"A worthy act. Such things strengthen the Flow of Life, and that is the purpose of a _swevyra'se_."

"And you say you are no longer one?" A curious look came to G'Kar's eyes. "Why?"

Meridina met his eyes with her own. She knew he was perceptive enough to see the pain behind them. "To do what was right, to follow the path I know I must take for the good of everything I cherish, of those I cherish… I left my Order. To remain would be to betray everything I have built."

"A difficult decision. I am familiar with them." G'Kar drew in a breath and closed his eyes. "Yes, very familiar."

"May I ask you something?"

"You may."

"Your book has become a guide to your people," said Meridina. "Yet you rejected their pleas to lead them and instead departed for the edge of civilized space. Why?"

"Because it was the necessary thing," said G'Kar. "My people wished to raise me to power. Over a book that I had never intended to release until after my death. I fear that they are missing the point of my writings."

"Or they find it easier to be led by you than to follow your wisdom, hard-earned that it is, themselves," Meridina observed. "Swenya, it is said, had the same problem."

"And how did Swenya handle it?" asked G'Kar.

"She formed the Order, and refused all other roles," Meridina answered. "She devoted herself to teaching her Code to those of our people with a connected _swevyra_."

"A decent alternative."

"Yes." Meridina met him eye to eye again. "But she did not hide from her people either. Though she refused the power they pleaded her to take, Swenya remained to advise those they elected to lead them. No control, nothing but guidance."

G'Kar considered that. "You feel that is what I should have done."

"I do," Meridina answered. "I do understand why you chose this instead, but if your people feel lost enough to beg you to lead them, they can be lured into darkness by their own fears."

For a long moment nothing was said. G'Kar finally nodded in acceptance of her point. "Perhaps my time away from the Homeworld has come to its proper end," he said. "Once we have completed this excursion, I will consider returning."

"It may be that your time away has been for the best, just as your return will be," Meridina agreed. 

* * *

The benefit to the bunk he had on the _Keyeri_ was that Robert didn't bump his head when he woke up in a start from the dreams. The vision in his head, of the _Aurora_ being assailed by a fleet of dark shapes, her hull spewing flame and gas and debris, had come to him before. It was not a common one, but this time it was so powerful…

And then there was the face. The woman who was saying "Bad Wolf" to him in his dreams. He was starting to make out detail. Definitely a younger woman, maybe even at the end of her teens. Blond hair. And the accent…

Expecting he wouldn't be getting back to sleep, Robert changed clothes and went to the kitchen. He found that Druni or Lennier had thoughtfully programmed the replicator with coffee. A drink from it did much to get the sleep out of his eyes. That it also made his taste buds recoil was an unpleasant side effect. The replicator was apparently where the ship's builder had skimped.

With a mug of dreadfully bad coffee in his hand, Robert journeyed up to the cockpit. Lennier was resting and Druni had taken a turn at the helm. She didn't look back when she said, "I thought I felt something peculiar about you."

"Oh?"

She turned to face him. "It's not a common thing. Being able to sense possible futures through the Gift."

"It's a curse," Robert grumbled. "The news is almost always bad."

"That's because you let it be," Druni said. "Your energy responds to your mood. When it's good, and when you feel good about the future, you see the futures that are good. When you're brooding and angry and feeling uncertain or bad about the future, that's when your dreams fill with bad stuff."

"You speak from experience, I'm guessing?"

"A little. I've had some clairvoyant visions. It's what helped me find you and Meridina."

"Thank you for that. Again."

"No thanks are necessary," Druni assured him. "But they are welcome."

Robert nodded and sipped at the atrocious coffee again to see if it woke him up further. It did, although not pleasantly. He looked out the cockpit canopy at the streaks of warp space. "Do you enjoy being out here?" he asked her.

"Oh, yes," Druni said. "Flying from star to star, going between universes. Always finding somewhere new to visit. Helping people." She looked at him with glee in her purple eyes. "You know what that's like, don't you?"

Robert grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah, I do."

"But you gave it up."

"We did." He shrugged. "Had to, really. After we lost the Facility, we had nowhere to keep the _Aurora_ maintained. And I like to think there have been benefits."

"More resources, certainly," Druni answered.

"If I might ask, why did you leave your Order?"

Robert hoped he hadn't stepped on a mine with the question. Druni's emotional reaction was sad, but layered with resigned acceptance. "I was trying to fight a rogue Coserian cybertrooper in the Unaligned Worlds. It was my first mission as a Sentinel of the Silver Moon."

"Sentinel?"

"The first rank when we graduate to full Sisters," Druni clarified. "I was on the planet Junan, a colony of Kilpak - they are the four-eyed bipeds from my home universe - and the machine was attacking civilians. We fought. I was losing, despite my gifts. His weapons were too great. So I used a technique that my uncle Tormarin had taught me. He was Gifted too."

"This is the lightning attack you used on the _Deadman's Hand_?" Upon seeing her surprised expression Robert said, "It was in Commander Andreys' report."

"Yes. It is a simple technique," Druni said. "You use your power to separate positive and negative charges in the air. When this creates an electrical field from the charges attempting to meet, you direct it through yourself with your power and channel it into a lightning bolt."

Robert imagined that technique. It explained the hand movements Julia had described. "Sounds useful."

"It can be. But lightning is associated with the powers of darkness. Even if the lightning is not formed from the Gift itself, but from the natural charge in the air." Druni's eyes lowered. "My Sisters discovered what I had done. I was ordered to meditate on my 'error' and to swear to never again use the power. I instead told them I would leave the Silver Moon rather than denounce a technique that can save lives. So I left. And my parents disowned me."

"What?" Robert blinked.

"I am Astra… you are familiar with the Dorei nations, yes?"

"Um, moderately. I know Sindai nations are still polytheist, that the Daxai are the most powerful of the Merchant and Corporate Republics…" Robert shrugged. "...and I think I heard that the Astra have the holiest sites for the Eternal Goddess religion?"

"The Lushan host the Church's headquarters, but the oldest temples are in my nation, yes. The Queens of the Astra are always Ordained Priestesses and ceremonial guardians of the Temple of the Lunar Revelation. Anyway, I will not force you to listen to an academic lecture about our religion. You simply need to know that the Astra are generally a religiously devout and conservative people. Astra with the Gift are expected to join the Church's Holy Orders for the Gifted. Leaving as I did, from defiance of the Order's rules… my parents were quite upset."

Robert could sense the pain inside of her at that outcome. "Maybe they'll… well, if you show you're still…"

"They do not understand. Few do. Even your teacher Meridina believed the power was dangerous." Tears streaked down Druni's cheeks. "I know it is a dangerous use of power. Such energy can kill. If you're not careful with it…"

"The same with a lot of things. I've made mistakes that got my people killed. Even though I thought I was doing the right thing." Robert took in a breath and thought of what else to say. "All you can do is try to do the right thing and consider the consequences of what you do."

"Yes." Druni sat back in the cockpit chair. The emotional moment had drained her. Robert regretted asking her about her past. He looked away and thought of something else he might say, something that might make her feel better. It was Druni, however, who spoke next. "The weapon Meridina now carries. I saw the fight on Gersal with that fallen _Mastrash_. It is the same weapon that her student Lucy used, isn't it?"

"Yes and no." Robert shook his head. "The weapon Lucy used to beat Goras was Swenya's Blade. The actual relic. She found out how to reactivate it. And after months of trying, she figured out how to build her own."

"Extraordinary," Druni stated, with heartfelt awe. "I still use my _tenari_ , but I would love to have such weapons."

"Lucy taught Meridina how to build one. Meridina could teach you."

"I will ask, then." Druni turned her head and faced him. Her lips, a darker and richer shade of blue than her skin, formed a smile. "And you, Captain Dale? Have you learned how to build one?"

"No." Robert shook his head. "I'm afraid my control is pretty bad. I haven't gotten it to work."

"Practice will improve you."

"Maybe. But I'm a horrible duelist anyway, so I'm not sure I should." Robert rubbed at his forehead at the thought of it. "Honestly, I'd only ever intended to learn enough of this stuff to control it, not to master it. If things hadn't…"

There was a beep at their consoles. Druni checked her board. "We're arriving in the Kuzaram System. I'm taking us out of warp."

The _Keyeri_ slowed to sublight speed as they approached the planet. Robert checked the file on the planet. Under the Allied Systems' planetary class charge, Kuzaram was an O1-type garden planet, a world that had just enough ocean area at 90.04% to be considered an oceanic world instead of a standard continental garden planet like Earth. The main Minbari colony was in a valley on the lone continent on the planet, which took up 7% of the planet's area and was roughly the size of South America.

Landing would give them a chance to stretch their legs. On the other hand, their mission was still covert enough that even a Minbari colony might not be safe. "Don't approach the colony. Keep us a distance away and off their scanners if you can."

"Alright." Druni started operating the helm. "What else?"

"Nothing." Robert laid back in the seat. "Now we wait for developments." 

* * *

The _Koenig_ came out of warp a few thousand kilometers from the Jump Gate in the Sheffer system. Sensors showed traffic in the area was light. "I'm reading one vessel with an Earthforce ID," Magda said to Zack. "According to our records, it's an _Artemis_ -class vessel. A heavy frigate in Earthforce parlance."

"Right. But no other combat ships?"

"Nothing. Just a few transporters. Mostly Earth Alliance-flagged, plus a Drazi merchant ship… and one of the Earth ships is reading as the _Hycantha_."

"There's our ship. Take us to her, full impulse."

The _Koenig_ , hidden by her cloak, moved through the system without any sign of being detected. Within minutes the _Hycantha_ was on screen. "It's a M'Gede Technologies Commercial Transport," Magda said. "It's meant for running cargo with a small passenger limit, but my sensors are showing that it's got at least twice the passenger total that it's rated for."

"Hrm. Send them a tight beam transmission with the following codes." Zack used the small console to the right of his command chair to provide the identification codes Maran had sent for Magda's use.

"I'm sending the transmission." After several seconds. "They're responding with a tight beam transmission of their own. They have acknowledged our presence and are heading to the jump gate."

"Follow them, Ap," Zack said. "Keep us close enough that we'll use their jump point."

"Yes sir," Apley replied. 

* * *

Robert had taken over in the cockpit for Druni, who wanted a drink and a chance to talk to Meridina. The controls were Dorei standard which he had a passive familiarity with, enough that he could fly in sublight with them. But he suspected Lennier or Druni, or perhaps Meridina, would have to guide the ship to warp if they were being completely safe.

With nothing to do Robert stared out at the void of space. Without an atmosphere, there was no bright carpet of distant, twinkling lights like he had known growing up on the family farm. His memories fell back to the time his Grandmother Anna had shown him the constellations and taught him their names in English and in German. He remembered her telling him about how her father taught her the very same stars in the years between the wars. Frederick Beck had been an officer in the Imperial German Navy and a veteran of Jutland; teaching his children astronomy had been a way for him to spend time with them, or so Grandma Anna had said. As a child he had always thought she seemed especially quiet after those lessons. Now, as an adult who had lost his father as well… Robert realized that Grandma Anna had been recalling

At the time he hadn't thought much of the stars. He'd never wanted to be an astronaut growing up. Not when he had the family farm that he was being raised to inherit. It was ironic that something that he had only loved as a way to spend time with his grandmother had become something that was part of his everyday life.

He felt Lyta approach before he heard her treading down the deck. Robert turned in the pilot chair to face her. "Yes?"

"Your ship just made contact with the _Hycantha_ ," she said. "You need to set a course for an F sequence star about one parsec away from the Darglan home system."

Robert turned back to the console and brought up the star charts. He specified the Darglan homeworld, now known to be She'teyal. "I'm reading…" He nodded. "Just one system. An F4 sequence star."

Druni and Meridina walked into the cockpit behind Lyta. "You have a destination, then." Meridina wasn't asking.

"We do." Robert indicated the holo-screen he was looking at.

Druni slipped by Lyta and took the helm right as Robert vacated it. "I am laying in a course. At our best warp velocity, we'll be there in three days."

"That sounds right," said Lyta. "By then the _Hycantha_ will be at Gamma Orionis."

"Take us out, then," said Robert. "Please." He added the last in last second recollection that this was not his ship.

Druni's hands moved over the ship controls. The _Keyeri_ re-orientated itself and made the jump to warp speed. 

* * *

The _Keyeri_ left the Kuzaram system at Warp 5.2, its fastest safe speed, its occupants settling in for their long flight.

They might not have settled in so well had they known that, at that moment, their ship was a dot on a set of subspace scanners showing on a bridge many light years away.

The ship was black, appropriately enough. Indeed, in defiance of the usual procedure for such vessels, it had no name or marking insignia painted on its hull. Without a very specific set of frequencies set for listening, someone wouldn't even get the ship's IFF transponder code to learn its name: _Muninn_. This was an intentional feature since those commanding the ship were not particularly interested in being known.

Captain Phan sat in the main chair. The Vietnamese woman watched the scanner return and turned to her special passenger, the man she was reporting to. She kept her gloved hands together in her lap.

Alfred Bester watched the dot. _Do we know what course they're on?_ Bester asked.

 _Toward the claimed Alliance zone. Our new star charts say they are heading to the vicinity of the Darglan homeworld_. Phan frowned. _How do you intend to evade the Alliance's sensor nets?_

 _Their sensor nets are incomplete due to the demands of their war effort_. Bester walked up to the screen and tapped a star. _Warp-equipped scout ships from IPX have had success sneaking into Alliance territory through Delta Serpentis. We'll do the same. Have all stealth measures running to keep us hidden and by the time the Alliance realizes we were here, we'll be done with the mission and escaping in hyperspace._ Bester felt the doubt come from Phan, and other members of the crew. _I understand your skepticism. But Lyta Alexander is a danger to the Corps. And now that we know who's with her, the recovery of Captain Dale and Commander Meridina is a priority. With study, we may learn how to improve future generations of our people. It's for the good of us all._

Phan nodded. _The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father. Helm, set a course for Delta Serpentis_ , _cruise speed_.

The _Muninn_ 's bow turned toward the starboard and "lifted". There was no flash; the internal warp drive activated and the black-coated vessel jumped to warp.


	83. Episode 2-16-5 All That Remains

_Ship's Log: ASV Koenig; 18 October 2642. Commander Zachary Carrey commanding. We are currently six hours out from Gamma Orionis at the edge of Earth Alliance-held space. So far we have had no problems with our escort of the transport vessel_ Hycantha. _I'm still wondering how this ship is linked to Captain Dale's current mission. I imagine a deal has been struck with someone, but I would like to know who it is, and more importantly, just what we're escorting into Alliance space._

 _I must also log that Doctor Opani and the seven other Dorei members of my crew have spent the last three days sleeping with sedatives due to the unexpected impact of hyperspace upon their latent psionic talents. I will be submitting a report to the Alliance Stellar Navy on the dangers of exposing those with telepathy to hyperspace._

A scan of the _Hycantha_ was showing on the large wall-screen in Zack's office off the bridge. Magda and Apley were seated across from him and looking at the same. "There's nothing special about the cargo," Magda insisted. "The materials scan indicates manufactured consumer goods."

"So the ship is carrying… what? Furniture?"

"Or house furnishings. Office supplies. Cookware." Magda shrugged. "It could be any of that. The only thing particular is that this ship is rated for seven crew and twenty-five passengers, but I'm reading about sixty-five separate life signs with our sensors."

"So what, refugees?"

"I'm not sure from where," said Apley. "We don't have any reports of major wars or conflicts or even disasters."

"Maybe they're fleeing from something in specific?" Magda proposed.

"Fugitives?" Zack frowned. "So, what, we're helping criminals?"

"Maybe." Apley shook his head. "We'd have to know what was going on with Captain Dale to know for sure."

"Yeah." Zack thought it over and figured he was still missing pieces if he was going to figure this out. "Well, you're both dismissed. We still have some time before we're jumping out of hyperspace."

"Frankly, I can't wait to be back in realspace," grumbled Magda. "Hyperspace is a nightmare."

"Tell me about it," grumbled Zack, who had decided that the boredom of watching streaks in warp space was now preferable to the red and black chaos of hyperspace.

* * *

On the _Keyeri_ , everyone seemed to have gone off to do their own thing. Lennier and G'Kar were catching up in the cockpit, Lyta was sleeping (or may be sleeping, nobody knew there), and the others were in the cargo bay.

There wasn't a lot of room in the cargo bay, and having three people sitting in it took up quite a bit of space. The lack of space had been a concern for Robert. Of greater interest to him, however, was the disparate number of parts levitating in the air in front of him. His will held them in place. He kept his mind clear and visualized the pieces flowing together _just right_ …

Two came together, then a third, and the blue crystal they'd brought with them. For a moment Robert thought he had it. But then a piece fell out of place. He tried to pull it back but lost his grips on some of the others, and within moments his focus was gone and all of the parts rained to the floor in front of him. He let out a growl of utter frustration and stood up. "This isn't working," he announced.

"It may take you time to learn the control necessary," Meridina replied.

"I'm not sure I ever will. I'm not even sure of the point of it. I was horrible in our testing duels." Robert picked up the various pieces that had fallen everywhere and gathered them together.

The crystal had rolled over to where Druni was sitting,, beside the wall and a container full of nonperishable soup. She considered the crystal. "Is this a _domari_ crystal?" she asked them.

"I believe Lucy acquired that from McQuarrie Station," Meridina replied. "Although it may be the same as your _domari_."

"I see. One moment." Druni handed the items to Robert and left the cargo bay.

After she left Robert started setting them up again for another try. One that he really did not have his heart set upon. Meridina reached over and took his arm. "You do not have to try again," she said. "I believe it may be counter-productive."

Robert drew his hand back from the pile. "I'm sorry if that upsets you," he said.

"It does not." Meridina shook her head. "We all have our own strengths with our connection to the universe. I had expectations that increased training might lead you to finding the skills to fight with a blade and your power. But it is becoming clear this isn't the path you're meant to be on."

"Oh?"

"Not all with _swevyra_ fight," she pointed out. "Among the Order, those who lack the skill or control find other avenues in which to serve."

"Like your healing specialists."

"Yes." Meridina set her hand on his shoulder. "Do not let this undermine you. Whether or not you are ever able to take up the blade, we will work to develop your talents wherever they lead."

"Right." There was a trace of bitterness in his voice that Meridina felt. He had given up his relationship with Angel for this training because he, because they all, believed it was vital for the future of the Multiverse. Now, months after that decision, it seemed like his learning was, if not over, going in directions that seemed to make his decision a mockery. He was never going to be as powerful as Lucy or Meridina.

Meridina said nothing to that. There was nothing to say. It was a truth they had to face.

Druni returned to the cargo bay with crystals in her hand. Unlike the blue crystals Meridina had brought, these were a vibrant purple color matching her eye color. "Can I try?" she asked

Robert gestured to the pile before standing up. "I'm going to get something to eat and see if Lennier needs a break. Good luck."

He walked out. Behind him, Meridina waited for Druni to settle into a seated position. "This is not a test of mechanical skill," she said to Druni, "but of your ability to listen to what your _swevyra_ tells you. Let the parts come together in your mind. Sense how they are to form…" 

* * *

The arrival of a squadron of Dorei starbirds filled the holo-viewscreen on the _Aurora_ bridge. The Dorei built their starships with a certain aesthetic grace, or so Julia thought. They looked like great blue and green and purple birds in flight, all of varying sizes. The _Layama_ -class cruiser-grade starbird in charge of the formation was the first to move into orbit. The other seven starbirds moved out of formation to take up positions around Ys'talla.

"Squadron Captain Igmata has sent us a message, Commander." Lieutenant Jupap, the yellow and red-feathered Alakin at Ops, twisted in his chair slightly. His chirping voice, with a beaked mouth never designed by nature to speak English quite like Humans or other species do, filled the bridge again. "We are clear to depart."

"Good. Ensign, take us out."

"Aye ma'am." Violeta's fingers moved over her board. The _Aurora_ broke away from orbit. "Where are we setting course?"

Julia thought about that. "Delta Serpentis. Take us to the Delta Serpentis system."

"Aye ma'am."

"Commander, I am confused," said Jupap. "Delta Serpentis has only two small mining facilities in this universe. It is well within Dorei space and far from any point of trouble. Why are we going there?"

"Because in E5B1, that's inside what used to be Darglan space. Which is now our space." Julia settled back into her chair. "And given what we're looking for, if we have to jump into E5B1, it'll be there."

"Ah. Yes. I comprehend." Without further word Jupap returned his attention to his screens while Violeta initiated the warp drive, sending the _Aurora_ zipping away from Ys'talla at a speed of Warp 9.2. 

* * *

Deeper in the ship, Caterina and Jarod were waiting when Lucy, Scotty, and Barnes arrived in Science Lab 2. The two had a table set up with varying pieces of recovered crystal and similar pieces from the Azeyma's Rest site. Some were part of necklaces and bracelets, some were separate, and one, of bright red coloring, was part of a tube-top garment.

"So, what's this about?" Barnes asked.

"These are crystals that Professor B'rrel let us keep from the dig site," Jarod explained. "We kept them because they're not naturally-occurring crystals."

"Here." Cat held a crystal blue one up and handed it to Scotty. "What does it feel like to you?"

Scotty accepted it and looked it over in the palm of his hand. "When did ye get th' rock wet?"

"Never," Cat insisted.

"But that dinnae make sense," he protested. "This feels like it's just been pulled from a lake."

Jarod handed Barnes a crystal with bright red coloring. Barnes looked it over "You didn't have this near a heat source, did you?"

"Not at all. But it feels hot, doesn't it?"

Barnes ran his omnitool scanner over it. "Not just feels. It _is_ hot. It's at least five degrees hotter than the environment. Are you saying this Goddamned crystal is _generating its own heat_?"

"From all we can tell, yes, it is," Jarod said.

Lucy picked up a crystal that was not any color, so therefore had a whitish look to it. She focused on it and felt something. "These crystals… it's like they're infused with some sort of energy. I can sense power in this one, in all of them. There's something… different, though. It's like… it's like I'm holding a battery of power in my hand." She stared at it. "Pure… congealed energy."

"Ye cannae tell me these are 'magic rocks'," Scotty protested. "They must hae been produced by _someone_."

"Our scans don't show any of the usual signs of an artificially-grown crystalline structure," Caterina said. "Everything about their internal structure says they formed naturally. But what kind of world could have something like this form?" Her hazel eyes lit up. "Imagine finding a world like that, I mean… what's it like? Could it have some… some form of energy field that produces these things? What kind of life forms evolved there?"

"Aside from the Miqo'te," Jarod said.

"Well, we don't know if the Miqo'te naturally evolved on the world the Darglan took them from either." Cat shrugged. "We don't know anything. But imagine if we could find out?"

Lucy patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "Maybe we will one day, Cat."

Caterina nodded without answering.

* * *

After Lennier confirmed he was rested enough, Robert returned to the room they'd set aside for him and decided to nap. As he fell asleep, he decided he was not going to let his dreams be bad this time. He tried to dwell on happy thoughts as he fell asleep.

At first there was no dreaming, just the pleasant timeless bliss of sleep. The first hint of a dream was pleasant. Warm, golden fields of grain in front of him. A beautiful house. The kind of place he'd grown up in. Children playing in the yard. Two girls, a red-haired girl and a blond girl. That made him curious. Were they meant to be his children? He thought he could feel their names at the tip of his mind, but the names wouldn't materialize.

There was a glimpse of a ceremony. The Citadel Council chambers. He could see Shepard standing before them with a sense of weight to her expression.

Now it was a party. Roars of laughter and joy filled the Lookout and his friends, and others, seemed exhausted but ecstatic. A banner simply read "Victory!"

The images went by faster - a city on a bay, an ecumenopolis like Solaris where cheering crowds celebrated something, Julia sitting at a table with him and the girl in the red-and-gold vest, the two laughing in tandem about something - until they stopped. There was nothingness around him.

A figure appeared in the darkness with him. He looked into her eyes. The girl. "Bad Wolf," she said.

The accent. He could place it now.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The choice will be yours," the girl said, her English accent clear. She was wearing a blue shirt and matching trousers. The shirt was plain save one design, a large pinkish rose glittering on the front. "Bad Wolf."

"But I don't understand!" he shouted.

The girl's eyes began to glow with gold power. "You will. The choice will be yours. All that you have seen will come if you make the right one. Remember."

Robert sat up in his bunk. Whatever rest he had gotten, he wasn't sure it mattered given how much the dream left him agitated. Such a cryptic phrase. What was "Bad Wolf" supposed to mean anyway?

There was a knock on the door to the bunk and living closet. Robert reached over and hit the key to admit whomever it was. Lyta stood in the doorway. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think I ever want to travel with you again," she said. "It's not easy to sleep when your mind keeps screaming 'Bad Wolf!' so loud that it wakes me up."

"I'm sorry," Robert said. "It's just… something I'm going through."

"Really?" Lyta blinked. "And it involves your mind looping with the phrase 'Bad Wolf' all day or night long?"

"Whenever I have the dreams that phrase keeps popping up," said Robert. "It's just 'Bad Wolf'."

"Bester is right about that," Lyta remarked. "Whatever you are, it isn't the same as the rest of us telepaths."

"Remind me to send that news on a gift card made for absolute bastards," grumbled Robert. "Did you need something?"

"Aside from the fact that you disturbed my rest? I suppose not. We've arriving in our target system soon, though, so you'll want to be ready." Behind her, the sound of a familiar electronic snap-hiss combination was joined by a laugh of joy. "And it sounds like Druni has completed the little project they had going on in the cargo bay."

"Well, I'm glad someone did," Robert sighed. "Any word from the _Hycantha_?"

"They'll be at Gamma Orionis soon," Lyta said. "As soon as I get confirmation, I'll tell you which planet we're heading to."

"Well, I'd better get my armor ready. Just in case."

"Given that we're dealing with Bester?" Lyta showed him a wry smile. "That may be the smartest thing I've heard you say."

"Well, thanks for the compliment, Miss Alexander. I'll be out shortly."

She left and Robert got to work getting ready. He suspected they would end up fighting _someone_ by the end of this trip. 

* * *

The Jump Gate at Gamma Orionis activated. The moment the blue jump point finished opening the _Hycantha_ emerged. The _Koenig_ followed suit, still hidden behind its cloaking device. On the bridge Zack breathed in a sigh of relief that nothing had gone wrong. "Anything on sensors?"

"A handful of ships," said Magda. "There's a cargo transfer station in this system, in orbit over the Kenyatta Colony."

"Any sign of the _Hencerasa_?"

"Scanning… I'm detecting a Gersallian vessel, Umibetan Combine Model 3, private registry, on sensors. Reading ID code… it's the _Hencerasa_." Magda turned to face him again. "It's approximately two AUs away and closing at impulse."

"Well, at least the rendezvous is on time," Zack noted. "Keep us steady near the _Hycantha_."

"Yes sir," said Apley.

Zack watched the Earth transport burn its way toward the rendezvous. Just who were these people being transferred? What was Maran doing and how did Robert's visit to Minbar play into it? He didn't like being in the dark. It made him think of the last time he was in the dark, and the crew he'd lost at 33LA because of it.

The bridge door swished open and admitted Doctor Roliri Opani. The young Dorei woman was a Mayali, from the Southern Hemisphere tropical continent of Keral. Her dark teal skin was matched with the light purple of the irregularly-shaped spots running down the sides of her face to her neck, with dark purple hair pulled back into a braided ponytail at the back of her head. "So we're finally out?" she asked, relief on her features. Her teal eyes, in a much lighter shade than her skin, showed what seemed to be a surprising amount of fatigue to Zack.

"We're back in normal space, yes."

"Good." Opani shuddered with relief. "That dimension is… it is difficult for us."

"I already logged it to Command," Zack said. "Although it makes me wonder how the telepaths of this universe can handle it."

"That is the oddest part." Opani walked up and sat beside Magda at the auxiliary station, allowing her to sit and face Zack. "According to medical records from the Minbari, the Earth Alliance, and the Centauri… actually, virtually every race with telepaths, the effects of hyperspace are not severe. Not like we felt."

"What did you feel?" asked Zack. "It sounded like all of the Dorei on the crew were picking up other thoughts."

"We were," Opani said. "Whenever we slept we would end up with alien thoughts in our minds. It was almost like falling asleep when you're maintaining skin contact with someone. Once asleep, you meld mind-states. That's what this feels like."

"Huh. But you can't read minds actively, right?" Zack leaned forward in his chair. A thought was coming to him. "I mean, that's part of your physiology."

"No, we cannot. We lack telepaths like some other species have had."

Magda looked at Opani with a bewildered expression. "Then… that would mean the other side had to be responsible for the contact."

Opani frowned at that. "Yes, I suppose it would. I suppose it would indeed. Hyperspace wouldn't change our physiology to let us remotely enter minds, but it would make us more likely to hear those who could remotely contact other minds."

Zack swallowed. Everything now made sense. "Of course," he murmured.

Everyone turned to him.

"That's what we're doing," Zack said. "That's why Admiral Maran talked about possibly fighting Psi Corps. The _Hycantha_ 's passengers… they're fugitives all right. They're fugitive _telepaths_ , fleeing the Psi Corps."

Apley nodded. "I read the report from Commander King and Lieutenant Caldwell on the Venir incident. The cloaking device didn't do them any good, telepaths were tracking them through mind-reading."

"That's why we've been allowed to engage Psi Corps if they show up." Zack frowned. "Because we'll have to get in the first shot. April, make sure torpedoes are loaded. Magda… find the Dorei crew most qualified for manning bridge stations, I want them up here on the double. Just in case. King's officer Lieutenant Trymi was able to resist telepathic compulsion, if need be they'll take over our stations."

"Until then, sir?" asked Apley.

"Keep us on course. And Magda, keep an eye out. Just in case." Zack drew in a breath. "Just in case," he repeated to himself in a murmur.

* * *

Lyta stepped into the cockpit of the _Keyeri_ and joined the others. "I just got the signal," she said. "The rendezvous is being made. Pardon me." With that said she moved beside Druni and took a place leaning over the helm beside Lennier. "Take us into orbit of the fifth planet."

"Very well." Lennier fired the ship's impulsors and sent them flying toward said world. "We'll make orbit in four hours."

"By then the transfer will be complete and my people will be off to safety," Lyta said.

"I can't help but notice a slight flaw in your planning, Lyta," said G'Kar.

"Oh?" She turned back to face her traveling compatriot.

"You've told them which planet they can find this device," he said. "They don't need you anymore."

"Not to find the planet, no." The grin on Lyta's face grew. "Of course, they may have trouble finding it on a planet over fifty percent larger than Earth. And then there are the traps…"

Everyone save Lennier looked at her. "Traps?" Robert asked.

Lyta directed the grin at him. "You don't think the Vorlons would have let just anyone walk into this place, do you? Anyone finding the Darglan site we're heading to wouldn't get very far unless they have the direct support of a Vorlon."

"Or someone aligned with them?"

"Close enough. Not that I think you'll betray me, you've come too far for that. But like Michael, I like to leave room for people to disappoint me." The grin became more forced. "After all, it's happened plenty of times before."

Robert wasn't about to speak on that. His impression of Lyta was that she had been disappointed one too many times by those she considered friends and allies. Unfortunately, her bitterness had clearly undermined her ability to socialize.

He just hoped that bitterness wouldn't undermine their ability to work together. 

* * *

The fifth planet of the F4 star system - on Alliance maps it was designated F41-001-5 - had seemed to be a barren Mars-type world from a distance. But once they were closer the sensors on the _Keyeri_ made clear the signs of a badly-damaged garden world, with an atmosphere that still had traces of the weapons used to purge much of its life. "What happened here?" Druni wondered aloud.

"The Shadows happened," Lyta said darkly. "They didn't use their planet-killer for this world. Instead a squadron of Shadow vessels came out of hyperspace and started slicing up the cities and bombing the planet until not a single Darglan was alive."

"All of that death." Robert closed his eyes. He thought he could feel it, even after a thousand years. The screams and cries of an innocent people being extirpated from existence by a vicious enemy. He frowned. "If they'd kept their interuniversal drives, they would have survived."

"No, they wouldn't have," replied Lyta.

Robert almost asked how she could know that, but he held his tongue.

"Take us in on the equatorial continent," Lyta said to Lennier. "There's a mountain range about eighteen degrees north of the equator, near an old mountain lake that feeds the river flowing into the northern sea."

Lennier followed her instructions. The _Keyeri_ banked into the planet. The void of space gradually gave way to twilight. The sun was beginning to rise over this area of the planet.

After a thousand years life was starting to return here. Trees lined the mountainside and the valley. They'd returned in enough numbers that they stretched out like an emerald carpet below the _Keyeri_.

The mountain lake was old, as in it had existed for tens of thousands of years. Robert was not an expert geologist and wasn't sure of what he was guessing, but he could imagine the lake forming from an old, extinct caldera. Or perhaps a meteor crater.

Lennier seemed to double-check something. "There appears to be an old tunnel set into one of the mountainsides," he said.

"That's where we're going." Lyta noddded. "Put us down at the tunnel entrance."

Lennier did so The ship drew closer to the ground until, finally, it stopped all horizontal movement and settled onto the soil.

"I have a feeling we need someone to stay with the ship." Robert stood from the chair. "Just in case."

"I shall remain," Lennier said. He turned back to his panels while the others filed out of the cockpit. 

* * *

G'Kar and Lyta stepped down from the _Keyeri_ 's rear cargo bay door first, following the ramp down to the firm earth beneath. Robert and Meridina followed. They were in the combat armor with newly-replicated robes to replace the ones they had to leave on Kalnit Station. Robert's pulse pistol was back at its proper place on his belt while Meridina's weapon hung once again from her own.

Druni, in the rear, was wearing her own light armor. It was of similar style to the Gersallian-made armor Meridina and Robert had brought for themselves, with the primary color being green. It also looked to be of a more flexible material. Robert noticed she was carrying her _tenari_ and asked, "What, no lightsaber?"

"I just built one, and I need to train with it before I try to fight with it," she pointed out.

"Fair enough."

"This way."

With Lyta in the lead they walked up to the tunnel entrance. A wall of rock covered it, barring the way in. "I sense no danger," Meridina said. "But I do not sense an entryway either."

Robert looked around at the ground. "Maybe there's another entrance plate like the Facilities had, or that database?"

"No," said Lyta. "Not here anyway. The entrance was sealed by weapons fire from the inside. The last, defiant gesture of the Darglan inside against the Shadows and the followers they sent to seize this place."

"Then we have to dig our way in." Robert stepped up and looked it over. "If we pull out the right rocks, maybe the rest will give way."

Meridina and Druni nodded. The three raised their hands. Three rocks began to pull free.

 _This is going to take a while_ , Robert thought to himself as he focused on the next part of the rock barrier. 

* * *

On the _Koenig_ bridge the _Hencerasa_ now loomed large on the screen. The Gersallians built their ships to look sturdy. If they didn't have the lines they did, they'd look more like bricks, or so Zack thought.

"The _Hencerasa_ is taking position beside the _Hycantha_. They'll start transferring their passengers in a minute." After forty seconds Magda announced the transports were taking place.

Zack didn't relax. He had an idea that this was when things were about to go wrong.

Itt didn't take long for him to be proven right.

"Sir, I'm getting a gravitational surge nearby." Magda's attention went to her board. "Jump point forming."

"On screen."

The viewscreen showed a blue energy vortex form. The vessel that emerged from it wasn't very large. But it had Earthforce markings. Zack's jaw clenched.

" _Artemis_ -class heavy frigate," Magda said. "An older, Dilgar War-era model with railgun armament."

"Code Red. All hands to battlestations."

While the ship went on combat alert, Magda added, "They're signaling the other two ships."

"Put them on speakers, I want to hear this."

" _This is Major Linda Tsukara of the_ Catoblepas _to_ Hycantha _and_ Hencerasa. _System control informed us that you were meeting off-flight plan. Please stand by for contraband scan._ "

" _Acknowledged_ , Catoblepas."

For several tense moments the scan commenced. "Catoblepas _to civilian ships. You're clear of contraband. But I would like to ask why you are transferring extra passengers not on the_ Hycantha _'s listed manifest._ "

The same voice that had answered before came through. " _I understand your concern, Major. We picked up an Allied System-flagged civilian vessel in hyperspace that had suffered a catastrophic drive failure. They were drifting off of the beacons. We had to let them transport aboard after our attempt to pull their ship to safety failed. Since there aren't any jump gates available in Allied Systems territory yet, we flagged down the first ship with warp drive that we could to get these people home._ "

It was a good story, with just the right feeling to it… Zack was skeptical, however, that it would be accepted. "Sherlily, target weapons and sublight drives only," he said. "And when we decloak, I want our IFF systems disengaged." He received a pair of affirmatives to that.

Several more moments passed. " _Good job,_ Hycantha. _Someone has to take care of these idiots who jump into hyperspace without realizing what it's like. That is all._ Catoblepas _out._ "

The Earth frigate turned away toward the jump gate and accelerated.

"Cancel Code Red." Zack loosened his grip on his command chair. _Well, at least I'm not starting another war yet._ "How much longer until the _Hencerasa_ completes the transfer?"

"That model of ship has a personal transporter capacity of six. Give them another three minutes."

Two and a half minutes later the _Hycantha_ 's engines fired again. She resumed her course toward the Kenyatta Colony.

The _Hencerasa_ 's drives fired up as well. After making a turn in space the warp nacelles on the ship lit up and the Gersallian ship was at warp.

"They're on course for the Reynar System, Warp 6," Magda said.

"Match their speed and course. Engage when ready." Zack leaned back in his seat with immense relief. They were in the home stretch.

 _Well, Rob, I did my end_ , he thought. _Hope your's is coming up just as well._

* * *

It got easier once they had moved enough of the stones. Meridina and Druni, together, moved most of them, entire chunks, and slowly an entranceway took shape.

The group stepped in together. For the benefit of G'Kar, Robert and Druni activated lights on their omnitool and multidevice respectively. The air inside reminded Robert of the musty air of the Darglan Facilities he'd been in before. Directly inside were decomposed skeletal remains with pulse rifles still in what was left of their arms. "They died here," Meridina noted.

"Likely of starvation," Lyta said. "They would have been here to keep out Shadow servitors."

"A horrible way to go." Druni knelt beside one. "I hope the Goddess welcomed them with a feast."

The lights played over halls made of blue-sheened material just like prior Darglan structures. The remains of what had likely been a security post also contained a dead Darglan. Robert tapped at his omnitool to activate a scanner mode. "Wiring," he said. "For the security systems?"

Druni nodded. "And power system."

They followed the wiring into the base. It was like any base could be expected to be. Halls lined with doors leading to what appeared to be labs or storage rooms or offices. More skeletal Darglan remains could be found here and there, some bearing the signs of damage. "They may have mercy-killed one another when it was clear there was no escape," Meridina said.

"This feels wrong," Robert murmured. "I feel like I'm walking over graves."

"You are," G'Kar remarked. "But it is good you feel that way. It shows the proper respect to the dead."

Robert nodded quietly and kept the scanner following one of the biggest drunk lines. They walked past bulkheads, turned into another corridor, and then another.

Finally they entered a large chamber. Robert moved from side to side with the omnitool and noted what he was reading. "This looks like the reactor room for the facility." He tapped keys. "I can't be sure, but it looks like most of the reactors are offline."

"With no repairs for a thousand years, I'm not surprised." Druni stepped around another tall-skulled skeleton and toward a panel. Her fingers went over the hardlight keyboard being projected by her multidevice. "I'm trying to run a remote access to this console. One moment…"

The console lit up, forming a blue hardlight interface. Druni set a finger on it and the console characters changed to a new language. After a moment of looking Druni began to operate the console. "Fifty percent of the reactors are offline, and another twenty-five percent are flagged as unsafe, but the last quarter…" She tapped a final key.

Light filled the room. More lights appeared on some of the intact reactors around the room, indicating they were in operation. "There we are," said Druni. "We've got power. And I'm remote accessing a map of the entire place." She looked to the others. "I can take us right to the command room."

They departed that chamber and continued on. With the lights working it felt less like a sepulchre they were violating, although there was no hiding the skeletal remains they still found. "To think this is what has been left of the Darglan…" Meridina shook her head. "My people will be heartbroken to see this place."

"You looked up to them," Lyta said. "But you should consider that they might not deserve it."

Meridina turned and faced her. "Why? What could possibly justify the loss of such a brilliant people?"

"I'm not saying they deserved… this," Lyta countered, gesturing to the nearest set of remains. "But the Darglan weren't perfect. They made a terrible mistake and it cost a lot of beings their lives. It nearly destroyed multiple universes."

"You are an agent of the people who punished them," Meridina observed. "How do we know your superiors were honest about what happened?"

"Believe whatever you like, Meridina. But you'll see soon enough." They continued onward.

Robert knew they'd made it to the command room the moment he saw it. The layout was the same as those of the Facilities. He walked toward the central holotank and ran a hand over it. The display there shifted to show English characters. "It looks like the Darglan sabotaged their AI system here. Or maybe it scrambled itself. Either way…" He continued tapping the display. "...let me see if I can find anything."

Druni joined him while Meridina paced around the room. Lyta and G'Kar remained by the door. The Narn looked to his traveling partner and said, "I can't help but notice that there have been no traps."

Lyta turned her head toward him and smiled. G'Kar responded by shaking his head and grinning.

"It looks like some of the data is recoverable," Druni said. "I'm running a compiling program."

"You're into computer sciences?" Robert asked.

"I did dabble during my days as an Initiate." Druni slowly grinned. "And two years ago I spent a few months with a Trill girlfriend. Zaharia showed me quite a few things. When we weren't busy counting each other's spots."

"Huh." Robert continued his own search through the system. "And here I figured you and Lennier were…"

"No." Druni cut him off with that. "We're not. Lennier is… there isn't anything I or anyone can do to heal the hole in his heart."

"Right." Robert continued to examine what he could find. "It looks like they didn't destroy everything. I've just found an old file in the system. It looks like… I don't know…"

Druni brought it up herself. "It's a recorded holo-video. Give me a moment, I think I can load it into the holo-tank…"

After several seconds an image appeared. It was a courtyard of some sort. The architecture was Darglan. Most of those gathered were. But some were not.

Among those who were not were a number of beings Robert didn't recognize. The others did. "A Vorlon," G'Kar noted.

"Kosh," Lyta clarified. Her voice wavered and Robert could detect an old sadness within her.

Thanks to her thought, he knew which one was the Vorlon; a large hulking, armless being with a pod-shaped head that had a singular circular port at the front. There were other beings lined up with him. Some were formed from energy. One looked like a hovering, flaming head made of wood. Another was a dark, intimidating-as-hell spider-like species with glowing yellow eyes.

He scanned the rest of the figures, some clearly standing in judgment while others seemed to be present as witnesses. A few had basic humanoid, even human-looking, appearances, including a redheaded woman with strong features and a fey humanoid clad in a veil. A furry biped stood beside a man in a red coat with a scarf hanging from his shoulders and curly hair buried under a hat. A human-looking woman with dark hair and in a very familiar looking blue robe was standing beside a powerfully-built male in green and gold-colored clothing.

Meridina's eyes widened at the assemblage, or rather, at one figure present. "Swenya."

Robert looked at the image and had to admit that the woman in the blue robe looked very much like the painting of Swenya in the Order's Council Chamber.

" _We have completed our judgement_ ," said Kosh, facing an assemblage of Darglan while many more watched from the crowd. " _You have disappointed us. Punishment is necessary._ "

" _On behalf of our people, we plead mercy from you, ancient ones,_ " said the lead Darglan. " _We do not deny it was in error, but the error was by a select group of our people led astray. Can you punish us for the crimes of a few?_ "

The spider-looking alien's eyes glistened with malicious anger. When it spoke, it was with a subdued hummed tone, as if through a device. " _You have jeopardized the other species of this galaxy and many others. You cannot expect mercy for allowing the Darkness a way in._ "

" _Still, there is truth to their words_." The veiled fey humanoid was speaking. " _It was the error of a minority._ "

The dark-haired woman stepped forward and between the judges and the Darglan. " _Whatever the crimes a minority committed, out of ignorance or out of impatience, you cannot hold an entire species to be worthy of death!_ "

" _You have no place to speak on this matter, child_ ," intoned the spidery alien. Robert felt Lyta's apprehension and distaste at the creature and realized the being's identity. The Shadow continued, " _You are here as a guest at our sufferance._ "

" _Many of my followers died in this war as well_ ," retorted the woman. " _The blood of Gersal's bravest_ swevyra'se _has earned us a voice here. And I will not let you ignore that many Darglan died to fix a mistake made by a few. They deserve a chance at life_."

" _The child speaks well_ ," intoned the flaming head. The light within it seemed to pulse as it spoke. " _And we have taken this into consideration._ "

The furry biped spoke next. " _There will be no killings among the Darglan species._ "

There was palpable relief among the assembled.

" _We require the Darglan to give up their interuniversal drives_ ," the furry being added. " _They are hereby banned from any further use of the technology._ "

The relief did not go away. It was joined with a sense of sadness, as was clear in the voice of the lead Darglan. " _It is a terrible price, but as the war caused by our mistake was even more terrible, we accept this judgement. We will immediately commence the destruction of all interuniversal drives. We beg only a delay to allow our people in the other universes to be brought back to She'teyal._ "

" _You will be given thirty cycles to commence the evacuation_ ," answered Kosh.

" _And know that if your people violate this judgement, your species' existence is forfeit_ ," added the Shadow.

Robert paused the video. "And the Shadows did it anyway two thousand years later," he remarked sadly. A memory came to his mind. "That explains the conversation we found in that Darglan video last year."

"Given the timing, I guess it came from the databanks you stole from IPX and Psi Corps?" Lyta asked.

"Yeah." Robert nodded. "It was an audio file of two Darglan arguing. One insisted they had to reactivate their IU technology, that the Shadows were going to attack and the Vorlons wouldn't stop them. The other insisted this would cause an attack anyway." He shook his head. "But the first one was right, since the audio ended with the Shadow Planet-Killer attacking She'teyal."

"The Shadows moved earlier than the Vorlons expected in that war," Lyta said. "Maybe this is why…"

"If what I've heard is true, their early attack is why Valen and the Minbari were able to lead the galaxy to victory against them." Robert chuckled at the dark humor of it all. "They were so determined to destroy the Darglan that it cost them the war."

"Such is the usual cost of hatred and darkness," Meridina said. "It causes one to lose perspective and to misjudge."

Robert nodded. And he frowned as a thought came to him. "There's no drive here, is there?" he asked, directing his gaze at Lyta. "There never was."

"Nope," she said. "I don't have any idea where the Darglan built it, or even if it's still around."

"You tricked us." Meridina stepped up beside Robert while keeping her eyes on Lyta as well. "To help your people."

"Actually, no." Lyta shook her head. "Not that I wouldn't have if I had to. But I figured that if there was anywhere you could confirm whether or not the Dimensional Drive was intact, it would be here. According to what I learned from the Vorlons, this used to be the main scientific research base for the Darglan government. All of their secrets were here."

Robert understood the point, but he still couldn't help but feel used. Nevertheless, he conceded the point with "Fair enough."

"With time, at least some of this could be reconstructed." Druni looked up from her multidevice's holo-display. "This is still a valuable find. And we might find the Dimensional Drive's location here."

"We'll need to report this to Maran," said Robert. "Let's…"

Druni's multidevice beeped. She pressed the comm key and Lennier appeared on the display. "What is it?" she asked.

" _You may wish to finish what you are doing immediately,"_ Lennier said. " _Sensors have detected indications of a ship coming out of warp in the star system._ " He looked at something. " _And there are now Earth Alliance fighters entering orbit._ "

"They must have followed us," Robert said. "Dammit. We can't let them have this place." He took a few steps to Druni's side and looked at the screen. "Lennier, there's something I need you to do…" 

* * *

On the _Muninn_ Bester watched the Thunderbolts from the ship's complement begin to enter orbit. One by one the Psi Corps pilots inside extended their atmospheric wings to stabilize for that form of flight. Two shuttles full of Bloodhounds were already entering a first stage atmospheric entry course.

" _We have confirmed the location of the craft from Kalnit_." The lead pilot was reporting verbally given the distance. " _Orders_?"

"Disable them," Bester said.

 _Sensors, are there any Alliance ships moving toward us?_ That telepathic request came from Captain Phan.

 _No ma'am._

 _And their ship is too small to carry a jump drive and can't call in help that way_. Bester nodded. _We have them._

* * *

Everyone ran from the Darglan base as quickly as possible. "Remind me that we need transporter beacons," Druni requested of the others.

"If this occurs again, I shall," Meridina promised.

The moment they got to the exit they'd carved, Robert heard the roar of shuttle engines outside. They emerged from the tunnel opening and into the clearing outside of it to find two Earth shuttles looming over the trees. Thrusters were firing to bring the two craft into a hovering position.

"Get to the _Keyeri_ ," Druni demanded. "I'll handle this."

Robert could guess what was about to happen. He felt the air crackle with power as Druni's arms began to wheel around. She was splitting the positive and negative charges in the air. After several seconds of letting this power build up she stabbed her fingers toward one shuttle. The built-up charge surged through Druni's arm and outward. A bolt of lightning formed and struck the side of the shuttle with more than enough force to knock it out of the air.

The other shuttle clearly recognized what had happened and began to maneuver away. Druni used the opportunity to run to the back of the _Keyeri_ , where Meridina and G'Kar were waiting. They boarded together.

By this point Robert and Lyta were in the cockpit. "Did it work?" asked Robert.

"I am not sure," Lennier admitted. "The device seems to be non-functional. I was able to use our ship's IU radio to establish a connection on the provided channel, so they know of our situation."

"Of course it is." Robert shook his head while settling into the station for the main weapons and tactical display. "Lyta, can you let Druni and Meridina know that the anchor needs to be repaired?"

For a moment Lyta's eyes flitted toward the back. "Done, she said."

"Good. Now please take that station and raise the shields." He tilted his head toward the one beside him for ship communications and operations. Lyta blinked down into it. Behind him G'Kar took the turret controls. "You know how to use those?" he asked the Narn.

"I am familiar with a number of ship control systems and weapons," was the answer. "I shall make this work as well."

"Right. Lennier?"

"Firing thruster." The ship rumbled beneath them. "We're taking off."

"Get us a shot at that second shuttle while you're at it."

"I will do so."

The _Keyeri_ spun in mid-air until it was facing the shuttle in question. Robert triggered the wing-mounted cannons. Four bursts of amethyst energy slammed into the craft. It exploded in mid-air, sending flaming ruins into the forest. His eyes went to the tactical sensors. "Aerospace fighters are closing in."

"Beginning ascent."

The _Keyeri_ tilted upward and accelerated. The sensors showed the atmosphere-capable Earth fighters flying up behind them. Robert had seen the model before: Thunderbolts, with four wings in a flat X that carried extendable wings. The cannons mounted into the chin of the fighters opened up on the _Keyeri_. The vessel shuddered slightly.

"The shields absorbed it," Lyta said.

"I am tracking," G'Kar added. "Firing."

The four turrets had all turned to face the rear of the ship. Pulses of blue-white light lashed out through the atmosphere at the pursuing fighters. The initial shots missed given the distance and relative velocities. The two dorsal turrets tracked together until a Thunderbolt could no longer evade them. The hits blew off the wings of the craft first. As it began to turn dart-like toward the ground, one last pulse hit the main body. The Thunderbolt was reduced to a flaming wreck.

"It has been _quite_ a while since I shot down an enemy fighter," G'Kar announced.

The other fighters were still on them. "They're firing missiles," Robert said.

"Evading."

"I'm tracking them."

Lennier changed the ship's heading and attitude while G'Kar applied the turrets to firing on the incoming missiles. Most of the missiles kept up with them through the maneuver. One couldn't re-engage, and G'Kar shot down two of them.

The last slammed into the rear of the ship. This time the shaking was even more violent than ever. "That hit reduced shield effectiveness to below half."

Lyta's report made it clear; they couldn't let themselves get hit by a missile again.

Lennier leveled the ship out and got them out of the atmosphere. Robert watched the tactical sensors indicate a ship entering effective range. And it was fairly large. "The profile is an Earthforce ship," he said. "But it's not painted in Earthforce colors."

"It's a Psi Corps ship," Lyta said. "Probably Bester's." A blinking button on the console drew Lyta's attention. She pressed it.

A screen on the side of the cockpit activated, and Lyta's suggestion confirmed. Bester's face filled the screen. " _You might want to surrender_ ," Bester told them. " _We might even let the Minbari and the… Dorei, isn't it? We may even let them go._ "

"And we should believe you because…?"

" _Because you don't have a choice, Captain_ ," Bester replied. " _There are no ships in range to help you. My ship can overtake yours in warp flight. Even if you get the attention of your fleet, we'll have more than enough time to destroy you or tractor your ship into hyperspace. I'm giving you a minute to decide whether or not you're coming voluntarily._ "

And with that, his image disappeared.

Robert tapped his omnitool. "Meridina? I hope you're done back there." 

* * *

Meridina heard Robert's request while holding up the portable radio/drive anchor. The device, their lifeline to the _Aurora_ , was utterly dead.

Druni had one end open and was trying to finish the modification to bring it back online. "Just a couple more pieces."

"I get the feeling we are almost out of time," Meridina warned her.

"I know, but I can't rush this. Somehow your entire power source got drained and we don't have anything completely like it, so I have to improvise."

" _Meridina_ , _tell me that thing is ready._ "

"I cannot," she answered Robert. "It needs a new power supply. We are attaching it now."

" _Then hurry it up. Bester brought a cruiser._ "

"Two more connections," Druni said.

Meridina did not reply. She focused on holding the device in place. 

* * *

The _Keyeri_ shot away from the planet at full speed. The Psi Corps cruiser followed behind, as did its fighter complement.

With no enemies in front of them Robert was reduced to watching the tactical sensors and glancing toward Lyta, who was showing greater concentration. "I'm trying to shield everyone from them," she said. "But if Bester puts enough telepaths…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence. Robert could feel something in his mind. A feeling, an instinct, telling him to stop fighting. To surrender. It would be easier.

"They are quite persistent," was all Lennier would say. He kept his hands on the controls. Enemy Starfuries were closing the distance behind them.

 _If you're in my head, how about this?_ He focused on Meridina. _Meridina,_ please _tell me it's ready._

A response came. _We are almost done._

WIthin moments the enemy fighters were backing off a little bit. Bester's ship kept a reasonable speed up to follow but stopped trying to overtake the _Keyeri_. Robert's thought had the effect he had looked for. Let Bester wonder what they were doing.

 _We are done_ , Meridina said. _I have sent out a brief message on the radio to confirm the anchor is active_.

As Robert began counting down the time, the enemy Starfuries surged ahead. Bester had inevitably decided there was no immediate danger. Fire began to hit their shields again. Lennier's maneuvers worked to keep them guessing at where to shoot. The turrets fired under G'Kar's direction. One pulse clipped the engine of a Starfury and sent it careening away.

When another of the black-painted Starfuries entered the bow firing arc, Robert triggered the plasma cannons again. The four streams of purple shots converged on the fighter and blew it to pieces. _Come on, dammit, where are you?_

"I hope your help comes very soon," said Lennier.

Robert was about to announce "So do I" when the green point of light appeared in the distance. "Interuniversal jump point. Someone's coming in."

Robert breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the familiar form of the _Aurora_ emerge a moment later. 

* * *

"Dorei courier ship on sensors," said Caterina. "And so is an Earthforce ship."

Julia frowned at that. An Earthforce ship in Alliance space, without authorization? "Can we identify them?"

"Well, they're painted all back instead of standard Earthforce color schemes. According to recognition charts this one is a _Bellona_ -class cruiser. But I'm not picking up an IFF trace."

"The Dorei ship is hailing."

"Put them on."

" _Dale to_ Aurora." Hearing Robert's voice brought immense relief to Julia. " _That ship is a Psi Corps vessel. The entire crew is probably telepathic. Be ready if they attempt a telepathic attack on you._ "

"Angel, do you have a target lock?" asked Julia.

"We're locked on," Angel confirmed.

"If you feel _anything_ start to go into your mind, open fire."

"Right."

" _Give me a minute, then_ ," Robert said. " _Fire on my command._ " 

* * *

On the _Keyeri_ , Bester's face reappeared on the screen. Robert looked at him and kept his expression neutral. "Agent Bester, this is Captain Dale of the _Starship Aurora_. You and your ship are in violation of Alliance space. I order you to withdraw or we will be forced to open fire."

Bester's expression was carefully kept, but Robert sensed he was angry beneath it. " _If you want to do this the legal way, Captain, I must inform you that I will report to my superiors and to Earthgov that the Allied Systems are harboring a known terrorist. Of course, if you were to turn Miss Alexander over to our custody…_ "

"Tell your superiors whatever you want, Bester," Robert retorted. "Because from where I'm sitting, a Psi Corps-crewed warship has been opening fire on a civilian ship with an Alliance registry in the heart of the Alliance-claimed zone in this universe. Your superiors might not be too happy about that."

" _I will remind you that the Earth Alliance doesn't recognize your sole claim to former Darglan space. But very well. I'm not here to cause a war. But I'm warning you now._ " Bester's face reflected his anger. " _You've just made yourself, and everyone you represent, an enemy of the Psi Corps, Captain Dale. And you_ will _regret that._ "

The screen disengaged. Robert observed on his systems as the Psi Corps fighters returned to their ship. They took up a formation around it. Moments later, a brown vortex opened in space and Bester's ship entered.

"Well, we did it," Robert sighed, looking to the others. "Do you mind putting the _Aurora_ back on? I think your ship will fit in the hangar deck…"


	84. Episode 2-16-6 All That Remains

_Ship's Log: 19 October; ASV Aurora. Captain Robert Dale recording. It's good to be home. We're currently remaining in orbit of the fifth planet of the star system F41-001 to prepare a scientific survey of the old Darglan science station. We've already begun transferring the data available onto our ship and will continue the process until the_ Lukapa _can arrive to take control of the effort._

 _Our friends of the_ Keyeri _are soon to depart, as are Miss Alexander and Ambassador G'Kar. Thinking of Lyta, I can't help but wonder how this will go. Admiral Davies and his faction in the Alliance government will certainly not be pleased at the idea of a colony of human telepaths in the Alliance no matter what they feel about their persecutors, and I can't imagine Lyta's colony of telepaths and the decision to name a "Telepath Homeworld" will go over well with the Earth Alliance. I can't argue against the idea that it's the right thing to do for the innocent telepaths who don't want to become Psi Corps members, but Lyta Alexander isn't going to stop at the peaceful ends of a colony. Are we setting ourselves up for another conflict?_

Conference Room 2 had been chosen for the morning meeting with the departing complement of the _Keyeri_. Lyta and G'Kar were seated on one side, Lennier and Druni on the other, and Robert and Meridina were accompanied by Caterina, Lucy, and Julia. All eyes were on the holo-viewer, where Admiral Maran's image was present. " _I would like to thank you all again for your assistance in this matter_ ," he said. " _And Miss Alexander, I thought you'd like to know that the children and their parents made it to Reynar safely. The_ Hencerasa _is scheduled to make a jump to A4P5 and the Dorei colony Jinera in the Archenar System. We're setting up a waystation there for all telepaths heading to your new colony._ "

"Thank you, Admiral."

"Children?" Julia asked.

"The _Hycantha_ was carrying forty telepath children we've liberated from Psi Corps holding facilities," Lyta answered. "Along with as many of their parents as we could locate or rescue. Those children were being slated for transfer to what's called 'Teeptown', where they would have been indoctrinated by the Psi Corps. They have a place to grow free thanks to you."

"That's what we got into this business to do, at the start," Robert said. "That was the entire purpose of New Liberty."

Lyta smiled at that. "I look forward to sending my first delegate to New Liberty. We might be a universe away, but I think we'll do well together."

"Right." He looked to Maran again. "Admiral, anything more on the Psi Corps invasion of Alliance space?"

Maran shook his head. " _After consultations, the President and Foreign Secretary Onaran have decided not to press the matter with Earthdome. Not when we're dealing with Lyta Alexander on the side. That could lead to undesired complications. On a related matter, we are examining the situation to determine where they slipped through our border posts._ "

"My money's on Delta Serpentis," Caterina said. "The star is weird and causes a lot of unknown subspace effects. The kind that can hide a warp drive signature pretty easily."

" _I'll pass that on to the investigators, Lieutenant._ " Maran's expression darkened. " _It's a shame to hear about the state of your new discovery. I can't imagine walking through a tomb like this Darglan base. You've done us a service regardless. Can you tell us anything about it?_ "

"There is no sign of the Darglan Dimensional Drive," said Meridina.

Julia nodded. "If it's there, it may be in the lower vaults, and we're still looking."

" _Good. Take your time. Maran out._ "

Everyone stood after Maran's image disappeared. "Thank you for coming," Robert said to their guests. "Allow me to escort you back to your ship."

As they walked to the support ship dock, Lucy looked from Meridina to Druni and said, "Meridina told me you made your first lightsaber."

"I did. I hear you are the creator?"

"I'm just the one who figured out how to recreate them," Lucy said.

"Ah." Druni nodded. "Still, I would like to ask you something about making them."

"Sure."

"Is it possible to make them with shorter blades? My fighting style is with _tenari_ , short blades, and the lightsaber blades are too long…"

Lucy considered that. "I suppose you could set the containment field to create a shorter blade."

"I shall have to try."

* * *

Behind them Meridina and G'Kar started up a conversation. "So you are returning home, then?" she asked.

"I believe so." G'Kar looked toward Lyta, further ahead with Robert. "I have done all I can to help Lyta. And I've been away long enough. You are correct about that." After a moment he asked, "What was it like? To see that recording from the Darglan base?"

"You mean to see Swenya, as she was?" Meridina drew in a breath. "It was… _amazing_. We have no truly accurate images of her, but any of my people would know it is her. And to see her standing in defiance of the ancient species of the Multiverse to demand mercy for the Darglan people… that is the Swenya my people cherish."

"I have envy for you," G'Kar said. "We have nothing of the like showing G'Quan."

"You referenced him many times in your writings," Meridina said. "I should like to read his writings myself at some time."

"I have copies of the Book of G'Quan, but you should study the Narn language first. It would be sacrilege to reproduce the book in any other language."

"Perhaps I shall indeed…"

* * *

The group arrived at the support dock airlock. While everyone else stepped aboard, Robert gestured to Lyta and led her into the nearby room. The windows showed the _Keyeri_ settled into the _Koenig_ 's dock. She had almost been too small to do so. "You know, you could go to your new colony too," he said to Lyta. "The telepaths there will need a leader."

"They'll have one," Lyta promised. "Some of us have been thinking about how to arrange our own world for a long time."

"But you won't be joining them?"

"No." Lyta shook her head. "My place is here. Finding more telepaths looking to flee. Someone has to keep up the fight."

"But do you need to fight anymore?" Robert shook his head. "Your people will have their own world. We'll set up routes for them to get out of Earth Alliance space, hell, it's possible we'll even have a formal political debate about it. Fighting the Psi Corps with guns and bombs isn't going to destroy them."

"Not directly, maybe," Lyta conceded. "But if we don't do anything, Bester and his kind are going to take over the Earth Alliance. That's been their plan for years. They almost did it with Clark and I know they'll try again. I have to stop that."

"That's not all, is it?" Robert asked. "You want revenge."

"Are you going to psychoanalyze me too, Captain?"

"I don't need to. I can feel the anger without trying." Robert took in a breath and thought of what to say next. "You can't live on anger and fury forever. It's going to burn you up inside."

"After everything the Psi Corps has taken from me, Captain, it's all I have left." With her piece said, Lyta turned and walked away.

Robert thought about saying something. He could have. But he knew that in the end it wouldn't change anything. Lyta would have to work on her anger herself, and he hoped that when the day came that she understood where it was taking her, it didn't come too late.

* * *

To say that Robert was getting tired of the dreams would be an understatement. He was well beyond tired and entering the realm of "fed up".

When he awoke from another session of asking the voice in his head what the hell she meant by "Bad Wolf", Robert slid out of bed and went for the shower. When he emerged from it he noted the time was 0432. Going to bed early compared to usual had at least given him a decent amount of rest… not that it didn't help his frustration with this damn vision. What did it all mean?

He went to work on the paperwork that had accumulated during his days away. Then he went to work on the paperwork for the coming day and, once this job was done, his report to Admiral Maran on everything that had happened.

His stomach gurgled. He replicated a plate of scrambled eggs and resumed work. A glance at the clock said it was 0649.

At 0710 precisely, his omnitool's call light came on. "Delgado to Dale!"

There was no mistaking the enthusiasm in that voice; Caterina had found something.

He tapped the back of his left hand. "Dale here."

"Come to Science Lab 1 ASAP! You've got to see this!"

* * *

Robert stepped into Science Lab 1. Cat and Jarod were seated at the central console. Julia was already present. "Alright, what is it?"

"A lot of the data we're getting from the planet is scrambled. And it's going to take us months, maybe years, to defragment and recover it all. If it can be." Caterina ran her fingers over the screen to remove the lines of code that presumably represented the scrambled data. "But we did find something interesting."

"We ran a search program looking for strings related to interuniversal drive research," Jarod said, allowing Caterina to focus on work. "Just to see if there's something intact."

"There was?"

"Mostly intact," Caterina said. "We can't make out all of the appended data on the entry, but we know two things for sure. One, it's a location of a Darglan machinery plant for building new IU drives, and two…" She tapped a key. A starmap appeared on the screen. "...by comparing the coordinate fragments to pieces of the astrographical data on the location, we're ninety nine point nine percent sure that there's something in this system."

The marked system had a M class star. Robert and Julia both looked intently at it. "It's marked on the Minbari charts as Halmavar. On the Outer Rim of known space."

"It was probably the furthest extent of Darglan space back in the day," Julia said. "Do you think this is what we're looking for?"

"There's only one way to find out." Robert looked over at Jarod. "When is the _Lukapa_ due?"

"An hour from now," Jarod answered.

"I'll get on subspace with Admiral Maran and Captain Kripk. Julia…"

"...I'll have Nick set a course for Halmavar as soon as I'm on the bridge," she finished for him. "And I'll get our science teams on the planet ready to beam back up."

"Excellent job, everyone," Robert said. "It looks like we're getting somewhere."

* * *

Lyta sat alone in her small quarters on the _Keyeri_ and felt the minds of the others from a distance. Druni was asleep, Lennier was piloting, and G'Kar was meditating in his own quarters.

This was good. She had time now.

She went to the end of her bed and the makeshift work station there and picked up the multidevice she had gotten repaired on Kalnit Station. It was an older model of the machine, one that service had been discontinued for, but through contacts she had acquired third party software that made the device functional for a number of purposes.

With a few taps she was in the _Keyeri_ 's comm system. A few more taps and she was invisible. A couple more and a call was being placed.

The man she was looking to talk to, had been waiting to talk to for over a year, appeared on the screen. " _Well, hello Lyta_ ," said Michael Garibaldi. " _I've been anticipating this call for a while now. You_ do _know what time it is on Mars, right?_ "

"It's the early morning," Lyta answered. "But I have to call when I'm able."

" _Right. So, down to business, shall we? Can you receive an encrypted data file wherever you are?_ "

Lyta nodded and tapped a key on her multidevice. The blue screen registered that the computer was ready. "Send it."

" _Right_." Garibaldi reached to the side and tapped keys on a panel. " _Here are the accounts I promised you. The interest hasn't had time to compound a lot, and I've had to shuffle some into your legitimate refugee aid accounts to make things look good…_ "

Lyta narrowed her eyes, expecting Garibaldi to tell her he had been unable to provide the means he promised. The holo-screen flashed as it acknowledged the received data. After several seconds passed a series of numbers flashed on her screens from the various accounts. Hrm. "For a moment I thought you were going to disappoint me, Michael," she said. "But you haven't. This is just what I needed."

" _Glad to hear it. And your end of the deal…?_ "

Lyta grinned. "We'll have to make arrangements for a safe place to meet. Maybe Edgars Industries would be interested in providing assistance in establishing the new Telepath homeworld I've received from the United Alliance of Systems?"

Garibaldi blinked. " _Really, you… wow, how did that happen? Last time I checked they had an entire group of politicians already ticked off about the telepaths and mystic life force mojo-users they already have._ "

"They needed my help with something so I made a deal with them." Lyta's grin turned into a wry smirk. "And they helped me spit in Bester's eye. That was an unexpected bonus."

" _Now that, that is news to brighten my day._ " Garibaldi smiled back. " _Alright, so you've got materials from G'Kar and you've got the Allied Systems giving you a planet. Sounds like everything is coming along on your end. I'll see about making a quiet trip into the Alliance, a business trip. My shareholders have been after me to expand our markets into the Multiverse._ "

"Let me know where you'll be, I'll meet you wherever I can. Take care, Michael."

" _The same to you._ " Garibaldi disappeared from the screen.

The grin on Lyta's face wasn't going away. Garibaldi was right. Everything _was_ coming along for her and her people. And the Psi Corps… their days were numbered. She gently tapped several more keys. This call would be routed back into the Alliance and to elsewhere.

Several moments later, the call was accepted. Lyta looked into the screen at her contact. "Hello. I've had time to think about your proposal and make arrangements for my telepaths." She nodded. "I'll give you my answer now. I accept."

Her new ally nodded in pleased agreement.

* * *

 **Tag**

The red star of Halmavar burned in the distance. The _Aurora_ dropped out of warp near the second planet of the solar system. The dead planet turned quietly on its orbital access as the kilometer long starship approached.

The command crew was gathered on the bridge for the approach. "We're at full impulse, orbit in five minutes," Locarno said.

Robert nodded and turned his head to face Cat. "Anything useful on sensors?"

"The star is putting out some sort of interference," Caterina answered. "The planet is definitely a barren world, virtually no atmosphere. I'm looking for signs of prior habitation. So far nothing like domes or secured habitats."

On the screen the red, graying planet was framed by the distant nebula that framed this region of space with orange and red color. As they approached Robert felt anxious. They'd come all this way, done all this… were they finally at the end of this hunt? Or was it a wild goose chase?

"Rob." Julia's voice was hushed. "You look like something's wrong."

He nodded. He could feel his heart beating faster. There _was_ something wrong. "Still no sign of anything?"

"Sensors are still blank."

Robert nodded at that. He could see the concern in Julia's eyes. Before he could say anything, his chair's comm panel lit up. " _Meridina to Bridge_."

"Bridge here," Robert answered, after tapping the key to give a reply.

" _Whatever is happening… I sense that there is danger. Proceed with caution_."

Meridina's warning clinched the deal for Robert. "Nick, new course, keep us far from that planet," Robert said. "I want a better idea of what's going on before we make orbit."

"Right, changing course…"

"I've got power signatures on sensors!" Caterina shouted. "New contacts… they're coming from the planet!"

"Code Red!" Julia shouted.

As klaxons sounded throughout the _Aurora_ , Robert added, "On screen!"

The screen now changed to show vessels flying toward them, the dead world framing the shapes. They were unlike any ship Robert had yet seen. Their surfaces were shimmering as if alive, their very hulls so dark as to seem more shadow than real, with multiple arms emerging from the ship in a half-circle.

He'd seen them before. In his nightmares, which they were particularly well-suited to appear in.

And he knew what was coming next.

"Nick, get us out of here!" he shouted, trying not to panic. "Don't mind the course, just _go!_ "

Locarno was already maneuvering away from the approaching spidery ships. Caterina shrieked, "They're Shadow vessels!"

" _What?!_ " Julia demanded.

"They match the profile, they're…"

She didn't finish the sentence.

Locarno did, in fact, engage the warp drive. The warp nacelles flushed with energy to make the jump to warp.

The lead Shadow vessel fired.

The purple ray of energy that erupted from within its form hit the _Aurora_ 's shields dead-on…

...and promptly sliced through _both_ top nacelles.

The _Aurora_ bridge shook so violently that only their harnesses kept some of the crew from being thrown from their chairs. "We've just lost both upper nacelles!" Barnes shouted from the engineering station. "They hit us just before warp initiated, the feedback's knocked outthe warp drive!"

"What about the shields?!"

"Their weapons are disrupting the shields at point of impact. They're not…"

Jarod was cut off by another violent shaking. A second Shadow ship had moved into range and fired a beam that sliced directly into the drive hull. Explosions ripped through the hanger deck and launch tubes.

The first Shadow vessel, satisfied at crippling its target's ability to escape at FTL, fired again. The beam moved across the front of the drive hull.

"Hull breaches in multiple sections of the drive hull!" Jarod called out. "Heavy damage to the navigational deflector!"

Two more beams and then a third sliced into the ship. It rocked around more. Robert could visualize it easy enough; he'd dreamed this before. He'd seen it happen already. On the screen the amber energy of their starboard phaser weapons - those still intact - were striking out at their attackers. Some shots hit. Most seemed to do little to no damage, with two of the larger beams slicing part of an arm off of one of the attacking Shadow ships.

"Armor self-repair systems are engaging, but it's like we're filling the holes with cotton frakking candy!" Barnes kept at his work station, trying to keep the systems in question going.

" _Engineerin' t' Bridge! Cap'n, we've taken damage t' th' naqia reactors. Four are offline an' I'm losin' a fifth!"_

"Evasive maneuvers! Jarod, send out a mayday, now!"

"I'm trying," Locarno answered Julia, as Jarod triggered the distress signal. "But the impulsors are partially damaged!"

"I'm firing everything I can and it's not doing enough!" Angel added.

As another shot hit the ship, this one slicing along the primary hull, Robert thought he could feel his entire crew's panic and anguish. He could feel pain and terror. His friends' screams as more shots hit their battered ship, slicing the _Aurora_ apart like a bird on a platter, struck deep into him. He'd _seen_ this. He'd seen it in his dreams. How could he have not seen it coming?!

The next shot clipped the bridge module itself as it sliced along the rear of the primary hull. "We've just lost communications!" Jarod shouted.

For a long second Robert closed his eyes and focused. They were going to die. Julia, Tom, Leo, Cat and Angel, Meridina and Lucy… every single one of them was about to die, along with two thousand more people. People _he_ was responsible for.

No… No, he couldn't let that happen.

A single hope was left. One that every fiber of his being said had to be taken, _now_. "Jarod, activate the jump drive, now! I don't care about the destination!"

Jarod had already made a similar calculation of their chances of survival. Another shot that sliced up the front of the _Aurora_ 's bow and wrecked one of the plasma pulse cannons made their alternatives starkly clear. "Activating jump drive!"

"Everything to engines, Tom! _Everything!_ "

"Everything!" Barnes agreed with a shout, using the engineering console to shunt power into the damaged impulsor drives wherever he could find it.

Ahead of the _Aurora_ a green light appeared, twinkling like a star of hope. It expanded into the swirling vortex of an interuniversal jump point.

The _Aurora_ raced for it like a wounded creature recognizing the only hope of survival.

The Shadow vessels reacted as well. From their forms, bright pulses of energy fired toward the jump point. Angel, with what little was left of her targeting sensors, saw them coming and opened up with whatever weapons she had left. A phaser beam eliminated one pulse. A solar torpedo blew up another. Particle interceptors dissipated one.

Just as the _Aurora_ surged into the jump point, the last pulse struck it. Energy crackled around the emerald vortex and the _Aurora_ as it surged forth. On the bridge of the ship consoles crackled and sparked with energies beyond what they meant to endure. "The jump point is destabilizing!", shouted Jarod. "It's going to-"

The jump point collapsed.

Their duty done, the Shadow vessels returned to their eternal vigil.

* * *

The _Koenig_ was still two hours out from the Reynar System alongside the _Hencerasa_. Zack checked the time and decided he would head for coffee soon. After all this time away from the _Aurora_ , he was looking forward to getting back to his bed.

Magda turned in her seat. "Sir, I'm getting an automated distress call on all Alliance bands."

"Oh?" Zack felt the worry enter his voice. Had they been found out by Earthforce? Was there some sort of retaliation going on? "Heading?"

"239 mark 040. Toward the Rim." After a moment, Magda swallowed and gasped, " _Madre de Dios_."

Zack turned his head to face her. "Mags? What is it?"

"The call…" She swallowed. "It… it came from the _Aurora_."

At that, Zack's face paled to sheet whiteness.

* * *

Lights woke Robert up. Lights, and the immense headache. He fumbled for his seat harness and released it, letting him topple off his chair. He looked around at the smoke-filled bridge.

Moans and groans filled the air. He looked to Julia first. She was running her hand over a sweat-covered brow. Robert's head moved to Locarno, who was cradling damaged hands over the destroyed remnants of his navigation console. Jarod's console was still intact and he was already moving. Tom Barnes was, as usual, already trying to get his console to work. Cat was moaning at her station. He looked back to where Angel was starting to sit up. "Report," he asked, his voice hoarse.

Jarod's hand went to the Ops console. "I've got some systems active. Life support is functioning over eighty percent of the ship, but we've got persistent atmospheric leaks in Decks… 2, 4, 5, 7 through 20, and 23 through 35. Damage control teams are moving to begin patching them."

"What about the armor-repair systems?"

"Fried," groaned Barnes. "Utterly, completely fried. Half of the machinery is out, the control systems are dead…"

"Communications?", croaked Julia.

Jarod shook his head. "Our transceivers have all been damaged beyond immediate repair. Given time and EVA work, maybe we can get basic subspace back."

"Propulsion? What about our drives?" Robert asked.

"The jump drive is completely burnt out from whatever just happened," Jarod said. "Warp drive is out. Impulsor drives have taken major damage..." He shook his head. "We're dead in space."

"Most of the weapons are either out or can't be fired from lack of power," Barnes added. "Our shield generators are mostly intact. Two primary generators dead from direct hits. But we've got no power to use them."

" _Scott t' Bridge. Are ye still alive, lads, lasses?_ "

Robert stabbed at the control. "Still alive. What…"

" _It's bad, Cap'n. We dinnae have much power left. All but one naqia reactor are out. Two fusion reactors took tae much damage an' had t' be shut down."_

"What caused all this?"

" _Ye mean besides th' ship gettin' cut tae bloody ribbons, sir? Some kind o' energy feedback hit our systems._ "

"Urgh." Locarno was wrestling with his harness, difficult given the burns on both hands. "So much for fixing the fuse problem."

"The fuses aren't the issue." Caterina was looking over her console. "The entire ship got subjected to some kind of disruptive energy field. It hit every electronic device on the ship with varying amounts of energy. And probably fried out at least half of our consoles." She looked over what her sensors recorded. "We… oh my God…"

"What?"

"We should be dead," Cat said. "We… a nanosecond. Maybe two, or maybe five, it's sort of… don't you see?" She turned to face them. "We were in a _collapsing jump point_. We _should be dead_."

"But we're not," Robert said.

"By the skin of our teeth!" Cat cried. "Actually, not even that, more like an atom's width!"

"It's fine," Julia insisted. "We're not dead. We're alive. And now we need to see what happened. Do we know where we jumped?"

"I set the drive to jump us to L2M1," Jarod revealed. "The Jackman VIII Frontier Fleet Base. But I can already tell you that's not where we are."

"Then where are we?" Julia asked.

"We've lost a number of sensors, so I'm trying to…"

"Oh my God…"

Again everyone looked to Caterina. "What is it?"

"We're… I can't believe this," she said. "The spatial aspect is _all wrong_. We shouldn't have…"

"Cat!" Robert barked. He needed to know, now.

"We're… we're over _Earth_ ," she said.

"What?" Robert and Julia managed that together.

"We're in high orbit of Earth," Caterina confirmed.

Jarod tapped a key on his console. The holo-viewscreen activated. It flickered for several moments, but despite the distortion in the video there was no mistaking the image on the screen. They could see the outline of North America on the horizon.

"Which Earth?" Julia wondered. "Any sign of…"

Caterina had her attention drawn back to her sensors. "That's odd. I'm getting some kind of spatial distortion forming."

"Where?" Robert closed his eyes for a moment. Everything seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"Here. On... on the bridge..."

As she said "bridge", a noise was growing in volume. A solid "Whooshing" kind of noise, but not an actual "Whoosh". It was, to Cat anyway, more of a "VWOOSH". Or, on second thought, a "VWORP".

And everyone watched, astounded, as a blue box appeared at the front of the bridge, just beyond the Ops and Helm stations.

It was blue. It looked like a telephone booth in size, with a light at the top that was lighting up in time with the lingering "VWORP". The words "Police Box" were separated by the words "Public Call". A white sign on the front door read:

 _Police Telephone  
Free for Use of Public  
Advice and Assistance Obtainable Immediately  
Officers and Cars Respond to Urgent Calls  
Pull to Open_

"What the _hell_?" Angel swore.

The others were clearly as shocked. Robert was too, but he thought he could sense something about it. Something that his power resonated with.

And then the box door opened.

A young blond woman stepped out. She was wearing a teal jacket over a black shirt, black trousers, with a backpack in her hand. Very much like she was from the same century most of them were from. She looked around with as much confusion as they had.

Robert was more than confused as he looked at her face. He was stunned. And more than a little terrified. He'd seen the face before, in his dreams.

"Bad Wolf," he murmured, in such a low tone only Julia could faintly hear him.

The woman turned back to face a second figure emerging from the box. This one was a man in a long brown coat over a business suit, dark gray, with a tie. "Where and when are we now?" the young woman asked him, revealing the English accent Robert had already heard.

"I don't know." Brown eyes scanned the bridge. "Oh, hello everyone… wait!" His expression brightened. "Well, look at all this!" He walked up beside Robert and looked around for a second before moving on to Cat and Barnes' side of the bridge, examining the walls and the consoles. He turned toward the flickering master systems display on the back of the bridge. "Lovely ship you've got. Darglan Emergency Ship design, am I right?" He looked at Caterina.

She nodded slowly.

"Ha, thought so! They always loved blue surfacing. Liked everything blue, which was odd if you ask me, since they were orange. Still, it's nice to see one of their ships again. Although it's a shame it's all messed up right now." The newcomer shook his head, smiling with an edge of sadness to it. "Ah, the Darglan, they were always so creative. And they always had to go around exploring, scanning things, then scanning them again to make sure before running them through a beaker in the lab..." He looked around the bridge again and seemed to realize everyone was staring at him. "Hrm?"

"Excuse me," Julia began. "But… who are you?"

"Oh, right." The smile turned into a wide grin. "Hello everyone. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler." He held a hand toward the young blond woman who'd stepped out first. "And given the state of your ship, you look like you could use some help…"

 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	85. Episode 2-17-1 Between Two Fires

**Teaser**

"And given the state of your ship, you look like you could use some help…"

The bridge of the _Starship Aurora_ grew quiet at those words, and at the recognition among some of the name now attached to the speaker. The tall man in the brown coat and dark dress suit and tie with light blue dress shirt, but with very ordinary-looking white running shoes, next moved over to Barnes' console. "Oh, that does look bad. It's a good thing you're using the naqia or naquadah or whatever you want to call the stuff, so many names for it you know. If you'd been using anti-matter or a hyperspace tap you'd have been blown to bits."

"You're the Doctor?" asked Caterina, the first of the crew to speak. "You're really… the _Doctor_?"

"Well, I hate to brag…"

"...no, he doesn't," the young woman with him, Rose Tyler, interrupted.

He made a bemused face in her direction before continuing. "...but I am the Doctor, yes. You've heard of me? From the Darglan, I'm guessing?"

"Well… you were in their databases." Cat shook her head. "That's all that's left of them, actually."

The Doctor's expression fell. "Let me guess." His tone turned dark. "It was the… well, their name is virtually unpronounceable, so let's go with 'Shadows'."

"Yes," answered Julia. She frowned. "Wait, how did you know them?"

When he resumed speaking, the Doctor's voice kept its subdued, dark tone. "What, you thought the Darglan were the first species to achieve interuniversal drive? Don't be silly! It's happened plenty of times. We just end up giving it up, usually. Don't want to attract the wrong attention."

"Wait." Rose looked from him to them in confusion. "What's this about interuniversal drive?"

"That's what our ship has," Julia said. "An interuniversal jump drive developed by a race called the Darglan."

"Ah, the Darglan. They were such a nice people." He shook his head sadly. "Ended up drawing all the wrong sort of attention, though. And that's putting it mildly. In the end we all had to come together to deal with that situation. I was there, and the Furlings, the Shadows and Vorlons and all those other First Ones with unpronounceable names, the Organians, the Endless and the Sword…"

"We saw," Robert said, finding his voice finally. He forced the fears and thoughts prompted by Rose's appearance and faced the Doctor. "We just found an old Darglan science base that had a recording in it. It showed the Darglan being sentenced to having their interuniversal drives taken away."

"It was the best solution we could manage," the Doctor said. "I thought they'd learned their lesson, but with the Shadows demanding their extermination and the Endless talking about decimating the population, well… that was the best compromise that didn't involve even more death." He directed his gaze toward Robert. And then he blinked. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name's Robert Dale," Robert said. "I'm Captain of this ship, the _Starship Aurora_. We're a part of the United Alliance of Systems."

"Really? Alliance of Systems?" The Doctor tilted his head slightly, as if in thought. "Sounds nice. All Humans then?"

"And the Alakin, the Dorei, and Gersallians."

"Ah, good. How are they? The Gersallians, I mean. Swenya finally got everything together for them?"

"Um… yes, I'd say," Robert replied delicately. "So, you're the Doctor. That makes you a…"

"...Time Lord," Caterina answered, just as the Doctor said the same thing. He looked to her with interest. "Well, it was in the records," she said to him, her cheeks blushing now. "And… and I did meet Sarah Jane and she knew you…"

A grin crossed the being's face. "Oh, you have. How is she?"

"Um, fine?"

"Well, except having her door smashed by that absorbing alien thing," Angel pointed out. "But she was getting that repaired."

The Doctor acknowledged Angel's remark with a nod, but he quickly looked back to Caterina. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, you look a little pale. And like you're about to explode," he observed.

"Well, actually, we did just come within a few nanoseconds of dying," Caterina explained. "I… I think that's why I'm not shrieking in joy and trying to ask you a zillion questions."

"Ah." He smiled at that.

At that point Rose cleared her throat and held up her bag. "Laundry, remember?"

"Oh, right. Well…" The Doctor gave her a sheepish look. "...it can wait, can't it? I mean, this is a genuine Darglan Emergency Vessel, and it's been a long time since I got to see one..."

Rose sighed with some exasperation. "Alright. I'll call Mum and let her know we're coming." She pulled out a telephone.

"How do you know this is your timeframe?" Caterina asked.

"Oh, I set up the phone so she can call her mum whenever and wherever she likes," the Doctor explained. "But given the state of your ship, I'd say that you're in the same time we were planning to arrive anyway."

"How could you know that?" Jarod asked.

"Well, with what you've told me, I imagine you did something to gain the attention of the Shadows. You tried to escape with a jump point, they tried to destabilize it, and the result on this end was an unstable point that could act as a sort of magnet for the TARDIS. It's why we appeared here and now and not where and when I set the controls for." He inclined his head toward the viewscreen. "It's not the first time. Once I had a Darglan ship failing a jump that pulled the TARDIS right along with it. It was my fault, actually, wasn't minding the controls." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "The Daleks really regretted that mistake of mine, actually."

Julia, while listening, decided it was time to act. "Nick, you should get to the medbay."

"The lift in the conference lounge is still working," Jarod confirmed.

"Good. Jarod, Tom, go with him, and report to Scotty to begin repairs." After they obeyed and departed the bridge, Julia looked over to where the Doctor was observing. "I hope you don't mind that we get down to business?"

"Oh, of course not," he answered. "Although it looks like you're going to need a lot of work to get this ship going again."

"Exactly."

In the corner, Rose was saying, "No, I hate guessing, just go on and tell me…"

"I can lend a hand," the Doctor offered. "I…"

"What do you mean Granddad's coming?" Rose asked loudly, interrupting him. "Mum, that doesn't… right, I'll be there soon." She lowered her cell phone and noticed everyone looking toward her.

"Is everything alright?" the Doctor asked.

"No. No, it's not alright." Rose shook her head. Concern and confusion were written all over her face. "She just told me that my Granddad Prentice was coming to visit."

"Well, that sounds… nice?" Angel offered.

"I haven't met your Granddad yet," the Doctor said. "What's he like?"

"He was nice," Rose answered. "But, he's dead. He died ten years ago."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Between Two Fires"_**

Rose's news was, for the _Aurora_ crew, just one more thing in a day that had been terrifying and bizarre. The Doctor, for his part, didn't seem nearly as confused as they did. "So your mother's finally gone mad?"

"I… I don't know." Rose shook her head. "She didn't sound mad. She acted like it's perfectly normal. She says he'll be there in half an hour."

"Well, we'd better look into this." The Doctor turned toward Robert and Julia. "I hate to be rude, but it's her mum, and there's all sorts of nasty things that can look like ghosts. I'll have to check back in with you later."

"Oh, sure?" Robert and Julia exchanged looks. Robert continued, "I mean, you're not under any obligation to us. We haven't even asked for your help yet. I've got no problem with you checking out this 'ghost' thing." A thought crossed Robert's mind. A thought… and a feeling deep within him. "Maybe my security chief and I can help?"

"Help with ghosts?" Rose asked, clearly skeptical.

Robert nodded. "We can sense if there's anything to it. If it's some kind of life. Commander Meridina is a telepath and was trained by the Order of Swenya."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," said the Doctor. "Nice to know she got that order going. And I thought there was something interesting about you. Trained in that style, right? But I don't see a lightsaber anywhere on you, so I'm guessing you're not the combat type?"

"Not yet, and probably not ever," Robert admitted.

"Ah. Well, alright. Offer accepted."

Robert tapped the comm control on his chair. "Bridge to Security. Commander Meridina, are you there?"

After several moments a reply came, " _I am available, Captain. Is there something you need from me?_ "

"Report to the bridge immediately."

" _I am coming_. _Security out._ "

Caterina stood. "Can I come too?" she asked. Everyone looked to her. "I mean… most of my sensors are busted, but my omnitool is still working, I can take scans of whatever is happening, help out with the science stuff? I'm… I'm good with science, Doctor." She focused her attention on him. "I love science."

Julia gave Robert an uncomfortable look. So did Angel. Robert drew in a breath and took a moment to think on the subject. To feel for what seemed to be the right answer.

"I have no objection," he finally said.

"Well, there's no harm in it, really."

Caterina grinned and jumped from her seat. Robert could sense her sheer enthusiasm at the prospect. He could also sense a sudden, sharp pang of something from Rose, who crossed her arms and looking away from Cat and the Doctor. Was it… irritation? That and maybe a little jealousy, Robert decided.

"Rob." Julia touched his arm and tilted her head toward his ready office.

"Hrm? Oh. Excuse us," he said, addressing that to everyone. He followed Julia into the office. There was no hiding her frustration or irritation. "Okay, what…"

Julia turned back and faced him with a sharp, disapproving look. "Rob, need I remind you that this ship just got sliced up? We've got dead and hurt crew, a ship stranded in another universe and out of communication, and now you're going to leave it to… to what, play 'Ghostbusters' with this guy?" She gestured toward the door. "This is irresponsible."

"I can see why you think that," Robert replied. "But the way I figure it, the sooner we help him with whatever it is going on, the sooner he can help us. And I know he will. The Darglan knew and respected the Doctor for a reason."

"And you know that's him? You can sense the truth of that? He's willing to help us?"

"I do."

To that Julia sighed. "Alright, that's a good argument to make. And I can even understand you going along since you've got these powers. But bringing Cat too? I mean, Meridina is one thing, but we could use Caterina up here. We need everyone we can get on the repair teams."

"Cat's smart, but she's not a full engineer," Robert countered. "If she comes with us, her omnitool scans can be the science side of what Meridina and I sense." Seeing Julia was still not entirely won over, he added, "I'm not bringing Lucy because, yes, the ship needs repairs, and Lucy's place is here on the repair teams. But Cat and Meridina, myself? We'll get more accomplished working with the Doctor and getting him back here quickly than we will joining a repair team." Robert looked her eye to eye. "Julia, I'm not just running off to leave this repair job to you. I'm doing this for a reason. I know this will help us. And given the state of the ship we need the help."

"I'm not upset at the idea of directing the repair," Julia countered. "It'll be useful for when I command my own ship anyway. But keep in mind that eventually you're going to have an XO not as understanding as me. You can't just keep running off on these kinds of missions, Rob. Not when you're the Captain of this ship. Your place is here, commanding."

"I know, but sometimes I have to do these things." Robert shook his head. "Besides, it's not like I'm always running off on these kinds of missions."

Julia raised her eyebrows in sarcastic surprise. "Really? You just spent nearly a week off the ship on a secret mission. The only reason you didn't go on a field mission on Solaris was because President Sinclair insisted on breakfast with you. You challenged Lincoln Osis to a fight. And let's not forget last year at Gamma Piratus when you and I did the exact opposite things we were meant to do."

"Those were all special cases." Robert's face betrayed his bewilderment at the conversation. "What's going on? Why are we having this conversation?"

"Because I care about you," Julia answered. "Because I'm not going to be around here anymore and I don't want you losing your command because you end up with someone like Commander King as your new First Officer, someone who's not going to overlook you trying to operate in the field."

"That's not going to happen," Robert pledged to her. "Don't worry about me." He checked his omnitool for the time. "Meridina should be here any moment. We should head back out."

Knowing the conversation was over, Julia nodded and turned. They went for the door together.

* * *

Meridina was nearly to the lift when Lucy intercepted her. "I'm heading to the bridge to begin fixing the consoles," she explained, indicating her tool belt. Her lightsaber was also affixed to it. "Is Robert sending you into the field?"

"I suspect so."

"Then be careful." Seeing that Meridina didn't quite understand what the problem was, Lucy took her lightsaber from her belt and activated it. There was a brief burst of light and then nothing. "Whatever was done to the ship also affected our lightsabers."

Meridina took her own out and tried to turn it on. It didn't work either. "Perhaps I should get my _lakesh_?" she proposed.

"I doubt it'll do any good," Lucy replied. "The disruption field would have damaged the memory metal or the EM field system as easily as it did the lightsabers."

"So I will be without a weapon." Meridina considered this issue carefully. "Very well. Such things happen from time to time. I shall be careful."

"I wish I had time to fix them," Lucy said.

"You will find time when the ship's repairs have progressed." Meridina handed the weapon over to Lucy. "I shall speak to you later."

Lucy gripped Meridina's arm. Not tightly, but enough to get her attention. "This situation… I've got bad feelings about it, Meridina. Please be careful."

"I have felt the same, and I will be," Meridina answered. "I promise."

After a moment Lucy let go and they continued on, quietly, to the functioning lift.

* * *

The arrival of Lucy and Meridina to the bridge prompted a reaction from the Doctor. "It's so good to see a Gersallian again," he said brightly. "Look at you. And a _farisa_ too."

Meridina blinked at him. "You are familiar with my people, then?"

"Oh, quite familiar." He grinned. "I knew Swenya back in the day. She had quite the taste for jellybabies. More than that old grouch of a mentor she had." For a moment the Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "You remind me a bit of her. I think it's the nose." He tapped his own.

Robert sensed Meridina's disbelief turn into surprise when she sensed the Doctor's sincerity on the issue. "Truly? If you knew the Great Foundress, then…"

"Really? Do you really call her that? I'm not sure she'd have liked that," he said. "But we can talk about that later. We have a date with someone who's supposed to be dead."

Robert nodded and turned to Julia. "We'll try to stay in communication."

"Jarod's supposed to be working on it," Julia said. "Until then… be careful."

Caterina bounded up to the door of the police box, eager to enter. The Doctor stepped up and opened the door for her and the rest. They entered to find a chamber just as big as the _Aurora_ bridge. But it certainly wasn't a control room like he expected. The interior design consisted of gold-surfaced, curved pillars coming from below the floor to the wall, with something of a coral look to them. In the center of this open chamber was a hexagonal platform. The round control console there was around a pillar with a mechanism inside of the tube, with wiring leading from the top to the walls. The ramp from the door to the control platform was tiled with red material.

"A dimensionally-transcendental field!" Caterina squealed in excitement. She continued in and went up to the controls to get a good look at the chamber. "It's… it's amazing!"

"Aren't you enthusiastic?" the Doctor mused with an amused expression. He walked up to join her. "Just be careful about touching her. My TARDIS can be fussy at times."

"TARDIS?" asked Meridina.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space," Rose answered. "It's why it's bigger on the inside."

"Just like Darglan Facilities…" Meridina stepped on past her.

Robert, however did not. He glanced toward her and said, lowly, "Don't feel challenged by Cat, please."

"What?" Rose turned her head and faced him. "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that if Caterina was going to have certain feelings for either of you, Rose, it'd be you," he replied. "And she's actually quite happy with her girlfriend, from what I know."

"What? Oh." Rose blinked with understanding. A blush showed on her and, Robert thought, a little embarrassment too. She looked to where Cat was asking questions about the TARDIS while the Doctor started operating the controls. "She looks really excited."

"Caterina is our science officer for a reason," Robert answered. "If it's something new, she's going to scan it thoroughly, examine it, and decide what it is and the science of it."

"Right."

"Alright, time to be off then." The Doctor looked over his console instruments and then glanced toward Rose. "Time to see if your mother's finally gone mad."

"You're not flying this through my ship, are you?" Robert was seized by the mental image of the police box flying through the corridors. It was both funny and disturbing.

"Of course not," declared the Doctor. "That's just silly. No, I'm simply dematerializing us from your ship, shifting us through the Time Vortex, and re-materializing at our destination. It's simple."

"I'm betting you say that about every impossible thing you talk about doing," Robert pointed out.

"Nah." The Doctor looked up from the controls. "Just most things."

There was a final pull of a lever somewhere and the mechanism in the pillar of the control console began to move. The "vworp" sound filled the air.

After several moments it stopped. The Doctor checked a monitor screen, nodded, and went for the door. Outside was a series of urban apartments with a nearby playground for children. The sky was clear and the morning sunny.

"Here we are then," he said at the door. "Time for laundry and Granddads who are supposed to be dead."

* * *

After the Doctor's ship faded from view on the _Aurora_ bridge, Julia settled into the command chair. Lucy was already working on the navigation console. She finished pulling away the access panel on the "back" (which, naturally, faced the front of the bridge).

With her console out and nothing to do, Angel walked up and sat in the VIP seat to Julia's left. "First our ship gets sliced up by ancient aliens that were supposed to be gone, now we're getting mixed up with some guy the Darglan treated like a legend. Is it just me or is this situation completely insane?"

"It's certainly out there," Julia agreed.

"Hopefully we don't have anything like this happen on the _Enterprise_."

To that thought, Julia snorted. "Are you kidding? We'll probably end up in plenty of insane situations no matter what ship we're on. It's a crazy Multiverse."

Angel smiled despite herself. "Yeah, I guess you're right." After a moment's thought she asked, "Have you picked out a First Officer yet?"

"Nobody from here, I'm afraid," Julia said. "I'll have to get one from the rest of the fleet."

"What about Nasira Fanous? From the _Challenger_? It'd be a step up for her."

"Maybe." Julia tapped the key on the chair to activate the comms. Which, she mused, seemed to be one of the few systems properly working. "Bridge to Engineering. Mister Scott, what's our status?"

" _Nae very good, Commander. Th' warp drive is shot an' will need a yard rebuild, th' jump drive will require hours o' repair an' I cannae promise it'll work even then, I need time t' deal with these bloody hull breaches, an' we lost both comm arrays. Mister Jarod will be rebuildin' 'em in th' machine shops. Dinnae expect any comms for another twelve hours or more._ "

"Any good news for me, Mister Scott?"

" _Give my teams eight hours an' I can get ye impulse up t' three-quarters._ "

"Just get us enough impulse capability for maneuvering. The safety of the ship comes first, after that the priority's going to be our jump drive or IU radio."

" _Roger that, Commander. Scott out._ "

Julia set her hands on the arms of the command chair and blew out a breath. Scotty and Jarod (and Tom and Lucy) would have the repairs well in hand, and Leo was undoubtedly busy with triage and care for the wounded. They wouldn't want or need her lingering around. There was little to do now for her but to wait. 

* * *

It was somewhat awkward when the group showed up at the Tyler apartment. "Ah, Rose, you're just in time!" the middle-aged blond woman who met them inside the door cried. She embraced her daughter warmly. "Oh, how have you been?"

"Great, mum." Rose held up her backpack. "And I've got a lot of wash to do, and I've got you a present."

"You can show it to your Granddad," Jackie insisted. Next she grabbed the Doctor into an embrace and planted a clearly-unexpected kiss on his lips. "And you, it's good to see you too," she announced after the kiss.

The Doctor, still looking rather bewildered and a bit disturbed, said, "Ah, well, it's good to see you too."

Jackie turned to the door and seemed to finally notice Robert, Meridina, and Caterina. "Well now, who are you?" she asked. "And what kind of uniforms are those?"

"Alliance Stellar Navy uniforms, ma'am," Robert said. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the _Starship Aurora_. We're… well, it's a long story, but right now my badly damaged ship is in orbit and…"

He was interrupted when Jackie checked her watch and announced, "Oh, it's almost time! Glad to have you here, go on and make yourselves at home." She turned away and went back to Rose. "Your Granddad will be here in a minute. What's that?"

Rose held up a trinket made of an unknown material. "I got it from an asteroid bazaar. It's made of…" She looked to the Doctor with an unspoken question.

"Bazoolium," he answered.

"...it's Bazoolium. If it's going to rain it turns cold, if it's going to be sunny it turns hot. You can use it to tell the weather."

"Lovely, dear, let's go show it to Granddad Prentice."

"Mum…" Rose let her mother guide her toward the flat's kitchen. "Granddad Prentice, his heart gave out, don't you remember?" The Doctor and the others followed. It looked like a cozy little home to Robert and Cat, something like what they'd grown up in. Robert could sense it wasn't so cozy for Jackie Tyler, though. He could feel the yawning sense of loneliness in the older woman, living alone in the world.

Jackie was the only one to enter the kitchen fully. She answered Rose's question with, "Of course I do." She checked her watch. "Ten past. He'll be here any moment," she said, oblivious to her daughter's fear and apprehension at her words.

Caterina immediately activated her omnitool. "Huh, that's weird. I'm starting to pick up…"

A figure stepped through the wall and counters at the far side of the kitchen. It looked vaguely human, making Robert think of what a walking shadow might look like. Light seemed to curve ever so slightly around it. He consciously felt for it through the Flow of Life. But there was nothing definite there. No feeling of life. Just a strange sense of the thing being "off" somehow. A sort of hollowness in the world.

Caterina kept her forearm up. "It's a spatial disturbance of some kind. As in, it's warping space around it slightly. I'd almost think…"

The Doctor turned and ran past her for the door. Rose followed, and Jackie in turn followed her daughter. Caterina, curioused, followed right behind.

Meridina approached the figure still in the kitchen. "I will remain," she murmured.

Robert nodded and took off in pursuit of the others. 

* * *

The relative quiet of the _Aurora_ bridge ended abruptly. "Commander?" Ensign al-Rashad looked up from sensors. "Something's going on with the planet."

Julia turned in her chair and looked at the younger Arab woman. "What is it?"

"Because of the damage to the ship's sensors I can't be sure of what I'm seeing," al-Rashad answered. "But what I can see are signs of a major spatial distortion on Earth. Something is generating a massive amount of energy and causing some sort of planetary-scale spatial disruptions."

"Can you give me anything specific, lieutenant?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am."

"Keep me informed of new developments." Julia kept any worry from coming into her voice, but she couldn't hide it from herself.

 _Just what is going on down there?_

* * *

"They're everywhere!"

Cat was the last to arrive. The Doctor, and Rose, were staring at the scene of more of the black ghostly figures standing and moving around. She checked her omnitool and confirmed that the spatial disruptions were even stronger out here.

"They won't be for much longer." Jackie checked her watch. "This shift's the short one, it's only a couple of minutes."

"Since when do ghosts have shifts?" The Doctor looked around, still incredulous. "Since when do shifts have _ghosts_?"

"And why isn't anyone running away?" Rose asked. "It's like they don't care that all of these… things are walking around…"

"Everyone was panicking when it first happened," Jackie said. "That was a couple of months ago. But people began to think about it and realized how wonderful it is. To have all of our friends and family back."

"The spatial distortions are gone,' Caterina said. She lowered her forearm. "But… how do you know these things are… y'know, people?"

"They're not," the Doctor insisted. "This is something else."

Cat saw the upset look on Jackie Tyler's face and would have been surprised to see she had something of the same. For just a moment she considered what it would mean if it was true. Her very next thought was if one of those dark figures could be her Mama.

That caused tears to form in her eyes.

"You alright?" The Doctor was looking at her.

"Um… yes." Caterina wiped the tears away. "Sorry, just a… just a silly thought. I don't think ghosts would give off spatial distortions."

"Can I have a look at those readings?"

"S-sure." Caterina gestured toward the entryway leading back to the Tyler flat. "Inside? We're not supposed to show off our technology here. The last time I had to spend a whole day getting debriefed by government agents."

"Fair enough," was the answer. "Inside we go."

* * *

The TV in the Tyler home flipped from channel to channel. The Doctor sat on the floor in front of the device, watching intently as everything from commercials to news shows and talk shows spoke about the ghosts. "They're everywhere," Rose said.

"How peculiar," Meridina noted from where she was standing by the wall, watching the image of a trio of Japanese girls wearing ghost-icon shirts and shrieking with enthusiasm she previously had attributed to Caterina finding something she found terribly interesting. "The people of this world have not responded as I imagined they would."

"Probably for the same reason flying in spaceships stopped being quite so spectacular for us," Robert answered. "You get used to it."

"Mum, how do you know it's Granddad?" Rose asked. She was seated on the couch beside her mother.

"Well, can't you tell? He still has that old cigarette smell. You remember."

"I do mum." Rose shook her head. "But I don't smell anything."

"Well, you have to make an effort. You have to _want_ it, sweetheart."

"But then the question must be if it is truly there, or you are imagining it," Meridina pointed out to her. That won her a disapproving look.

"No, she's right." The Doctor shook his head. "The more you want it, the stronger it gets."

"Sort of," Jackie conceded.

"Like a psychic link. You want your old dad to be alive. And whatever they are, they might be trying to use that. To pull themselves into this world."

"You mean they may be trying to access the power of the Flow of Life?" asked Meridina.

"Maybe, maybe not."

Jackie's voice was cold to the point of hostility. "You're spoiled it. You're all spoiling it. Why can't you just accept the ones we love are trying to come back to us?"

"I understand." Caterina sat down on the floor in front of Jackie and looked up to her. "If I could see my Mama again, I'd do anything for that. I wish she was here with us as much as you want your dad back. But I think the Doctor's right. I mean, there's a scientific explanation for this, and these things may not even be human."

"They certainly look human," Robert pointed out.

"They do. I mean, they're all sort of blurry."

"True. That's because they're impressing themselves upon the surface of the world." The Doctor eyed them all. "But a footprint doesn't look like a boot."

"Maybe I can find some things from the Science Labs that will help?" Caterina suggested. "I mean, help figure out what these things are."

"Thank you for the offer, but I've got everything I need for this. Oh, right…" The Doctor looked apologetically to Robert. "Do you mind if I look into this first? Your ship's not going anywhere, right? Not going to run out of air any time soon?"

"I don't think so," Robert conceded. "We're just in a high orbit and out of communication with our people."

"Oh, I'll have that sorted out for you in seconds," the Doctor insisted. "This, on the other hand, bit trickier."

"Another 'fate of the world hangs in the balance' thing, I suppose?" Rose asked.

"Those are always the most fun, aren't they?" The Doctor stood up. "Alright, next shift is in what…?"

"In an hour or so," Jackie answered, almost automatically.

"Ah, good. We've got time." The Doctor went for the door.

"To do what?" Jackie called after him. But he was already out the door. Rose followed and, behind her, Jackie did as well.

The three _Aurora_ crew looked at each other. "So much for our repairs," Robert sighed.

"Yes, but he's right," Caterina said. "Whatever these things are… if they're from some other dimension, they could cause a lot of damage. If it's a breach between dimensional planes, or into subspace, there's no telling what kind of harm it could cause. Even the _Aurora_ might get affected. This really should be the priority."

"Meridina?" Robert faced her next.

"Caterina is probably right," Meridina said. "Regardless, I am concerned. There is something not right with these 'ghosts'. I believe something terribly wrong is happening."

"I'll call Julia and exchange updates with her," Robert said. "Cat, go ahead and help, if the Doctor needs it."

It was clear she didn't need to be asked twice. Caterina took off for the door.

For a moment Robert and Meridina shared an uneasy look. "You sense it, don't you?" Meridina asked.

"A general feeling off 'things are about to go to hell'?" He nodded. "And that's not the worse thing."

"Oh?"

"Rose Tyler." Robert frowned. "She's the one in my dreams. She's the one saying 'Bad Wolf'."

Meridina nodded. "I see. Perhaps you should ask her what the term means?"

"I'll have to." Robert swallowed. "But this feeling I'm getting, Meridina, it's bad. The dreams mentioned a 'choice' I'll have to make. That it could determine, well, everything."

"Choices often do," Meridina reminded him. "Although I agree that this one could be particularly important for us. I can only advise you as I always have; keep clarity in your thoughts and let your _swevyra_ guide you."

"Right." At that Robert let out a sigh. "I could do with a big neon sign from my _swevyra_ , or the universe at large. It's easier that way."

"The universe seems to pride itself on being difficult in that fashion," Meridina agreed. "Shall we follow the others?"

"We should."

They departed together.

* * *

The Doctor had accepted Caterina's assistance and, for the moment, had asked her to set up cones that would generate a field related to his triangulation attempt. Caterina was setting the last one up. With a careful eye she made sure they formed the triangle as the Doctor had instructed. Her omnitool provided final confirmation.

"Do you really want this?" asked Jackie Tyler. She was standing several feet away from the cone furthest from the TARDIS.

"Want what?"

"For him to spoil it," answered Jackie. "To take something wonderful and make it all nasty and simple. Don't you want your Mum back?"

The question made Caterina lower her head. "I've love to see Mama again," she admitted. "There's so much that's happened that I want to show her. So much I want to tell her and show her. But she's gone, and these things… I don't believe any of them are her or your Dad or anyone else's lost family. And whatever they are, we need to know."

"Why? Why can't it just be a miracle for all of us? Our families and loved ones coming back to be with us again. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"

"I'm not… maybe… but maybe not?" Cat shook her head. "I don't know. People say I, we, have to move on and live our own lives. And sometimes I think I do. Until someone says something or I smell anything that's like my mother's cooking. She… loved to cook, I mean. Even after getting off a ten hour work shift, she'd make sure that Angel and I had a dinner."

"Angel?"

"My sister."

Jackie nodded quietly at that.

"I miss that. And she always insisted on hugging me when I went to bed, even when I was already in high school." Cat had to wipe away a tear.

"So you know what I mean," Jackie insisted. "This could be everyone we've lost, coming back to us."

"But are they? I mean, they don't act like anyone," Cat pointed out. "They don't talk. They don't interact. They just… they just walk around like they're mindless. They don't even seem to care about the people around them. I mean, if Mama showed up in my quarters as a ghost, she wouldn't just stand around, she'd hug me and ask if I've eaten lately. Has this ghost ever done that for you?"

Jackie opened her mouth to mount a defensive reply. But she stopped because the truth was obvious. No, it hadn't. The ghost had only ever walked through the flat. It looked no different from any other of the spectral figures. You couldn't even tell them apart. And certainly her father wouldn't have ignored her. He might have wanted to know where Rose was, why he'd let Rose run off with a stranger… but ignore her?

But the smell of the old cigarettes. It seemed so _real_.

The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS, Rose right behind. "How long until the next shift?" he asked Jackie.

"Quarter to." Jackie frowned at him. "Are you going to cause trouble? What's this lot do?" She indicated the cones Caterina had laid out.

"Triangulates their point of origin." The Doctor checked the placement of the cones and nodded to Caterina. "Excellent job…"

"Caterina." Cat smiled slightly. "Or 'Cat' if you'd like."

"Yes, Caterina! Such a lovely name."

"You don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked.

"Nah." The Doctor picked up one of the cones and began to fix wires to it. "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet." He moved on to the next. "Like tracing paper."

"You're always doing this," Jackie protested. "Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real? Just think of all the people we've lost, coming back home. It'd be beautiful."

"Beautiful?" The Doctor looked at her. "I think it'd be horrific."

That remark prompted a look of shock from Jackie. Caterina looked at him in surprise before she thought about it. If this really was the dead, then it meant they weren't resting, but nor were they back. They were just mindless silhouettes and shadows, condemned to blipping in and out of existence. She imagined her mother suffering that fate and shook her head.

"Rose, give us a hand. Cat, I need you to keep that scanner active and make absolutely sure that the alignment of the cones doesn't change."

"Right." Caterina lifted her left forearm and activated her omnitool.

The Doctor pulled the wires hooked to the cones back into the TARDIS with Rose following. Jackie followed close behind.

Robert and Meridina walked around the cones to stand beside Caterina. "How's it going?"

"Great." Cat waved her hand over everything. "The Doctor set this up to track the distortions caused by these ghosts back to their point of origin."

"Right."

"I sense sadness," said Meridina. "Are you alright?"

"What? I'm fine," insisted Caterina. When she saw the quiet skeptical looks in their faces Cat sighed and shook her head. "Look, it's fine, okay? All this talk of ghosts just got me to thinking about Mama. If she came back as a ghost, and it was really her…" Cat stopped for a moment as she followed that thought through. For a moment she was distracted by the return of the Doctor. He began to use the device he had slung on his back on the cones. She waited until he and Rose exchanged information before continuing. "...well, I'd ask why she's not in Heaven, I guess. But then I'd hug her and cry a lot and show her everything in our lives now. This… this is what she wanted for me." Cat indicated her omnitool. "Being a scientist, I mean."

"I know." Robert patted her on the shoulder. "And she'd be proud of you."

The Doctor looked up from his work. "Caterina, is the alignment stable?"

Cat checked her omnitool. "It's still stable, Doctor."

"Excellent. We're almost there!"

"What about you?" Caterina turned her head to meet his eyes. "Would you want to have Mr. and Mrs. Dale back? Or Susie?" Caterina smiled sadly. "I always loved hanging out with Susie. She'd ask science questions and I'd answer them. And then she'd talk about what it'd be like if we were both aunts to your kids and how we'd have funs with nephews and nieces…"

Robert chuckled at that, not quite able to hide the pain. "You two thought Angel and I would have kids, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean, we were younger, it just seemed the thing that would happen." Caterina shrugged before putting her eyes back on the scanner.

"Here we go!" the Doctor called out, interrupting the conversation again.

From within the TARDIS, Rose's voice called out, "Scanner's working! It says, 'Delta one six'!"

"The alignment reading is still good," Caterina added. "I'm ready to confirm triangulation!"

The Doctor stepped back from the cones and stood to his full height. A bright, enthusiastic expression appeared on his face. "Come on, then, you beauty!" he called out, letting the last word roll with an open-mouthed grin.

Seconds passed. "Energy surge, spatial distortion forming," Caterina confirmed. Her fingers tapped at her omnitool.

Crackling energy formed between the three cones. Three more lines of the same jumped upward, meeting several feet in the air to form a pyramid shape within the cones. A black spectral figure materialized there. The Doctor pulled out a pair of what looked like old 3D plastic glasses, the kind handed out for 3D shows at theme parks, and put them on to continue observing the ghostly form.

After this effect held for several moments, the Doctor ducked down and began operating a control device that made Robert think of an old mid-20th Century radio. Lights flashed on it. The Doctor turned a brown knob on it back and forth, producing an electronic whine that was just as evocative of some old 50s-era radio or TV set. He never looked toward it, however, keeping his eye on the form within, now swaying and moving as if it were seriously upset or irritated. "You don't like that much, do you?"

"The anomaly is destabilizing. The distortion is faltering from interference," Caterina said.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" The Doctor knelt a little closer to the figure. When it swiped at him he stepped back. "Woah, that's more like it. Not so friendly now, are you?"

"I think you've made it mad," Robert noted wryly.

"I should think so," the Doctor answered. "I'm exciting the energy field. It's keeping this fellow from impressing on this world like he ought to, and it'll let me track the source of the field to boot."

"The field is weakening," Caterina said. "It looks like it's being shut down."

"Probably at the source, but it's too late for them to hide." The Doctor chuckled. "I've got 'em."'

The figure suddenly dematerialized. The energetic pyramid formed by the cones dissipated.

"Alright everyone, I'm off to track down the source." The Doctor looked at them briefly. "You can come with if you'd like." He started snatching up his things.

After he entered the TARDIS Caterina gave Robert an almost pleading look. Robert looked to Meridina, who nodded quietly. "We can do more good with him," she said.

"Alright," replied Robert. He had his own gut feeling - or was it _swevyra_ granted-insight? - that they would be needed. "We'd better go before he leaves."

Cat beat them all to the TARDIS door. Robert was the last to enter. As he did, he couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching him.

* * *

Lucy picked herself up from underneath the secondary tactical station. "Alright, I'm done," she said, getting the attention of Julia and Angel in particular as she pulled herself back to her feet. Behind her the console in question was active again, as were all of the bridge consoles once disabled by what had happened.

"Good." Julia leaned forward in the command chair. "Technical Officer, status on ship repairs?"

With all operations and engineering personnel diverted to the actual task of fixing their crippled ship, the watch at the bridge Operations station had gone to one of the ship's Technical Officers-in-training. The English-accented young man now at Ops, Technical Officer Matthews, turned back from the console to address Julia directly. "Engineering has brought another naqia reactor back online. Hull breaches in the upper decks have been reduced by three quarters. Impulsor drives are functional for maneuvering only. The armor repair systems are still offline, and we still have no warp drive or jump drive."

"Thank you."

"I'll go find Jarod and see where he wants me," Lucy said. "But looking at the damage to the ship, we're better off putting together another IU radio and calling for help."

"Mister Scott already thought of that," said Julia. "But the Shadows hit our machine shops while they were cutting up our drive section. Until those shops are fixed, there's nothing we can do."

"And you've got Scotty prioritizing hull breaches to stabilize structural integrity." Lucy turned away. "Well, I'll…"

To the others, she simply doubled over as if in pain. For Lucy, it wasn't a physical pain. Every part of her cried out in worry, almost terror, as if something dreadfully wrong was happening and causing danger to them all. She gasped as she dropped to a knee in shock.

"Lieutenant?" Julia got out of her chair and went over to her. Angel did the same, getting there a few seconds before Julia. "Are you alright?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Angel observed. "No pun intended."

"Something's wrong," Lucy gasped.

"Well, yeah," Angel said. "A lot of things…"

"No!" Lucy shot a hot look at Angel that stopped her in her tracks. "Something is _wrong_. There's… there's something completely wrong here. The ship, this Earth, we're all in terrible danger."

Angel looked up to Julia, who helped her get Lucy back to her feet. "Can you be more specific?" she asked.

"I wish I could," Lucy said. She put a hand to her brow, now covered in sweat. "I… I need to go do something."


	86. Episode 2-17-2 Between Two Fires

The activity in Main Engineering remained high with engineering personnel and operations officers working on fixing the ship. The naqia reactors were being carefully worked over, as were the plasma exchangers and the electro-plasma converters that provided energy to the rest of the ship.

To the unpracticed eye, the scene could have seemed chaotic. But it was all under the control of an expert. Montgomery Scott had seen ships wrecked before, after all, even more totally than the crippling damage the _Aurora_ had endured at the hands of the Shadows. And he knew precisely how to keep things going and how to keep his crews from losing heart. He glanced over one section of the master control display for the ship and bellowed, "I want Etps and Drovima on th' Deck 24 power relay. Th' sooner we get that runnin' again, th' sooner we get th' hull stabilized an' th' sooner we can call home for help."

After several moments Barnes walked in to Main Engineering. "We just got the forcefield generators back up on Deck 5," he said. "All hull breaches on Decks 1 through 14 are secured."

"Good lad. An' th' repair systems?"

Barnes shook his head. "Jarod and I looked them over, we'll need to completely rebuild four of the six replicators to bring that system back online."

"Aye, I dinnae see how that would be any better," Scotty said. "I want t' finish stabilizin' th' hull integrity in case we need impulse power. Get who ye can an' see t' th' power relay on Deck 30 in Section F."

"I'm on my way," Barnes pledged.

Scott watched the lad walk away with a spring in his step and smiled softly. He knew what that twinkle in Barnes' eyes meant. And he was glad to see it. This wasn't a task to be endured, it was an engineer's challenge to be overcome, and it was good to see that Tom Barnes saw it as such. "Th' lad's makin' a fine engineer," Scott mumbled to himself. He then reminded himself that it was time to get back to work, so he redirected his attention to the master display. 

* * *

Being inside of the TARDIS couldn't stop Robert's feeling that something was wrong and that someone was watching them. He exchanged a glance with Meridina, who could feel that sense in him.

"I was right," the Doctor declared. "Someone is pulling them into this world, and now we know where they are."

The Doctor's mood was still jubilant. Animated. Robert found that curious. It was like he was a kid who'd received a toy he'd always wanted and was just giddy with the chance to play with it.

"So we just do this, and this…" He was flipping switches on his control console. "...and we'll be at the source of this whole ghost business. _Allons-y_!" He went around the console to where Cat was watching in amazement. "Oh, I like that. _Allons-y!_ It just rolls off the tongue doesn't it? I'll have to use it more often, _allons-y_. And hopefully we'll meet someone named 'Alonso' and I can go, ' _Allons-y_ , Alonso'... why are you staring at me?"

The Doctor had turned to face Rose, who didn't look quite so enthusiastic. When she had the Doctor's attention, Rose tilted her head to the side of the control chamber. "Mum's still on board."

Everyone turned to see where Jackie Tyler was seated at the wall on the upper platform. She crossed her arms. "If we end up on Mars, I'll kill you."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about Mars," the Doctor said. He waved a hand toward Robert. "You've got a spaceship captain here, and I'm sure his ship can get to Mars like that." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"Assuming the repairs go well," Robert mused.

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that…" The Doctor triggered the final control. The craft began to make its _VWORP_ noise once again. This time there was some form of turbulence in the flight, however, and the entire TARDIS shook enough that everyone was thrown off their feet. Caterina had to grab one of the support pillars. Robert dropped to his knee and Meridina, with great effort, remained standing as she was.

When it was over Robert said, "Is everyone alright?"

"That ride was different from the first," Caterina observed. "Why?"

"Good question." The Doctor looked at his monitor and sighed. "I suppose we'll ask them."

Everyone walked over to that side of the central console. On the screen, tinted part-blue, was an armed force of soldiers waiting with assault rifles and submachine guns raised. "Well, so much for the element of surprise," the Doctor noted. "Still, it lets us cut to the chase. Everyone, please stay here. You too, Rose. Look after your mother."

"But, they've got guns," Rose protested as the Doctor approached the door.

"And I am unarmed, so I'm much better, don't you think?" He looked back with a playful grin. "They might shoot me dead, but I'll have the moral high ground." With nothing further said, he slid out the door and held his hands up.

Robert joined Cat and Meridina looking at the monitor while the Tylers remained at the TARDIS door. The armed soldiers outside did nothing at first. Nor did the Doctor.

Then another figure stepped into the image. The woman was fairly attractive, and dressed in a way that showed she knew it, and she was applauding. The soldiers began applauding as well. Gradually the Doctor's hands lowered.

"I don't suppose there's any way to get audio?" Robert asked.

"I don't know." Caterina looked closely at the image and frowned. "Wait a moment. I know her. That's… what was her name… Yvonne Hartman. She's the woman who tried to take me and Angel away after we defeated that absorbing monster. She said she was with a group called 'Torchwood'."

"I remember your report, and what Julia learned from UNIT," said Robert. "They take alien technology."

The Doctor suddenly opened the TARDIS door and pulled Jackie outside. "This is Rose Tyler," they heard him say as the door closed.

"I'm not sure I like what's going on," Robert said. "Meridina…"

"We are unarmed," Meridina reminded him. "It is possible that we could defeat the soldiers right at the door, but I suspect there are more in this place."

"My thought exactly." He frowned. "My other thought is that these people supposedly seize alien technology. And we're currently standing in a pretty advanced piece of the same…" 

* * *

"...I'm looking to trade her in, actually. Have anyone you can spare?"

Jackie's hot glare at the Doctor went unremarked. So did his commentary.

"I know she's not the only one with you, Doctor," was the woman's answer to his remark. "We saw another man enter the TARDIS through the London CCTV system. I'd like to speak with him."

The Doctor let out an "Ahhh" at that. "Right then. One moment." He opened the TARDIS door just wide enough to stick his head in. His eyes locked on Robert and he used his left hand to make a "come here" gesture.

Robert looked to Meridina. _Make sure Cat and Miss Tyler are safe, please. And when you can, get out and find out more about where we are. These people worry me._

 _As they do me_. Meridina nodded.

With that exchange done, Robert walked up to the TARDIS door and stepped out beside the Doctor. He looked Yvonne Hartman in the eye and said, "Ms. Yvonne Hartman, isn't it?"

Yvonne smiled at him. "Well, I was wondering if I'd get this opportunity. We saw your ship arrive in high orbit. It looks like you were in a bit of trouble."

"You could say that."

"And the two Lieutenant Delgados?"

"Off doing other work," he replied simply. "They told me what you did."

"I never intended to harm them… Captain, is it? I say that because I saw the images of Commander Andreys speaking with UNIT and she had three gold stripes on her rank tab. You have a fourth."

"Yes." Robert straightened his spine. "I'm Captain Robert Dale of the _Starship Aurora_."

"And you're with the Doctor. Why is that?"

"We were hoping to get his help with repairs." Robert glanced toward the Time Lord. "But this ghost thing happened and that became his priority. I came with him to observe for myself and make sure there's no threat to my ship."

"I don't see how there would be," she said. "The field of effect doesn't reach into high orbit. Still, I'm quite pleased to see you as well, Captain. After I show the Doctor something, I would like to speak with you as well. But first, this way gentlemen, ma'am."

The soldiers behind her parted ways to let the group pass. Once they left the storage area where the TARDIS had landed, Hartman began to speak. "We've always known you would find us eventually, Doctor. I'm happy that you came when you did."

"I came over the ghosts. What's up with that, by the way?"

"A side effect." Hartman went up to a double door. "We'll get to that in good time."

Once they were through the door they were in a large storage bay. Boxes and crates were stacked and piled on pallets throughout the chamber. A saucer-shaped vessel was suspended on a gantry. "Welcome to Torchwood," Yvonne said.

The Doctor's attention quickly focused on the saucer. "A Jaatha sun glider," he said. "Where did you get one?"

"It came down over the Shetlands ten years ago. We picked it up and stripped it bare."

"How did it crash?"

"It didn't." Hartman grinned with satisfaction. "We shot it down."

The Doctor gave her a very carefully-controlled look.

"It violated our airspace," Yvonne said. "Around Torchwood, we have a motto. 'If it's alien, it's ours'."

"I can't imagine the aliens are too happy with that thought," Robert said.

"They're usually not in a condition to protest."

"And what are you going to do if that changes? You could get your entire planet conquered."

"You might be surprised, Captain, in how dangerous we can be to possible conquerors," Yvonne said. "Honestly, it's possible we could provide you more than you could provide us, if your Alliance ever makes the effort. At that moment a soldier stepped up and handed her a weapon. She held it toward the Doctor and asked, "Do you recognize this?"

From the look on his face, he did. "It's a particle gun."

"Thank you, Doctor. And thank you… Sebastian, wasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," answered the soldier, who accepted the weapon.

"Yes. Thank you Sebastian."

"Yes ma'am."

After he stepped away, Yvonne smiled at them. "I work to remember my people's names. We're a modern institution here at Torchwood, and that means I'm a people person."

"This is the 21st Century, you're not supposed to have particle guns," the Doctor protested as the soldier walked off.

"We're obligated to protect Britain from the alien hordes," replied Yvonne. She eyed Robert. "It's not like we have someone else to provide that protection."

"Alliance involvement in this world is still being debated at the highest level," Robert replied. "But we have our own conflicts to worry about. That is, unless you want a fleet of Nazi German warships to show up in orbit."

"Let them. We'll do to them what we did to the Sycorax this past Christmas," Yvonne declared. "I'm not worried about what technologies we should or shouldn't have. Torchwood's charter permits us to find and use alien technology to protect our world and to ensure the greatness of the British Empire. And that is what we will do."

"What?" Jackie looked at Yvonne with bewilderment and perhaps a little disbelief. "But there's no more British Empire."

"Not yet," Yvonne answered.

"You sound like you would have preferred being born in Universe C502's late 20th Century," Robert remarked.

"Oh?" Yvonne looked at him with curiosity. "What makes you say that?"

"C5O2 has an earlier historical divergence point than other Earths," Robert answered. "Gavrilo Princip never existed and Mohandas Gandhi stuck with being a lawyer and became a proponent of Indian integration into Britain itself." Robert grinned wryly. "Of course, since India has a higher population, integration led to India becoming the center of the Empire. The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1996." Feeling a little mischievous, Robert activated his omnitool and found, to his gratitude, that his system had kept the relevant political information for offline viewing. He used the holographic interface to bring up an image of a middle-aged woman with dark bronze skin wearing a royal tiara and matching dress, flanked by an African man in a crisp business suit of blue and white. "These are the rulers of the British Stellar Union, as it's now known in that universe. This is Queen Geeta III and Prime Minister Adam Mwariama, an MP from Mombasa. Nice people, I found. I met them last year while we were negotiating their alliance against the Third Reich of S4W8."

"The what of the what?" Jackie asked, utterly startled.

Yvonne Hartman studied the image. "Well, it sounds like you're right," she said, smiling again. "I would have enjoyed living in that world instead. Hopefully my counterpart in that history served the Empire well." She gave Robert a bemused look.

The Doctor turned away from something that looked like a magnifying glass or viewing device. "So what about these ghosts?"

"A side effect. Don't worry, Doctor, there's an itinerary."

"Hey, where are you taking that?" Jackie demanded. This caused Robert and Yvonne to look toward the middle of the room briefly, where the TARDIS was being carried by a flatbed vehicle through the chamber.

"As I said, it's alien, so it's ours," Yvonne said happily.

"You'll never get in there," the Doctor warned her amiably. "...what was the name again?"

"Yvonne Hartman," was her reply. "And I could say the same for you, Doctor. Now, if you'll please follow me."

She turned to lead them away, allowing Robert to steal a glimpse in time to see Rose and Cat peeking out of the TARDIS door. Satisfied they were okay, Robert followed the others. 

* * *

Rose shut the door and went for the Doctor's brown coat. Caterina watched her reach through the pockets and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find out what I can about these people," Rose replied.

"And how do you intend to go unnoticed?" Meridina asked. "You will certainly be challenged for identification."

"That's why I need this." Rose retrieved an ID fold that reminded Caterina of a passport, or a police officer's badge fold. Rose looked it over and grinned before holding it to Caterina. "See?"

Cat blinked at the image. "It says you're a Captain assigned to Defense Command," she answered.

Meridina, curious, stepped up and looked as well. "Interesting. I see a blank sheet."

Rose frowned at that. "You mean it's not working on you?"

"I can sense a mental component at work," Meridina stated. "Presumably it requires subconscious access to a mind. But I am trained against such manipulations, and besides, I am telepathic myself."

"It's psychic paper," Rose said. "The TARDIS uses it to make someone see whatever they'd expect to think of as someone in charge. The Doctor uses it everywhere."

"Quite useful," Meridina agreed.

"We'll have to stay together," Rose said. "I can say you're with me."

"I have my own ways of going unnoticed," Meridina replied. "And I sense something amiss that I should investigate. However, it is best if Caterina goes with you."

"Right then," Rose said. "We just have to wait until they drop us off and leave us alone." 

* * *

After leaving the storage area, the three guests were led by Yvonne down a hall. "I've never heard of you people before," the Doctor said. "Despite all of my years coming and going from Earth."

"That was the idea, Doctor," Yvonne answered. "After all, you're the enemy. It's stated in the Torchwood Charter of 1879, written and signed by Queen Victoria herself."

"Torchwood… that was the name of the house in Scotland…"

"...involving the Queen and a werewolf, yes."

Robert blinked at that. "A _werewolf_?" he asked.

"Well, the alien equivalent of one," the Doctor answered. "You can't tell me you haven't met bizarre-looking species before, Captain."

"Well, no," Robert admitted. "The Asgard and Apexai both look like stereotypical 'Grey' aliens. When I met them, the Dorei reminded me of a species of video game elves. And I haven't been able to stomach Jello since I met the Gl'mulli."

"If I may continue," Yvonne said, stopping to face them for the moment. "You're mentioned in our charter, Doctor. As an enemy."

"If I'm an enemy, does that mean I'm a prisoner?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes. But with very hospitable conditions."

"Provided he cooperates, right?" Robert frowned. "I remember you were making it clear to Angel and Cat that if they didn't cooperate with you, you'd get nasty."

"That was a bit of a bluff on my part," Yvonne answered. "As I've mentioned, I'm a people person, and I don't believe in torture or anything of the like. If anything, your officers would have wound up in a jail cell instead of comfortable surroundings."

"I suppose I'm facing the same treatment?"

"First things first, Captain. I have something I need to show the Doctor. Then we'll get to you." Yvonne turned and continued on, prompting them to follow. As they neared a secured door, she brought up her ID toward a scanner and said, "This is what we've been waiting to show you, Doctor. The source of the ghosts."

After the door slid open they gained entry to a large chamber. A number of scientific instruments were gathered, all pointing toward a single object. A sphere, blacker than night, hung suspended in mid-air.

The Doctor took an immediate interest. He whipped out the same set of flimsy-looking 3D glasses and approached the sphere. As he did, a man in a white lab coat approached. "Doctor, it's really you," he said breathlessly. "I'm Rajesh. I've been waiting…"

Singh offered his hand, but the Doctor was more interested in the Sphere. So was Robert. His senses revolted at the presence of the Sphere. The Flow of Life itself seemed to avoid it like the plague. He had a deep feeling that it shouldn't exist. "What is that thing?" he murmured.

"The Sphere is what started all of this," Yvonne explained. "It arrived and the ghosts followed."

"What's wrong with it?" Robert could hear Jackie's voice waver. She could sense it was off as well, just with basic human senses. He started to feel sick himself.

"It feels wrong, doesn't it?" Singh asked while the Doctor stepped ahead and stood underneath the sphere. "Nothing we have can detect it. It gives off no heat, no radiation, no emissions of any kind. It has no weight and no atomic mass. Every single instrument we have says it shouldn't exist."

"It shouldn't," Robert asserted. He felt certain of that. He watched the Doctor begin to examine the Voidship with the 3D glasses.

"But it's right there," Jackie said. "I can see it."

"I know. Fascinating." Singh smiled. Robert could sense that he truly enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the Sphere.

"It's a Void ship," the Doctor announced.

"A what?" asked Yvonne. "What's a Void ship?"

"Something that shouldn't exist." The Doctor pocketed his glasses again. "Closest thing I've ever seen to it were No Ships, but even they didn't go this far."

Yvonne and Singh approached the stairway leading to the elevated platform where the Sphere was hovering. The Doctor met them there and sat on the stairs. "It's meant for traveling through the Void," he said. "No Ships would just dip a little into the Void, form a shroud of it to hide in, but this thing?" He wagged a finger back at it. "Complete immersion into the Void. Shouldn't be possible, but someone did it."

"What's the Void?"

"It's the space between dimensions." The Doctor gestured with his hands as he began to explain. "You see, we've got dimensions all around us, billions of parallel worlds and such piled together, and the Void is between them. It's a place of complete nothingness. Can you imagine that?"

Robert thought back to dreams he'd had. Stars going out one by one until there was nothing but black. "I can," he murmured.

"No light, no dark, no up, no down, no time, no _life_." A haunted look now showed on the Time Lord's face as he considered the nature of his subject. "My people called it the Void. The Eternals called it the Howling. But many people… they call it Hell."

"So why would someone want to build a ship to travel in it?" Robert asked, trying not to let the Sphere's literal void in the energies around him make him more nauseated than he already was.

"To explore. To escape." The Doctor gestured to the Sphere. "You could ride out eternity in there. Nothing could touch you. You could ride it through the end of this universe and a new Big Bang and straight into the next universe."

"Then we were right." Hartman seemed quite pleased with herself. "There _is_ something inside." Her look grew intent. "How do we open it?"

The Doctor jumped from where he was sitting. "You don't." An intensity appeared in his expression that belied the casual manner he'd been using to this point. "You send it back into Hell." After walking a distance from Yvonne and Singh, he turned and demanded, "Where did you get this? How did it get here?"

"That's how it all started," Yvonne said. "It showed up and the ghosts followed afterward."

"Show me."

Yvonne nodded to the door. The Doctor didn't wait for her to catch up. He went ahead himself, beating everyone else there. He turned left into the hall outside. After Yvonne called out, "No, Doctor!" he reappeared, walking to the right.

Just as they stepped out, Robert looked back to the Sphere. Every sense he had told him it was _wrong_. That there was something terribly wrong about it. He wished he knew how to remove it from existence.

He was so distracted by those thoughts that he barely noticed when Jackie grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along.

* * *

The _Aurora_ medbay was filled with casualties from the Shadow attack, casualties Leo and his medical team were working their way through with care and some speed. Leo had indeed worked his way down to the non-critical cases, such as burned hands. He was busy applying medigel solution to Locarno's hands now. "Tom spent hours bragging about the new fuse systems," Leo remarked. "What happened?"

"The destabilization of a jump point," Locarno replied, shifting slightly on the biobed he was sitting up on. The blue-tinted gel on his hands was steadily absorbing into his skin. A soothing sensation blocked out the pain in his hands. "Cat said we lived by a few nanoseconds' margin of error. Talk about miracles."

"Right." Leo ran his scanner over Locarno's hands. "Well, the medigel solution will heal your hands completely within a couple hours. Until then you should stay off duty. Don't use your hands until the medigel is completely absorbed and wait two hours before you look into returning to duty. And I mean that two hours, Nick."

"Yeah yeah." Locarno set his hands down gently on his lap. "So, are you jumping ship too?"

"You mean am I following Julia to the _Enterprise_?" Leo seemed to consider the question before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so."

"You know, I've always wondered something," Locarno admitted. "You seven, well, eight, you were friends back before you found the Darglan Facility on your Earth, right?"

"We were," Leo admitted. "Although Lucy wasn't really a part of our circle."

"Right." Locarno shifted his arms to keep his hands steady. "Well, even then, you seem to have little groups. Robert and Julia have been best friends, maybe even soulmates, since they were what, three?"

Leo nodded.

"And Zachary became their friend a few years later. Then Tom Barnes became Zack's friend and in turn their friend. Then Robert started dating Angel in school and she and Cat entered the circle that way… right?"

"Just about," Leo said. "Cat was tutoring Robert's little sister Susanna in science and a few other subjects. Susanna looked up to her. As for Rob and Angel, I actually think Julia met her first. Angel was taking advanced martial arts classes beside her when they were thirteen. They became sparring partners. Then a couple summers later Rob and Angel started their on-again off-again relationship."

"So where do you enter into this?" asked Locarno.

Leo smiled softly. "Well, my parents moved into the county because Dad was taking over the county hospital administration," he said. "I met Zack first. His mother was dying and my mother, she was a psychiatrist and counselor for the bereaved. She thought Zack could use a friend, and she thought I could. Back then…" Leo looked over the scanner again to see how the medigel was working. "...I was sometimes the only black kid in the classroom."

"And that mattered?"

For a moment Leo looked at Locarno with raised eyebrows. "Right," he said. "You 24th Century Federation people are color-blind. Yes, Nick, it mattered to quite a number of people on my world." Leo took another bit of gel and applied it to a particularly-burnt part of one of Locarno's fingers. "Although not just in Kansas. Growing up in Georgia, I'd already learned to keep my eyes off the white girls if I didn't want trouble with some of the kids or the parents." Leo's eyes grew distant as old, bad memories moved through his mind. "I was six when I was called a 'nigger' the first time."

"Sorry," Locarno said. "In my time we tend to lump all of that into the 'Humanity before the Third World War was backward and cruel' curriculum."

To that Leo snorted. "It must be nice to turn centuries of slavery and prejudice into a historical footnote." After chuckling Leo added, "But I won't complain. It's nice seeing Earths where kids can be kids and people don't give a damn about your skin color. It gives me hope our old Earth can become the same. Now, let me take one final scan…" Leo raised the scanner up again. "...and I'll have to send you on your way. I've got more patients to worry about." 

* * *

The TARDIS had stopped moving for a while before Rose dared step out. She peeked around for a moment and darted out of sight before returning with a lab coat. Meridina and Caterina stepped out with her. "You're going to stand out," Rose said to the two. "With those uniforms."

Caterina and Meridina shed their uniform jackets in response, revealing a dark blue sleeveless shirt on Cat and a long-sleeved cream-white vest on Meridina. "You still stand out a bit," Rose said to Meridina.

"That will not be an issue for me," said Meridina.

"Were there any other lab coats?" Cat asked.

"Afraid not," Rose answered. "Maybe we'll find one further in?"

"I hope. And if you get me an example of a Torchwood ID, I might be able to make a copy with my omnitool's fabricator."

"Don't worry, we'll just say you forgot yours if someone asks," Rose said. She made sure to close and secure the TARDIS door.

Cat tested the door and saw it was locked shut. "What if we need to get back in?" Caterina asked. "Can you open it?"

Rose grinned and held up a key. "Of course," she said. "Now, let's see what we can find out together, Cat."

"I will attempt to remain in telepathic communication with you," Meridina said to Caterina. "I suspect communication by omnitool would be intercepted."

"Yeah." Caterina nodded to Meridina. "Good luck."

" _Mi rake sa swevyra iso_ ," Meridina said with a smile before slipping away.

"'Me rocky saw swev…" Rose stopped herself. "Just what did she say?"

"It's some Gersallian way of saying 'goodbye and good luck'," Caterina said. "I'm not sure what it means either. The translator doesn't really work with it."

"Right. Neither does the TARDIS translator, it seems." Rose took Cat's arm. "Alright, the Doctor and your Captain are counting on us. Let's find out what's going on here." 

* * *

A part of Lucy felt guilty. She felt like she should be with Tom Barnes and Jarod and the others fixing the ship. She shouldn't be in her quarters looking over her broken lightsaber and Meridina's broken weapon, wondering how she was going to fix them with the machine shops trashed and her own tools woefully insufficient to fixing burnt out circuitry.

Her spare parts were now spread out over her coffee table. Some were intact enough, but some of them were burnt out or otherwise broken by what had disrupted the rest of the ship. Her lightsaber and Meridina's lay disassembled with them. At this point, she couldn't even cobble together one functioning weapon from both. And the _lakesh_ es were, as she suspected, just as ruined. Moreso, in fact. The disruption field had damaged the memory metal itself.

Lucy focused on the weapons with her senses, with her power, looking for a way to fix them. But even this approach now had problems. She kept being pulled toward that horrible feeling resonating through her. The feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. Something dangerous was lingering just beyond the metaphorical horizon, lingering and waiting to be sprung upon them. They were all in grave danger.

Another sense rippled through Lucy. _Meridina_ was in grave danger. So were Robert and Caterina.

And she couldn't help but feel that their survival depended upon her fixing this problem, and fixing it _soon_.


	87. Episode 2-17-3 Between Two Fires

After a trip up several flights of stairs, Yvonne led Robert, the Doctor, and Jackie Tyler into a large chamber covered in white walls. To their right was an office behind office walls, with a view of the London skyline through the windows. To the left was the chamber proper, with a blank wall on the far side while the area near the office had several work stations and two levers on either side of the wall.

Jackie went into the office to stare out the window while Yvonne led the Doctor toward the far end. Robert went to follow but stopped. He could feel something wrong rippling through him, not like with the Void Sphere but a more general threat. It was a sensation he was starting to tire off. His eyes passed briefly over a young African woman who wordlessly reassumed her station. Robert felt something off but couldn't localize it, not with everything else filling his new life energy-enabled senses with a feeling of warning.

"The Sphere came through here," Yvonne said to the Doctor, the two now taking their final steps to the far wall. "A hole in the world." The Doctor pressed a hand against the wall. "It's not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breach opens up."

"How did you even find it?"

"We've been getting warning signs for years. A radar black spot, problems with aerial craft moving through the air here…" Yvonne stepped back with the Doctor, who reached for his 3D glasses again. "It was six hundred feet above sea level, so we had to build this tower to reach it. Torchwood Tower."

The Doctor put the glasses on and examined the spot. "You built a skyscraper just to reach this spot? How much money do you lot have?"

"Enough," was her coy answer.

"Wait. I know where we are." Jackie looked back from the window. "This is Canary Wharf, isn't it? We're standing in Canary Wharf."

The two walked back, passing Robert on the way. He continued to pay attention, if just for a way to deal with the wrongness and foreboding he felt.

"That's how the public knows it," Yvonne stated. "But to all of those in the know, this is Torchwood Tower."

The Doctor stepped past Robert and leaned against the door. "So you find the breach, you probe it, the Sphere comes through and leaves a hole in the fabric of reality 600 feet above London. Then, after thinking through what that means, what it could mean, you don't go 'Oh, we need to be careful with this, shouldn't we leave it alone? Should we play it safe?' No, you go 'Nah! Let's make it bigger! Nothing can possibly go wrong with that!'"

"It's a massive source of energy," Yvonne answered. "If we can develop this and make it useable, it would end our dependence upon the Middle East's oil. Britain would be truly independent. There's nothing going wrong." Yvonne gestured toward the control come. "You can see for yourself. The next Ghost Shift is in two minutes."

As Yvonne walked past the Doctor, he demanded, "Cancel it."

"No."

"I'm warning you, cancel it!" The Doctor followed her, a frustrated, nearly angry look on his face, and both emotions were present through Robert's senses.

"Oh, just as the legends say…" Yvonne turned and glared at the Time Lord. "The Doctor, our alien overseer lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of man."

The Doctor held his finger up. "Let me show you." He turned and re-entered the office while Yvonne and Robert watched quietly. Robert watched as the Doctor pulled out a blue light-tipped item and held it to one of the glass frames of Yvonne's office, specifically one of the Os in "Torchwood". The device's blue light lit up and an electronic whir filled the air, followed almost immediately by the sound of breaking glass. "So the Sphere comes through." A small hole now showed through the glass at the point where the blue light had touched it. Cracks branched out from this point in all directions to create a spider-web of said cracks in the surface of the window. "But when it came through, it damaged the world around it. It splintered the entire fabric of reality. The ghosts enter this world through the fault lines." The cracks in the glass were spreading and growing. "With the Human race wishing and helping them right along. But too many ghosts…" The Doctor tapped his finger against the cracked glass.

The entire thing shattered and fell onto the floor in pieces.

Yvonne considered the mess for a moment. Robert could sense she was calculating what the Doctor had said. But even before she spoke, he knew she hadn't been persuaded against it. "Then we'll be more careful," asserted Yvonne. "One minute to ghost shift. Positions, everyone."

"After all that, you're still going to do it?!" Robert demanded. "What does it take to get you people to back off?"

"I'm asking you, _please_ don't do this," the Doctor pleaded, approaching Yvonne again.

"We've done this a thousand times."

"Then stop at a thousand!"

There was no wavering on the part of the Torchwood leader. "We're in control of the ghosts. This is perfectly safe. The levers can close the breach as easily as they open it."

Robert looked around and considered if he could stop it directly. But there were three occupied work stations and the men and woman there were clearly not perturbed by what their boss had them doing. Perhaps he could handle the people doing the levers…?

The staredown between Yvonne and the Doctor continued for several more seconds. And then, much to everyone's surprise, the Doctor's expression shifted to one of amiable friendliness, even a little enthusiasm. "Okay," he said brightly. He turned and walked back to the office.

"Sorry?" was Yvonne's startled reaction.

"Never mind. As you were." The Doctor grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the work stations before plopping into it. Jackie and Robert gave him confused looks.

"What, is that it?"

"I said my bit. Don't mind me." The Doctor smiled and looked at the nearest worker. "Do you have a cup of tea?"

"Ghost shift in twenty seconds," said the young lady to Yvonne's right. Robert found her tone of voice to be oddly bored.

"You can't stop us," Yvonne insisted.

"I'm not trying," he answered, still grinning. "Can't wait to see it." He turned his head to where Jackie and Robert were still standing. "Pull up a chair Rose, Captain, let's enjoy the fireworks."

"Ten seconds. Nine… eight…"

The Doctor's expression remained confident and pleasant. His eyes met Yvonne's as the countdown continued. As it drew closer to the end, Robert felt the doubts begin to gnaw at Yvonne Hartman. For all of her rhetoric about the Doctor imposing himself upon Humanity, she knew that when it came down to it, he knew far more about these things than she did, or any of her scientists. She knew that they could be dreadfully, terribly wrong about the breach and about their experiments. That the Doctor might be right. And that if he was right and she acted anyway, she could destroy the very country she was trying to protect.

"...three, two…"

"Stop the shift," Yvonne ordered. "Stop it!"

The activity in the room ceased.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. His tone was earnest and low; he'd won, but he wasn't rubbing it in.

"It doesn't hurt to have more intelligence available," Yvonne conceded. "But we will resume after you've made everythiing clearer."

"I'm glad to be of service."

Yvonne nodded before turning her head to face one of the subordinates. "Get someone to clean this up." She eyed the Doctor with humor. "I was told you like to make a mess." She walked past him and went to the threshold of her office before turning back. "And Captain Dale, don't think I've forgotten about you," she said. "I think the time's come to discuss matters."

Robert answered her with a nod and approached the office with the others. As he did so, he tried to push away the feeling that things had not improved as he had thought they would have. There was still a danger here. But what? 

* * *

Rose and Caterina quietly stepped into what looked like a break room. It was, to Rose, a particularly posh one, with full scale vending machines for meals, tea and coffee makers, and stocks of the same for the workers to brew. A row of hangers on one end held white coats. Cat checked through them until she found one that fit. In the pocket she found a Torchwood ID badge. "Jennie Silversmith'," she read.

"You can't use it, though, it has a photo of her," Rose pointed out.

Cat checked the photo an agreed, Jennie's skin was almost ivory in its coloring, far too light for her to pass her own brown skin tone as a mere tan, and the hair and face were all wrong. "One moment," she said to rose while holding the badge up to her active omnitool. Her system scanned the badge completely and, with a few more taps, the omnitool's fabricators activated. Moments later the omnitool produced another physical ID. It had the same name, but Caterina's picture was now present.

"Nice." Rose watched Caterina slip the coat on. "Do you have any ideas of where to start looking?"

After checking to see if anybody was present in the room, Caterina held up her omnitool. A screen appeared within the blue holographic interface displaying basic coordinate data. "There's some sort of blank spot," Cat said. "It's not giving any returns on the system."

"Sounds like a place to start," Rose agreed. 

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge Julia was sitting in the command chair, waiting for more reports. That was, to some degree, the worst part about this job. Having to wait for reports from subordinates before any action could be taken. Especially with the ship so roughly handled.

Angel sat in Julia's chair. "You know, you could probably go grab a nap," she said. "Even with everyone working their asses off, Scotty's got us hours away from enough repairs for you to start giving orders."

"I don't think it'd be appropriate," Julia answered. "The crew is working hard. The least I can do is be on hand if a command decision is needed."

"Jarod and Scotty can make those decisions," Angel pointed out. When there was no response from Julia, she asked, "Are you going to be like this on the _Enterprise_?"

"Probably."

"Alright. But if you were in my seat and Rob was in yours, what would you be saying to him?"

Julia appraised Angel with a slightly irritated look. Which, of course, told Angel Julia knew she'd been caught. "I'd be telling him to go rest until he was needed," Julia conceded.

"Exactly." Angel smirked at her. "As usual, the mother hen doesn't listen to her own advice."

"This is my place, though," Julia insisted. "I don't feel right anywhere else."

"Of course you don't. You always have to be in charge."

After another period of quiet, Julia asked, "Do you want to be my First Officer?"

Angel stared at her in surprise. "You're not serious."

"I am. Mostly," Julia replied. "You know how to argue with me and make me think."

"I hit people and I shoot things. You want me to be responsible for the crew?"

"I'm sure you're up for it."

"And the fact I'm just a Lieutenant? You'd have to ask Maran to double-promote me, over a lot of other people. I'm sure that won't go over well."

"Yeah, well…" Julia shrugged. "He told me to give him my choices, and you're already joining the _Enterprise_ as it is."

"As a tactical officer." Angel shook her head. "I'm flattered, Julia, but I'm not interested in command. I don't know if I'll ever be."

"Alright, fair enough." Julia smiled at her. "But you're not escaping the Second Officer post."

"Thank you for the warning, Captain," Angel remarked. "Now, why don't you go get a meal from Robert's ready office replicator? They've got those going again. And you'll be a fifteen steps away from taking charge if we need you."

Julia might have resisted if her stomach wasn't already growling. She nodded in defeat and stood up. "Alright, Lieutenant, you have the bridge. I'll be restoring my blood sugar levels to something appropriately human."

Angel nodded and smiled, taking the command chair as Julia stepped into the ready office. 

* * *

While quiet reigned in the control area of the breach room, Yvonne leveled a look at Robert before leaning forward in her chair and against her table. "Now that I've had my discussion with the Doctor, Captain, I think it's time you and I talked."

Robert settled into a seat and pushed away the anxiety he was still feeling about what was going on. "I've got nothing better to do at the moment," he admitted. "Given your track record, I imagine this is going to be a demand for technology."

"I think 'demand' is a strong word." Yvonne set her hands together on the table. "It requires negotiating from a position of strength. Which, you must admit, I currently have."

"We have laws about these things."

"And I have a country to protect." Yvonne spent a moment in contemplation.

"And that's how you'll justify anything you decide to do," Robert said, his tone making clear how low he thought of that. "I've seen your 'ends justify the means' type before, Hartman. You're not unique on that."

"I would think not. But that's why people like me are where we are. We make the hard decisions so others don't have to." Yvonne appraised him with a knowing look. "I'm sure your Alliance has leaders with similar thoughts. But given I have other matters to attend to, Captain, let's dispense with the moralizing and get down to business. Your ship is helpless. You can't communicate with your people or they would have arrived by now. Other species could be en route, as we speak, to seize your ship, and I will not allow that to happen."

"So what do you intend to do?" Robert demanded. "Take it yourself?"

"The thought crossed my mind, yes," Yvonne admitted. 'But one of the drawbacks of maintaining an organization like Torchwood is that we don't always have the manpower to do everything we'd like. Your ship has well over a thousand crew on it. Seizing control of it with force won't work. And really, we don't have the means to use a ship of that size. We lack facilities. No, I've already decided not to take your ship. What I want instead is data on your technologies."

"That's for the Alliance government to decide. I don't have that authority," Robert insisted.

"If it will make you feel better, Captain, I can always resort to threats," Yvonne offered. "Then you can say you were compelled."

"That's going the wrong way about it, isn't it?" asked Jackie Tyler. "Wouldn't it be better if these people were our friends?"

"I'm not leaving our defense in their hands exclusively," Yvonne vowed. "It's better if we have the means to use the technology ourselves."

"It's not that easy," Robert said. "We have open contacts with two pre-spaceflight Earths and it's not a smooth process. There's a lot of underlying science behind some of our technologies that simply can't be understood by your contemporary scientific knowledge. You need decades, centuries, of scientific knowledge to be introduced into your society before you can make proper use of that technology."

"You might be surprised how much we know, Captain," Yvonne said.

"Not as much as you think you do," the Doctor said, chiming in. "Given what you've been doing with that thing." He tilted his head toward the invisible breach at the far wall. With Yvonne's attention on him, the Doctor leaned forward in his chair. "You see, that's the problem I have with this place, Ms. Hartman. You're snatching all of these fun gadgets and toying with the forces of the universe without understanding what you're doing. You're like children who've come across a nuclear warhead with all sorts of blinking lights so you've decided you've found a nice new toy."

Yvonne gave the Doctor a frustrated look. "You would say that, wouldn't you? You like to think of our species as children. Children needing your benevolent guidance. Well, Doctor, I'm sorry to inform you that the Human race, and the British people in particular, don't need your eternal parenting. We're ready to stand on our own."

Robert thought the Doctor might take umbrage at that. That he'd get angry. But the look on his face was one of a man saddened by the choice of a close friend, a choice he knows will ruin those he cares for. "I've seen your species at your best and your worst," he said quietly. "I've seen you huddling in caves, afraid of fire. I've seen you expand across the universe and leave behind wonders that entire civilizations will adore." He looked to Robert. "I've even seen your kind create technologies worthy of the Time Lords, unlock the secrets of the universe and of planes of existence beyond our own, and move from one universe to another."

There was something in the way he said it that made Robert realize that he wasn't talking about the Alliance. That prompted Robert to look at him with curiosity, curiosity the Doctor noted with a nod and a mental message of " _For another time_."

"But you." The Doctor shook his head. "You're not them. You're not doing this to understand how the universe works. This is all about your petty little sense of tribalism. You don't appreciate the weight of what you're doing because it's all just a means to your end; placing your tribe of Humans above the others."

"The British Empire has been one of the great powers of the world," Yvonne countered. "We've expanded knowledge of science and culture. We raised entire nations to a better standard of living."

"I'm sure the Indians and the Zulus were quite thankful to you," Robert answered acidly.

"Like the Native Americans are to your nation, Captain," Yvonne shot back. "The Empire may have gotten a few things wrong, but we never drove peoples off their lands to the scale you Americans did. You don't get to judge me and what I stand for."

"Oh, you're absolutely right," Robert answered. His tone was solemn. "Many of my ancestors did drive innocent native nations off their lands. It's a crime Americans will always have to live with. But do you know what sets us apart, Ms. Hartman?"

"What?"

"Like you, I found myself with advanced alien technology beyond anything my world could offer," Robert said. "We could have become an American equivalent of Torchwood. We didn't. My friends and I, we used that technology to help _people_. To save people from tyrannical governments and criminal organizations and terrorists. We even opposed our own government when it wanted to take over." He gestured to the exit behind him. "Down there you have the technology to change the world. You could do so much more with what you've got here than… hoard it all for some plan to bring back the British Empire."

For a moment Yvonne looked at him with a sort of bemused interest. "Tell me, Captain, do you practice this sort of speech-making? Stand in front of a mirror often?"

"Oh, I dunno." The Doctor shrugged and gave Robert a half-grin. "I thought it was nice. I mean, a _little_ on the self-righteous side, but it worked well enough."

Yvonne didn't bother giving the Doctor even the slightest glance. "What I wonder is how your superiors tolerate that sort of attitude," she said to Robert. "I can't imagine it's popular with your Admiralty. You sound like you got it from a children's show, or some sappy idealistic program on television. This is the real world, and it's time for you to be the adult and recognize how things work in it. We want access to your technology. That term's not changing. If you cooperate, I will gladly provide Torchwood personnel to any project you require to get your ship home. If you don't, well…" She leaned back in her chair. "I'd rather it didn't come to that, Captain. But the choice is yours."

Robert answered by crossing his arms and glaring, saying nothing. His will met the stern will of Yvonne Hartman and, for the moment, neither blinked. 

* * *

The corridors of Torchwood's headquarters were not the most occupied Caterina had ever seen, leading her to believe they were in an especially sensitive area. She checked her omnitool scanner for nearby life signs and the blank spot she'd picked up and guided Rose around a corner. "What's it like?" she asked.

Rose had heard the question often enough to guess the context. "You mean, what's it like traveling with the Doctor?"

"Yes."

"It's… amazing, really," said Rose. "All of those worlds, all of those alien things we've seen. I never imagined it possible before. It's like… I didn't know what I was missing until I actually started seeing it."

"I never imagined I'd be jumping universes in a spaceship," Cat said. She grinned at remembering what it had felt like the first time. Being in space, seeing stars and alien planets up close and being able to learn so much… "Now I can't imagine anything else. And the Doctor can take you through time too. I mean, the Darglan mentioned the Time Lords in their databanks, they knew about their time travel capability. Has he taken you to see the Big Bang yet?"

"Well, no," admitted Rose. "He sort of implied that would be a bit too dangerous. He did take me to see the Sun blow up once."

"That's kind of depressing, isn't it?" asked Cat, now showing a bewildered face.

"Not really. Humans had already gone to other planets. We've visited New Earth too." Rose stopped for a moment, prompting Cat to do the same. "You'd like to travel with him, wouldn't you?"

"Well… yes," Caterina admitted. "I mean, maybe for a bit. I don't know if I can though, I have duties and stuff." Before Rose could bring up the obvious, Cat's eyes had already widened in realization. "Oh, right, he's a time traveler. We could travel around forever and I could be back in seconds from everyone else's perspective."

"Right." Rose winced at a memory. "Just make sure he knows the time before you step out of the TARDIS. The first time he brought me back, he got the year wrong and it was a year after I left with him. Mum went bananas."

"But couldn't he just… oh, wait, you saw your mother before you realized the wrong date, right?"

Rose nodded.

"So he couldn't or there would have been a paradox. Right." The conundrum solved, Caterina checked her scanner again. "You don't mind if I join you two, then? Assuming the Doctor offered and assuming the others let me…"

Rose shrugged and gave a small grin in reply. "We've had others with us before. Even my ex-boyfriend Mickey traveled with us."

"I bet that was awkward," Cat giggled. "Where is he now?"

"Oh, he remained in a parallel Earth," Rose explained. "His counterpart died while we were there and he wanted to look after his Grans."

"That's sweet of him… wait, parallel Earth?" Caterina gave Rose an intent look. "You traveled _fifth_ -dimensionally?"

"Um… I guess?"

Cat's eyes widened in shock. "No way."

"Why's that so special? You jump universes all the time."

"No, well yes, but…" For a moment Cat had to think on what she was going to say. "It's… Reality has a structure, and according to the O'palani-Fujisawa Theory of Multiversal Dimensional Structure, you've got parallel universes that are different on a fifth dimensional axis, and entirely different universes on the sixth dimensional axis."

Rose blinked. "Yeah, I think the Doctor will enjoy traveling with you if you're always like this… just what does that mean? O'palani-Fujisawa what?"

"You're talking about a parallel Earth, right? These kinds of alternate universes are known. The United Federation of Planets in Universe S5T3 have several recorded instances of fifth-dimensional travel as freak accidents," Cat said, her voice growing in excitement. "The thing about them is that they are linked in time. As in, if you're not actually time traveling, if you go from one parallel universe to the other the time will be the same. If it's your birthday and you go to seven different parallel universes from your own, it's your birthday in each… well, unless you don't exist in one of those parallel universes. And then you have to account for many worlds theory and the concept of new parallel universes being spawned all the time by decision points…" Caterina held up a hand when Rose went to speak. "I know, I'm getting off-topic, I'm sorry. Just… it's exciting, fifth dimensional encounters can be rare because Doctor O'palani's mathematical models indicate it has a far stronger… never mind, sorry. As I was saying, sixth dimensional universe jumping like we do, it doesn't have that same thing. The different universes have entirely different years. I mean, in Universe L2M1 it's October 2642, and it's also October 2263 in E5B1 and it's August 2372 in S5T3 and April 2865 in L4R1… And you've got different alien species in some cases…"

"But always Humans?" Rose asked.

"Well, yes and no. Universe R4M9 has no life on Earth. Scientists think a Gamma Ray Burst sterilized the planet around the time of the Neanderthals. And Universe F8Y3 has an Earth without Human life forms. We just never evolved or something." Cat shrugged. "Anyway, that's the difference. O'palani and Fujisawa have theorized that you may even have a sort of concentric circle, where parallel variants of each individual Universe match up with other variants, especially if Multiversal contact causes interaction and quantum decision points and your eyes are rolling again so I'm going to stop."

"Yes," Rose said, "please do." She shook her head, grinning. Yes, the Doctor would quite enjoy showing Caterina around, she suspected.

"It's for the best, because I think we're here," Cat revealed.

The scans had led Caterina and Rose to a blast door across from a directional sign marked with "Torchwood Institute". "Our blank spot is definitely in here," Cat said. "But I'm not reading the others."

"We should find out what's in here," Rose answered. "And see if they know where to find the Doctor and the others."

Caterina looked over the door and then a scanner. "It looks like it's electronically opened with ID scans."

"Ah. Well, that's good." Rose held the psychic paper up to the scanner. The door immediately began to slide open.

"Wait, how did you do that?" Cat asked in a quiet hiss, putting her omnitool into standby mode.

"Psychic paper works on a lot of things," Rose replied. "And let me do the talking. I doubt they'd have Yanks on staff."

They walked in together and immediately felt the presence of something odd. They looked up and faced the Sphere. Immediately it felt wrong. They couldn't be sure what they were seeing and Caterina desperately wanted to scan it if she could get away with it. But since it was clear there were others in the room, she didn't dare.

Her decision was justified when an English-accented voice asked, "Can I help you?"

They turned and faced an older man with a brown complexion. Under the coat was a dress shirt with black and purple stripes with a purple bow tie - purple that immediately reminded Cat of Violeta - and dark trousers.

"Oh…" Rose blinked and forced her eyes away from the sphere. "I was just…"

He glanced back at the Sphere. Cat noticed his ID tag after he turned: Rajesh Singh was the name listed. Singh said, "Try not to look. It does that to everyone." While Rose forced her eyes away and took a moment to recover, he added, "What do you want?"

"Oh, I… they sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner, some sort of doctor? I'm just checking lines of communication. Did they tell you anything?"

Caterina wondered if this was the right move, given Singh's clear reaction to mentioning the Doctor. "May I see your authorization?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Sure." Rose handed him the psychic paper.

He looked it over. The moment Cat noticed the slight grin on his face, she could guess they were in trouble. "That's lucky," he said. "You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training. And this is a blank piece of paper. You're a fake." He tapped his earpiece. "Seal the room. Call security." After this order was given. "And you, Miss… Silversmith?" His grin didn't change. "Why didn't you notice this was a fake?"

Caterina swallowed. She tried to think of how Violeta's accent sounded and said, "Oh, I… I'm new here, she sounded like she knew what she was doing… what?"

The grin on Singh turned into a smile. The smile of barely-restrained laughter. Rose gave Cat a bewildered, embarrassed look. "Just what kind of accent is that?" she asked.

"Well, it's an English one," Caterina insisted.

"You should go back to your accent coach," Singh remarked. "Besides, Jennie Silversmith is assigned to support logistics, she doesn't have clearance for this wing. You're a fake too." Singh looked back to another lab coated figure. "Samuel, can you check the door locks? They just walked right in."

The other man turned. "Doing it now, sir." Caterina labeled him as African-American in her head before remembering that, duh, this wasn't America, and he'd be African...English? Anglo-African? How did that work in England? She couldn't remember.

There was a bemused look on his face, though, and he was smiling as he stepped up and put his finger on his lips, then made a thumb's up with both hands.

Caterina glanced toward Rose, who looked stunned.

"Well, if you young ladies would like to take a seat?" Singh gestured toward his desk.

Rose nodded in defeat. Caterina decided to go for broke since she figured Torchwood knew who she was anyway.. "Uh, well, is it okay if I scan the Sphere? You caught me so there's no point in hiding it, right?"

Singh blinked at her and shrugged. "I suppose it won't hurt." Rose looked at Cat as if she was nuts.

"Thank you," Cat said. She activated her omnitool and began to scan what her device insisted was… absolutely nothing.

This was, of course, very intriguing, so she started more scans. 

* * *

Meridina moved quietly through the halls of Torchwood Tower. It was a natural sort of quiet, one that went unnoticed. Gentle footfalls that could be heard if close enough, but which would not seem out of place to those who could hear it.

So far there had been no challenges. The people here had some resistance against mental powers, but the mental imprinting - Lucy called them "mind tricks" - was based on wills, not telepathic power, and Meridina had evaded suspicion while employing them.

Where she was going, she didn't know. Meridina was trusting in her instincts, her connection to the universe, to lead her to where she needed to be. The pathways in question took her past offices, storage rooms, and down stairs toward one end of the building.

As she drew closer to it, she could feel danger grow. There was something here. Cold, terrible, and with only the faintest sense of life to it.

Meridina stepped around a corner and faced an area of the structure blocked off by plastic sheets. Signs indicated it was for authorized personnel only, and others referred to it as an "expansion project". Immediately Meridina thought something was off. Where were the workers? The equipment?

She put her hand to the plastic. After several moments of debating what she was going to do, she took her first step through it. 

* * *

Neither Robert nor Yvonne broke off their quiet standoff. Yvonne did divert the subject ultimately by asking, "Doctor, do you think the Sphere was built by the ghosts, whoever they are?"

The Doctor was, unlike the other two, completely laid back at this point, leaning back in a chair with his white tennis shoes propped onto the desk. "Must have," he said. "Aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball."

A quick chirp came from Yvonne's earpiece. " _Yvonne, I think you should see this_ ," said Singh, which prompted Yvonne to look at her laptop screen. " _We've got visitors. I don't know where they've come from, but funnily enough, they must have arrived in the Tower about the same time as our other guests._ "

Robert forced his expression to remain neutral. He could already imagine just who Singh was talking about. His concern was verified when she turned the laptop on her desk to face them, showing Rose and Cat with Singh. "Is she one of yours?" Yvonne asked the Doctor.

The Doctor, with complete seriousness, shook his head. "Never seen her before in my life."

""Good. Then we can have her shot."

The Doctor let out a sigh and sat up, removing his feet from the desk. "Alright, it was worth a try." He nodded to the screen. "That's Rose Tyler."

On the screen, Rose - looking rather dejected - said " _Sorry_."

Yvonne blinked. "Then who's she?" Yvonne asked, indicating Jackie.

"I'm her mother," Jackie replied.

The look on Yvonne's face became curious. "Oh, you travel with her mother?"

"He kidnapped me," Jackie insisted.

The Doctor grimaced. "Please, when Torchwood decides to write my complete history, don't tell people I traveled through time and space with her mother."

Jackie frowned at the Doctor as Yvonne let out a little, amused laugh. "Charming," Jackie said mockingly.

"Please, I've got a reputation to uphold," the Doctor said. 

* * *

Meridina moved aside another piece of plastic. The feeling of life ahead remained, but it was very cold, very quiet. As if barely alive. It did not feel like someone wounded and in need of help. It felt… different. Wrong.

But now another feeling was coming. She felt danger. Her life was in jeopardy, and said jeopardy was growing every moment. She pulled away another plastic sheet, and another, wondering just what was going on back here…

And then she saw the machines. The blades. The terrible cutting saws and all of the other equipment.

There was a metal thumping sound and the whine of servos as a figure shifted and turned toward her. It raised its arm and a weapon muzzle popped out.

Meridina turned and ran for cover.

The machine fired. 

* * *

In the office, Yvonne turned to Robert next. "I also recognize Lieutenant Delgado. As it stands now, Captain, I would be justified to have her shot as a spy."

Robert frowned in reply. "You don't want to do that."

"You're right. I don't. She seemed a bright enough young lady," Yvonne agreed. "But these rules exist for a reason, Captain. She's a foreign officer infiltrating a top secret facility of Great Britain."

"And she wouldn't be here if your people weren't out to steal the TARDIS," Robert retorted. "Nor, frankly, would she be here if you weren't meddling with that damn dimensional…"

A loud clunk sounded from the control chamber. Yvonne looked away from Robert and toward the control room. She stood up and walked toward the door. "Excuse me, everyone," she called out. "I thought I said stop the Ghost Shift. I haven't authorized another." When there was no reaction she asked, "Who started the program? I ordered you to stop." Yvonne pointed to where the levers were moving on their own. "Who's doing that? Step away from the monitors, everyone…"

As Yvonne continued to issue orders that were ignored, the Doctor led Robert and Jackie out into the control room. "I order you to step away from your desks? Adi? Gareth? Matt? Stop at once!" Yvonne gestured to the others in the room. "Stop the levers!"

As her personnel did so, the Doctor approached Adi. The Anglo-African woman was focused entirely on her console, as if oblivious to everything else. Robert focused on her and found that he couldn't feel anything, nothing indicating she was a thinking being. There was life, but that was it. And the sense of foreboding he'd felt before was escalating dramatically.

The Doctor clicked his fingers in front of Adi's eyes. As he did so, Yvonne leaned over the desk on the other side of Adi and insisted, "Step away from the desk. Adi, step away!"

"She can't hear you," the Doctor said, watching the activity on the computer screen. "They're overriding the system." He looked up to the far wall, now starting to glow white. "We're going into Ghost Shift." 

* * *

In the Sphere Room, Singh began to speak into his earpiece. "Yvonne, I thought the next Ghost Shift was canceled. What's going on?" When there was no response he repeated "Yvonne?"

Caterina glanced from where she was reading the Sphere, or rather finding all the ways the Sphere didn't exist according to her scanners, even if it didn't exist in such a way that it was clear _something_ was there. "What is…"

The entire room shuddered. Singh's head snapped up to face the Sphere. "It can't be," he said. He started to walk, at an increasing pace that bordered on jogging, toward the Sphere, prompting Rose and Samuel - whoever he was - to join him. Cat lingered behind, but her eyes were fixed on her scanners.

She and Singh spoke at the same time. "It's _active_." 

* * *

In the control room, the Doctor was staring into Adi's earpiece, or at least the one in her left ear. It struck Robert as odd that she had one in each ear, and so did the other two. _Why didn't I notice that before?_ he wondered.

"It's the earpiece controlling them," the Doctor said. His expression had lost the playfulness of earlier; he was all business, and quite tense. "I've seen this before." He reached into his pocket and removed what he'd referred to as his sonic screwdriver. "Sorry," he said to Adi. "I'm so sorry." He promptly pressed the tip of the screwdriver against the earpiece in Adi's right ear and activated it.

Adi and the others all shrieked in absolute agony before collapsing at their work stations.

"What happened? What did you just do?" asked Yvonne, now truly flustered.

"I'm sorry, but they're dead," the Doctor explained.

"You killed them?" Jackie asked, incredulous.

"No, someone else did that long before I got there," the Doctor answered, now intent on the screen's contents. The rest of the room was being bathed in a white glow.

"But you killed them!" Jackie repeated.

"He didn't," Robert said. "They didn't feel alive before at all."

"And how would you know if they did or not?" Jackie demanded of Robert.

"Jackie, I haven't got time for this!" the Doctor declared.

"What are those earpieces?" Yvonne asked.

"Don't," was the only answer she got.

"But they're standard comms devices, how do they control them?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

Despite the Doctor's pleas, Yvonne did want to know. She grabbed at the earpiece that had been in Adi's right ear. There was a sickening fluid sound and the earpiece came loose, a long tendril of wires coming from it. With disgust Yvonne dropped it on the desk. "Oh God, it goes inside their brain" she cried.

"What about the Ghost Shift?" the Doctor asked.

Yvonne checked the screen. "Ninety percent and still running." She went over to the Doctor and stood beside him, glancing at the intensifying white light at the far wall. "Can't you stop it?"

"They're still controlling it," the Doctor answered. "They've hijacked the system."

"Who's 'they'?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver back out. "Might be a remote transmitter, but it's got to be close by. I can trace it." After fiddling with the screwdriver he activated it. "Jackie, stay here. Captain, the levers…"

"Hold the levers, stop them!" insisted Yvonne.

Robert nodded and walked up to between the desks. He breathed inward, focused, and brought his hands up as if gripping them. From within the power of his life surged and he reached out with it, gripping the levers with that power and holding them in place. He grunted. The mechanisms were powerful and were fighting him and the Torchwood personnel desperately trying to hold the levers in place.

The Doctor and Yvonne ran from the control room.

With everything else going on, nobody noticed the screen of Yvonne's laptop. A desperate Rajesh Singh's image showed on it, as well as a graphic of the Sphere and two words.

 **SPHERE ACTIVATED**. 

* * *

In the Sphere Room, yellow strobe lights were going off. "Yvonne, can you hear me?" Singh was frantic at the comms. "Yvonne, for God's sake, the Sphere is _active_. It's got mass, it's got weight, it's generating an electromagnetic field. _It exists._ "

"I'm detecting spikes in the upper Groenitz-Hallen bands!" Cat added. "It's rippling through subspace as it manifests!"

"What's that mean?" asked Rose.

"The Sphere's fully immersing itself in our dimensional plane," Caterina answered. "I... I think it's _opening_."

Behind them there was a thunking sound. "The door's sealed," Singh said, still talking into the comms. "An automatic quarantine. We're locked in!"

He ran back toward the door. "Samuel", however, walked up to stand between Rose and Cat. "It's alright babe," he said. "We've beaten them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

Caterina looked at him in confusion. "Who are you? What are you?"

"It's Mickey," Rose said, her eyes not moving from the Sphere.

"Your ex?" asked Cat. "Wasn't he in still in that parallel world?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the 'ex' part," Mickey answered.

"Wait, the fight against what?" Rose asked.

"What do you think?" was his answer, as the Sphere began to thud violently again, causing the room to shake. 

* * *

Julia had just about dozed off on the couch in the ready office when the door swished open. Angel stepped in and, given her lack of sarcastic remark, Julia knew it was a serious reason even as she barked, "Julia! We've got a problem!"

Julia jumped from the couch and collected her thoughts as she followed Angel back onto the bridge. "Report!"

Al-Rashad looked up from Sensors. "Commander, I'm getting a _massive_ energy spike from near the surface of the planet. The damage to the sensors is keeping me from triangulating an exact point, but it seems to be in a region of London."

"Do we have communications to the Captain and the others?" she asked.

"Not yet, ma'am," answered Tech Officer Matthews.

"Damn." Julia sat in the command chair and did only what she could do: she waited.. 

* * *

The Doctor led Yvonne through Torchwood, sonic screwdriver up and in his hands. As they passed two Torchwood soldiers Yvonne ordered them to follow.

They came up to an area sectioned off with plastic. Plastic that now bore tears in some spots. "What's going on here?" the Doctor asked.

"Building work. Just renovations," Yvonne said.

He nodded and said, "You should go back."

Yvonne flashed him a slight smirk and said, "Think again."

With the soldiers following, both started moving through the plastic. After stepping through and around several sheets they stopped. The Doctor held the sonic screwdriver vertically and seemed to examine the light as it beeped slightly. Yvonne asked, "What's down here?"

"Earpieces, earpods… this world is colliding with another. And I think I know which one."

As he moved the upraised screwdriver to his right, metallic thunking sounds came through the plastic. Figures were becoming visible, vague silhouettes through the plastic.

"What are they?" Yvonne asked, stunned and trying to hold back the feeling of terror building within her.

"They came through first," said the Doctor. Metal hands thrust through the plastic and began slicing down it like a knife. "The advance guard."

The cut plastic sheets were parted, and multiple robotic figures stomped into range, their servos continuing to give off the same metallic thunks as before.

"Cybermen," the Doctor declared with something of a snarl. He grabbed Yvonne and ran back between the soldiers, who opened fire on the two columns of Cybermen forming up. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of their metal skins with angry sparks. Another Cybermen stepped into place and intercepted the Doctor and Yvonne, blocking their escape. 

* * *

As the Sphere Room continued to shake, Mickey continued his explanation. "We had them beaten but then they escaped," he said. "The Cybermen just vanished. They found their way to this world, but so did we."

"Cybermen?" asked Caterina.

"Nasty robots," Rose said. "Robots with human brains stuck full of wires and kept from feeling anything. They take people and rip them apart and put their brains into new Cybermen bodies."

Caterina swallowed. "That sounds as bad as the Borg."

"Borg?" Now it was Mickey's turn to sound confused.

"Wait." Rose looked at Mickey with confusion. "The Doctor said it was impossible to travel between worlds."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time he was wrong," Mickey answered.

"So do you know what's in the Sphere?" asked Cat.

"The Cyber King, Cyber Leader, Emperor of the Cybermen." Mickey shrugged as he ended his speculation. "No one knows. Whoever it is, he's dead meat." Mickey grinned confidently.

"It's good to see you," Rose said to him.

Mickey nodded. "Yeah, it's good to see you, too."

The Sphere shook and they continued to wait. 

* * *

Robert had gone down to his knees trying to hold the levers back. They weren't budging, and he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

Then a sense of incredible danger filled his being and distracted him. Robert lost his grip on the levers and slumped forward. Before he could muster himself to start again, the Doctor's voice came from behind. "Get away from the machines! Do what they say! Don't fight them!" Metal thunking accompanied his words.

Robert turned in time to see the large metallic forms fill the control room. Silvery gray, with big Cs marked on their chests like a trademark, and handles above their heads and connected to the sides. Gun muzzles popped up on the forearms of two. He stayed low as red bursts of light struck out, striking screaming Torchwood personnel until they collapsed dead.

"What are they?" Jackie asked the Doctor.

One turned slightly to face her. Robert looked up in time to see the mouth light up with blue. " _We are the Cybermen_ ," it informed them. " _The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent._ " It promptly put its hand to the big C on its chest.

The machines whined louder and the far wall lit up until it nearly blinded.

And then black ghostly figures emerged from the wall. 

* * *

"The field of spatial disturbance is expanding, sir," al-Rashad reported. "It's.. it's bigger than ever before. It's going to overtake our position in five seconds."

"All hands, Code Red," Julia ordered, although she wondered what good it would do.

At the five second mark al-Rashad said, "Spatial disturbances forming on multiple decks." As she spoke, black ghostly figures began to appear on the bridge, walking into formation together.

Julia's finger stabbed down on the command chair's comm key even as Angel went for the emergency bridge armory behind secondary tactical. "Bridge to all decks, standby to repel boarders! I repeat, possible intruder alert, stand by to repel boarders!" 

* * *

As the ghostly figures gathered, Jackie looked to the Doctor and asked, "But what do these Cybermen have to do with the ghosts?"

"Don't you ever listen?" the Doctor asked in exasperation. "A footprint doesn't look like a boot."

" _Achieving full transfer_ ," declared the lead Cyberman.

Sitting up and feeling his head spin as every fiber of his being screamed in worry, Robert beat the Doctor to the answer by half a second. "They're Cybermen."

The Doctor nodded. "All of the ghosts are Cybermen."

And they all watched as the ghosts took solid form as Cybermen. Robert felt the horrible image go through his mind. They'd be everywhere. All across the planet. People weren't even afraid of them and wouldn't know something was wrong until the Cybermen took shape. How many people were dying right now? Is that what the Cybermen were here to do?

The horrors of that thought were disrupted by another computer voice. " _Sphere activated_ ," the computer intoned, after which it began to repeat the line.

 _The Sphere… oh no, Cat!_

* * *

In the Sphere room, Mickey had just finished pulling off his lab coat and tossing away his Torchwood-issued earpiece. The Sphere was opening, a corona of white light shining from the top of the opening, and all Caterina could do was watch in awe. What was inside of it? What could make something so powerful?

"I know what's in there and I'm ready for them," Mickey announced. "I've got just the thing." He dashed to the platform below the Sphere and reached under it. What he pulled out was a big rifle, larger than most assault weapons Caterina had seen. He returned to his place between her and Rose, and in front of Singh. "This is gonna blast them back to hell."

"Samuel, what are you doing?" asked Singh, confused by his assistant's sudden bravado.

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith," he corrected. "I'm defending the Earth." He gave the weapon a single cock, like it was a shotgun.

Caterina looked from him to the Sphere, now completely open on top, and waited to see what her omnitool sensors told her about the occupants.

* * *

The ghosts coalesced into metal figures on the _Aurora_ bridge, standing in a row like a military formation. They raised their arms in unison and pointed the weapon muzzles that emerged from their forearms toward Julia and the remaining bridge crew, pulse pistols readied and everyone in cover behind a console. " _Surrender and prepare for upgrade_ ," one demanded. " _Or you will be deleted._ "

Julia had been planning a serious refusal, but before she could make it Angel popped out of cover and fired a shot. The blue pulse smashed into one of the robots and caused the big C on its chest to blacken. It toppled over. "Delete this!" Angel cried defiantly.

The others opened fire. 

* * *

Lucy had heard the alert to repel boarders just as she finished re-assembling Meridina's lightsaber. Neither weapon was yet repaired. She still needed to work on them. That meant she would need her pulse pistol to help fight off whatever this invasion was.

She turned to head to her bedroom and pick it up, just as metallic thunking came from that direction. A figure loomed in the doorway linking her living area to her bedroom, a large bipedal robot that seemed to have just a little biological life within it according to Lucy's senses. Cold, sterile life, but still technically life.

The figure raised its arm toward her and a weapon muzzle emerged from the forearm's inner compartment.

" _You will submit for upgrade_ ," the robot demanded. " _Or you will be deleted._ " 

* * *

In the control room, the Doctor stepped up to the lead Cyberman. "I don't understand," he barked. "The Cybermen don't have the technology to build a Void ship. That's way beyond you. How did you make that Sphere?"

" _The Sphere is not ours._ "

"What?" the Doctor asked, bewildered.

" _The Sphere broke down the barriers between worlds_ ," the Cyber Leader replied, blue light appearing in its mouthpiece again as if to emphasize its synthetic nature. " _We only followed. Its origin is unknown._ "

The Doctor posed the question Robert already had in his mind.

"Then what's inside it?" 

* * *

The pounding of Caterina's heart had quickened and her stomach was twisting in anticipation as the Void Sphere finished opening. What was inside? What could be inside, and was it related to the builders, and was it friendly or was she about to die…?

Figures finally emerged from within the blinding corona, black as silhouettes in their first moments in sight.

Mickey perceptibly lowered his weapon a little. "That's not Cybermen," he said in surprise, while Rose looked on in abject surprise and fear.

"Oh my God," was all Rose could manage.

All of the blood drained from Caterina's face, which took on a mask of abject terror. Her heart stopped beating so fiercely. It nearly stopped entirely as a shape and a voice that belonged in her nightmares returned.

" _Location: Earth. Life forms detected_ ," the electronic voice declared as the metal frame approached the ground in front of them. Lights on the metal body lit up as it spoke.

" _Oh no_ ," Caterina squeaked. Her voice couldn't manage the scream she felt building up due to the terror gripping her, indeed, threatening to choke her. " _Not them_."

" _Exterminate!_ " continued the lead Dalek.

" _Exterminate!_ " echoed the other three Daleks.

" ** _Exterminate!_** " proclaimed all four, in unison.


	88. Episode 2-17-4 Between Two Fires

" _Exterminate! Exterminate!_ "

" _Daleks!_ "

Rose's shout quieted them. She stepped up toward the now-stationary Daleks. Behind her, Mickey held his weapon ready and Caterina was busy trying to regain some semblance of control from the terror of seeing her nightmares become real again.

"You're called Daleks," Rose said to them. She pulled off her lab coat and threw it to the side. "Now how would a human know that? How would a Human know about the Daleks and the Time War?"

The Daleks stared at her in silence.

"If you want to find out how I know, you let me and my friends live. That's all I ask."

Mickey nodded. "Yeah. I know this too. Time War."

Singh caught on. "Me too."

"And me. Time War. Time Lords. That stuff." Caterina's voice was strained.

The lead Dalek, in a black casing instead of gold, kept its single electronic eye on Rose. " _You will be necessary_ ," it declared. The head swiveled until the blue eye was focused on Caterina. " _And you may be of further use._ " After these announcements the Dalek turned to the others. " _What is the status of the Genesis Ark?_ "

" _Status: Hibernation_ ," replied another.

" _Commence awakening_. _The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else._ "

One of the Daleks turned toward the object that had followed them from the Sphere. Its plunger fitted against a half-sphere protruding from the surface of the device.

With the Daleks no longer paying attention to them, Mickey asked Rose, "I thought you said all of the Daleks were dead."

"Never mind that," Rose answered in a low voice. "What the hell is a 'Genesis Ark'?"

* * *

There were times Robert regretted his abilities. It wasn't reasonable. It wasn't even fair, given how often they'd saved the things he cared for. But he couldn't help but tire of having his entire body seem to vibrate with anxiety at a nebulous danger, especially given the danger he was in now. All he could do was continue to lean against the wall and get his bearings while trying not to provoke the Cybermen into shooting them as they had the others.

As his senses recovered, Robert sensed the extreme maternal worry and fear in Jackie Tyler. "What's down there?" she asked the Doctor, urgently. "She was with that Sphere. What's happened to Rose?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered from where he was leaning against the wall, apparently deep in thought.

Jackie looked at him intently for a moment before clapping a hand over her mouth and sniffling. The Doctor reacted by stepping up to her. "I'll find her," he vowed. "I brought you here, I'll get you both out, you and your daughter."

Jackie continued to sniffle and sob quietly with her eyes lowered.

"Jackie, look at me. _Look at me_ ," he insisted. "I promise you. You'll both be safe. I give you my word."

When this seemed to help her get control back, the Doctor turned back to Robert. "How are you holding up?"

"A headache and a constant sense of incoming bad stuff. Despite all of this.." Robert gestured to the Cybermen. "...I think there's something _worse_ coming along."

"That doesn't sound good. Anything in specific?"

"I'm afraid not."

The Cyberleader stomped past them and into Yvonne's office. " _You will order your Central Global Authority to surrender_ ," it said to Yvonne.

"You should have done your research, then, because we don't _have_ a central authority," Yvonne retorted.

" _You have one now. I will speak on all global wavelengths._ " The Cyberman turned toward the laptop and its built-in camera. " _This is for all humankind. The Cybermen now occupy every landmass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and color and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us_."

Robert listened to what he said. The words were chilling, horrifying, in their ramifications, made perfectly clear by the emotionless electronic speech used to make them. It matched the cold flicker he felt inside of them, the last minor ember of life drawn from intact organic pieces. But the warmth of the Flow of Life would cease if the Cybermen prevailed. They promised nothing more than being cogs in a machine. A complete loss of everything that made beings truly alive.

And the damndest thing, Robert imagined, was that the Cybermen were utterly convinced this was a _good_ thing. That they were doing Humanity a favor by forcing people to become robots.

The Cyberleader turned its attention to Robert. " _You are the commander of the vessel in high orbit_ ," it stated.

Robert glared at the machine. "I am," he said.

" _You will instruct your crew to surrender and prepare for upgrade._ "

"Well, let me think about that," Robert began, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Okay, I thought about it. _No_."

The Cyberleader paused for a curious moment. " _If you do not cooperate, you and your crew will be deleted._ "

Robert laughed in the Cyberleader's face with all of the humor of a man knowing he's got nothing to lose. "That's where you don't understand us, robot. We don't _want_ to be upgraded."

" _Your stance is illogical. The Cybermen do not feel pain. We do not fear. We do not hunger. Our existence is the superior one,_ " boasted the machine. " _Your judgement is clouded by emotion. Emotions are a weakness._ "

"Emotions are what make us Human."

" _And that is why you must be upgraded._ "

"It looks like that's going to be a tall order for you," the Doctor remarked. He was standing with Yvonne and Jackie looking out the window. The Cyberleader and Robert walked over to join them.

Flames and smoke were rising from the streets and buildings of London. Explosions could be made out across the city.

" _I ordered surrender_ ," protested the Cyberleader.

The Doctor leveled an angry look at the Cyberleader. "They're not taking _instructions_ ," the Doctor spat. "Don't you understand? You're on every street! You're in their homes! You've got their _children!_ Of course they're going to fight!"

There was no response to that. It gave Robert a moment to wonder how things were going for the others, and to wish he could make contact. 

* * *

The _Aurora_ bridge filled with spurts of pale red light and bursts of blue energy. The Cybermen remained lined up in complete disregard for the shots that Julia, Angel, and the others on the bridge were taking at them. Their return fire blackened consoles and sent sparks flying.

"What the hell are these things?!" Angel demanded.

Al-Rashad checked her omnitool. "They're robotic constructs, but I'm detecting organic brainwaves consistent with human brains within them!" She had to duck further to avoid a shot that would have hit her head otherwise.

"And they don't seem to care how many of them we shoot," Julia added. The far door opened and more of the robots stepped out from the ready office. They already had their arms raised and were blasting away. "We need a better position, we're too spread out! Al-Rashad, is the conference lounge open?"

The young science officer checked her omnitool again. "I'm not picking up their energy signature that way!"

"Angel, see if you can get to the conference lounge!" She popped out from cover enough to fire shots that blasted the shoulder of one of the robots.

Angel prepared to spring from cover and get to the doorway while uttering a quick prayer that she didn't get shot from behind. "Cover me!" she shouted as she jumped from her spot. She felt the heat of an enemy energy blast against the back of her neck from a razor-thin miss and reached for the door.

Savage pain shot up her left hip and side. Angel cried out as she toppled into the door. "I'm hit!" she shouted. "But… I'm at the door!"

Technical Officer Matthews popped from cover and shot the nearest of the enemy, thinning their numbers further. He got back into cover behind the secondary tactical station to avoid retaliation fire before squeezing off another shot that damaged the leg of another. "Commander, Lieutenant, I'll cover you!" he shouted.

Julia nodded and then looked to al-Rashad. "You first!"

The light brown skin on the young woman's face had turned pale with fear. But she nodded nevertheless. When she jumped from cover Julia and Matthews left their safety as well, laying down fire as fast as their pulse pistols let them. The one Cyberman who sought to shoot al-Rashad took a hit to the head from Matthews and went down.

Al-Rashad made it to the door. The angle of the alcove entranceway gave her cover. She opened the door and, with effort, pulled Angel inside.

Julia went next, firing off several wild shots that hit the bridge walls and controls more than it hit the foe. A shot scorched the wall beside her from a near-hit that sent a spark into her forehead, lightly burning her skin. She made it to the door alcove and knelt down, pistol. "Now Matthews!" she shouted before moving out of cover and opening fire.

Matthews jumped from his cover and opened fire. His shots were wild, as he was more concerned with escape, but one did hit the head of one of the enemy bots, which collapsed. Julia leaned out from the alcove and fired around Matthews, nailing another one.

There were three left. All were firing toward them. A shot went over Julia's head. Another nearly singed her arm.

The third struck Matthews in the back.

He cried out while pale red energy crackled over his torso. It seemed to make his body seize up, after which he fell over. He fell right at the opening of the alcove. Julia grabbed his arm and dragged him into cover with her. "Matthews?"

He didn't answer. Al-Rashad appeared at the door and scanned him. "Sorry, Commander," she said. "He's gone."

"Dammit." Julia activated her omnitool. "Main Computer, this is Commander Andreys. Commence complete bridge lockdown, Authorization Code Andreys Gamma Tango Sierra Three Six Six."

" _Authorization code accepted_ ," the computer's feminine voice stated. " _Lockdown commencing_."

Satisfied that the robot boarders couldn't take control of the _Aurora_ on the bridge, Julia quickly turned her attention to their situation. Matthews was dead. That left her, al-Rashad, and Angel, who had been hit too. "How bad is it, Lieutenant?" she asked al-Rashad. "I mean, Lieutenant Delgado's injury?"

"It damn hurts," Angel groused, preempting al-Rashad's answer.

"Damage to her left hip muscles and nearby tissues."

"That thing shot me in the ass!" Angel complained. Loudly.

"You're doing better than poor Matthews," Julia pointed out. "Can you shoot?"

"Prop me against the wall, and yeah," Angel said.

"I've got a better idea. Watch the door." Julia motioned to al-Rashad, who joined her at the table. They both grunted with effort as they got the leverage and position necessary to put the conference lounge table on its side, exposing the holotank projector internals that were fixed underneath it. Julia went and lifted Angel to her feet, letting Angel's left arm settle over her neck. She brought her to the other side of the table where al-Rashad was already checking her pulse pistol. "Eighty percent power," she said.

After setting Angel down and kneeling beside her, Julia checked her own. "Sixty percent."

"Sixty-five," Angel verified. She grimaced from pain. "This is worse than that time I pulled my leg muscle."

"Don't you miss that being the worst thing to deal with?"

There was no time to answer Angel's remark. The door swished open and the enemy robots began to enter. 

* * *

Lucy sensed the shot coming and struck first. Her hand came up and a wave of energy forced the shot upward, scorching the ceiling of her quarters. She raised the other hand and another, more powerful wave of energy sent the intruder flying back into her bedroom. She reached to the table and retrieved both lightsabers before going for the door.

At first the corridors seemed clear. But she rounded a corner and found two more of the machines stepping out of a set of quarters. They turned and noticed her. " _Surrender or_ …"

Before they could finish the ultimatum, Lucy swept her arm and sent them flying back into the quarters they'd just vacated. Lucy went to the door and brought her omnitool up. She interfaced it with the locking system and activated an emergency lock to keep them in. "Just what the hell are these things?" she wondered aloud. She used the comm key on the omnitool and said, "Lucero to Jarod. What's going on?"

" _The entire ship's been boarded by robots, and they really don't seem to like us_ ," Jarod replied. " _I'm in Science Lab 1 with a security team. We're secure for the moment. Can you join us?_ "

Lucy nearly answered yes. But she stopped at the feeling inside, the sense that she needed to be somewhere else. It was the same as before; she needed to go down to Earth, or Meridina and the others could die. "Sorry, but no," she said. "Jarod, I'm sorry, but I need to go planetside."

" _Why?_ "

"Because… if I don't, I think Robert and Cat and Meridina are dead," she replied. "Don't ask me how to explain it. It's one of those life force things and it's always so damned vague."

There was a moment of silence. " _I don't know how you'll get down. The transporters are offline, and even if one worked I have all operators with the repair crews. And given the direct hit the main shuttlebay and the hanger deck took, I'm not sure you'll find a shuttle_."

"And I don't think I want to try and cross the entire ship to get to the secondary shuttlebay either," Lucy said. She thought about the problem. How to get down to the planet with no transporters and no shuttles or runabouts? What else was… _oh_.

She grinned when she continued, "I think I know what'll work," she said. "Remind me to thank Julia later."

" _For what?_ "

"Her insistence on running evacuation drills all the damn time," Lucy replied before she continued on down the corridor, following a route that said drills had caused her to memorize.

* * *

In Main Engineering Scotty and Barnes could only watch, along with a handful of the other engineers, as other engineers and crewmembers engaged in a firefight with the robotic invaders. The protective forcefield for the main engineering controls had snapped into place when Scotty had given the order. Occasionally pale red energy slammed into the field, creating blue distortion from it holding the blast back.

"The damn forcefield's still at eighty percent," Barnes said from his station. "I can't divert any more Goddamned power to it."

"Aye, lad. Nae use worryin' about it." Scotty checked another of the consoles. "Better t' figure out how t' help deal with these metal scunners."

"The repairs to our power systems have brought back most of the internal sensors." Barnes checked something. An idea was forming in his head. "We can at least track the bastards."

"Relay it tae security an' th' Marines. They'll handle these bloody things."

"Yeah." Barnes looked at him and grinned. "But maybe we can give them some help."

* * *

Leo looked up from where he was treating a plasma burn on an injured Alakin crewman. The sound of thunking metal came through the medbay door, caused by what he guessed were the source of Julia's intruder alert.

Two security officers opened fire on the initial robot to enter, blasting it until its head and chest were one big blackened mass. Another came in behind the first, firing. One of the security officers went down with a cry before the other finished the second intruder off. A third intruder immediately shot the remaining guard and entered the medbay, a weapon muzzle prominently displayed on its arm.

Three more entered and took up positions with weapons ready. A fourth stepped in and looked around. " _Who is in command here?_ "

Leo swallowed and nodded. "I am. Doctor Leo Gillam, Chief Medical Officer."

The figure turned slightly. " _I am the designate Cyberleader present. You will assist in conversion of this medical facility into a cyber-conversion facility._ "

"And that is?" Leo had the idea he wouldn't like the answer.

" _It will permit the upgrading of this vessel's crew into Cybermen units._ "

"You mean you're going to turn us into… you."

" _That is correct_."

Leo knew immediately he needed to buy time. "Why?"

" _To remove the weakness of emotion from the species. All individuals will be upgraded into Cybermen._ "

"And what if we don't want to be 'upgraded'."

" _Hostile elements will be deleted._ "

Leo got the meaning of that term rather easily. "So let you turn us into emotionless, soulless robots, or you kill us?"

" _That is correct. We must save you from yourselves_."

There would be no arguing with the robot. All Leo could do was play for time and hope help arrived to end this nightmare.

* * *

A nightmare. Caterina was living in a nightmare. That was the thought that dominated her, making her unable to think of or do anything else. Indeed, it seemed like doing _anything_ but standing there would immediately cause her death.

Thinking of dying brought tears to her eyes. What would happen to Angel? And now she had a girlfriend to think about, someone who would be hurt if something happened to her. There were so many things they hadn't gotten to do together, so many plans…

There were so many things she hadn't been able to do yet.

The black-plated Dalek turned to them again. " _Which of you is the least important?_ " it asked.

Rose responded with "What's that supposed to mean?"

" _Which of you is the least important?_ "

"No. We don't work like that. None of us are least important," Rose answered.

" _Designate the least important!_ " demanded the Dalek.

"This is my responsibility," said Singh.

Rose shook her head at him. "No, don't…!"

But she couldn't stop him. Singh stepped up to the Dalek and said, "I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you come through me. Leave these three alone."

The Dalek shook. " _You will kneel._ "

Singh showed confusion at that. "What for?"

The response was a prompt " _Kneel!_ "

For a moment Singh seemed to hesitate, if only out of confusion and perhaps a little pride. But he turned and knelt before the black-cased Dalek, now at his back.

" _The Daleks need information about current Earth history._ "

"Yes, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence," Singh said. "But I will not jeopardize homeland security..."

" _Speech is not necessary!_ " declared the Dalek, which now drew closer to him. " _We will extract brainwaves_." Two of the other Daleks did the same.

As the plunger-like arms of all three approached him, Singh realized just what he'd set himself up for. "Don't," he pleaded. "I'll tell you everything you need. No, don't…!"

The black devices stretched and encompassed much of his head. Singh could do nothing but scream as the Daleks began to tear information from his brain. Mickey nearly made an instinctive lunge to stop them just for Rose to hold him back and embrace him tightly. Caterina let out a low, terrified cry of horror, and could only watch as Dr. Singh met his end at the "hands" of the Daleks.

When the Daleks finally pulled back, Singh had been reduced to a dried out husk. His remained collapsed to the floor with a dust cloud. " _His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth. Infected by the superstition of ghosts._ "

"You didn't need to kill him!" Rose shouted.

The Dalek swiveled its head and looked at her. " _Neither did we need him alive!_ " The Dalek swiveled its head back to face one of the golden ones. " _Dalek Thay, investigate outside._ "

" _I obey._ " The Dalek slid across the floor and left the chamber. 

* * *

In the breach control room, the Cyberleader watched a live video feed from two of the Cybermen, sent to investigate the Sphere Chamber. Robert and the others were watching as well. He thought he recognized the corridor as one of those that Yvonne had led them through between the Sphere Chamber and the breach control room.

A form moved through a door at the far end of the video. As it came into view Robert's eyes widened. His heart pounded in surprise and raw fear. " _Crap_ ," he swore. " _Them_." When the others looked at him, he added, "It's a Dalek."

The Doctor nodded but said nothing. He was busy watching.

" _Identify yourselves!_ " the Dalek demanded.

" _You will identify first_ ," one of the Cybermen countered.

" _State your identity!_ "

" _You will identify first._ "

" _Identify!_ "

" _You will identify first_."

" _Your behavior is illogical, you will modify_ ," ordered one of the Cybermen.

" _Daleks do not take orders!_ "

" _You have identified as Daleks_."

Despite everything, Robert couldn't help but smirk at the Dalek walking right into that, ending the standoff between the two. With the looming sense of threat around them Robert had trouble focusing his power, but he made himself do so after taking a breath. He had to know if Cat was alive, or Meridina for that matter.

"Rose told me about the Daleks, she was terrified of them," Jackie murmured to the Doctor. There was a quiver in her voice when she asked, "What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?"

The Doctor turned to her. "Phone," he whispered.

"What?"

" _Phone_ ," he repeated, the whisper more strained this time.

Bewildered, Jackie handed the Doctor her cell phone. He used the speed dial to call Rose's phone. When there was an answer on the other side he raised his head slightly. "She answered. She's alive. But why haven't they killed her?"

Jackie glared at him. "Well, don't complain about it."

"They must need her for something." The Doctor continued to listen intently.

As he did so, Robert thought he could feel Caterina and Meridina. It was difficult to single them out given the way his abilities seemed to be set to "Something is terribly wrong!" mode, as if the threat that was being presented was so severe that the sense of it was tying up the rest of his special senses.

"'Genesis Ark?'" the Doctor said, curious.

Meanwhile the Cybermen-Dalek argument continued. " _Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant._ "

" _Daleks have no concept of elegance_ ," the Dalek said mockingly, as if the very idea was beneath them.

" _This is obvious_. _But consider. Our technologies are compatible. Cyberman plus Daleks. Together we could upgrade the Universe._ "

" _You propose an alliance?_ "

Robert could feel the Doctor's worry at that. He knew he was; having these two groups together would make the nightmare even worse.

" _This is correct_."

The Dalek's response was immediate. " _Request denied._ "

" _Hostile elements will be deleted._ " The Cybermen began to fire on the Dalek.

The shots did… precisely nothing. Just as the Daleks that invaded the Facility three years ago, the Dalek was protected by an energy shield that absorbed the shots without difficulty. " _Exterminate!_ " the Dalek retorted. The light blue blasts it fired took out the Cybermen in the hall and, in the process, ended the visual link. The laptop screen went blank.

"Thank heaven for small favors," Robert sighed. He had thought, for a moment, that this was why he felt that something even worse was coming. But now… it had to be something else.

But what?

* * *

Rose, Mickey, and Caterina had watched the brief negotiation between the Daleks and Cybermen and the inevitable result of said negotiation. Now the image of a Cyberman appeared on the screen that had been used before. " _Be warned, Daleks, you have declared war upon the Cybermen,_ " stated the robot.

" _This is not war_ ," the lead Dalek answered. " _This is pest control._ "

" _There are five million Cybermen. How many are you?_ "

" _Four_."

" _You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?_ "

" _We would destroy the Cybermen with_ one _Dalek_ ," boasted the lead Dalek. " _You are superior in only one respect_." Behind the Cyberleader, Rose and the others noticed the Doctor moving in the background.

" _What is that?_ " asked the Cyberleader.

" _You are better at dying_. _Raise communications barrier!_ "

The call ended. But just after the screen disengaged, one of the gold Daleks cried, " _Wait! Rewind image by nine rels!_ ". The screen responded, bringing back the Cyberleader and showing the form in the background. " _Identify grid Seven Gamma Flame._ "

The image zoomed in on the Doctor.

" _This male registers as an enemy._ "

The lead Dalek turned abruptly and faced the three prisoners. " _The female's heartbeat has increased_ ," it said, directing its attention to Rose.

Mickey snorted. "Tell me about it."

" _Identify him!_ "

A bemused little grin appeared on Rose's face. "Alright then, if you really want to know." She leaned in a little toward the Dalek. "That's the Doctor."

The four Daleks literally backed away from Rose, as if she might personally destroy them in the next second. That surprised Caterina. She'd known that the Doctor was their enemy, but these Daleks didn't seem ready to chase him down like the ones who had invaded the Facility had. They seemed _afraid_ of him.

Rose laid it on further. "Five million Cybermen, that's easy. One Doctor? Now you're scared."

For the first time since the Daleks had emerged from the Sphere, Cat entertained the thought they might actually survive this. That the Doctor and the others would actually save them. 

* * *

The Cyberleader had taken a minute or so to process the realization that the conquest of Earth had just run into a major complication. " _Quarantine the Sphere Chamber_ ," it finally ordered. " _Begin emergency upgrades. Start with these personnel._ "

One of the Cybermen grabbed Robert's arm. The others were seized as well. The grip was too much for him to throw off easily. Even if he mustered the focus to throw the one holding him, he would likely be pulled along too. Or would have his arm torn off. The machines dragged them out of the office. "You can't do this!" Yvonne shouted. "We've surrendered! _We've surrendered!_ "

" _Keep this male._ " The Cyberleader indicated the Doctor. " _His adrenaline levels suggest that he has vital Dalek information._ "

" _Doctor, you can't let them do this!"_ Jackie cried. " _Stop them!"_

"I'll only help you if you let them go!" the Doctor yelled. "Let them go!"

But the Cybermen didn't. "You promised!" Jackie insisted. "You gave your word!"

"Jackie, don't fight them! I'll get you out of this…!"

As they were being dragged down the hall, Yvonne kept saying, "We're prisoners! You can't do this!"

"They don't care," Robert pointed out. "This is what they're going to do to everyone they don't kill."

"He promised!" Jackie wailed. "He said he'd stop them!"

"I'm sure he's going to try, but he can't do anything." Robert's mind raced. If anything, the immediate problem was helping him concentrate despite the constant distraction of his abilities sensing danger. Instead he was starting to consider a potentially dangerous tactic, if only he could get his other arm free.

Their procession was coming to a turn in the halls when it came to a sudden stop. Said stop was explained by the sound of clanging metal, a Cyberman weapon firing… and then same Cyberman flying out of the hall and hitting the ground. Without its arms.

A smile came to Robert's face. He held out his free arm toward the Cyberman holding Jackie. He didn't know if he could summon the strength through his power to rip the offending arm off, but he did manage to hold the other arm in place and prevent it from firing.

This meant that when Meridina rounded the corner, she only had two Cybermen to worry about. Concentration formed on her features and her hands pulled apart. The arms gripping Yvonne were torn free from the Cyberman's body. It seemed to look at them helplessly.

Robert's captor raised its arm and readied its weapon. At that range, the Cyberman had every reason to expect its shots to hit. But Meridina was too fast for it and evaded the first volley. She made a pulling motion again and this time Robert was freed. He turned and concentrated everything on the free arm of Jackie's captor, still struggling against his power. This held the last armed Cyberman in check for the second it took for Meridina to focus on it and yank its arms free as well.

"Meridina, good to see you," Robert said.

"Likewise, Robert. Mrs. Tyler."

"Who is she?" Yvonne stared at them. "What… how did she do that?"

"Ms. Hartman, this is my chief of security, Meridina," Robert said. "She's a Gersallian and trained in special arts using the power of life energy. She's taught me some." Robert looked Meridina's way next. "This is Yvonne Hartman, the director of Torchwood. Or whatever is left of it now that the Cybermen are converting people."

"I have been evading these automatons," Meridina said. "Although I do sense a flicker of life within them."

"According to the Doctor, they're actually people who had their brains cut from their bodies and installed into robotic bodies with systems to suppress any emotions."

Meridina frowned at Robert's explanation. "An abomination. We must do something about them."

"We may need weapons first," Robert pointed out. "I didn't bring down my pulse pistol."

"The Cybermen will have overrun main storage," Yvonne said. "But there might be something in the testing labs."

"You lead the way, then." Robert gestured down the hall. "Because I don't want those tin-plated tyrants carving up people. Not if we can stop it."

"It would be helpful if we restored communications with the ship," Meridina said. "Perhaps Lucy has had a chance to repair our weapons."

Robert frowned at that. "I have a feeling Lucy and the others are busy with their own problems, Meridina." 

* * *

Evading the robotic invaders on the _Aurora_ hadn't been easy. Lucy had been forced to outrun a couple of them and activate an internal bulkhead to escape, which had the unpleasant side effect that she couldn't backtrack.

But now she was at her destination. A series of panels lined the wall. You didn't find these panels on most of the ship's corridor walls, and for good reason.

Each led to an escape pod.

Which was, apparently, why the robots had sent three of their number to guard it. They turned to face her and raised their weapons in unison.

"Crap!" Lucy went back around the corner. She heard the thunking noise of the machines walking. They were pursuing. And with the ones behind her and the sealed bulkhead, she had limited options on getting away.

 _Alright. I guess I'll have to fight_.

First taking in a breath to steel herself and focus, Lucy rounded the corner again and grabbed one of the pursuers with her power. She pulled the robot into the other one. They collided with a metal clang and hit the wall. The third one, which had remained behind, brought its weapon up and fired. Lucy felt the shot coming and barely evaded it. She swung out with an arm and gripped attacker's gun arm with her power. With a single yank and a lot of energy, she ripped the offending limb off. She turned said limb and, with a thought, discharged the capacitor's last-remaining shot into the former owner's headpiece. Pale red energy sizzled over the head until it literally exploded in a messy burst of metal bits and white fluid.

Lucy was just far enough away to avoid getting hit by any of the resulting debris. She made a disgusted face at the remains before feeling a sense of danger, or rather, one beyond the constant background feeling she'd had since they jumped into this universe. The Cybermen behind her were getting back up. She went to the nearest panel and activated the touch display. A couple of button presses let her enter her ID code to activate the escape pod without a general evacuation alert. The panel to her left opened downward as if to form a ramp. She stepped up into it and gave a quick push of energy to knock the lead robot back into his buddy, buying her the last second she needed to secure herself in the escape pod. She went to the small piloting control at the front of it and triggered the release sequence, adding the safety harness as an afterthought. G-forces pulled against her as the hexagonal-shaped pod launched from the surface of the _Aurora_ 's primary hull.

Lucy drew in a breath and focused on Meridina and Robert. She could sense them even from orbit, their life energies burning bright compared to others. She could also sense another presence, not quite the same, but with its own feel. Presumably this 'Doctor' being. WIth that connection guiding her, Lucy entered coordinates into the escape pod's navigation system. Thrusters fired and dipped the pod into a de-orbiting course to land in London.

 _I'm coming_ , _Meridina_ , she thought. Now all she had to do was finish fixing their weapons. She had a feeling they would be needed. 

* * *

In Science Lab 1, Jarod had formed an ad hoc operations command for the ship with the help of Commander Kane, now with his Marines, and Lieutenant Phryne Richmond, an Australian woman who served as Meridina's second-in-command and lead investigator in ship security. She was lithe in build as opposed to built out, which made the rumor that she had body-tossed Angel out of the ring once very interesting. Her bob-cut short hair was black in color, matched with a vibrant green for her eye color and a complexion that Jarod figured "porcelain" did justice to.

The two were looking over a holographic image of the ship provided by the central holotank. Battle damage still showed on the likeness, including the remaining hull breaches, but of greater importance was the invasion of the robotic force that had initially appeared as "ghosts". "Security Team C just finished a sweep of Deck 6," said Richmond. Her accent was more on the refined side. "Security Team G is encountering heavy resistance on Deck 11."

"What about Deck 12?" Jarod tried not to make his worry clear. "Internal sensors confirm they're in the medbay."

"I haven't been able to get a team there yet. Given the numbers we're seeing, I'm going to send Team C to Deck 11 first to help G secure it." Richmond met Jarod's eyes. "Unless you object?"

Jarod almost did, but stopped himself. Throwing a single security team into an area full of hostiles was too great a risk. It was better to concentrate force as much as possible. "And Teams A and B?"

"They're still fighting their way to the bridge with one of Commander Kane's platoons."

Jarod tapped a key. "Jarod to Kane."

There wasn't a response right away. When it came, it was joined by the sounds of weapons fire. " _Kane here. I'm a little busy, Commander._ "

"I understand. But we're showing intruders in medbay on the sensors. More than a single security team can handle. The Marines are better equipped to handle this."

" _I'm still clearing up Deck 16 and the backup fusion reactor, and I've got to get to Engineering_ ," he answered. " _But I'll detach Barker's squad to hit the area. Can you back them up?_ "

"Team E," Richmond said. "They're nearly done with Deck 10. They're mostly made up of armed crew right now, but with the Marines leading the way, they should work."

"Team E will meet you on Deck 12, Section F," Jarod told Kane.

Jarod looked back to the screen. Although the arrival of the intruders had left everything chaotic initially, Commander Andreys' timely "repel boarders" order had gotten the crew in motion just in time to avoid being taken completely by surprise. Now they were at least making progress, slowly recovering the ship sector by sector, deck by deck.

 _But how many of us are going to die in this fight? If we can come up with some way to clear them out faster._ The thought of getting the transporters back online came to him, but that would require work on key power relays that the repair crews couldn't get to yet. Not with those decks still unsecure.

A tone came from his omnitool. Jarod hit the flashing blue light above the back of his left hand to accept an audio/visual signal, which he relayed to the main display in the lab with a touch of a key.

One of the robotic invaders dominated the screen. In the background he could see more holding Leo, Doctor Singh, and a few other personnel. " _Attention. I am the designated Cyberleader responsible for the upgrade of this vessel's crew_. _We are the Cybermen. We are not your enemy. We have come to upgrade all life forms into Cybermen. All distinctions that divide you - species, sex, color, creed, class - will be removed. You will no longer know fear or pain. You will be achieve perfection from the weakness of emotion..._ "

" _Are you getting this?_ " asked Kane.

"We are," Jarod confirmed.

Meanwhile the Cyberleader continued. " _...not come to harm you. Only hostile elements will be deleted._ "

Jarod hit a key to open his end of the audio length. But before he could speak, another visual channel kicked in. Julia's face appeared. She was clearly crouched behind a toppled table - the conference lounge's table, Jarod thought - and had the disheveled look of someone who had been in the middle of a fight. Or was in the middle of the fight, as the sounds of Cybermen energy fire was coming from nearby, answered by pulse pistol fire. " _This is Commander Julia Andreys, currently in command of the Alliance_ Starship Aurora," she said. " _I am addressing these 'Cybermen' and their leader. My crew and I have absolutely no intention of becoming Cybermen. We will not submit to your forces._ "

" _You are allowing emotion to control you. It is not logical to refuse upgrade_."

" _Oh, I think it's very logical_ ," she countered.

"Because what you're talking about is another word for 'slave'," Jarod added. "You're talking about taking away everything that makes us unique beings and turning us into drones."

" _Aye, it's a load o' bollocks if ye ask me_ ," added Scotty. " _We'd rather fight, ye damn scunners._ "

" _Your response proves your inability to judge without emotion. You will understand your error once you are upgraded_."

" _You mean once you mentally program us inside your damn machine bodies_ , " Kane growled. " _Well, Cybermen, my Marines and shipmates and I say no. Come and get us if you can, you damn bucket of bolts. You won't be the first tin-plated monsters we've dealt with._ "

" _We're going to take Option Number 3, Cyberleader_ ," Julia stated.

" _There is no third option. All will be upgraded. Hostile elements will be deleted._ "

" _The third option is that we blow you all to hell_ ," Julia countered. " _And that's the one we're taking_. _Andreys out._ "

Julia cut the communication. Jarod did as well.

"Stirring," said Richmond. "Maybe I should look into transferring to _Enterprise_."

"Good luck with that," Jarod said. "Meanwhile, let's see what else we can do." 

* * *

In the conference lounge, Angel fired off another series of shots. The Cybermen had to come through the door, and they had tried several occasions so far. It was costing them, but on the other hand, it wouldn't for long for the simple reason that the three ladies were running out of charge on their weapons. "I'm down to twenty percent," said Angel.

"Fifteen," added al-Rashad.

Julia checked hers. "Eighteen percent. So, let's make all of the shots count, right? No telling when we'll get more clips."

Indeed, all threw knew that the only way out they could be sure of was if someone hit the Cybermen from behind. And nobody could be sure of when that might happen.

* * *

In the Sphere Chamber the Daleks were all busy working on the Genesis Ark with their plunger arms. They seemed to be ignoring Cat, Rose, and Mickey, but there was no guarantee they would if the three tried to escape.

Caterina, for her part, was still trying to get control back. She barely noticed when Rose touched her arm. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"No." Caterina shook her head. "I'm not."

"You've faced the Daleks before, haven't you?"

Caterina nodded. "It… it was _my_ fault," she said, tears flowing down her eyes. "It was about three years ago… we weren't the Alliance back then, we were just a bunch of people living in a Darglan Facility trying to do good things. We surveyed your universe for the first time and found an artifact, some sort of pod. I… I was curious. I brought it back home to the Facility. I shouldn't have… I should've been more careful. Somehow my science team opened it and… _Oh God_ …" Cat sobbed as she thought about Simon and the others being shot dead by the Daleks. "...they came out. A whole bunch of them. They… they killed my friends. My colleagues. They killed Captain Farmer. They almost killed me. My sister barely survived the fight. And… they made us blow up our home."

Rose nodded gently. "I understand you're scared. They're terrifying. Just don't let them see it. They'll kill you if you're no use to them."

"If only there was some way out of here…" Caterina looked around. "If the _Aurora_ was repaired enough to beam us out…"

Mickey stepped up, holding what looked like a large yellow button with a metal frame around it. "I could transport out," he said. "But I'm not leaving you here."

"Somehow I think that's meant more for me," Rose remarked. "You follow me anywhere. Just what did I do to you all those years ago?"

Mickey put the device away. "Guess I'm just stupid," he said.

Rose took his hands and gave him a meaningful look. "You're the bravest man I ever met.

"What about the Doctor?"

That prompted Rose to roll her eyes for a moment. "Oh, alright. Bravest Human."

Mickey grinned a little. "Well, I can't think what the Daleks need with me, I'm nothing to them."

"Maybe there is something," Rose said. "When I first met a Dalek, it was dying. But then I touched it and it became fully active again."

"How does that work?" Caterina asked. She found that confusing. Not to mention the weird thought of touching one of the monsters.

Given Mickey was also looking at her in curiosity, Rose continued explaining. "The Doctor said that when you travel in time, in the TARDIS, you soak up this sort of background radiation. It's completely harmless, it's just there. But during the Time War, the Daleks evolved to use this stuff as a power supply."

"I love it when you talk technical," Mickey teased.

"Shut up," Rose retorted playfully. "But if the Daleks have got something inside this thing that needs waking up…"

"They need you," Mickey said.

Rose shook her head slightly. "You've traveled through time, either one of us would do."

"What about me?" Caterina asked. "I was in the TARDIS too." She brought her omnitool online and scanned.

"I don't know," said Rose. "You traveled inside the TARDIS, but not through time. It might not be on you."

"And I can't tell either way," Caterina said. "I'm not reading anything on you, or on me."

"But why would they build something they can't use themselves?"

"Maybe they stole the technology?" Cat asked as Rose shook her head.

" _Correct_."

All three turned to face the Daleks. The black-armored Dalek spoke again. " _The Ark is not of Dalek design._ "

"Then who built it?" asked Rose.

" _The Time Lords_ ," the Dalek revealed. " _This is all that survives of their homeworld._ "

"But what's inside?" Caterina asked.

" _The future_ ," was the only answer the Dalek gave.

A thought came to Caterina. A thought that scared her in more ways than one, a thought she didn't even want to say aloud. But fear and curiosity combined to compel her to ask. "And what about me?" She looked at the black-plated Dalek. "If you didn't need me, you'd have killed me like you did that poor man. What do you want with me?"

" _Our sensors detect traces of energy from exposure to interuniversal vortex_ ," said the Dalek. " _You will be necessary._ "

"For what?" Caterina asked, almost demanded, from the Dalek. "What will I be necessary for?"

" _The future_ ," was the only reply she got.


	89. Episode 2-17-5 Between Two Fires

The Cybermen in the medbay had moved into the OR theaters. Only the Cyberleader and a few guards remained in the receiving ward, where the injured had been brought with the medical staff. Leo busied himself by working on them as best as he could. A young crewwoman who had nearly died from exposure to vacuum rested on one of the biobeds. He triple-checked her vitals and the condition of her damaged organs. He wanted to get her back into the critical ward. "Some of my patients will die if we don't get them back into full treatment," he informed the Cyberleader. "They're not resisting you, they can't. So they're not 'hostile elements' to be 'deleted'."

" _Scans indicate they will live long enough to undergo upgrade_ ," the Cyberleader responded. " _Further care is not necessary_."

Leo frowned at the machine. "What made you?" he asked. "What gave you the right to decide these things for us? To decide we have to become like you?"

" _We are perfection. Upgrade will provide immortality. Upgrade will remove weakness. Without emotions, you will recognize we are correct._ "

"And what about free will? What about making our decisions for ourselves?"

" _You cannot do so rationally due to emotions. Cybermen will remove the emotions. And you will see we are correct._ "

Leo held a finger to its face. "But that's the catch, isn't it? Your entire argument is 'we're right _because_ we're right'. You're like children who have been taught to think something is true and assume it has to be, so you go around and reprogram everyone's minds to agree with you because you _have_ to be right. But that's not logic. It's ego."

The Cyberleader responded with all of the conviction of the fanatic. " _You will recognize our perfection when you are upgraded._ "

Before Leo could pursue his argument further, another Cyberman emerged from the OR. " _Cyber-conversion chamber is approaching completion. Matter-replication technology allows for rapid upgrade_."

" _Prepare these personnel for upgrade_ ," said the Cyberleader.

"No, dammit! No, you don't have that right!" Leo pointed a quivering finger in the machine's face. "My shipmates will stop you. They'll put you down."

" _Unlikely. Cyber-conversion process will permit rapid provision of reinforcements. Suppression of hostile elements will be achieved_ ," the Cyberleader predicted confidently. He tromped away, signaling that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned.

 _Hurry up, guys_ , Leo thought.

And then a desperate idea crossed his mind, prompting him to check his omnitool. 

* * *

Yvonne Hartman led the others to a room that looked like an armory and firing range all in one. Targets, some sporting burn marks or missing pieces (or completely in pieces already) adorned one wall and another secondary area. Another section of wall was lined with various firearm-looking weapons. "Most of these are still in testing," Yvonne explained. "I can't promise they'll be entirely reliable."

Robert reached for a large black rifle-like gun. It had, to his confusion, a shotgun-style sliding piece to cock the weapon. "What's this?"

Yvonne looked it over. "Electro-plasma rifle," she said. "It's got an overheating problem we were close to solving."

Robert nodded. "Alright. I'll be careful."

Yvonne took a similar weapon. "Particle gun," she said. She looked to Meridina, who was studying the weapons. "See something you like?"

"No," she replied. "These weapons are not my specialty. Given the circumstances, however…" Meridina picked up two of the pistols.

"I believe those fire plasma bolts," said Yvonne.

"Very well."

Eyes turned toward Jackie, who was clearly nervous about picking any of them. She finally, with great apparent reluctance, selected one weapon to look over. It was a dainty little pistol of a weapon. "What's this one do?" she asked Yvonne, holding it toward them with little gun safety regard.

The result was Yvonne snapping, "Put that back before you kill us all!"

Jackie nearly jumped at the shout. She gingerly returned the weapon. Yvonnne picked out one for her and handed it over. "This is an electromagnetic generator gun. It knocked out electronics. It might take out the Cybermen."

"That's just our first problem," Robert reminded them all. "We still need to fight the Daleks when we're done."

"One problem at a time, Captain. One problem…"

Before Yvonne could finish that line, Jackie's cell phone rang. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?!"

" _You're alive!_ " came from the other end.

"Doctor!"

" _Yes. What happened?"_

"The other lady who came from that ship saved us," Jackie explained.

" _Good. Where are you all then?_ "

"Well, we're getting things to defend ourselves with. Weapons. They want to stop the Cybermen from hurting people."

" _Put the phone on speaker mode, please._ "

Jackie pressed the appropriate button. " _It's good to hear you're all intact._ "

"Doctor, did you get away from the Cybermen?" Robert asked.

" _Yes. With a little help. I've got a plan to get Rose and Caterina away from the Daleks. If you're going after the cyber-conversion machines, wait until I give the signal._ "

"Why?" asked Yvonne. "What are you doing?"

" _I don't have time to explain. But I need the Cybermen to cooperate and they'll not be in a listening mood if you've blown up their converter."_

Robert's first instinct was to decline. The Doctor was asking them to ignore the people being fed into the machine. But that deep sense he felt told him this was how it had to go. The Daleks were enough of a threat that they had to be the focus.

"Alright, we'll wait," Robert agreed. 

* * *

A short time later, three Cybermen in one of the tower halls witnessed a sheet of white material being hung into their view from around the corner of a corridor. "Sorry, no white flag," said the Doctor as he stepped into view. "Only had a sheet of A4. It had to do."

The three immediately raised their arms and presented weapons. " _Do you surrender?_ " one asked.

"I surrender, unto you…" The Doctor stepped up to place his face within inches of the lead Cyberman's head. "...a _very_ good idea." 

* * *

The Cybermen in Main Engineering were, for the moment, mostly victorious. The security personnel and engineers outside of the protective forcefield had been forced to flee by the numbers they faced, leaving unconscious or dead crew across engineering. Only those who were with Scotty and Barnes inside of the forcefield were safe. For the moment, anyway.

Now, however, the Cybermen were pouring fire into the forcefield to get at them. An East Asian engineer, Ensign Yi, was currently responsible for checking the forcefield's strength. "Forcefield strength down to thirty percent," he said.

"They're gettin' better," Scotty mumbled while he and Barnes looked over the system diagram on the wall. "I cannae be sure this plan o' yers will work, Tom. Ye're talkin' about shifting power through systems in a way that's never been tried."

"I know," Barnes said. "But we don't have a lot of choices. We've got to get these things off the ship."

"But if ye're wrong, if we cannae draw power through safely, we'll burn through th' systems an' be right back where we started." Despite his protest, it was clear to all that Scott was impressed by his protege's plan.

"That's why I haven't already tried. Well, that, and because I'll need Jarod's help." Barnes activated his omnitool and began transmitting a message.

* * *

In Science Lab 1 Jarod heard the tone from his omnitool and checked it. It was in binary, and once he finished deciphering that it was in a partially-ciphered code. Translating that left a code message. After thinking on it for a couple seconds, Jarod looked to Richmond. "I need to get to the nearest Transporter Station," he said.

"We haven't secured any of those," she replied.

"I know." Jarod tapped several keys on his omnitool. Its interface now showed multiple bars beginning and growing to completion. "I just uploaded some self-defense applications into my omnitool. Between them and the gun, I should make it." Jarod held up the pulse pistol provided to him.

Richmond gave him an intent look. "Lieutenant Seldayiv!"

A Dorei woman stepped up from the various officers and personnel watching the doors. She had a pulse rifle in her arms, arms that were strongly-built with the rest of her short, thickly-built frame. She had the blue complexion of a Lushan Dorei with dark teal spots framing her face. Her dark purple hair, slightly disheveled from the situation, was pulled into a formal ponytail at the back of her head, and light teal eyes were bordered by the lines of someone growing tired and fatigued. Seldayiv's uniform was standard, with the brown of security/tactical, but Jarod noticed a necklace emblazoned with the moon emblem of the Church of the Eternal Goddess. "Lieutenant?" she asked Richmond.

"I'm sending you with Commander Jarod, he's on his way to the nearest Transporter Station."

"Yes sir," the Dorei replied. She nodded to Jarod. "I'm right behind you, Commander." Her accent reminded Jarod of a Latin accent, but with tones that sounded more Polynesian.

Jarod nodded back and went for the door. "Let's go." 

* * *

After firing off another pulse pistol shot and nearly getting hit by return fire, Julia ducked back down behind the table. Beside her, Angel took a shot next. The grimace on her face spoke of the pain in her body from the near hit. Without her stubbornness, Julia figured Angel would already have passed out.

As soon as Angel dropped back into cover al-Rashad rose up and took a pair of shots. A third pull of the trigger resulted only in a deep tone. al-Rashad checked her gun and shook her head. "Zero percent. My clip is dead."

"I'm down to five percent myself," Julia said.

"Eight," said Angel. She looked at Julia with a grim expression. "Do you think you could get away down the secondary lift?" She pointed to the lift doors at the far end of the lounge.

"Jarod said it took one of the hits from the Shadow ships. The entire tube is exposed to vacuum."

"Dammit. I was going to tell you two to go and let me cover you." Angel looked frustrated and even a little vulnerable. "What are we going to do if they don't stop coming? When we run out of juice on our guns?"

"What about defensive apps for our omnitools?" al-Rashad suggested.

"That will only work for a little while," Julia said. "Especially given the recharge times required. We can't use those to hold off a determined attack."

"It's still something," al-Rashad insisted.

"It is, and we'll do it." Julia rose up and shot a Cyberman moving past one of his fallen allies. "But we might want to consider praying too. That's all we'll have left in the end." 

* * *

The Daleks abruptly moved away from the Ark. " _The Genesis Ark is ready for final awakening._ " The black-plated Dalek swiveled to face Rose. " _It requires you to touch the Ark._ "

"Really?" Rose shrugged. "That's too bad, because I'm not doing it."

" _Obey or the male will die!_ "

That seemed to have prompted Rose too change her mind. Mickey went to protest, but she waved him off. "I can't let them," she said. She stepped up toward the Ark

" _Place your hand upon the casket._ "

Rose started to raise her hand toward it… and then stopped and turned. "Although, come to think of it, you're going to kill us anyway, aren't you? Once we're of no use to you."

The Daleks didn't react.

"Well, if I'm about to die, then to hell with it." Rose looked thoughtfully at the lead Dalek. "If you escaped the Time War, don't you want to know what happened? Don't you want to know what happened to the Emperor?"

" _The Emperor survived…?!_ " The Daleks were clearly stunned.

Rose nodded. "Until he met me. If these are my last words, you're going to listen. I met the Emperor. And I took the Time Vortex and I poured it into his head and turned him into dust." She stared into the blue eye of the lead Dake. "Did you get that? The God of all Daleks…" She smiled widely. "...and I destroyed him."

And to really drive it home, Rose let out a giddy, triumphant laugh in the Dalek's face.

With sheer rage the Dalek shrieked, " _You will be_ ** _exterminated!_** "

"Oh, hold on now, just a minute…"

The Daleks and the Humans turned to face the door… and watched the Doctor enter the room. 

* * *

In the testing lab, Jackie's patience was clearly coming to an end. "How much longer?" she asked. "How long until we can go?"

"I don't know," Robert said, betraying his own growing impatience. It didn't help that the sense of utter doom was growing inside of him. "The Doctor hasn't signaled yet."

"We can't wait for him forever," Yvonne pointed out. "My people are being turned into those _things_. I have to save them."

From a spot near the door, Meridina counseled, "We must show patience. Acting in haste will…"

She was cut off by the cry of pain that came from Robert. He doubled over, dropping the rifle he'd been holding in his rush to grasp his head. Images flooded him, images of worlds being obliterated, of a wave of darkness overwhelming the stars of the galaxy… of all galaxies. A deep, powerful void seemed to beckon before him and threaten to swallow him whole.

Meridina rushed to his side. She took hold of him and tried to enter his mind, to help him, but the sheer power of the vision drove her out. "Swenya's Light…" she gasped.

"What's wrong with him?!" Jackie shouted, necessary to get over another howl of pain from Robert.

"He is sensing a possible future," said Meridina. "A dark and terrible one."

"Bad Wolf," Robert growled. "What are you saying?" In his head he saw Rose yet again, eyes glowing gold. "What do you mean?!"

"The choice will be yours. Bad Wolf."

"Tell me, what are you talking about?!"

The image of Rose disintegrated. A massive vortex of darkness swirled around him. And through it he could feel… _it_. _Them_. Something powerful and malevolent, brimming with hate, stirring.

"No," he rasped. "Is it…?"

At that moment the wall on the other end of the firing range exploded inward. Everyone looked that way save Meridina, who turned to face the doorway… and the sound of metal stomping.

A Cyberman stepped into the doorway, weapon arm raised. " _Surrender for upgrade_ ," it demanded. " _Or you will be deleted_."

The gap in the far wall was soon filled with Cybermen. They too raised their weapons, putting the four in a crossfire. "They're going to kill us!" Jackie wailed.

While Robert was still disorientated, Meridina was not. And she merely answered with, "No, they're not."

The next noise in the air was an electronic snap and lingering hiss. A buzz filled the air and the head of the Cyberman in the door fell away with a flash of blue light. The body toppled inward.

Lucy walked into the door in a slightly dinged beige duty uniform. Her dark, curly hair was disheveled. But there was a grin on her face. She brought her lightsaber up to a ready position with one hand. Her words were quick and to the point.

"So, who's next?"

 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	90. Episode 2-18-1 Choices

**Teaser**

There was a moment of quiet in the Torchwood testing range.

The quiet ended when Lucy's left hand shot out. An object that Jackie Tyler and Yvonne Hartman mentally filed under "flashlight" flew through the air… and into the extended right hand of Meridina. An electronic snap-hiss filled the air and a shining blade of blue light surged from the object, matching the one in Lucy Lucero's right hand. She dashed forward as the Cybermen opened fire. Pale red energy zipped through the air at a speed no Human could conceivably evade or deflect.

But that is precisely what Lucy and Meridina did. Their blue blades moved in blurs of light that intercepted the energy blasts and sent them back toward the Cybermen. One hit the leg of one of the robots directly, causing red light to flicker over the limb and leave the metal blackened.

A blast of energy struck the Cyberman a moment later, courtesy of the weapon in Yvonne Hartman's hands. Another Cyberman moved up to the gap, revealing that there were more on the other side of the wall. When it tried to shoot her, Lucy's lightsaber sent the pale red light back into the Cyberman's head. It collapsed.

And then Lucy and Meridina were in range of the line of Cybermen. Their lightsabers cleaved through the metal skin on their foes easily. Severed limbs hit the floor. Sparks came to the air from the moments when the lightsabers were making contact with the electrical systems within the armored beings.

 _We will fight our way through here_ , Meridina informed the others telepathically. _Get Captain Dale to safety!_

Jackie's eyes widened. "How did they…"

"She has mental powers." Yvonne stood and motioned to Robert, still on the ground and looking completely disorientated. "Help him up."

Jackie took a moment to work the confusion out of her response before nodding and helping Robert to his feet. Pain filled his green eyes and his hand was over his forehead, as if that could banish his pain. "C'mon, now," Jackie urged him. "We've got to go."

Her voice helped Robert to push through the terrifying image in his head. A future was forming, a future where something of incalculable malevolence was free to destroy as it desired. Something worse than the Daleks themselves. He took control of his own walking by the time they got to the door.

Behind them, the buzz of lightsabers and the electric spurts of Cybermen weapons fire continued. 

* * *

The Doctor stood in the door of the Sphere Chamber, hands in pockets and looking fairly nonchalant about things despite facing down four angry Daleks. He was wearing his pair of cheap-looking 3D glasses. With measured movements he casually strolled toward them.

" _Alert!_ " shrieked one of the Daleks. " _You are the Doctor!_ "

The Doctor kept moving toward them without a word.

" _Sensors report he is unarmed,_ " stated one Dalek.

"That's me, always," the Doctor said happily.

" _Then he is powerless_ ," insisted the lead, black-armored Dalek.

"Not me, never." The Doctor yanked his glasses and looked at Rose. "How are you?"

"Oh, same old. As always," Rose said cheerfully.

"Good. Cat?" he asked next, looking to Caterina.

She was still pale with fear, a fear that was starting to subside. "Oh, I'm… I'm fine."

"Hrm, you look like you need some more color to your cheeks. I'll have to fix that for you." The Doctor now seemed to notice Mickey. "And Mickety-Mick-Mickey! Nice to see you!"

"And you, boss," Mickey answered, smiling and accepting the Doctor's proferred fist bump.

One of the gold Daleks declared, " _Social interactions will cease!_ "

The lead Dalek asked, " _How did you survive the Time War?_ "

"By fighting," the Doctor answered. "On the front line. I was at the Fall of Arcadia. Some day I might even come to terms with that." He grinned at the Daleks and added, "But you lot ran away!"

" _We had to survive_ ," the lead Dalek answered defensively.

"And now here you are, the last four Daleks in existence." The Doctor spun around, looking at them. "What's so special about you?"

Rose quickly offered, "Doctor, they've got names. They're… not supposed to have names, right?"

"Normally not." The Doctor looked at them with interest.

" _I am Dalek Thay_ ," one gold one stated.

" _Dalek Sec_ ," said the leader.

" _Dalek Jast_."

" _Dalek Caan_."

"Oh." The Doctor's smile was strangely giddy. "We meet at last. The Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend."

"Who are they?" asked Rose.

The Doctor stepped away to walk around the Genesis Ark, looking at each Dalek in turn. "A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their task was to imagine. To think like the enemy thinks. Even dare to have names." The Doctor stared down Thay and then Caan. "All to find new ways of killing," he added in disgust. "So, what's this here?" He indicated the Ark. "What are you doing? What's this for?"

"They say it's Time Lord," Caterina said. "Don't you know?"

"Never seen this before in my life," the Doctor said.

Mickey asked, "But it's Time Lord stuff. Shouldn't you know what it is?"

The Doctor's face betrayed grim thoughts. "Both sides had their secrets." He faced the nearest Dalek again. "So, what's it for?"

" _Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy!_ "

"What does that mean? What Time Lord science? What do you mean?!" the Doctor demanded.

Rose stepped up behind him. "They say one touch from a time traveler will wake it up."

"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do." The Doctor nearly sneered. " _Touch_." He turned to face the nearest Dalek and brought his face right up to its electronic eye. "Sealed inside your casing, never feeling anything. Ever. From birth to death, locked inside a metal cage. Completely alone. That explains your voice. It's no wonder you _scream_."

Cat nearly shivered. Not at the Daleks, but at the sheer contempt dripping from the Doctor's voice. She hadn't imagined him capable of it.

" _The Doctor will open the Ark!_ "

The Doctor laughed at that. "The Doctor will not," he said jovially, stepping away.

" _You are powerless to resist_."

At that he tilted his head, as if nearly surrendering the point. "Oh, you've got me there. Although…" He dug into his suit jacket and pulled out his blue-tipped device. "I always have this."

" _A sonic probe?_ " Sec asked contemptuously.

"That's _screwdriver_ ," the Doctor corrected.

" _It is harmless_."

"You're right. That's what I like about it. It doesn't killl, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But there's one thing it does very, _very_ well." He tossed it from his left hand to his right and held it vertically. "It's very good at opening doors." He activated it, causing the blue-tipped head to light up.

Thunderous explosions filled the Sphere Chamber. 

* * *

In the _Aurora_ medbay Leo lowered his forearm. Doctor Lumenaram stepped up beside him. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low voice.

"What I have to," Leo responded.

Lumenaram's eyes met Leo's. He didn't have to ask what Leo meant by that. He could tell. Rather than continue the conversation, Lumenaram stepped away. This allowed Leo to continue his work. He knew the others would get here eventually, but he had no way of knowing how close they were, if they were tied up in fights in other critical areas or if they'd already taken numerous casualties… any possible reason that might see their relief delayed.

Leo's eyes scanned his patients. Some of them were going to die if they didn't get sufficient care soon. And all of them were faced with being fed into a machine and turned into another tromping robot. The eyes of those conscious sometimes came his way, as did those of his nurses and other doctors. They were trapped in the same circumstances he was, but as the head of the medbay, he felt responsible to them. He didn't think he could stand letting one of them be taken.

A final button press confirmed what he needed to do. It had taken every bit of Leo's ingenuity and passing familiarity with computer systems to make his solution possible. But it was all he could do in the situation, and he hoped and prayed it would accomplish the task.

The Cyberleader emerged from the OR. " _The cyber conversion chamber is ready to begin emergency upgrading. Commence upgrades immediately._ "

The Cybermen in the medbay began to seize some of the wounded and nurses. The latter fought back where possible. Nasri looked ready to see her own arm pulled off rather than go, forcing the Cyberman holding her to drag her. A look of utter despair now appeared on her face, despair and, Leo realized with horror, recollection. She had been taken against her will in her homeland in Darfur as well. The Cybermen were not repeating that violation, but they would impose another, more total violation of her very being.

The others were out of time. He had to act. Leo stepped up to the OR entrance. The Cyberleader faced him. "We can't stop you, can we?"

" _Upgrading will commence. Hostile elements will be deleted._ "

"Alright." Leo sighed in resignation. He took in an extra breath and made his choice. "I'm the Chief Medical Officer of this ship and thus the head of the medbay. If someone's going into that machine first, it's going to be me."

* * *

 **Undiscovered Frontier  
 _"Choices"_**

* * *

"Doctor, no!" shouted Nasri.

Leo looked to her and shook his head. "I'll go first. It should be me." He swallowed and steeled himself. It was likely he would only have a second to do what he had to.

"No," said another voice.

Leo turned his head in time to see Doctor Lumenaram approach the entrance to the OR. "I will go," he said. "I am not Human. You should know if your upgrading process will work on me first. You may have to reconfigure the device."

" _We have already accounted for your species_ ," stated the Cyberleader.

"Maybe, but that's assuming you can account for all possibilities," Lumenaram stated. "If there is an unforeseen element you did not calculate, all of your work will be for nothing. You will have to rebuild your chamber."

The Cyberleader seemed to consider this. Ultimately it said, " _It is irrelevant which order is taken._ "

Leo and Lumenaram both went for the door. Leo would have likely made it first had not Doctor Singh reached out and grabbed him. "Your turn will come later," she whispered to Leo.

"Dammit," Leo hissed back, but it was too late.

Lumenaram stepped into the OR. For several moments there was nothing. They didn't see him reaching for his omnitool, having done the same thing Leo did to its settings.

There was a bright burst of light from the OR joined by the roar of an explosion. It was not a major explosion. It didn't rattle the deck. It didn't knock anyone over.

But the effect was clear a moment later when a Cyberman emerged from the OR. " _The cyber-convertor has been sabotaged_ ," it said.

" _Commence repairs immediately,_ " answered the Cyberleader.

"You know, some of these patients won't make it that long," Leo said to him. "If you want them to survive long enough for upgrade, I need to treat them."

" _You will be watched_ ," the Cyberleader stated.

"I hope so," Leo replied with a grim expression on his face. "Maybe you'll learn what compassion is." 

* * *

In Engineering the Cybermen fired another volley into the forcefield surrounding main control. "The shield is down to fifteen percent," Yi said.

"Tom, how're ye comin' on that plan o' yer's?" Scott asked Barnes.

Barnes looked up from his controls. "I've got everything I need done on this end, I'm just waiting for Jarod to get transporter control."

Scott nodded. And as he did, he got an idea. "Lads an' lasses, we're goin' t' reinforce that field an' buy time for th' others. Use yer omni-tools an' siphon power for th' field."

"Aye sir," a number of them replied.

Ensign Yi gave Scotty an uncomfortable look. "But sir, that's not possible, omnitools aren't designed to…"

"Ye just keep readin' those numbers off, lad, let me worry about what I can or cannae do," retorted Scotty.

Yi saw the intensity in the old engineer's face and swallowed, returning his attention to the display. "Field is now at thirteen percent…" 

* * *

Between sealed off sections of the ship, Cybermen concentrations, and other battle damage, the closest Transporter Station that Jarod and his escort could find was Station 4. A pair of Cybermen were outside the door. Lieutenant Seldayiv raised her rifle and fired, hitting one directly and causing it to fall. Her initial volley also grazed the arm of the other.

It brought up its weapon to fire. Before it could Jarod's omnitool became active and he held it forward. Orange light surged from it and exploded into flames when it struck the chest of the Cyberman. The Cyberman lost its balance and stumbled partially. Seldayiv followed the movement with her rifle and put the robot down with her second volley.

They entered the room together. Again Seldayiv's gun barked out, joined by Jarod's pistol They caught the two Cybermen watching the inside and mowed them both down.

Jarod went for the transporter controls immediately. They were completely offline, unfortunately, and he saw why when he reached down and pulled the cover off the interior. "The console was damaged by the disruption event," he said to Seldayiv. "I'll need some time."

Seldayiv crouched beside him and kept her rifle ready. Jarod returned his attention to the damaged console. His omnitool came back on fully, both the main body around his left forearm and a modular element over his hand. Said modular element activated and he started applying it inside of the console to fix up the internal parts. 

* * *

The thunder and power of the explosions that blasted open the Sphere Chamber was only the start. A second after the explosions cleared Humans in black combat suits entered alongside Cybermen, who called out, " _Delete! Delete!_ " Some opened up with assault rifles, the Cybermen and others were firing energy weapons. The lightning-like beams started striking the Daleks.

Energy started surging over Dalek Caan. who shook. " _Alert! Casing impaired! Casing impaired!_ "

" _Firepower insufficient!"_

The Doctor shouted, "Rose, Cat, run!" Rose scrambled away at that before stumbling close to the Genesis Ark, nearly touching it in the process. A dark-suited man with a balding head moved in and helped her up. She stared at him in shock. Caterina and the Doctor followed.

"Mickey!" Rose shouted as they got to the door.

Mickey was in the process of reclaiming his weapon. Dalek Sec's voice echoed in the Sphere Chamber. " _Adapt to weaponry! Firepower restored!_ " An energy blast claimed one of the Cybermen.

Mickey got past the Daleks as and the Genesis Ark. As he tried to slip around the last Cyberman it turned suddenly. Its arm smacked into Mickey and sent him falling backward. His hands flailed and his right hand moved back in an attempt to find something to hold himself against.

Something like the Genesis Ark.

Mickey realized a moment later what he'd done. It was too late to do anything about it, however, and he scrambled back to his feet and continued running to join the others. He didn't have time to pay heed to the glowing red imprint of his hand left on the Ark, or the steam now coming from the openings in the bottom.

By the time he reached the door, the other fighters had as well. Only the Cybermen remained behind. As the Humans treated Dalek Sec's order of " _Cybermen are primary target!_ " followed behind.

While Mickey stared at his right hand in frustration, Cat asked the man in the black suit, "Who are you?"

"Pete Tyler," he answered.

"He's a parallel version of my Dad," Rose explained. "So are the others."

The Doctor finished closing the blast door to the Sphere Chamber with the help of the sonic screwdriver. "Jake, secure the stairwell! Everyone else with me!" When he took off running, everyone followed save the armed men.

Mickey finally found the breath to say, "I just fell, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Mickey, without us they'd have forced the Ark open anyway," the Doctor said. "And to do it they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favor." He gave Mickey a peck of a kiss on the forehead. "Now _run!_ " 

* * *

In the Sphere Chamber, the last Cyberman fell to the Cult of Skaro's energy blasts. " _The Cybermen are exterminated! Daleks are supreme!_ "

" _Genesis Ark is primed_ ," stated Dalek Thay.

" _The Genesis Ark requires an area of thirty square miles_ ," said Sec. " _Move_."

As they began to do so, Dalek Jast added, " _Genesis Ark mobile_." 

* * *

On one of the floors above them, the sounds of Cybermen energy blasts were matched by the buzz of energy blades. Lucy and Meridina moved side-by-side, guiding their blades to intercept the shots coming for them to deflect them back into those firing said shots. As they had done before, the two closed the distance and sliced through the Cybermen until the entire squad had become a number of disembodied pieces on the floor. Neither lost sight of the fact that these were human beings enslaved inside of robotic bodies. "We've got to stop this," Lucy insisted.

"The machine they use to hack up Human beings is nearby," said Meridina. "I know the way."

As they continued through the white corridors, Meridina asked, "Why did you come down instead of helping to secure the ship?"

"Because I sensed you would need me," she said. "That something horrible would happen if I didn't."

"I see." Meridina accepted that argument. "What you have sensed… it is dark, isn't it?"

"And bad. Dripping with evil bad." Lucy glanced at Meridina as they rounded a corner. "And I don't know if it's any of the Cybermen."

"There are also Daleks," Meridina said.

Lucy stopped for a moment. " _What?!_ " she demanded. "Holy crap, those things?! How many?"

"Four according to the others. "

"Four too many."

Before the conversation could continue they arrived at the renovation site the Cybermen were using. Screams echoed from within the plastic.

The two began cutting right through. They got to the opening just as the Cybermen were about to feed a young woman into the machine. She screamed as she was brought to the threshold of the machine by a pair of Cybermen.

Meridina threw her lightsaber and guided it. The blade spun in the air and sliced through their necks before returning to Meridina's hand. They collapsed, freeing the woman. Lucy's weapon deflected shots from two more Cybermen with a line of prisoners back into them. She, and a line of other prisoners, ran to get away.

Other Cybermen emerged from around the machine. " _Hostile elements will be deleted_."

"I'll wreck that thing if you can hold them," Lucy said.

"Agreed."

While Meridina's defensive techniques held the Cybermen off, Lucy ventured to the opening of the conversion machine. Multiple robotic arms approached, ready to weld metal to her body. Lucy's lightsaber was a blur, slicing the arms as they approached. Restraint devices came next and were thwarted in the same fashion. With the rest of the machinery out of reach of her blade Lucy switched to using her life force power, namely by gripping parts and ripping them from the chamber. Sparks flew and metal shrieked.

When she was done, all that was left was debris. 

* * *

Yvonne led Jackie and Robert to the stairwell leading through Torchwood Tower's floors. Robert's attack had ended, or at least subsided enough he was functional. "The Doctor and the others must have attacked the Sphere Chamber," Yvonne was saying. "Are you alright?"

"Feeling better," Robert said, and it was mostly true. He was even starting to regain his abilities to a degree, even if they still seemed to thrum with anxiety. "I don't think…"

From below there was metallic thumping. Yvonne stopped, prompting everyone to do the same, and the squad of Cybermen moving up the staircase was noticed. Robert said, "This way" and went back up the steps to the door.

This led them into the halls of the Tower. They ran to escape any detection from the Cybermen.

That didn't quite work, given two Cybermen met them in the hall. They raised weapons and demanded, " _You will be taken for upgrade_."

In the fear of the moment Jackie forgot the device with her. "No! Please don't, you can't…"

Yvonne didn't. An energy blast from her particle gun blew apart one of the Cybermen… while a shot from behind claimed the other.

The smoke cleared to the sight of the Doctor, with Rose, Caterina, Mickey, and a balding man nearing middle-age with an energy rifle similar to the one Robert had intended to carry.

Jackie stared in surprise at the figure. " _Pete?_ " she asked, incredulous.

Pete Tyler nodded. "Hey, Jacks."

"I said I wanted to believe in ghosts, but that's not fair…"

While the two conversed Robert rushed up to hug Caterina. He could sense her terror and fear was still strong… and he didn't mind admitting, "I was afraid we'd lost you" at the embrace. "I could never have faced Angel again if you'd been killed."

"It's them," she squeaked. "It's the Daleks again…"

"I know."

"They… they _want_ something from me," Caterina continued. "It's something bad, I know it!"

In the background, Jackie was apparently indecisive about the matter of the alternate timeline version of her husband having wealth, with an exchange of "'Rich'. 'That doesn't matter… how rich?' 'Very'. 'It doesn't matter… how very?'"

Yvonne stepped up to the Doctor and Mickey. "You're Samuel, right?" she asked. "What happened to Rajesh?"

"The Daleks killed him," Mickey informed her somberly. "And the name's actually Mickey, ma'am. Mickey Smith."

"Oh?" Yvonne curled her forehead. "That name sounds familiar."

"I came from the parallel world to fight the Cybermen, but I'm originally from this world."

"He's Rose's ex-boyfriend," the Doctor clarified.

Mickey gave him a resigned look. "I really hate that 'ex' part there."

"Ha." Yvonne chuckled bitterly. "Well, you did quite well infiltrating my organization, Mister Smith. Between you and the Cybermen, I have to wonder how many other agents have infiltrated Torchwood."

"Well, we had the advantage of coming from the Torchwood in the other world," Mickey explained. "They have the breach there too."

"And your traveling around is going to ruin both worlds," the Doctor said. "Which is why we have to close it, and why I need everyone to come with me now."

The Doctor led them down toward a stairwell. As the group walked, Pete looked at Yvonne and blinked. "Yvonne Hartman?" he asked. "It's really you, isn't it?"

"It is," she replied. "I take it you know of my counterpart on your world?"

"She's hard to miss," Pete said. "My world's Yvonne Hartman is the Home Secretary. Everyone thought it strange that she got a Cabinet post."

"Oh?"

"She's the first avowed monarchist to hold a Cabinet post in the Republic in decades," Pete explained.

"I can't imagine myself a poli-..." Yvonne stopped and looked at him again. "Wait, _Republic?_ " 

* * *

Leo finished securing one of the critical cases in the medbay and moved on to the next casualty. Doctor Singh arrived at the same time he did. "Why did you stop me?" he asked Singh.

"Because Lumenaram would have punched you senseless," Singh answered. "He was determined that you be protected."

"Why?" Leo asked, almost demanded given the tone of his voice. "He's just as good a physician."

"He is… was… also a believer, Doctor. He believed in what the Gersallians call the Prophecy of the Dawn. And that you had to be protected." Singh checked the patient's vitals.

Leo, in turn, checked the scan results on the specific problem. "Dammit," was all Leo could say to Singh's explanation. "I'm still going in next," Leo insisted. "I'll do the same thing. It was my plan."

"We all had it. But I suspect our captors have adapted to it."

"Probably," Leo agreed. "We have to leave this to the others. I just hope they hurry." 

* * *

"Field down to five percent, cohesion failing!"

Ensign Yi's voice betrayed just a little bit of fear at that report. "The system is taking from the omnitools all it can, but the enemy fire is too much," he added. Indeed, to him it seemed like the number of Cybermen had _increased_.

"Tom, are we ready?" Scotty asked. "We cannae hold 'em much longer, lad!"

Barnes looked up from the console. "We're all ready on this end, this is down to Jarod." He tapped his omnitool comm button. "Barnes to Jarod. C"mon, buddy, tell me you've got that Pretender magic going!"

" _Working on it!_ " 

* * *

Jarod was indeed working on it. And being a savant, while it had many advantages, did little to deal with the physical limitations of burnt out circuits or how many of them could be switched out and fixed or bypassed with the help of an omnitool.

Worst of all, the Cybermen were onto them. The door swished open again and several more entered, firing as they came in. Seldayiv had to duck behind cover before returning fire, taking out one. Jarod was forced to stop working and shoot another before it got a shot off at him. The _WHOM WHOM WHOM_ of pulse fire was further distracting. "Jarod to Richmond. Have you been able to get me any help?"

" _Unfortunately, no, Commander. I sent Teams D and N toward your position, but they're busy keeping a concentration of Cybermen from reaching you. I've got nothing else_. _You and Seldayiv are on your own_."

"Right," Jarod grumbled before getting back to work. "Why do people think that because I'm a genius I can do _anything_?"

"Because you seem to be capable of that, sir," Seldayiv said in an honest tone.

"Don't remind me," Jarod grumbled while working to repair another circuit he couldn't replace. 

* * *

The pile of Cybermen in the room had become impressive. Another stepped over some of said pile and reached for the table. Angel popped up and shot it point blank. "Two percent," she noted. "This is probably my last shot. Maybe one or two more. These things get unpredictable on low battery charges."

Julia nodded before popping off what quickly proved to be her last shot. "Well, that's it for me."

" _Delete! Delete!_ " came the Cybermen response.

"Maybe if we rush them, we can get through to another lift," Angel proposed. "There can't be that many left."

"And what about you?"

"I'll limp along. Draw their fire."

"They'll mow you down in an instant, sir," al-Rashad pointed out.

"Then I guess we're down to prayers."

"I doubt Allah listens to me much," al-Rashad stated. "I am agnostic."

"But doesn't that mean you don't believe in God?" asked Angel.

"It means I don't think the existence of the divine can be proven," al-Rashad corrected. "I'm a scientist after all. Proof is something we like to see on these matters."

Angel looked at her with curiosity. "I'd think that would make you an atheist."

"I'm not more an atheist than your sister," al-Rashad guffawed. "Besides, I can't ignore the possibilities of the supernatural when my Captain can throw giant gene-engineered soldiers around a circle with the power of his life force."

"Yeah, I suppose…"

"Shhh!"

Julia's shushing made them go quiet. Doing so immediately revealed why she wanted the quiet. "I don't hear them," said al-Rashad.

"Maybe we got them all?"

The door slid open again. Even though her pistol was dead, Julia still turned it toward the door… before lowered it. "What the… _Hargert?!_ "

The old cook had a pulse gun in his hand. He smiled at them, as did others the three recognized: Albert, Olujwe, and Hasters. Each was also armed.

"You should be with the other civilians," Julia charged, although there was little heat in her voice and some barely-constrained joy.

"We heard what these 'Cybermen' want to do, _Fraulein_ ," Hargert answered. "Aboard _Aurora_ right now, there are no civilians. We must all fight to save ourselves from these tin monsters."

"Did you fight your way to the bridge?" asked Angel.

"Partly. We had assistance from other crew on the other decks," Hargert said. He noticed Angel trying to stand and frowned. "Lieutenant, you need medical attention."

"I need to get back to my station," Angel growled. "Besides, these assholes hold the medbay."

Olujwe stepped up. "I have medic training."

"Do what you can," Julia ordered. SHe looked to Hargert again and said, "Thank you, everyone. If you wouldn't mind staying here until we get this situation resolved?"

"We are your disposal, Commander," Hargert pledged. 

* * *

In Transporter Station 4, Seldayiv fired off another volley. "I'm on my last charge clip," she warned Jarod.

"Almost done…"

Barnes' voice came back over the radio. " _Jarod, you've got maybe ten seconds!_ "

"Not helping!" Jarod shot back while using his omnitool's built-in hardlight machinery to repair the last circuit vital to their plan. He watched his work carefully to keep from any slip, since such a slip would require even more time to fix. He wanted nothing more than to move, to stretch his legs or shift his arm, but even the slightest movement could cause just such a disastrous slip. "Almost there…" 

* * *

In Main Engineering, the forcefield around the main controls collapsed.

The Cybermen kept their weapon arms up. " _You will be taken for upgrade_ ," one announced.

"Jarod…" Barnes said through clenched teeth. The Cybermen started to move toward them to seize the engineers. 

* * *

" _...we're out of fracking time, man!_ "

As Barnes made that announcement, Jarod finished the circuit repair. He quickly stood up and made absolutely sure he was done by hitting a key. " _Now Tom!_ " he shouted into the comm link. 

* * *

Ensign Yi shouted and tried to pull away, to no avail, as a Cyberman grabbed him.

Barnes, meanwhile, input the final commands into his console as soon as he confirmed Jarod's success. He quickly hit a number of keys, culminating with a final activation press.

Half of the Cybermen in Engineering disappeared in bursts of white light.

" _Yes!_ " Barnes crowed, already inputting new commands. "Suck vacuum, you fracking toasters!"

The remaining Cybermen all started to point their weapon arms at him, but they were too late. With another button press they too were swept off the ship.

"There ye go, lad! Brilliant!" Scott stepped up beside him. "Where are ye beamin' th' scunners too?"

"Low orbit," Barnes replied, still busy at the controls. "They can suck vacuum until they make re-entry." 

* * *

Leo sighed with resignation after another Cyberman emerged from the OR. " _Repairs complete_ ," it said. " _Ready to commence upgrades_."

" _Any further sabotage will result in immediate deletion of the personnel in this facility_ ," the Cyberleader warned them all.

Leo swallowed at that. No matter what happened, his people would die. _But at least we don't be slaves_ , he thought to himself as he stepped forward. "Then I'll go first," he said.

The Cyberleader considered him. He raised his arm. " _Take this personnel first._ "

There was a cry as one of the Cybermen grabbed Nasri and pulled her away. "No! God no!" she cried.

A curse in Punjabi came from Doctor Singh. "If you must take one of us, take me first you tin-plated…" Leo didn't recognize the word that came afterward, but could guess it was a nasty one to come from the Sikh doctor.

Leo's muscles tensed. He was prepared to charge ahead and rush into the door just before Nasri got there, if only he could slip past the Cybermen…

He took his first step while, around his forearm, his omnitool appeared, ready for him to give the final command for the overload that would turn it into a bomb.

Unfortunately the Cybermen were ready. The Cyberleader stepped up and grabbed Leo by the arm, hard enough to nearly crush bone. Leo cried out in pain. "No!" he shouted. "Nasri!"

"Please, no! Don't do this to me!" Nasri struggled in vain against the robot.

And then white light whisked away her captor. Nasri stumbled to her knees and looked up, wide-eyed and surprised.

" _Warning, warning, unknown effect is removing Cybermen. All units, prepare_ …" Before the Cyberleader could finish, it too was whisked away, causing Leo to nearly lose his balance. His left arm hurt from the grip that had now disappeared.

Within seconds, all of the Cybermen in the medbay were gone. 

* * *

Jarod would have gotten shot by the Cybermen in the next moment if not for Seldayiv. She jumped at him and knocked him to the floor. In the process her rifle was knocked loose and clambered just out of reach.

" _Delete_ ," another incoming Cyberman stated. " _Delete!_ " It swung its weapon arm to bear on them. Jarod tried to scramble to get his omnitool control active, but he already knew it would be too late.

Seldayiv uttered something in her native Lushan that Jarod didn't catch and threw her hand up in desperation, as if the shot might at least only ruin the limb.

Instead the Cyberman toppled backward, as if hit by a blunt force. It fell into another Cyberman coming up behind it and knocked it over in the process. Before either could untangle themselves, white light surged around them and they were whisked away.

Jarod got untangled from his protector and looked at her with interest. "I hadn't heard we had another metaphysical specialist aboard," he remarked.

Seldayiv was too busy staring at her hand. Her light teal eyes were wide open with shock. "I… I didn't know I could… the Eternal Goddess has Gifted me…" She swallowed and looked at Jarod. "It was not my imagination?"

Jarod shook his head. "I'm guess this is the first time?"

Seldayiv nodded quietly. "Yes. Yes, I never imagined I…" She remained quiet while Jarod helped her stand up before she pulled down a breath and straightened her spine. "I'm sorry, Commander. I am overwhelmed by this, but we have more important matters. I am ready for orders." Words aside, Jarod didn't need mind-reading or sensing to tell that Seldayiv was completely stunned by this development.

"Well, we don't have Cybermen shooting at us, and that's the important part," he said. "You can discuss this with Captain Dale and Commander Meridina when this is all over. Until then, we need to get back to Science Lab 1." 

* * *

The door to the Torchwood storage bay flew open. Dalek Sec screamed, " _Exterminate!_ " as pale red light washed over his protective shields.

" _Delete!_ " was the retort of the line of Cybermen awaiting the four Daleks and their cargo. Behind them the camo-wearing troops of Torchwood had taken up defensive positions; for the moment the two sides were continuing to cooperate against the greater threat of the Daleks.

The Daleks moved toward them and the center of the storage bay. Bullets and Cybermen blasters and the energy guns of the alternate Earth's commandos struck their protective shields with virtually no effect. Even the Genesis Ark was protected, with much the same effect.

The Daleks returned fire with ruthless efficiency and even more ruthless effectiveness. Cybermen started dropping all over the chamber. Blasts that hit Torchwood soldiers resulted in bursts of X-ray light so intense that skeletons were briefly visible; such hits were generally as fatal for them as they were for Cybermen.

The Cyberleader observing the fight activated his communications channels. " _Emergency. All units will converge on the Torchwood Tower. Repeat, all units to Torchwood_." His orders spread, sending every Cyberman in London marching toward Canary Wharf.

As the fighting continued, none of the combatants seemed to notice one of the double doors opening. The Doctor appeared, with Rose, Pete, and Robert looking in with him. He dashed ahead without a word, hitting the ground and making his way underneath all of the energy fire and bullets toward a crate.

"I need to rally my people," said Yvonne. "I'm not sure what good it will do, but Torchwood will not go down to the Daleks without a fight."

"The Doctor will have a plan," Rose said, never turning. She was too busy anxiously watching the Doctor evade the firefight.. "Let's see what it is before you go off to get people killed in unnecessary last stands."

Yvonne shot a look at her over that, but said nothing.

From the crate, the Doctor lifted two large objects, composing of black bottoms with silver handles. Robert had seen Jackie and Yvonne fiddle with them during the prior tour. "Magna-clamps, right?" he asked Yvonne.

"Yes." Yvonne looked bewildered. "But why would he want, or need, those at a time like this?"

"I think we're going to find out," said Cat.

On his way back with the items, the Doctor tripped on a fallen Cyberman and dropped the devices. He scrambled to pick them up and continue while Rose urged him on with, "Come on, please."

The Doctor finally made it. "Here we go."

"Where to next?" Jackie asked.

"First things first. I need to see something." He whipped out his cheap-looking 3D glasses and peeked back through the door.

"At a time like this, you're going to keep watching that? With those silly looking glasses?" protested Jackie.

In the room the Daleks continued to shrug off the fire of their enemies. They made it to the center of the room as ha evidently been their goal. Dalek Sec looked up and said, " _Override roof mechanism_."

Above them, the roof started to slide open.

" _Elevate_ ," Dalek Sec said.

The Genesis Ark, Sec, and Thay began to rise in the air. As they flew up toward the opening roof, a confused Rose asked, "What are they doing? Why do they need to go outside?"

"Time Lord science," said the Doctor. From his tone of voice he was bewildered and frustrated. "What Time Lord science? What is it?"

Sec, Thay, and the Ark accelerated as the roof fully opened.

The Doctor pulled back from the door, grabbed the two magna-clamps, and started running. "We've got to see what they're doing! We've got to go back up!" he shouted at the rest of them. "Come on, all of you! Top floor!"

"That's 45 floors up!" Jackie protested. "I know because I did them all!"

As they ran past, the lift door opened. Jake, the leader of Pete's commando unit, leaned out of the door. "We could always take the lift," he offered.

No more needed to be said. Everyone squeezed into the lift. 

* * *

The two Daleks and the Genesis Ark flew upward until they had nearly reached the height of Canary Wharf. " _The Genesis Ark will open_ ," said Dalek Sec.

One quarter of the Ark slid open slowly. 

* * *

The lift had been a quick trip despite the weight in it. The Doctor ran ahead of everyone, getting to Yvonne's office first and placing the magna-clamps on her desk before going to the window. The others moved in behind her.

They watched, wordlessly, as the Ark door finished opening… revealing a gold-plated Dalek inside.

The Ark began to spin. As it completed its first spin the Dalek within it shot out. Just as the door left sight again, _another_ Dalek shot out as well. And another… and another…

" _Holy crap_ ," Robert said. Beside him Caterina watched with wide, terrified eyes as more and more Daleks were thrown from the Ark.

"Time Lord science," the Doctor said in a low tone. "It's bigger on the inside."

"The Time Lords put those Daleks in there?" asked Mickey. "What for?"

"How many Daleks?" Rose asked nervously.

The Doctor took a moment to respond, but he eventually did.

" _Millions._ " 

* * *

The Ark continued to spew out Daleks, now one every second. The Daleks gathered into formations in the air and began to spread out over the skies of London.

Below, formations of Cybermen marching in the street stopped and turned. They raised their arms skyward and opened fire on the Daleks.

" _Exterminate all life forms below!_ " ordered Dalek Sec. " _Exterminate!_ "

The Daleks immediately swooped in and began firing at everything in the street.

" _Dalek Thay_." Sec swiveled its eye to face its comrade. " _Assume command of assault force. Complete your mission_."

" _I obey_ ," Thay answered. Wordlessly, he sent the commands to bid many of the emerging Daleks to follow him. They began to coalesce around him, numbering in the dozens within moments.

And as one, they rose skyward. 

* * *

This did not go unnoticed to the group watching with horror from the top floor of Torchwood Tower. "Wait, where are they going?" Jackie asked.

The Doctor swallowed and turned away from the window. His eyes met Caterina's. "They spared you," he said. "Even though you couldn't open the Ark. Why?"

"They… th-they sa-said I'd b-be nec-necessary," Caterina said, stammering her way through the answer. Robert could feel realization dawn on her, but he would have realized it just by the way her face completely _paled_. "N-no…"

His face did the same thing as he put two and two together.

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "They kept you alive for the only reason they would keep any non-Dalek alive. They thought you might have been useful to them."

"In what way?" asked Yvonne.

"Yeah, if they just wanted to know what she knew, they would have sucked it from her brain like they did to Rajesh," Mickey pointed out.

"Because it's not about what's in her head, not exactly," the Doctor said. "Their priority was the Ark, and they didn't want to muck up anything by rushing things. But now that the Ark is open, they've got another goal in mind."

"Y-you don't th-think…"

The Doctor nodded at Caterina and at Robert. "The Daleks aren't after Earth," he said.

"They're after the _Aurora_ ," Robert finished for him.


	91. Episode 2-18-2 Choices

Outside of Canary Wharf, the Daleks were filling the London sky. Energy fire from Cybermen below crossed with the Daleks firing down into them and into any resident of the city that they came across.

Inside of the top floor, this sight and what it meant wasn't lost on Pete Tyler. "We can't save this world," he declared. He made a hand motion toward Jake and stepped away from the window to face Jackie. "But we'll be safe in mine. Jacks, let's go."

"What are you talking about? Are you just going to _leave_?" she asked. "They're destroying the city!"

"Not just London, they're going to destroy the whole world. I can't stop that. But our world will be safe. For you and for Rose." Pete looked to the Doctor. "If the Doctor seals the breach."

"We've got other concerns right now," Robert retorted. "Those things are after my ship! We've got to warn them!" Under ordinary circumstances Robert wouldn't be worried. The _Aurora_ could simply warp out or keep the shields up and shoot Daleks until they were destroyed.

But the _Aurora_ as she was now, with all of those hull breaches and no armor self-repair system and no shields? They were _sitting ducks_.

"I have to get them to safety!" Pete protested. "I have to protect my world! Doctor, you…"

The Doctor let out a loud whistle. "Alright, hold it!" he shouted. "One thing at a time." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Captain, your omni-tool?"

Robert reached down and activated it. The Doctor held his screwdriver up to it for a moment. The tip lit up and a whirring sound started. "What are you doing?" Robert asked.

"Altering your communication system. You should be able to talk to someone on your ship. You might not be able to receive back from them, true, but for now the warning's the important part." The whirring stopped and the Doctor pulled his device away. "There. Now try."

Robert hit his comm key. "Dale to _Aurora_."

There was no immediate answer.

"Dale to _Aurora_ , please respond."

There was no hiding his relief when a reply of "Aurora _here_ ," came. It was crackly and slightly distorted, but Robert was certain it was Julia on the other end. " _We don't have anything beyond intraship, how are you doing this?_ "

"The Doctor," Robert answered. "Commander, call an alert to repel boarders, _now_. You've got trouble coming your way."

" _We already defeated the Cybermen_ ," Julia answered. " _The ship is clear_."

* * *

" _I'm not talking about the Cybermen_ ," Robert said over the line, his voice scratchy from distortion. " _It's…_ " The line garbled into static.

Julia, again in the command chair, felt bewildered at that remark. The bridge was partly-manned again. Jarod was at Ops, checking on things, while Angel was having her leg tended to by a medic while at tactical. Al-Rashad was again at sensors and Violeta had assumed helm control, although for the moment there was little use for it. "Wait, what's going…"

"Commander, I've got power signatures exiting the upper atmosphere," al-Rashad said. "It looks like they're on an intercept course."

"Put them on screen."

The screen changed to show orbital space above London. Forms were rising up through the atmosphere and heading toward them. "Magnifying," Jarod said.

The image of their pursuers was now clear. And Julia would always recognize what they were. She'd had her own nightmares about them since the day the Facility was destroyed.

"Daleks," Jarod said grimly.

Julia's jaw dropped open. " _That many_?"

Angel's response was perhaps the most fitting. "Oh _shit_."

Julia's finger stabbed back down on the comm control. "All hands, prepare for boarding action! Prepare to repel enemy boarding parties! I say again, prepare to repel enemy boarding parties!" After this was done she called Engineering. "I need shields or impulsors back online, _now_."

" _It cannae be done, lass_ ," Scotty protested. " _We were hours away before even before those metal scunners showed up._ "

Julia tried not to let the fear and frustration get to her. "Dammit, Scotty, we've got _worse_ coming!"

" _So?_ " This was from Barnes. " _I'll just beam 'em to join the Cyberfrackers in low orbit, they'll burn up_ …"

"They're _Daleks_ , Tom!"

* * *

In Main Engineering, Barnes' face paled. He and Scott exchanged bewildered looks. "How many?" he asked.

" _Dozens, easy!_ "

For a moment Barnes thought his heart had stopped. When he finally found his voice again, he could say only one thing.

"Oh _shit!_ "

* * *

Kane's reaction was less emphatic. "All squads and platoons, heavy weapons are now authorized. I repeat, heavy weapons are _authorized_."

Barker gave him a bewildered look. "We're going to wreck everything in this ship if we go free-fire with heavy weapons, sir," she pointed out.

"Did you ever listen to the testimonies from the Dalek Incursion into the H1E4 Facility, Barker?" Kane asked.

"No sir."

"I have." Kane frowned. "Trust me. We'll _need_ 'em to stop those damn things."

* * *

Julia watched the approaching Daleks with a growing terror. "I wish we had fighters ready to launch," she said. "Jarod?"

"All fighters were destroyed or critically damaged when the Shadow ship shot through our launch and hanger decks," Jarod replied. "The same thing with the main and secondary shuttle bays. Given time we could have repaired a few, but I was too busy fixing the ship itself."

Julia nodded at that. "So we don't have that going for us. Weapons?"

Angel checked over her panel. As she expected, none of her weapons were back online. "Phasers and plasma cannons are still out. And I've got no power to the torpedo launchers." Angel smacked her hand to her useless console. Dammit, we've got a full torpedo load and no launchers," she said. "If I had a way to deliver them…"

Jarod turned and nodded. "We do." He tapped a key at Ops. "Tom, start transporting our torpedoes into their flight path, now!"

" _Ha! That'll show the bastards!_ "

On the viewscreen, small bursts of light appeared in the Dalek flight path. "Remote arming sequence complete," Angel said.

"Detonate!"

Even without Julia's command, Angel's finger was already in motion. The screen filled with light as the torpedoes began to detonate. The Daleks closest to the detonations were outright vaporized. Further away they were damaged, some beyond repair, others trying to re-orientate themselves.

But some were far enough away from the blast radius to suffer minimal, if any, damage. They continued onward.

This did not go unnoticed. "Send more!" Jarod shouted into the comm link.

Julia issued her own order. "Ensign Arterria, fire maneuvering thrusters, get us as much distance as you can!"

"Aye ma'am," she said, while triggering the necessary thrusters to turn to present the port side to the Daleks. "Given the state of the other thrusters it's going to take at least a minute to execute the turn. Most of our intact thrusters are on the port side as it is."

The screen showed more of the Daleks approaching before another series of torpedo blasts lit the screen up.

"I've still got more incoming, they're evading," al-Rashad reported.

"Keep it up, Tom!" Jarod urged over the line.

"Mister Scott, I need more thrusters, anything, to get this ship moving!" Julia added.

" _We're doin' what we can, sir!_ " was the response.

* * *

Lucy and Meridina were surprised when they led the escaped Torchwood survivors toward the front of the building. The Cybermen now seemed to pay them no heed, rushing outside to the ongoing battle. "What's happened out there?" Lucy wondered. She and Meridina stepped up toward the door.

" _Exterminate!_ "

Daleks came crashing through the door. The two sensed the shots coming their way and caught them with their lightsabers. Their first deflections hit nothing, but the second shots from the three Daleks deflected blasts back into one of them. Its protective shield was overwhelmed and the Dalek's top blew off like a firecracker had gone off inside, spewing fluid and debris everywhere.

"Back inside!" Meridina cried to the survivors. "Get back!" She deflected another blast that took out a second Dalek.

The last Dalek focused on her instead of Lucy, who dashed forward and brought her lightsaber down on its eyestalk. The Dalek's protective field made it feel like she was trying to shove a dull knife through an overcooked steak. She had to jump over it when it prepared to fire at her, point blank. The shot hit the far wall and spewed flames.

Lucy's next cut had the same problem. Given time and effort her lightsaber _would_ penetrate the field, but that meant keeping the Dalek still. Meridina reached out with her _swevyra_ and gripped the Dalek to accomplish just that. " _Tactical alert!_ " it cried. " _Tactical alert to all Dalek units. Metacapable targets located!_ "

As it finished its warning Lucy's blade finally finished cutting into its shields, and then into its armor. The Dalek made a death scream that filled the Torchwood Tower lobby before it went silent.

"Perhaps we should withdraw, I sense Robert near the top of the building," Meridina stated.

Lucy nodded and approached her. A sense of warning from behind prompted her to turn and swing her lightsaber, deflecting a shot from an arriving Dalek back into it. The deflection was a direct hit, causing the Dalek's upper body to explode.

But there were yet more Daleks behind it. " _Exterminate!_ " they cried.

There was no time to escape. Meridina and Lucy could only slowly back up as they focused entirely on deflecting the Dalek's attacks.

* * *

In the Torchwood Tower, Pete grabbed one of the world-jumping devices from a pouch on one of his men and handed it to Jackie. "Okay Jacks, we need to go. Please."

"But we can't just run…!"

He put his hands on her face and drew close. "Oh, I forgot how much you could argue. Jacks, we can't save this world. But there's a safe world for you and Rose so long as the Doctor closes the breach." Pete looked to where the Doctor was again staring out the window at the exchange of energy fire between the Cybermen and Daleks. "Doctor, it's time."

When the Doctor turned, he was grinning. A pair of 3D glasses were on his face. "Oh, I'm ready." He dashed from the office and went for one of the computer keyboards. "I've got the equipment right here, thank you Torchwood." His fingers moved over the keyboard, clack-clack-clack. "Slam it down and close off both universes."

"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks and Cybermen?" Rose looked at Caterina and Robert. "What about their ship? If the Daleks get ahold of it…"

"They're part of the problem and that makes them part of the solution, oh yes!" the Doctor answered, making a wild gesture with his hand and acting very much like they weren't on the cusp of disaster.

"In what way?" asked Robert.

"Isn't anyone going to ask?" The Doctor looked around at them. "Come on, you know you want to ask. 'What is it with the glasses?'"

"What is it with the glasses?" Rose and Cat asked, at virtually the same moment.

"I can see, that's what!" the Doctor proclaimed. "'Cause we've got two separate worlds, and in between those two separate worlds we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding and the Cybermen traveled through the Void to get here." He gestured to Pete, Mickey, and Jake next. "And you lot, one world to another, via the Void." He raised his chin in consideration. "Oh, I like that. 'Via the Void!' His hand made a little gesture in the air as he quoted the line again.

"You're taking this awfully lightly," Robert accused. He looked around at the others. Yvonne was busy at her desk, apparently trying to get in contact with the British government or military or maybe just her remaining Torchwood teams.

"Look." The Doctor handed his glasses to Robert. He accepted them and put them on. "I've been through it. What do you see?"

Robert looked at him with the glasses and blinked. The 3D panes caused the Doctor to look a tad blurry, but the confusing bit was some kind of dark matter or energy that had coalesced around him. The Doctor moved side to side, allowing Robert to see that the particles of black moved with him. He took the glasses off and handed them to Cat, who saw the same thing. "What is it?" she asked as she handed the glasses to Rose, who raised a hand toward the Doctor's head.

"Void stuff," the Doctor said.

"Like, um, background radiation," Rose suggested.

"Or something like…" Cat stopped herself. "Background radiation works, really."

"That's it." The Doctor turned Rose around. "Look at the others."

Rose did so. Mickey, Jake, and Pete also had the Void stuff shifting around them. "And the only one who hasn't been through the Void," the Doctor pointed to Jackie, "your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life."

"Oi," Jackie protested.

"What about them?" Rose was looking at Robert and Cat with the glasses now. "I don't see any Void stuff on them. Don't they travel universes?"

"Yes, but not through the Void," the Doctor explained. Around them the Computer intoned " _Reboot in three minutes_." "They move through sixth-dimensional space. The Void exists between fifth dimensional space."

"Cat said something about that earlier," Rose said, and Cat nodded in agreement. "That they're not linked by time or something?"

"Exactly."

"How does that work?" Mickey asked, now confused.

The Doctor spun to him. "We haven't got time for the full explanation, Mickey. But to lay it out, imagine the BIg Bang. You know the Big Bang, you all do, right?"

"Yeah." Mickey said, with the others nodding.

"So the Big Bang happens and all of space and time form," the Doctor said. "But what many civilizations never even learn is that the Big Bang wasn't just one 'BANG!'" He mimicked an explosion. "It started with one, but at the point of the Bang it got sort of stuck in time, or rather in this knot of timey-wimeyness. Bang, bang, over and over again, each bang creating one new universe at a new sixth dimensional layer of reality."

"Which is why different universes, to our experience, have different points in time," Caterina added.

"Exactly! But once each new universe formed, time started flowing, and over billions and billions of years increasing number of random chances started building up. Quantum decision points were formed, creating fifth dimensional copies, and the Void formed between them."

"I thought you were giving the short explanation?" asked Pete.

"This is the short one," the Doctor answered defensively. "The long explanation would require a subatomic particle accelerator inside a refractive temporal field, twenty hours of talking, and probably a lot of tea for us to sit through it."

"So let's go with the short, short version," Robert suggested impatiently.

"There's not really one, and we're almost done," Cat insisted. "Interuniversal jump drives don't go through the Void, or the 5th Dimensional barrier. It's also why our drives are even possible without having to worry about things like entropic cascade or the effects of dimensional barrier collapse."

"Like what's happening on your world," the Doctor said to Pete. "But to continue… the Daleks _lived_ inside the Void. They're bristling with it!" The Doctor turned and rushed toward the far wall. He turned to face Rose as she followed. "Cybermen, all of them, I just open the Void and trigger a reversal." He held out his hand and made a pulling gesture. "The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"Pulling them all in!" Rose added ecstatically.

"Pulling them all in!" the Doctor repeated in just as ecstatic a tone.

"Sorry, but what's the Void?" Mickey asked. "You said all this stuff about dimensions but what's the Void actually?"

"The dead space," the Doctor said. "Some people call it hell."

"So you're sending the Cybermen and Daleks to hell?" Mickey grinned and looked at Jake. "Man, I told you he was good."

Rose was no longer so enthusiastic, however. "But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff. Me too because we went to that parallel world." She studied her own hand, seeing the void bits whirling around her hand and fingers, not quite touching her. "We're all contaminated. We'll all get pulled in."

"That's why you've got to go," the Doctor explained somberly. "Back to Pete's world." For a moment he showed a glimmer of cheer again. "Hey, we should call it that. Pete's World!" He pointed to Pete briefly before looking at Rose. He could see, they all could see, she was upset. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

"And you close it?" The Doctor looked to Pete, who spoke now. "For good?" Pete asked.

"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff," the Doctor replied. "It'll close itself in the end. And that'll be it."

"But you stay on this side?" Rose asked.

"But you'll get pulled in," Mickey pointed out.

"No, he won't," Caterina said. "That's why he picked up these things." She pointed to the magna-clamps.

The Doctor pointed to her and nodded, smiling a little. "Exactly." He ran into Yvonne's room, ignoring her conversation, and picked up a clamp. He looked at Mickey and said, "I'll just have to hold on tight. Been doing it all my life."

"Or we could catch you," Robert suggested.

"Not a good idea," the Doctor said. "The breach is going to be exerting a lot of force to draw me in. Besides, I'll need you to watch my back. If the Daleks or Cybermen realize what's going on, well, they're not going to like it very much."

"And that's it? I'm supposed to go?"

It was easy to sense Rose's displeasure with the idea. Robert felt resentment and frustration and sadness roiling through her.

"Yeah." The Doctor set the clamp down.

"To another world? And then it gets sealed off?"

"Yeah," the Doctor repeated.

"Forever?" Rose asked, her eyes pleading with the Doctor. Pleading for him to reverse this decision.

He didn't answer.

* * *

On the _Aurora_ bridge another sequence of torpedoes went off, destroying more Daleks. The _Aurora_ continued to pull away steadily.

But, as it turned out, not fast enough.

"Several Daleks have evaded the torpedo blasts," Jarod said. "They're approaching minimum safe distance for the torpedoes."

"Meaning that if we set one off, we damage ourselves too," Julia said.

"Oh yeah."

" _Engineering t' Bridge. We cannae keep this transportin' up for tae long, Commander, th' systems we're usin' cannae take th' strain!_ "

"Maintain it as long as you can, Mister Scott," Julia insisted. "Every Dalek you blow up is one not shooting its way aboard this ship!" Julia tapped a key to open a second channel. "Commander Kane, we've got Daleks overtaking the ship. Are your Marines ready?"

" _Ready and able, ma'am. I've got all platoons positioned to respond rapidly to any incursion_. _Let me know where they're coming in and I'll get my people on it._ "

"It looks like they're trying to approach the drive hull." Al-Rashad consulted her functioning sensors again. "They're still evading as they come in."

"Kane, did you hear that?"

" _I'm sending my platoons down. Lieutenant Richmond's deploying security teams to back us up. Just to let you know, Commander, I've authorized heavy weapons_."

Julia nodded. "You'll need them. It took overcharged rifles and naqia charges to kill these things the last time."

" _Roger that then, Kane out_."

* * *

Many Daleks had died and were still dying to get this far. But some had still gotten through.

Dalek Thay approached the scarred, blackened hull of the _Aurora_. " _Scans confirm hull damage sufficient to enable entry_ ," it said. " _All Daleks converge on primary target_."

Another Dalek moved into place beside Thay as they, together, came to a tear in the ship's hull. " _Sensors detect forcefield in place_ ," said the Dalek.

" _An atmospheric containment forcefield. It is insufficient to prevent entry_ ," Thay said. Thay pressed itself up against the flickering blue light, which flickered further and gave way to Thay's own force shield. Within seconds he was inside of the ship. The Daleks followed him in.

Thay moved up to a sealed door panel and pressed its manipulator arm against the control. " _Access overridden. Door opening._ "

The dark blue door slid open. On the other side energy fire immediately converted on Thay and the other Daleks. " _Life forms detected!_ " Thay declared. " _Exterminate!_ "

" _Exterminate!_ " The Daleks began to open fire on their attackers.

In the opening exchange, one thing became clear; the standard firearms of their opponents could not easily penetrate their shields, although they were a greater danger than the Cybermen blasters had been. On the other hand, the Daleks' weapons _could_ break through the personal shields or protection of most of the opposing life forms. The Daleks pressed onward and maintained a high level of fire sufficient to force their opponents back. Those who were unlucky were hit by the second shot necessary to kill them, falling in a surge of X-Ray energy that lit up their skeletons in the process.

* * *

Kane ran down the corridor with all of the speed his heavy armor suit granted him. Behind him more Marines in armor, including Sergeant Hakimzade and a squad of heavy powered armor Marines, followed. "They're heading for Deck 30 Section I-Bravo," he said. "All teams, back off and let us hit them from the rear! Heavy weapons use has been authorized!" The latter wasn't just a reminder to his own team to use said weapons, but a warning to the other teams that they might get hit if they were too close.

"Where are these things going?" asked Hakimzade. "They're not heading for Main Engineering."

"I don't know, but I don't aim to let them get there."

They made contact with the Daleks in the hall outside one of the machinery spaces for the navigational deflector. The Daleks had already turned to face them. Kane activated his shoulder-mounted RPG launcher's high-explosive penetrator function and leveled the weapon. With a single button press his weapon and two others fired. In the seconds before impact they sought to acquire their targets for direct hits. The Daleks' active countermeasures to such weapons caused two of the shots to be indirect hits, which blew out chunks of the corridor ahead.

The one direct hit struck the shields of a Dalek and went off. The blast blew the infernal creature and its machine onto its back and left much of the chassis burned and blackened. The manipulator arm ended in a broken stump and the firing arm's connector joint sparked from the damage.

" _Exterminate!_ " The Daleks opened fire, but not before Kane and two of the power armored Marines dropped to their knees and projected hardlight shields from their left arms to catch the return fire. The hits were not easily taken. Kane's systems confirmed that a single hit degraded his shields by nearly a third. He returned fire with the pulse cannons built into the armor suit's right arm, at the wrist, which were quickly proven unable to break through even partially-degraded Dalek shields.

But it provided cover for the next rank of Marines to open up with their RPGs. Again two out of three rounds were spoofed. This time the one direct hit blew the Dalek in half, sending a jet of fluid and flame and debris into the ceiling of the corridor.

With his RPG launcher reloaded, Kane opened up again. This time none of the volley hit home directly, but a glancing hit and the proximity of the resulting explosion knocked out enough of a Dalek's shield that the suppression fire being laid down ripped into it, causing the top half of the Dalek to pop open destructively.

" _Exterminate!_ " the Daleks cried out, as another volley hit the Marines. Kane watched his hardlight shield virtually collapse, forcing him to step back and allow one of the other heavy armored Marines to take the front row. A cry of pain came from the Marine beside him, who had taken enough hits to completely collapse his hardlight shield and deliver a direct hit to his armor. The Marine collapsed. Kane grabbed him and pulled him to safety. The humming of servos indicated the only way this was physically possible for him given the mass of a heavy armored Marine. "Medic!" he shouted. "We have wounded!" Above him another Marine, in standard armor, fell into place. The Dorei woman quickly leveled her rocket launcher in both arms and fired. The rocket nearly hit one of the Daleks before going off behind it. The corridor in question was now truly a blasted wreck, and the explosion degraded the shields of the Dalek in question enough that it was damaged by the continuous pulse fire.

But the Daleks, as expected, were giving as good as they were getting, and two more of Kane's Marines went down to their next series of shots. "Commander, we're inflicting some losses, but they're holding us back," he warned Julia. "Barker, send a squad from the stern, I think their leader is still moving!"

" _Roger_ ," said Barker.

* * *

"Security breach in the computers, Deck 30," Jarod announced on the bridge. His hands flew over his console. "I'm trying to cut him off."

"What's the Dalek doing?" Julia asked. On the screen another group of torpedoes went off, even as the _Aurora_ continued to rise to higher orbit with her port thrusters.

"It looks like he's trying to get into… oh no."

"Jarod?!"

"He's trying to get physical access to the jump drive," Jarod said. "I'm trying to stop him but this Dalek is even faster than the one that hacked Control. He's isolating my command paths…" For several moments Jarod worked frantically before letting out a breath. "I couldn't stop him. _He's in_."

"Commander Kane, they're going for the jump drive. Stop them!"

" _Trying_ , _Commander. Definitely trying!_ " Kane replied over the sounds of battle and " _Exterminate!_ "

* * *

Dalek Thay entered the jump drive access room on the _Aurora_ in the company of one more Dalek. " _Scans show device is damaged. Commence repair immediately_ ," Thay ordered.

" _I obey_ ," stated the other Dalek.

They moved to different sections of the chamber and used their anti-gravs to lift themselves to the appropriate points. The second Dalek started on a power connection while Thay found the drive's projector. After examining the damage Thay commenced the repair.

He also gave another order. " _Dalek units, secure vessel's navigational deflector system. Prepare to connect to interuniversal jump drive system_."

* * *

Outside of the _Aurora_ another force of Daleks approached the hull. The reply from the lead Dalek to Thay came: " _Confirmed. Finding access point_."

They split up. Half entered the same way Thay and his group had. The others went toward the gold-colored navigational deflector at the front of the drive hull. A hull breach near the bottom of the ship gave them entry. An emergency bulkhead barred their way, so the lead Dalek accessed its control.

* * *

"Emergency bulkhead on Deck 32 is being released," Jarod reported on the bridge. "It looks like another group of Daleks."

"Security teams and Marine platoon to Deck 32, section F, _now_ ," Julia ordered.

* * *

Rose kept looking at the Doctor intently. "It's not going to happen, okay?" she said. "I'm not leaving you."

Again, the Doctor didn't react. Even as a tear formed in Rose's eyes.

The building rumbled with enough force that everyone shook from the force of it. This was enough to send Pete into motion. "We don't have time to argue. The plan works. We're going." He looked at Rose and Jackie. "You too."

"I'm not leaving him," insisted Rose.

"And I'm not leaving her!" Jackie added.

"Oh my God," Pete said with exasperation. He glared directly at Jackie and declared, "We're going!"

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it!" retorted Jackie. "I'm not leaving her!"

Rose grabbed her mother's arm, causing her to turn and face Rose. 'But you've got to."

"Well, that's tough!"

"Mum…"

For a moment they simply stared at each other. The computer voice broke the silence. " _Reboot in one minute_."

Rose's eyes were pleading as she addressed her mother. "Mum, i've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor. And all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us, for the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, Mum."

As she spoke, neither seemed to recognize that both Pete and the Doctor were pulling the transporter devices to jump between worlds. Each looked intently at each other and at the two Tylers. Robert and Caterina exchanged glances. They could speak, they could call attention to this, just as Jake or Mickey might, but they couldn't bring themselves to. It didn't seem like their place.

"But not anymore," continued Rose. She stepped back from her mother. "'Cause now he's got me."

As she finished her line, the Doctor made his move, setting the transporter over Rose's neck.

Before she could react, Pete stepped up to Jackie and hit a master switch on his transporter. All three Tylers, Mickey, Jake, and the rest of his remaining team disappeared in a burst of distortion that seemed to draw itself inward.

Robert and Caterina looked at the Doctor. Robert could feel that the old being was not happy with what he had just done. He liked Rose. Perhaps… even more than that, he may have loved her. But he had made his decision to put her safety first.

"She wanted to stay with you," Caterina said to the Doctor.

"I know," he answered, his voice soft and tinged with regret.

"Why couldn't she?"

"It all has to end at some point." He looked to Caterina intently. "It's the harshest lesson I've learned over the centuries. It all ends. They find new lives, or I have to walk away, or something takes their lives before their time. But that fate, I can't let her go through with that."

"But shouldn't the choice…"

Another burst of sound filled the air. Rose reappeared in the room. "I think this is the on switch," she remarked.

The Doctor looked at her somberly. Caterina smiled and nodded. "I knew you'd come back," she said.

"He wasn't doing that to me again," Rose insisted. She gave the Doctor a defiant look.

He stepped up and gripped her arms. "Once the breach collapses, that's it. You'll never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" He said the last sentence like Robert might have, with the pain of someone who knew that loss.

"I made my choice a long time ago. I'm never going to leave you." Rose never let her eyes leave his. "So what can I do to help?"

" _Systems rebooted_ ," said the computer. " _Open access_."

The Doctor let go of her and drew in a breath. He pointed to one of the computers on the right side of the room facing the breach. "Those computers over there. Set all of the coordinates to six." After she started moving he barked, "And hurry up."

"And us?" Cat asked.

"Caterina, since you don't need to worry about being sucked in, I need you on the computers, make sure the systems remain stable. Captain." The Doctor looked at Robert. "You and Miss Hartman will watch our backs. I expect the Daleks or the Cybermen will figure out what we're doing, and they're not going to like it."

Robert nodded and turned to walk to Miss Hartman's office. She was getting off the phone with someone. "Military forces across the globe are dealing with the Cybermen," she said. "We won't have support for some time. I can only hope London survives."

"The Doctor is preparing to draw them back into the breach," Robert said. "You and I need to…"

Before he could finish speaking, Robert cried out and fell over. His mind filled with images of stars dying, galaxies going dark, worlds burning… Yvonne went over to see what was wrong.

"We've got Cybermen on the way up," Rose said.

"How close?" asked the Doctor.

"Just one floor down."

Yvonne heard that. She moved away from Robert and picked up her particle gun. "I'll hold them off," she said. "Get the breach open." She stepped out of the door and went toward the staircase.

* * *

The door to the Deflector Control on the _Aurora_ blew open. Pulse fire filled the new gap as the Daleks swept in, firing all the way. " _Exterminate!_ "

"Concentrate fire!" shouted Sergeant Barker. "Overwhelm their shields!"

The heavy armor opened up with their RPGs. Dalek countermeasures sent all but two flying into the wall, where they caused massive damage. A glancing hit damaged two Daleks slightly and one direct hit blew the top pieces off if its target.

The Dalek return fire was fierce. Two Daleks focused and delivered enough shots to blast through one heavy armor Marine's protection, killing her. A security team officer, a Dorei man, died from a direct hit. Then an Alakin.

Barker triggered her RPG again. This time her shot hit home, blasting into another Dalek with its naqia charge. The blasts smashed the nearby equipment and panels. "They're going for the controls!" she shouted. "Maintain fire!"

Over it all, the Daleks were still shouting, " _Exterminate!_ "

* * *

While the holo-viewscreen on the bridge showed the latest blasts on the viewscreen, Julia was watching her tactical holotank display. It showed a representation of the _Aurora_ and the current Dalek progress. "They're hitting deflector control and they've gotten to the jump drive itself," she noted. "What are they doing?"

"I'm not sure," Jarod said. "Theoretically you could tie the jump drive to the deflector, but it doesn't need it to operate."

"More Daleks incoming," warned al-Rashad.

Julia briefly looked back to the screen. She waited for the flash of more torpedoes detonating.

None did.

* * *

Red light filled the makeshift transporter control Tom Barnes had been using. "Dammit" He hit several keys. "I just lost the Goddamned power relay on Deck 30. The fracking transporters are offline!"

Scott was on it right away. "Try the F relay on Deck 29!"

Barnes did so. "It's still damaged from the Goddamned Shadow attack. Can you reroute…?"

Scotty tried. "It's nae good, th' power system's taken tae much strain."

" _Bridge to Engineering. Where are those torpedoes?_ "

"We've lost transporters, lass!" Scotty answered. "Tryin' tae get them back online now, but I dinnae hold much hope o' that, th' ship's taken tae much damage!"

* * *

Julia swallowed and watched the cloud of Daleks grow closer. Could they defeat them all? "All decks standby for Dalek boarders. We'll wreck this entire ship if we have to, but I'm not giving up the _Aurora_ to the Daleks," she vowed.

* * *

Dalek Thay's eyestalk shifted after sparks finishing coming from an open panel on the _Aurora_ 's jump drive. " _Repairs sufficient for operation complete. Ready to initiate upon control of deflector systems_."

The other Dalek turned away from the jump drive. " _What are your orders?_ "

" _Return to the battle. Exterminate all life forms_. _This vessel will belong to the Daleks_."

" _I obey_." The Dalek returned to the door and left.

* * *

Dalek blasts converged on the heavy armor Marine beside Hakimzade, enough to overwhelm that Marine's protective field and damage the armor. He cried out and collapsed. The tactical linkup confirmed he was alive, barely, and Kane pulled him free while Hakimzade fired another RPG. She'd set the charges to proximity so that her blasts at least damaged the Daleks, even when wide. The blue corridors of the _Aurora_ were, here, now almost entirely black, with twisted wreckage and blown out walls from the heavy weapons fire that had destroyed some fo the enemy.

Despite everything, Kane felt he would soon get to drive access. It was barely ten meters away, in fact, and the Dalek numbers were thin enough. Even down two heavy armor troops, Kane's numbers and fire volume gave him an advantage.

" _Commander, they're in your rear!_ " Julia Andreys cried over the comm system.

For a moment Kane didn't react to that. Not until his ears confirmed what she had sent. He turned his head and saw the Dalek blasts upon his vanguard. It was a new group, freshly arrived, and they had him and his force in a pincer. "This is Commander Kane on Deck 32, we're surrounded by Daleks, we need urgent help!" he said into his radio. "I repeat, Deck 32 Section F. We need help _now_." He turned. "About face!" he ordered, as he wondered if he could get his forces out of this predicament.

* * *

The current Cyberleader and his squad approached the last stairs before they would be on the top floor. " _We will retreat through the breach and reclaim the home world_ ," it ordered over the Cybermen comm channels. " _All units follow_ …"

A beam of blue energy smashed into the Cyberleader and blew it apart. Yvonne Hartman turned her weapon and fired again, killing a second, before she was forced to duck beneath the railing to avoid the pale red blasts of the Cybermen.

* * *

In the Torchwood control room, the words " _Levers operational_ " brought a smile to the Doctor's face. "That's more like it," Rose said. "A bit of a smile. The old team."

The Doctor picked up a magna-clamp. "Hope and Glory. Mutt and Jeff. Shiver and Shake."

"Which one's Shiver?" Rose asked, smiling as well.

"Oh, I'm Shake," the Doctor insisted. He handed the magna-clamp to Rose. She brought hers to the wall near the right-side lever and pressed it to the wall. The Doctor did the same on his side. "Press the red button," he said.

She did so, as did he. Red lights appeared on both.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks and Cybermen are steeped in the Void stuff." He pointed to Cat, who was kneeling by Robert. "How's he?"

"I don't know. His vitals are okay, but his heart's racing and…"

"He's fine for the moment then. I need you at your place, Cat!" The Doctor crouched by the lever and looked to Rose. "Are you ready?"

Rose turned toward the window and frowned. "So are they."

Four Daleks were approaching at the window.

* * *

In Deflector Control Barker fired a grenade that skittered just past a Dalek and blew up behind it, shattering a support console and blackening the hull plate and bulkhead in the process. The Dalek returned fire on her and clipped her shoulder with its blast. Pain surged through the limb and made Barker's left arm freeze up. She cried out and dropped down. Her face twisted with frustration and agony. The others could see the sweat droplets glistening on her dark skin through her faceplate. "Medic!" one of her subordinates called. A moment later the Human man's body lit up with energy, his skeleton made briefly visible, before he collapsed.

Meanwhile a lone Dalek had slipped through the firefight to reach the main controls. Its manipulator arm pressed down on the control, the plunger-like shape shifting until it was a square. " _Assuming control of navigational deflector. Connecting to jump drive system_."

* * *

Jarod noticed the system activity. "The Daleks are overriding control of the navigational deflector. They're… they're connecting it to the jump drive."

"How?" demanded Julia.

"It looks like they're using a wireless link. I've… I've never seen anything like it. The jump drive's emissions are going to be channeled into the deflector."

"Why would they even do that?" asked Angel.

"I've got no idea," Jarod replied.

* * *

"Let's do it!" shouted the Doctor.

Together the Doctor and Rose pushed the levers to fire the Torchwood particle engines into the breach. At the computer the Doctor had directed her to, Caterina called out, "The particle engines are operating under the desired parameters." She looked up and saw her report was wasted for the moment. The Doctor and Rose were wholly concentrated on the levers, their faces showing the strain of pushing them as quickly as they could until they activated. The breach began to glow bright with white light.

" _Online_ ," said the computer.

The Doctor and Rose immediately let go and rushed to the magna-clamps. They hooked their arms through the handles.

Air began to rush. There was a crashing of glass and electronic screams as the four Daleks sent after them went careening through the air and into the breach.

"The breach is open!" cried the Doctor. "Into the Void!"

* * *

" _Sensors indicate Void breach has been opened_ ," declared Dalek Thay. " _Activating jump drive system._ " The Dalek's manipulator arm attached to a manual control panel on the jump drive.

* * *

"The Daleks are powering up the jump drive!" Jarod said. "Particles are feeding into the deflector…"

The gold and blue-lined deflector dish on the _Aurora_ lit up with energy. Within a second the energy bursted ahead of the _Aurora_ for about two kilometers until, in a brilliant white flash, it expanded into an open tear in space.

"I'm detecting an energy flow from the spatial tear," Jarod said. "I don't know what it's doing."

"Nothing good if the Daleks are behind it," Angel grumbled.

* * *

Cat noticed the readings and shouted, "Something's wrong!"

It was fairly clear as her sentence finished. While the breach remained as bright as ever, the Doctor and Rose found their feet again planted firmly on the ground, as if they hadn't just been holding on for dear life to avoid being pulled in. A panicked look came to the Doctor's face as he rushed to another computer. "Why isn't it working…?!"

"Torchwood's remaining systems are picking up a massive spatial distortion in orbit," Caterina said. "Looking at these readings… I think…"

"The Daleks blew open another hole into the Void," the Doctor said with clenched teeth. "It's counteracting the pull of this breach!" He looked to Caterina. "That's why they attacked your ship! The Cult of Skaro realized they were vulnerable to the breach so they made another!"

"So the Daleks and Cybermen aren't going to be pulled in?" Rose looked at the Doctor with worry. "Well, what do we do now?" she asked.

"There's nothing we can do from down here," the Doctor said. He looked to Caterina. "It's all up to your shipmates to stop the Daleks."

And then, from Yvonne's office, came a loud cry. All three turned to see where Robert was slumped against the doorway, eyes half open, sweat dripping from his brow. "No," he muttered. "No no no…"

"Rob?" Caterina was the first to his side. "Are you okay?"

"He's having visions," the Doctor said. "Bad ones." He knelt beside Robert and set his hands on Robert's shoulders. "Wake up, Captain! You've got to snap out of it!"

"It's all going out," Robert mumbled. "All of it."

"What's going on?" asked Rose.

"The stars. The light. All gone. It's going dark."

"Rob, _wake up!_ "

Maybe it was Caterina's voice. She thought it might even be the Doctor's presence. But whatever it was, Robert's eyes opened fully. His face was clammy with sweat and terror. His eyes were wide, as if he had just witnessed the most terrible horrors.

"Robert, what's wrong?"

"They're waking up," he said. "It's waking _them_ up!"

"Who's waking up?" asked Rose.

Robert opened his mouth, but whether he was going to answer or continue speaking wouldn't be known as another voice answered Rose's question.

The Doctor's face had grown pale. His look matched Robert's in horror and realization. He drew out a forced breath before he answered Rose.

"The Darkness."


	92. Episode 2-18-3 Choices

On the _Aurora_ bridge the viewscreen showed the spatial tear grow slightly larger. An energy beam from the _Aurora_ was still linked to it. "The Daleks have done something to the systems," Jarod was saying. "It's sustaining this… spatial rip."

"The sensor returns I'm getting are similar to the tear in London," al-Rashad added. "Not exactly the same, but close enough that they're clearly related." Al-Rashad checked her screens again. "In fact, the one down on the planet has become active again as well."

"Why are the Daleks activating both?" Julia asked.

"Maybe it's not them," suggested Jarod. "Let me see if I can boost the connection. Robert might be able to tell us."

"In the meantime, assign all forces to holding the Daleks in the drive hull. We can't let them spread through the ship."

"Given how many of them, we may not have a choice," Angel pointed out.

"Actually…" Jarod swallowed. "There is one thing we could do that would wipe them out in that area. It may even shut down the spatial tear."

Julia could tell Jarod wasn't entirely happy with the method he was proposing. 'What's the catch?" she asked.

"It'll gut most of the drive section of the hull," he answered. "And we'll still be sitting ducks for the Daleks still flying towards us." A tone came from Jarod's console. "I'm establishing a link to Robert's omnitool."

"Put him on as soon as you can."

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Rose gave the Doctor a bewildered look. "What's this 'Darkness'?"

"More bad than you can ever imagine," the Doctor said. "A force of malignant hate and destruction. The hate of the Daleks, as a race, is a pebble compared to their mountain of hate."

"Robert and the others said something about a 'darkness' once," Cat said. "Some sort of prophecy on Gersal."

"I can imagine the type easily," said the Doctor. "Everyone loves those kinds of prophecies until they actually start happening, then they're a nuisance. Or worse in this case."

"What do you mean?" Cat asked.

Before he could reply, Robert's omnitool flashed to life with the glowing button over the back of his blue hand signifying an incoming call. The Doctor tapped it for him. "The Doctor speaking," he said.

" _Do you have any idea what the Daleks are doing with our ship_?" asked Julia.

"They've undoubtedly modified your jump drive to tear open another breach to the Void," the Doctor answered, "which is canceling out what I've done to the breach down here."

" _How do we close it then?"_ asked Julia.

"Given what your ship can do, the Daleks can't make the breach a permanent one, they have to maintain it," said the Doctor. "Shut it down on your end and the breach will close."

"So you just need to cut power to the deflector," Cat suggested.

After several moments Julia's voice came back. " _We can't. The Daleks are hacking into our control systems and have locked us out of power distribution. But we already have a plan, so standby_."

"What are you going to do?" Robert asked weakly.

" _We're going to set off the forward torpedo locker on Deck 26_ ," Julia replied. " _The armoring should keep the blast from destroying the entire ship, but it'll definitely gut much of the drive section_ , _and wreck the machinery the Daleks are using_."

Robert swallowed at that. There were likely hundreds of engineers and security and Marines in that area of the ship. Main Engineering would likely be claimed too, so Scotty and Barnes would die in the blast. "Doctor, there has to be another way," he said, looking at the Time Lord.

"I wish there was, Captain, but if your visions are right, the Daleks are going to awaken the Darkness with this ploy of theirs." The Doctor's face was grim. "Then untold numbers of beings will die."

Robert swallowed, knowing how right he was, and wishing he wasn't. "It should be my decision," he said. "Julia shouldn't have to be the one making it, not for my ship. I owe my crew better than that."

"You're needed here," Caterina said. "With us. Don't worry."

However true, Robert knew it wasn't enough. Once again he'd left his ship behind in a desperate fight because he felt he had to be somewhere else. However right he was… he knew there was still something wrong with that. And that maybe he didn't deserve his ship at all, in this case.

The Doctor motioned to Rose and returned to his lever. Together they pulled them back into the off position. "No use straining the systems needlessly," he said. "We won't re-open the breach until we confirm the one overhead is closed."

"Why isn't that one sucking them in?" Robert asked.

"The Daleks didn't calibrate it for that," Cat said. "If anything, it might be pulling Void stuff into _our_ plane instead."

"Which will likely distort the new breach before long and shift where it opens to," the Doctor added as he took the lever. He and Rose exerted themselves in moving them back to an off position. "And poof, an opening into another dimensional plane where a force of raw hatred is waiting to be be woken up."

"What can we do now?" Rose asked.

"The only thing we can do is wait," the Doctor said. "Wait and hold out here. Where's that rifle you brought?"

Robert indicated where he'd dropped the electro-plasma rifle he'd picked up in the Torchwood testing range. The Doctor went over and looked it over. "Give me a moment and I'll adapt this for use against the Daleks."

"Do you think they're going to attack us again?"

"Oh you might say I have an inkling," the Doctor said, glancing toward the broken window that the prior Daleks had broken while being sucked into the Void.

Outside of it, more Daleks were flying their way.

* * *

On the bridge Julia heard that and looked to Jarod. "Mister Jarod, can you cut power to that entire area?"

Jarod hit several keys. A harsh buzz answered him. "No. The Daleks have locked us out of power distribution. I'm going to try to hack my way back in, but even if it works, it could take me hours."

"I doubt we have hours," Angel pointed out.

"Shouldn't we evacuate the drive section then?" asked Violeta. "So we can detonate the torpedoes?"

"There's no time for that, the Daleks are already spreading through the area," said Jarod. "Another group has entered through the secondary shuttlebay on Deck 33."

"But all of our crew…"

Julia took in a breath and nodded. "I know. But there's no time. Lieutenant." She looked back to Angel. "Remotely arm all torpedoes in the Deck 26 forward torpedo locker. Detonate when ready."

Violeta stared at Julia in horror while Angel's hand, almost trembling, hit the necessary keys. A harsh buzz answered her final key press. "I can't send the command," Angel said. "I'm being blocked."

"Jarod?"

"I'm trying to keep the Daleks out of all of our systems, but I can't do everything," Jarod replied irritably. "They've locked us out of the torpedo controls. Someone has to manually set the torpedoes off."

Julia tapped the comm key on the chair to reopen the active tactical channel. "Commander Kane, I need someone to get to the Deck 26 forward torpedo locker, _now_."

* * *

Kane heard the command while pulling another injured Marine into Supply Room 30-C, just forward of the jump drive and off the thoroughly-wrecked corridor where the Daleks had pinned his Marines and their backup in. He made a count of his people. Only Hakimzade was left of the heavy armor Marines. Half of his force was dead, left behind in the hall, and three of his people were critically wounded. " _Exterminate!_ " the Daleks cried out in the hall.

An Alakin security officer, Ensign Trrika, tapped her taloned hand against the controls for the door. They slid to a close. Trrika reached into the internals of the panel and pulled a manual lock. "They can't hack their way in, sir," she said to Kane.

"Good. Because we're due elsewhere." Kane triggered his comm connection to the bridge with an eye movement and thought. "I read you, Commander. I'll take as many people as I can and get there. We'll complete the mission." Kane scanned the room. Aside from himself and Trrika, the only officer present was another security officer, Ensign Saul Reuben. "Which of you has seniority?"

Trrika and Reuben glanced at each other. " _Oy vey_ ," muttered Reuben. "I suppose I do, Commander."

"Suppose _nothing_ , Ensign, I'm going to trust Sergeant Hakimzade and some of my people to you," barked Kane. "You're either in command or I'm personally promoting someone over your head."

"Then I'm in command," Reuben said, a little firmer this time.

"Right. We can't outrun the Daleks with wounded, so you need to hold them off until reinforcements get here."

"Beg your pardon, sir, but you should all go." The pained voice was Lance Corporal Hajama. The teal skin of the Dorei man was pale with pain. "We'll slow you down, and you'll just lose people trying to hold them. Besides, I think we all know what the Commander's wanting you to do in that torpedo locker."

Kane had been so busy thinking of his Marines and how to keep him alive that he hadn't bothered with that, not yet. But the moment he even started to think about it, he knew Hajama was right.

There were sparks. The door was turning red in one spot. The Daleks were burning their way in.

"Go," Hajama urged. "The Deity is ready for us."

Theological elements about the Dorei monotheisms compared to his own Christianity aside, Kane found he shared that sentiment. "If you go first, let 'em know we're on our way," he said somberly. "There'll be some Marines at the Pearly Gates waiting for us."

"Preferably some at the Jade Portal too," Hajama said, grinning. Tears were already forming in his eyes. He saluted to Kane, and Kane saluted back.

"Alright everyone, move out through the starboard door!"

They did so in a unit. There were no Daleks on the other end. Kane took the lead since his armor was intact enough to survive a hit or two. He thanked himself, and Major Hitchfield from his days as a young Lieutenant, for all of the boarding party drills that had made sure to familiarize himself and his Marines with every internal inch of the _Aurora_. "Lifts will be down, so we're going by ladder. Deck 26, move, _move_."

They ran astern first and made a turn into an adjacent corridor. Ahead was the access line running up through this section of the deck, steep stairs that would move up into the next deck.

Kane got to it before hearing " _Exterminate!_ " behind him. A Dalek was now moving toward them. He figured more were behind.

As one some of his Marines and the security personnel dropped, allowing six different shooters to engage the Dalek, and then nine. The Dalek shot one security officer dead before the combined firepower of their weapons overwhelmed its shields and blasted the thing apart.

"Go on, Commander!" demanded Trrika. "We'll hold them here!"

"Reuben, Hakimzade, Carson, with me!" Kane started storming up the steps. His heavy armor barely fit through the gaps between decks, a fact long confirmed by drills, and he had to be careful slipping it through to get to Deck 29.

Just a few decks to go… 

* * *

On the bridge of the _Aurora_ , Julia watched silently as the Daleks continued to crowd into the drive hull. Sooner or later they'd start advancing outward to seize the rest of the ship. If they repaired the weapons, they'd certainly open fire and kill Robert, the Doctor, and probably much of the population of London.

"Whatever happens, we can't let them take the ship," she said quietly. She pressed the chair comm key. "Bridge to Medbay."

" _Medbay here_."

"Leo, get together whoever you can. At my mark, I want you in the escape pods."

" _Why?_ "

"Because if I have to, Leo, I'm going to destroy the ship," Julia answered. "I can't let the Daleks have it. Don't evacuate yet, you'll just give the Daleks outside of the ship extra target practice. I just want you ready."

There was a short pause before the reply came, " _Yes, Commander. Gillam out_."

"Ensign Arterria, Ensign al-Rashad, if I give the order, you're going into the escape pod," Julia said.

"What about you, Commander?" asked Violeta.

"I have to stay and make sure the self-destruct goes off," Julia replied.

"If you're staying, I'm staying," Angel said.

"Your sister needs you," Julia retorted. "She needs you both."

"And you'll need me too, because if you have to trigger the self-destruct, you'll need two senior officers with you on the bridge deck," Angel retorted.

"She's right," Jarod reminded Julia. "We'll have to trigger with no countdown to keep the Daleks from overriding it."

Julia sighed and nodded. She didn't want to see them die with her, but she knew they were right. And she'd already sent Kane on a suicide mission.

All she could do was hope he succeeded.

* * *

In the lower levels of the Torchwood Tower, Lucy and Meridina ran through another corridor. "The others are still safe," Meridina said.

"At least for now." Lucy brought her lightsaber up moments before a Dalek appeared at the other end of the hall. It shrieked " _Exterminate!_ " as usual and fired. She intercepted the shot and sent it back to the Dalek. The hit set part of the Dalek's frame on fire. It started to wheel around, shrieking.

"This way!" Meridina led Lucy into another door. It looked like a break room and there were two more doors on the various ends. By the time they reached the far door, another Dalek was coming in the third. It fired and barely missed. They were already in the next corridor.

A sudden chill was washing over Lucy, a twisting of her stomach and a feeling of general wrongness. "You feel that, right?" she asked.

"I do. We are running out of time."

"Any plans?"

"We do only what we can do. We keep the Daleks' attention on us so they do not harm others."

On cue, the cry of " _Exterminate!_ " brought their attention to the host of Daleks coming up behind them. They turned and started deflecting fire again. Neither dared to ask how long they could keep this up.

* * *

In the stairwell, Yvonne ducked for cover for a moment before rising up and using her particle gun on another Cyberman. The top half of its body burst like an egg, causing the Cyberman beside it to fall backward and into another. They both rolled down the stairs.

But yet more were coming, and their return fire drove her back into cover. "Whatever you're doing, Doctor, you need to do it soon," she murmured. 

* * *

Caterina and Rose exchanged nervous glances as the incoming Daleks approached the windows. The Doctor was still working on the electro-plasma rifle. "I still need a minute," he insisted.

"We don't have one," Rose pointed out.

With nothing else left to do, Robert drew upon his energy and reached for the Daleks in question. They didn't see the attack coming. With a burst of power Robert slammed two of them together with enough force to damage both, sending them falling all forty-five stories to the ground. He reached for a third and slammed it into a fourth, although that simply sent them off course for a moment. A fifth and a sixth he had to grab and hold in place, flipping them up so that their weapons could fire at him.

The third and fourth Daleks regained their bearings. "I can't stop them all," he gasped. Most of his effort was going into holding the two he had gripped. The other two were bearing down on him…

"Rose!" The Doctor tossed her the electro-plasma rifle. Rose took it and turned it toward the Daleks. A powerful blue beam of solid energy erupted from the muzzle and speared an approaching Dalek. It burst into flames with a shriek. Rose turned the weapon slightly and shot the other approaching Dalek and then the two that were still being gripped by Robert.

He dropped to a knee afterward. "I'm not as powerful as the others," he admitted. "If Meridina and Lucy were here…"

"Where are they?" Caterina asked.

"The last time we saw them, they were fighting the Cybermen in the testing range," Robert said. "I can still sense them. They're fighting, and it's getting desperate."

"The Daleks will focus on them once they've seen their powers," the Doctor said. "Especially if they've used their weapons to deflect the Daleks' fire back at them. It shows they're a threat."

"Like we just did?" Rose asked.

"Even more than we are. You're draining the battery whenever you hit the trigger on that," the Doctor revealed. "Another five or six shots and that's that."

Robert tapped his omnitool. "Any progress?" he asked.

" _Kane is still trying to get to the torpedo locker_ ," said Julia. " _We've got at least thirty or forty Daleks still aboard and they're sweeping the drive section. If he can't take out that locker, I'll have no choice._ "

"You've set the self-destruct?" Robert swallowed. He knew it was the right call, that the _Aurora couldn't_ be allowed to fall into Dalek hands, but the thought of losing his ship was still painful.

" _Jarod recommended that we set off the self-destruct instantly so the Daleks can't shut it down,_ " Julia replied. " _I'm preparing to issue an evac order to save as much as the crew as I can_."

"But if you don't set a countdown…" Robert closed his eyes and felt like slumping to the ground.

" _I know. I'm going to have our junior officers jump into the escape pod before we set it off. But Jarod, Angel and I will stay behind to trigger the destruct._ "

Caterina heard that and couldn't stop the sniffle that resulted. Rose put a hand on her arm in sympathy.

" _I'll let you know as soon as it happens_ ," Julia said. "Aurora _out_."

"Your sister's still up there, right?" Rose asked.

Caterina nodded. Tears were forming in her eyes. "And my girlfriend. And the others…"

"That's what the Daleks do," the Doctor said. His words and the quiet, tormented tone behind them prompted the attention of Robert and Caterina. "They take everything you love and they destroy it."

And Robert felt it then. Regret enough to crush any being, weighing down on the Doctor's very essence, his soul. This was a man who had lost almost everything. His world, his people, the family he'd once had… All to the same terrible threat that today seemed poised to spell the doom of the Multiverse with their actions. Those hateful creatures in their machines of war had cost him everything.

Robert wouldn't necessarily lose absolutely everything. Cat was down here, as were Meridina and Lucy. If they survived, maybe some of the others… and then there was Beth on New Liberty.

New Liberty. Where Jarod's family would be waiting in vain for him to come home. And how many of the New Liberty colonists were aboard ship ship? Maybe not as many as there once had been, but more than enough that the colony would feel the loss of the _Aurora_ keenly.

And then there were the others. How could he face Zack, knowing that Tom and Julia were dead because of this? How could he even _consider_ a world without them in it? Or Angel, who would leave Cat behind bereaved. Even moreso if Violeta also died. And would Leo make it out? Would he lose Leo too?

 _How can I stop this_? Robert wondered. _How?_

* * *

Kane and his team had made it to Deck 26 without further contact with the Daleks. They started moving forward once they were on the deck. As with much of the drive section right behind the navigational deflector, the areas in this ship were full of machinery spaces for that expansive piece of equipment, with nearby machine shops to support it and the torpedo launchers a deck down.

"This is a suicide mission, isn't it?" asked Carson. She was another security officer, brown complexion, with Southeast Asian and Caucasian features. A little on the thin side, Kane thought, but she knew how to carry a rifle.

Kane didn't have the patience to say anything but "Yes it is, Petty Officer." He saw the fear flicker in her light brown eyes, the terror of morality. You sometimes got that in people when they realized they were about to die. He figured even he'd shown it once or twice. "We're going to blow ourselves up with the Daleks and hundreds of our comrades."

"Right." She swallowed and made a sign with her fingers. She mumbled a Hail Mary.

 _And that's why I'm not Catholic_ was Kane's thought. He didn't care much for that Church's rules regarding how you got to what came after. The mechanism, to Kane, seemed pretty simple.

Reuben muttered something in Yiddish.

"If there was ever something that counted for a holy war, it's fighting these creatures," Hakimzade insisted. "So we're all going to a better place."

"It's nice to know we're all lined up on the same side on that subject, for a change," Kane answered.

Hakimzade smiled wryly at that. "It is, sir."

Kane smiled back. The torpedo locker was coming up.

When he was still a few meters from it, the door opened. Kane ducked down at the sight of the Dalek and screamed, " _Fire!_ " With no grenades loaded he was relegated to his pulse cannons. The cumulative effect of two cannons and two rifles was sufficient to blast through the Dalek's shields, even as it screamed " _Exterminate!_ " and fired back.

At the same moment it exploded, its shot struck Reuben square in the chest. His body lit up, bones showing within it, before he collapsed to the ground. Carson immediately checked him. "He's dead!"

" _Exterminate!_ " shrieked another Dalek. Which was also coming through the door.

"Hakimzade, grenades!"

"Only four left sir!"

He had three as well. "Fire! We've got to break through!"

* * *

Barnes looked up from his console with irritation. "I'm not getting anywhere with this!" he protested. "We're completely locked out!"

Scotty nodded. He was working on trying to restore the transporter systems. As he feared, the ship's systems were too badly damaged to allow for them to repeat their earlier success. "I've almost got it," he said. "I cannae bring back th' transporters entirely, but I can get us one or two uses o' th' system."

"Then we can beam a fracking torpedo into place to wreck the damned deflector and stop the Goddamned Daleks." Barnes grinned at that. "That'll show th' frackers."

"Lad, one o' these days, we're gaein' t' work on yer language," Scotty sighed. He resumed work.

Until, that is, commotion came from down the stern access corridor. A pair of security officers ran in. "Evacuate!" cried one of them, a Human male with an English accent. "They're right behind…"

His entire body lit up a moment later, and he collapsed. The other security officer opened fire as a shriek of " _Exterminate!_ " came from the accessway.

" _Frack!_ " Barnes shouted. "Yi, the forcefield!"

Yi hit a button and shook his head. "Still out."

"Everyone out!" Scotty shouted. "Get t' th' upper decks! _Go!_ "

Engineers began to flee from Main Engineering. Another shot killed the remaining security guard as they ran. Barnes and Scotty looked back in time to see three Daleks enter Main Engineering. And then they continued on, knowing their only hope was to get to the upper decks before someone set off the torpedoes.

* * *

The situation in Medbay was controlled chaos. Nurses and assisting personnel were busy loading casualties onto stretchers for a trip to the nearest bank of escape pods. Leo tried to direct everything and felt like he was barely making headway on the issue. He checked over one crewmember wounded by the Cybermen. "Okay, a first aid kit isn't enough," he said to the Dorei petty officer directing the carriers. "Go to Nurse Nasri and have her issue you a hypospray and a day's dose of tricylaterin."

"Yes Doctor."

From the far side of the medbay Locarno stepped up to Leo. "I've got the first escape pods ready to launch as soon as we get the order," he said. His hands were marginally better, although the bandages still covered them for the moment.

"That's good," Leo said. "Where should we sent the next batch?"

"According to the computer, the Deck 10 escape pods on the starboard side aren't taken. I'll take the next group there."

"Good." Leo turned away to check another casualty being moved out. When he assured himself the team had what it needed he waved them on. "And what about the _St. Johns_?"

"The Shadow ship blasted it pretty good," Locarno said. "But I've got a couple of engineers working on it. They think they can make it space worthy, at least. Enough to make a landing on Earth. I'll let you know if I hear more from them."

"We can evacuate a couple of our worst cases on her if they get her going, so we really need that."

"I'll check with them after getting these people to Deck 10." Locarno turned to leave but stopped himself. He looked back and asked, "You're coming too, right?"

"You mean am I going to stay on the ship until it gets blown up?" Leo smiled softly. "I can't."

"Oh?"

"A good man died because he didn't want me to," Leo explained. "I owe it to him to make sure I get a shot at getting out of here, just as I owe it to my staff and patients to make sure nobody is left behind."

"Just to make sure, I'll save you an escape pod," Locarno said.

* * *

Caterina looked from Robert, who was staring blankly at the wall, to Rose. "You beat them before, right?" she asked Rose. "You… you said you killed their Emperor."

Rose nodded at her. "I don't really remember it. I wasn't myself." Nearby the Doctor was looking over one of the consoles, as if it might provide an alternative even if he had made it clear there was none.

Caterina gave her a confused look. "Then what happened?"

"Well, we were in the far future," Rose said. "And the Dalek Emperor was leading an invasion of Earth. The Doctor, he had a plan, but he tried to send me away so I wouldn't get hurt. He tricked me into the TARDIS and had it send me back to this time." Rose directed a quick look at him. "But I kept seeing these messages everywhere that were connected to that future place, and we'd been seeing them for a while, and I figured out it was a sign I could go back for him. So I looked into the TARDIS and it… it changed me…"

"She looked into the Time Vortex," the Doctor said from where he was sitting. "And it nearly killed her. I had to take the energy from her, and it forced me to regenerate. This is why we never, ever look into the Vortex."

"But that's how you defeated the Daleks?" Cat asked.

"It is," Rose confirmed.

"Then…" Cat swallowed and walked up to the Doctor. "Why don't we do that?" she asked.

"Because it's too dangerous," the Doctor replied.

"Well, it'll kill one of us, but a whole bunch of people will die if we don't."

"It's not just about that." The Doctor turned in the chair and faced Caterina directly. "A being with the Time Vortex in their head gains power over life and death, over time and space. You can bring the dead back to life or utterly destroy the living. You can reach through time and change things with a thought. Who would you trust with that kind of power? That amount of temptation?"

"Well, if someone's good…"

"It's not about being good or evil!" shouted the Doctor. "It's about what anyone would do with that power, and the consequences it can have! Would you bring your mother back, Caterina?"

Caterina blinked at him and couldn't hide her surprise. The thought had slipped into her mind as he spoke, the idea that yes, she could, she _would_ , bring her Mama back with that kind of power.

"And you would force her to watch as you died? As the power within you burnt every cell in your body until you were no more?" The Doctor's eyes remained fixed on her. "How do you think your mother would feel if you died restoring her to life?"

The answer to that was obvious. Caterina knew how deeply that would wound her mother. She would immediately collapse in grief at Cat's death.

"And that's just the start of what could go wrong," said the Doctor. "It's why we can't use it."

Cat nodded. Tears began to flow down her face at what that meant. How many of the people she loved were going to die?

The Doctor noticed this and his eyes fixed on her face. "I'm sorry," he said in a soft voice. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

The Cybermen coming up the staircase were diminishing in number. Yvonne counted only four or five left, and she still had enough of a charge on her weapon to destroy them all so long as she got clear shots. She waited as another volley of pale red bolts flew over her head and blackened the stairwell wall behind her before rising up and firing. Another Cyberman toppled over.

The process repeated. Yvonne counted the seconds, counted the shots, drew up and fired. Another Cybermen went down.

But one of the Cybermen had anticipated her pattern, or perhaps hadn't finished firing off its volley. A pale red shot closed the distance and smacked into Yvonne's left shoulder. She cried out and toppled while energy crackled over it, entering the rest of her body, seizing up muscle and damaging her cells. It hadn't been an immediately fatal hit, but it would make firing her weapon even harder. She stood a good chance of getting overrun now.

"For Queen and Country," Yvonne murmured to herself, forcing all fear down. "This is for Queen and Country." 

* * *

Julia watched with quiet horror as the Daleks spread through the drive section. The crew was fleeing up into the primary hull. But some were too far away, or were cut off by the Daleks, and she could do nothing for them.

The marker for Commander Kane had remained just outside the Deck 26 torpedo locker. There were Daleks there already. No security teams or Marine platoons were close enough to get there and help, not before even more Daleks arrived.

"It's time," she said. She hit the comm key on the command chair. "Commander Andreys to all hands. Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship."


	93. Episode 2-18-4 Choices

" _Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship_."

A Dalek exploded right after Julia's voice came over the ship comm network. It had required one of his last grenades. "Now's our chance!" he shouted. He charged forward, Carson and Hakimzade following, and got to the door to the torpedo locker.

The torpedoes - wide shapes of silver and black - were lined up on horizontal racks. Anti-grav lifts could convey them to the lift that would lower them to Deck 27 - via the closed lift tube - and the forward torpedo launcher there. In a pinch the torpedoes could even be dropped by gravity.

And two Daleks were already in the room.

"Carson, trigger the torpedoes!" he shouted. Hakimzade targeted one Dalek and hit it with a grenade, dead center. The blast knocked him and Hakimzade back, shielding Carson so she could make a run for it.

The other Dalek was out of position to intercept her. It targeted Kane and Hakimzade instead. " _Exterminate!_ " A shot from its weapon hit Hakimzade in the arm, sending her spinning. Kane opened up on it with his pulse cannons. The Dalek's shields absorbed the blasts. It orientated its weapon on him.

Hakimzade's weapons opened up on it. The Dalek's shields failed and it was blasted apart.

Kane went over to her. "Just arm damage," she said, scrambling to get up. He helped her stand.

"I'm arming the torpedoes," said Carson. "Give me a minute."

"We'll give you whatever time we can, Petty Officer," Kane answered.

* * *

Rose was busy watching the window for more Daleks when she heard the question.

"What message?"

She turned her head to look at Robert. His green eyes were focused on her face with an intensity that was almost frightening. As if he were recognizing her as something.

Which made her think that, yes, Robert had looked at her strangely from the beginning. Why was that?

"What do you mean?" Rose asked him.

"What message was it?" Robert asked again. "The one that told you that you could use the TARDIS and defeat the Daleks?"

"It was… just a couple of words we kept seeing," she said. "When I saw them everywhere, I… I realized it was a message to myself."

"But what was the message?" he asked. "Please."

For a moment Rose didn't know if she was going to tell him. He was scaring her with his look, the intense desperation in his eyes. She almost asked why he wanted to know. Why was it so important to him? Hadn't he heard the Doctor's warnings?

But there was something in the look that made Rose change her mind. "Bad Wolf," she said. "That was the message..." Seeing the expression on his face and the way Robert's eyes suddenly shifted with recognition, Rose added, "...what is it? Why do you need to know?"

"Bad Wolf," Robert muttered. "It's…"

"What is it? What aren't you telling me?" Rose's tone was insistent.

"Just… something in my head," Robert said. "Thank you. It clears things up."

Rose wasn't sure she liked the way he was speaking, but she didn't get the chance to ask. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed more Daleks flying their way. "Here they come," she said.

"I'll hold them, you fire," Robert said. He brought his arms up and held his hands out. The two lead Daleks stopped in mid-air. Rose picked them off and shot the other two after Robert had stopped them in the same fashion. "There we go," she said. "And I think I have a shot or two left." She lowered the weapon. "Right, Captain?" When there was no answer, she turned her head.

Robert was gone. 

* * *

There were only two Cybermen left coming up the staircase, but as far as Yvonne was concerned, it might well two hundred. Her left arm was nearly useless and her shots were getting wilder. Her last shot had missed completely. The wasted shots had left her particle gun nearly exhausted.

Now the first Cybermen crested the last flight of stairs. She fired and hit it point blank in the head. The head exploded in a burst of metal and fluid, the headless body pitching backward onto the other Cyberman. It tossed the body to the side and stepped up.

Yvonne pressed the trigger again. There was nothing.

The Cyberman, now that it had firing clearance, raised its arm at her. The weapon muzzle moved into place. " _Hostile elements will be deleted_ ," it said.

"I did my duty," Yvonne retorted. "For Queen and Country." And she kept her eyes on it, waiting for the Cyberman to kill her.

A shadow moved over her at top speed. A wave of force slammed into the Cyberman, moving sideways so as to throw it over the railing. A series of metallic thuds sounded as it toppled down the center of the stair shaft.

Yvonne looked up and saw Robert look down at her. The pain she felt was starting to make her head spin, but she kept her focus and heard him ask, "Where is the Doctor's ship?"

She thought about it. "Tenth level," she said. "Storage Room C. North side of the building."

He nodded. Yvonne had the sense that just thinking about it had told him where precisely to go. Now she watched in surprise as he stepped up onto the railing and jumped down into the stairwell. _He's gone mad_ was her thought before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

The next Dalek to enter the torpedo locker was met by the combined firepower of both Hakimzade and Kane, who were shielding Carson. "Almost there," she said as their combined fire quickly degraded its shields. It managed shots that that brought Kane's shield to the brink of failure before the pulse cannon blasts blew it apart.

"What happens if you trigger it now?" Kane asked.

"I don't have enough torpedoes set to blow, it won't be enough to guarantee we take out the deflector," Carson said. "Just a few more. I've almost... "

Carson's death scream caused Kane to turn, in time to see her skeleton glowing through her body from the Dalek blast that killed her. A Dalek was hovering before them, having come up through the now-opened torpedo lift door to Deck 27.

"Dammit!" Kane used his last grenade on the Dalek. The blast went off just below it, overwhelming its shields enough to damage its anti-gravs and send it plummeting back down to Deck 27. He stepped over Carson's body and went to work on the torpedoes. Just a few more and the explosion would be sufficient. He activated the arming sequence for another.

" _Exterminate!_ " came from behind him. Another Dalek entered and fired. The blast hit him in the back. His armor absorbed most of it, but pain went up and down Kane's spine and he felt like half of his chest was on fire. He stumbled to a knee.

There was a grenade blast behind him. Hakimzade had used her second-to-last grenade, but it had the desired effect. Kane drew in a breath. _Pain is weakness leaving the body_ he reminded himself. And then he pulled himself back up and resumed working.

"More Daleks, sir!" Hakimzade warned.

"Do whatever you can to keep them off, three more should do it!"

"Yes sir," was Hakimzade's reply.

Kane didn't see what happened next. He didn't see Hakimzade's last grenade get partly spoofed by the Daleks, causing only partial damage to one. He didn't see her use the blast and their momentary distraction to dash ahead and close the distance. He didn't see her finger activate the override they'd both prepared in case the situation required it.

The only thing he felt was the blast wave when the naqia mini-reactor that powered Hakimzade's armor overloaded and exploded. It pushed him against the console. He was instinctively surprised it hadn't set off the torpedoes until he recalled that without being fully armed and triggered, the naqia warheads wouldn't go off. And it had certainly destroyed the two Daleks, as well as Hakimzade herself.

 _I'm all that's left_ was his thought as Kane armed the next torpedo and prepared it to detonate with the others. He started work on the next, knowing he only had a couple minutes to live.

* * *

Lucy and Meridina had made it to an open office area in the middle of the tenth floor. They moved around, back to back, deflecting Dalek shots into other Daleks and knocking Daleks over where they could. "We seem to have their undivided attention," Meridina remarked.

"Yeah, given they send more after us for every one they lose." Lucy deflected one Dalek's bolt into another, causing it to blow apart.

" _Exterminate!_ "

"Oh put a sock in it already," Lucy demanded before deflecting the Dalek's next shot at it. The handful of Daleks remaining in the room all tried to focus firepower on her. It took everything Lucy had left to reflect their shots back into them, one by one, while Meridina moved up to the last and slashed its casing open once a bolt from its own gun had taken out its shields.

With a moment of reprieve the two looked at each other. "We're not going to survive this, are we?" Lucy asked.

"Quite possibly not," replied Meridina.

Lucy nodded and drew in a breath.

"It is okay to feel fear," Meridina admitted to her. Her lilt was growing shaky as well. "You must simply not give in to it."

"I know. But… honestly, I'm not sure I'm as afraid of dying as I'm afraid of…"

Before Lucy could finish they heard the footsteps, rapid and steady. They looked toward the door in time to see Robert rushing in from the south side of the building. "Rob?" Lucy asked.

"No time!" he shouted. "I have to get there, and they're behind me!" He kept running past. Both could sense how agitated he was and how _certain_ he felt. They also, for the first time in awhile, understood what was going on.

"They're in danger," Lucy remarked. "Our friends, our ship."

"Yes."

" _Exterminate!_ " Daleks moved through the south door, evidently in pursuit of Robert. Lucy jumped into their path and deflected shots meant for Robert back toward them. Two blasted through the wall and one shot damaged a Dalek. Her lightsaber became a blur again, catching and reflecting Dalek fire. Meridina had to do the same as more Daleks came in from the east door. They backed together toward the middle of the room, just as Daleks were coming in from the west. Their lightsabers were in constant motion, throwing back blasts at their foes that destroyed some, damaged some, and certainly damaged the office room.

Then even more Daleks came through from the north door. Lucy felt out for Robert and was relieved to sense him. The Daleks hadn't seen him. They were focusing on her and Meridina.

"It seems we are surrounded," said Meridina, backing up to Lucy.

Lucy felt reassured by Meridina's presence on her back. "Noticed. But they'll find we're not going down easy."

To protect themselves they had to stand back to back and remain in constant motion. The Dalek fire was incessant and Meridina and Lucy spun around to meet it. One moment they faced east and west, the next south and north, blue light blurring around them. Their power guided their weapons and movements and kept them alive. For all the Daleks cried " _Exterminate!_ ", they could not achieve that goal against the two. Indeed, they were only destroying themselves, but their hate would not let them leave foes alive.

"You've been a great teacher, Meridina," Lucy said. "And a better friend."

"You have been a fine student, Lucy, and I have had none closer as a friend."

"No regrets, then."

"None."

Lucy was too busy fighting to nod. But she let the sentiment she felt pass through to Meridina.

 _If we're going down here, at least we're going together_.

And so they continued to fight. 

* * *

Kane tapped the keys to finalize the torpedo's arming sequence. It would detonate, like so many others, the moment he hit the right key on the console. He began working on the last of the torpedoes to ensure the resulting blast stopped the Daleks. The arming sequence began under his fingers. He input the code from the computer.

The screen soon verified that the torpedo was armed. Over twenty were now ready to detonate, more than enough to gut the deflector area of the drive hull. His mission had completed. All that was left was to hit the detonation key.

He might have taken a moment to consider his mortality. Or to think of what he'd say when he got to where he was going. But he did none of those things. He was a Marine and he had a mission to complete. That mission was going to kill him, kill fellow Marines and their comrades in the _Aurora_ crew… and save over a thousand of their own, not to mention all of the people on Earth the Daleks were going to kill if they took control of the ship. Indeed, the entire Alliance was at risk from these vicious things if they kept control of the jump drive. Trillions of beings that he was sworn to defend and whom the Daleks would slaughter without a moment's care.

Thus there was no hesitation. He simply pressed the key and waited for it all to end.

The screen turned red and flashed the message _Access Denied_.

* * *

"He's gone," said Rose. The Doctor and Cat looked up from the computers they were at. "He just… ran off!"

"Rob wouldn't abandon us," Cat insisted. "He has to have a reason." She activated her omnitool comms. "Delgado to Dale. What's going on?" When there was no answer, she repeated, "Delgado to Dale, please respond. What are you doing?"

A suspicious look appeared on the Doctor's face. "Rose, what did you say to him?" he asked.

"Um…" Rose thought on it for a brief moment. "Just the message. He wanted to know about the messages we were getting, back before you regenerated."

"You mean when you last beat the Daleks?" Cat asked.

"Yeah." Rose nodded. "He just wanted to know what the message was."

The Doctor was frowning. Cat didn't know why and couldn't stop her curiosity. "Well, what was it?"

"Well, it was 'Bad Wolf'."

Caterina's jaw dropped open. "It was _what?_ "

"'Bad Wolf'." Rose pointed to Cat. "You… you _recognize_ it?"

"Well… Angel said that Rob was having dreams," Cat explained. "Of someone, a woman or something, saying things about bad wolves."

Now Rose's expression turned bewildered. "Is that why he always looked at me like that? Like he knew me?"

"He's been having visions of you," the Doctor said. "People like Captain Dale can have those, it's part of their connection to things." The Doctor turned his head to Cat with a grim expression on his face. "He heard those words, didn't he? 'Bad Wolf'?"

"Um… I think so."

"You don't think he's going to…" Rose's hands slipped into her trousers. Her eyes widened a moment later and she began to feel around in her pockets.

"What is it?" Cat asked her.

"He took it," Rose said, giving a meaningful look to the Doctor.

The Doctor said nothing. He knew exactly what Rose meant.

* * *

The key slipped into the lock perfectly. The defenses of the TARDIS yielded and the door opened, allowing Robert to step inside. He walked most of the way up to the console and stopped. "I can feel you," he said aloud. "I know you're alive."

There was no response.

Robert swallowed. The delay of just a second could possibly ruin his plan. "I need your help," he said. "My crew, my friends, they're being killed, they're going to die. I have to save them. And you can do that. I've heard about your power."

There was, again, no response. 

* * *

Kane stared at the message on the control screen in utter bewilderment. He quickly re-confirmed his access code and triggered the detonation key again.

 _Access Denied_.

"Dammit!" he shouted. He ran to another nearby console and brought up the torpedo arming controls. He hit the key for detonation.

 _Access Denied_.

In desperation Kane turned to the omnitool controls on his own armor suit. He would use his own short-range communication to set off the weapons. A couple of finger taps brought that screen up. But, to his horror, all of the torpedoes were now showing as disarmed.

The door slid open again. A Dalek entered. " _We have locked down all detonation controls and torpedo arming systems_ ," it informed him, its electronic voice almost mocking in its tone. " _Your efforts are irrelevant. Your species is inferior. You and your weak Alliance will be exterminated by the Daleks_."

Kane turned and did the only thing he could do. After tapping the controls for them, he opened fire with his pulse cannons. They fired with thicker, longer pulses than usual, overpowered shots made possible only by overriding all safety measures and protocols. They battered down the Dalek's shields quickly.

The Dalek returned fire. The blast hit him in the chest. His armor stopped most of it, but the pain and damage caused by the shot sent him to his knees.

But Kane kept firing.

The Dalek did too.

The firing stopped when the explosions happened. 

* * *

"You let Rose use the power within you to defeat the Daleks before," Robert said. "I need it. I need that now. Everything I care for is going to be lost if you don't help.

And yet, there was no reaction.

Robert smacked his fist on the TARDIS console. "Please, you've got to help!" he urged. "I feel your presence, I know you're a living thing. I believe there are things you care about, and if you know that, you have to know what it's like for us. People who trusted their lives to me are _dying_ , a horrible threat is about to overtake the Multiverse, and I need you to stop it."

* * *

The tactical holotank confirmed Kane was no longer active. And there had been no explosion.

Julia swallowed and nodded. "Alright," she said, her heart sinking into her stomach. She nodded to Violeta. There were tears in the young officer's purple eyes, but she obeyed her orders without question. She and al-Rashad went to the side of the bridge, where a touch on the panel opened the escape pod.

As they clambered in, Julia's eye turned to the viewscreen. There was something definitely wrong with the tear now. The bright light had darkened considerably, taking on an almost purplish hue. Just looking at it made her spine chill.

"Mother of God," murmured Angel, who winced. "It's… it's like I can feel something in there. Something wrong, something _evil_."

"The tear's undergoing some sort of shift," Jarod explained. "I'm not sure what's going on…"

"It doesn't matter now," she said softly. "Computer, this is Commander Julia Andreys, First Officer. Set self-destruct sequence. Authorization code Andreys Bravo Charlie Charlie 3992."

* * *

Inside the jump drive chamber, Dalek Thay's eyestalk swiveled. " _Anomalous shift to Void breach detected. Unknown power signature is present. Tactical alert to all Daleks. Unknown force present within Void breach_." Within its casing, Dalek Thay felt something like a chill, which was a thing it had never felt before. A sense of hate and loathing filled Thay that seemed even more than the hate Thay felt within itself. As if Thay were seeing its own nature increased by orders of magnitude and reflected back at it.

And Dalek Thay felt _fear_ at that.

* * *

"We're out of time," said the Doctor. On the screen a surviving satellite was picking up the footage. The white light from the _Aurora_ 's deflector was now pouring into a rift of roiling, deep purple and black. "They're going to wake up."

* * *

Robert could feel it. "It's happening," he said. "The Darkness are going to wake up, they're going to come through. Julia's going to blow the ship up to stop it." He swallowed. "Please _help me_."

And for the first time, he received an answer. It came as a whisper across his mind, across his very being.

 _If you do this, your life will end_.

* * *

Jarod stared at the widening rift on the screen. What was left of the sensors couldn't make sense of it. It was shifting into something in what must be an entirely different dimensional plane. If not for the situation, or for the hideous feelings he had at seeing the swirling patterns of dark purple around the black maw of the tear, Jarod might have thought it an opportunity for science.

Instead, all he wanted was to close it. "Computer, this is Lieutenant Commander Jarod, Operations Officer. Set self-destruct sequence. Authorization Code Jarod Tango Sierra Gamma 5593."

* * *

Robert considered the words spoken by the TARDIS. He swallowed and nodded. "I know. But I have to do this. Please, let me do this."

The whisper on his being returned. _Why?_

* * *

Until the prior year or two, Angel had never really thought about the existence of things like demonic forces. She believed in God certainly. She even still believed in the teachings of the Church to various degrees, although she preferred embracing the specific teachings that didn't make her sister out to be wrong for who she loved.

But now… now she did. The feeling coming from seeing the spatial rift filled her with cold dread. She could imagine something dark, something hateful, within that dark opening through reality, something that would wake soon, and when it did, Hell itself would come for her and hers.

It would come for Caterina.

A deep "shunk" sounded through the bridge. The escape pod had launched. Caterina's girlfriend was safe. She would be there for Cat since Angel couldn't be.

It made the decision and her imminent death easier to accept.

"Computer, this is Lieutenant Angela Delgado, Chief Tactical Officer. Set self-destruct sequence. Authorization Code Delgado Gamma X-Ray Zulu 3840."

* * *

The TARDIS remained silent in the seconds after the _Why?_ Robert clenched his fists in frustration. Why wouldn't this thing cooperate?!

He had no choice on the issue. He knew he had to cooperate with it if he was going to save everyone. He knelt on the floor of the console chamber and closed his eyes while letting his fears bubble up. He let himself think about the _Aurora_ being destroyed in a series of explosions. He imagined Julia, Angel, Leo, Tom, Jarod… he imagined all of his friends and comrades on the ship dying in a flash of light.

He imagined life without them. Life without Angel's ready smirk and passion. Life without Leo's ready grin and compassion. Without Tom Barnes' enthusiasm and humor or Jarod's wit and friendliness…

Without Julia and her confidence. Her ready grin.

A life without them. A life when he had lost so much already.

The pain of that thought drove his memories backward. The deaths of his grandparents. The sheriff deputy at the door, the sterile white halls of the county morgue. The remains of his parents and his little sister.

The loss of his whole world. The agony of that loss. The months, the years, of suffering he'd endured.

He imagined what it would feel like now, with the loss of Julia and the others. And the pain worsened.

Tears flowed freely down Robert's eyes. His heart felt like it was going to stop. He lowered his head, as if bowing to the living machine herself. A living machine that would decide whether or not those he loved were going to die. " _Please_ ," he pleaded. "I have to save them. _I have to save them!_ "

 _Even if the cost is your life?_

The thought of death came to him. For in instant, he instinctively recoiled from it. No. He didn't want to die. He knew how much it would hurt the others. He knew how Beth would take it. And there was so much more to do. So many responsibilities he faced. The war he had started, the efforts he'd begun. The threat that Swenya's old prophecy had spoken of had to be stopped.

"Yes," he answered nevertheless. "I'll still do it."

 _With this choice, your life will end. You cannot take this back._

"I know." Robert lifted his head and faced the machine. "My choice is made."

A moment of quiet passed. Robert didn't know what that meant. Was the TARDIS considering him again? Was this rejection? Was it thinking it over?

The TARDIS console opened.

Captain Robert Dale made his choice. He looked into the swirling vortex at the heart of the living machine.

And his life ended.

* * *

" _All codes confirmed. Auto-destruct sequence enabled._ "

Julia swallowed. She had to. Whatever was in the tear… it was stirring. It was _waking_. And she could feel the malevolent hate oozing from within that bizarre place on the other end of the breach.

"No timer, Computer."

" _Warning. Auto-destruct will commence upon provision of final code._ "

"I know." Julia swallowed. She quietly prayed for a moment, a prayer for her crew, for her friends, and for herself, and entrusted it all to whatever lay beyond. As she felt Angel and Jarod's eyes upon her, she said the final words of her twenty-eight years of life.

"Computer, this is Commander Julia Andreys." She swallowed, savored her last moment of life, and opened her mouth to speak. "Initiate self-destruct on my command. Authorization Code Andreys Alpha 9..."

As the "N" sound of the next "9" started to form, a loud sound echoed through the _Aurora_ bridge. It was a sound she had heard only twice before.

 _VWORP VWORP VWORP_.

The TARDIS materialized on the _Aurora_ bridge.

When its doors swung open, the light within was blinding. Wisps of white energy, verging on golden, emanated from around it, as if it was gas seeping into the atmosphere. Julia watched in surprise as Robert stepped out. He had a strange look in his green eyes. "Rob?" she asked weakly.

"I am… something different," he said. "I see so much. I feel so much." He swallowed.

Jarod was scanning him with his omnitool. "I've never seen readings like this," he said.

Robert raised a hand toward the rear computer display, now dominated by the auto-destruct system's final input. "I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself like this," he said. His eyes blazed with golden light until the green within was extinguished.

" _Self destruct sequence aborted_ ," said the Computer.

"Rob, no!" Julia shouted. "Don't you feel that out there? This has to be done!"

"I have already paid the price," he replied. "I looked into the TARDIS and it looked into me. My life is over now. But first…"

As the weight of his words rang in their heads, the three watched Robert turn toward the front of the bridge. He wasn't looking at the holo-viewscreen, but they were. He raised his hands toward the bow and golden light surged around him again.

And on the screen, that same golden light now grew around the edges of the tear. The black and purple mists filling space quaked and recoiled. It was like they were alive and fighting back from this new force pressing against them.

A look of effort appeared on Robert's face. "No," he said. "You fight, but you cannot stop me. Not with this. Return to your sleep, Darkness. Return to it now."

"The spatial tear is closing in on itself," said Jarod. "It's collapsing…"

* * *

" _Void breach is collapsing_ ," Dalek Thay said, in the heart of the _Aurora_ 's jump drive access room. " _Increase power! The breach must remain intact!_ " 

* * *

In Torchwood Breach Control, the Doctor, Rose, and Caterina watched on a screen as bright light tinged with gold continued to swell over the orbiting breach, closing it steadily. "Rob's doing that?" Cat asked, incredulous at the sight.

The Doctor nodded quietly. "He is." A sad look came over his face. "And then he's going to die."

"Maybe Leo can…"

"I'm sorry, Cat," he said. "But even if he closes the connection, he's got too much inside of him. It's going to burn him cell by cell, from the inside out."

Cat closed her eyes and wiped her tears at that thought.

"Rose, get to the lever, now!" The Doctor ran to his. "Caterina, to your place! We've got to send them all back into the Void now that we have the chance!"

While her heart still felt like breaking over the thought that Robert was about to die, Caterina forced herself into pushing those thoughts away. She went to the computer station while the Doctor and Rose began pushing the levers back into the on position. The room brightened.

" _Online_ ," said the computer.

The two dashed to their clamps a second time and hooked their arms in. Within moments the breach opened fully, and a constant pull began to lift them off their feet. 

* * *

"His vitals are fluctuating," Jarod said, still scanning Robert with his omnitool. "There's an energy buildup in his tissues. If this keeps up…"

"What?" Julia demanded.

Jarod shook his head. "He's going to die from this."

Julia looked at Robert and said, "Whatever it is, let it go! Don't kill yourself like this!"

On the screen, the golden light consuming the spatial rift seemed to be stopping.

"They're fighting me," said Robert. "I can feel them. The Daleks are trying to stop me. But they can't." He concentrated further. And the light kept going.

"I'm picking up increased emissions from the planet." Jarod nodded. "It's working. With this rift closing, the other's power is increasing. So is its area of effect."

"Which means…"

They got confirmation of that a moment later, as the last wave of Daleks approaching the hull were suddenly drawn back Earthward.

Robert's attention remained wholly focused on the rift, now nearly closed. 

* * *

Meridina nearly dropped to a knee and had a half-second to spare when she got her lightsaber between herself and the Dalek in front of her. The blast flew away and blew apart on of the office desks not yet destroyed. Behind her Lucy deflected her foes' shots with energy that, as determined as she was, nevertheless showed clear signs of flagging.

And yet, at the periphery of her senses, Meridina felt like she had reassurance. Everything was going to be fine.

Suddenly the Daleks stopped where they were. After a second of confusion, an unseen force yanked them from the room. Their electronic screaming filled the air until they were at such a distance that they were gone.

The two turned off their lightsabers at the same time and collapsed out of exhaustion. Laying beside each other, almost unable to do as much as roll to look into one another's faces, Lucy managed to say, "We actually survived."

"Surprising," huffed Meridina. A small smile crossed her face to match the one on Meridina's. "But… much appreciated." She let her hand inch across the floor, much as Lucy's did, until they met and clasped together. 

* * *

The rift in front of the _Aurora_ finished closing. In the moments after it did, despite the white light still spearing that point in space from the _Aurora_ navigational deflector, Daleks begin to stream out of the many hull breaches in the ship's hull. They created a stream of shrieking machines being pulled toward the Earth, specifically toward London.

A mere moment before this effect took place, a single Dalek voice in the jump drive access room could be heard to say, " _Emergency temporal shift!_ ", after which its compatriots were sucked away.

On the bridge Jarod was keeping a nervous eye on his omnitool scanner. "His body is starting to suffer cellular damage."

"Rob!" Julia stepped up to him. "Robby! You've got to stop!"

"It's done," he said. The golden hue around him had quieted. Energy seeped from him and back into the TARDIS. "The Daleks are gone."

Jarod immediately returned his attention to his console. "One moment, regaining deflector control… there." The white beam stopped. "Give me a few minutes, I should be able to make workarounds for the Daleks' hacking job on our systems."

Julia was too busy looking at Robert. Angel stood from her post and grimaced from the pain in her hip and leg. "What's wrong with him?"

"I'm burning up," Robert said. "Much of the power I absorbed went into sealing the breach. But what's left… I'm burning from the inside." Tears streamed from his eyes as he looked at Julia. "I had to. To save the ship. To save you."

"Don't speak," Julia urged him. "We'll get Leo back here. We'll get you help…"

"It's too late for me. I'm sorry."

"No!" Hot tears now flowed from Julia's eyes. She grabbed him by the shoulders. "You can't just die, not like this! Please."

"I knew the price," he said. "I made the choice. The TARDIS told me my life would end if I did."

"No…" Julia shook her head. "No. We've been together all our lives. You can't just leave us. You can't leave me like this."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. A look of pain came over his face. "It's almost over. I saved everyone. That's all I wanted. To save you." He reached up and pressed a hand to her cheek. His hand felt unnaturally warm on her skin. His thumb collected the tears streaming down from her right eye. "Tell Beth I'm sorry. Please."

Julia shook her head and sobbed. A sharp, steady pain filled her at the thought that this was it. That her closest friend, the person who had been in her life since she could remember, _her Robby_ , was going to die. And there was nothing she could do about it.

It wasn't the first time she had faced the prospect that he was about to die. But it was the first time that it felt like an unavoidable certainty. A certainty she couldn't bear.

What happened next was a combination of all of those feelings. The pain of loss. The wish for more time. Deep affection for the one being who had been there for her in all of the tough times in her life, whom she had stood with in the tough times of his own.

With the tears on her cheeks glinting in the soft golden glow still coming from the TARDIS, Julia took the final step up to Robert. She put her hands on his neck and leaned into him until her lips pressed against his.

The kiss continued for seconds, as tears flowed down their faces.

A warm feeling started to spread into Julia from the contact. It didn't make her break off the kiss. Not for several more seconds. But as the feeling spread through her body she felt forced to. Muscles contracted, pain surged. For several moments, the golden light around Robert jumped to Julia, and both gleamed with it to the astonishment of Angel and Jarod.

And then it was over. The golden light was gone.

Wordlessly, both of them fell to the bridge deck, oblivious to the two frantic voices calling their names.

* * *

The shrieks of Daleks echoed in the Torchwood control room. They continued to flow on into the breach.

That is, until sparks erupted from the power connections. The power of the particle engines slackened and the breach's intense white light began to dim. " _Offline_ ", said the Torchwood computer. The pull on the Daleks slowed until they were suspended in mid-air, not yet able to move, but only moments, perhaps, from being freed.

Caterina dashed to the lever in question. "Stay there!" she shouted to Rose, who nodded. Cat grabbed the lever and began to push it.

She hadn't expected how hard it would be. For all of her straining, the lever barely seemed to budge. Caterina was shocked at how heavy it seemed. Try as she might, the lever was barely moving. So were the Daleks, but if they moved just a little more, they could shoot her.

Rose left her magna-clamp. "We've got to get it upright!" She grabbed the lever as well. Working together, the two women strained every muscle to move the lever back into position.

" _Online and locked_ ," said the computer. And the pull picked up again. More Daleks were pulled in.

Rose held on for dear life to the lever while Cat, unaffected by the pull of the breach, stood by her and tried to help her hold on. "Rose, hold on!" urged the Doctor, as the last Daleks flew by. All that was left now was for the breach to close.

The pull on Rose was so intense that she was hanging horizontally from the lever. The breach seemed to be intent on sucking her into the Void. Rose's grip on the lever was visibly slipping, even as the Doctor yelled, "Hold on!" again Cat kept glancing toward the shining wall, wondering when the breach would finally pull in on itself and close.

Rose let out an anguished cry that drew Caterina's attention. Her fingers were straining to hold on to the lever.

And then they slipped free. Rose began to fall toward the breach to the Void.

The Doctor screamed, " _No!_ " as Rose's hands flailed…

...and caught the left hand of Caterina.

Caterina's right arm had hooked around the lever for a stronger hold. She cried out from the resulting strain on her limbs. The force of the breach was an insatiable maw, greedy to suck Rose in, and it would easily pull Caterina in too if she couldn't hold on.

" _Hold on!_ " the Doctor urged.

" _I've got you!_ " Caterina screamed. She fought to keep her arm crooked around the lever. It felt like her arms were going to be ripped off.

But even worse was that she could feel Rose's grip on her left hand start to slip. "Hold on, Rose!" Cat screamed. "It's almost over!"

"I'm trying!"

The seconds seemed to pass like entire minutes. Cat did what she could to shut out the pain in her arms and shoulders and keep her grip on Rose. Rose's left hand lost its grip on Caterina's. She fought to regain it while Cat kept up her struggle to hold on to the lever. She felt her arm feel like it wanted to straighten and put all of her will into not letting it do so. "Please hold on!" Cat pleaded, agony in her voice. She couldn't let Rose fall into that breach, into that terrible Void. Rose didn't deserve it. Rose deserved to continue traveling with the Doctor, to be the partner he needed to save lives, to save worlds.

"Hold on Rose!" the Doctor urged.

It felt like the flow might be weakening. Caterina redoubled her efforts at that feeling. She just needed to hold on for another moment, to ignore the terrible strain on her right arm and shoulder. Just a few more seconds. She tried to stretch herself out further in her hope for Rose to get her left hand back on Cat's to re-secure herself.

Rose's right hand slipped loose a moment later.

The Doctor and Caterina both screamed "No!" as Rose flew uncontrollably toward the breach.

A burst of black energy formed behind her. Suddenly Pete Tyler was present, grabbing Rose with his arms and blocking her progress toward the breach with his body. Rose barely had time to look back toward the Doctor before Pete hit his dimension-hopper and both disappeared in a burst of black energy.

Within seconds of this, the pull on the Doctor weakened. There was an odd sound, a sort of sucking sound as if from a straw. Energy and matter crinkled around the wall and fell in on itself, like paper being sucked into a vacuum, until the shining light of the breach had completely vanished from the room.

Caterina stared dully at the wall for a moment before checking her omnitool. The sensors built into it confirmed what she had just seen. The breach had been completely sealed.

The Doctor walked by her wordlessly. He kept walking until he was leaning against the wall, his hands and the right side of his head pressed against it. As if he might hear Rose on the other end. Caterina watched him quietly, sniffling as she did, so intent that she ignored the pain still in her arms and shoulders.

It was over a minute before the Doctor finally turned away from the wall. Caterina stood up and walked up to him just as he reached the levers. "I'm sorry," she said, sniffling again. Tears were flowing from her hazel eyes. "I'm so sorry."

For Cat's sake, the Doctor forced a quiet, sad little smile to his face. He just as quietly accepted her sympathetic embrace while tears marked their faces with the grief of loss.


	94. Episode 2-18-5 Choices

_Ship's Log: ASV Aurora; 21 October 2642 AST. Lieutenant Commander Jarod recording. The ship is out of immediate danger. The Daleks and Cybermen have both been drawn back into the dimensional plane that our Time Lord ally calls 'the Void'. And whatever bizarre intelligence seems to have been hijacking the Dalek breach into the Void, it too has not shown up again._

 _But we have paid a high price. The casualties are still being counted. Severe internal damage has kept us from getting a solid count due to the damage to the ship's internal sensors, but I have to estimate we lost at least five hundred officers and crew to the Shadow attack and the invasions by the Cybermen and Daleks._

 _We have recovered our escape pods and the surviving crew are resuming repair work. Additionally, thanks to Lieutenant Locarno and the work of a couple of engineering crew, we were able to restore the runabout_ St. Johns _enough for it to fly down and pick up those of our crew still on Earth. The Doctor has also returned to the ship to recover his craft. He has agreed to see me on a pressing matter in the medbay_.

Jarod and Caterina watched quietly from the distance while Leo conversed with the Doctor beside two of the occupied biobeds. On said beds were Robert and Julia, both still unconscious.

"The cellular damage is severe, especially in Captain Dale's case," said Leo. "But they're both still alive."

"And lucky to be." The Doctor was looking them both over. Jarod noted that his demeanor was more constrained than before. This was someone dealing with grief. "Your Captain looked into the Time Vortex. He let it into his head. Quite honestly, I'm a bit surprised he's still breathing." The Doctor looked over Julia next. "You're saying she made contact with him before they dropped unconscious. What sort of contact?"

Leo looked to Jarod. Jarod, in turn, supposed he should feel some embarrassment for their sakes when he answered, "Julia kissed him."

"What? Like a peck on the cheek or…"

"It was on the mouth," Jarod clarified. "It was a romantic kiss."

"Huh." The Doctor looked back to them. "Ah. I suppose that would explain it."

"A kiss explains it?" Leo asked, clearly unconvinced.

"Your Captain is not an ordinary Human. Not that Humans come in ordinary models mind you, but what I mean is that Captain Dale has something special about it."

"The Gersallian mystic life force stuff, you mean," said Cat.

"That's one way of putting it." The Doctor looked their way. "Of course, it's a lot more complicated than even Swenya realized."

"So Robert's… powers saved their lives?"

"Well, no, not directly anyway. They acted as a conduit for the energy to bleed out of him. And since he had to use so much of what the TARDIS gave him to seal that breach, he survived what he had left." The Doctor nodded to Julia. "Commander Andreys just made sure he survived it. And she's lucky to be alive too." The Doctor shook his head and sighed. "This is why I told them not to think about the Time Vortex. No being can look into it safely. They're all lucky to be alive."

"Do you know when they'll wake up?" asked Leo.

"I've no idea," the Doctor admitted. "And I'm not sure they'll even be sane. Well, she probably will be. Her exposure was limited. But for those two minutes, Captain Dale's mind was exposed to the full power of the Time Vortex. Time Lord minds can barely take the strain. Human minds?" The Doctor seemed to notice the horrified looks of the others and some part of him seemed compelled to offer hope. "A lot depends on his connection to the life-based energies of existence."

" _Swevyra_ stuff," Caterina said.

"Oh, it's got lots of names. _Swevyra_ , the Gift, the Presence, the Well of Life, the Force. Nobody can agree on what it actually is. They don't even agree on how it normally works. I only have a few ideas on it myself. It's never been my thing. I'm sorry, Doctor Gillam, but I've got nothing else to share."

"Thank you for your help, Doctor," said Leo.

The Doctor stepped away and joined Caterina and Jarod. "So, what are your plans now?" he asked Jarod. "You're in charge of things, right?"

"Engineering teams are still examining what the Daleks did to the jump drive," Jarod said. "Even if the Daleks repaired it, we don't dare to use it until we're sure we've removed whatever programming they put in."

"Let me help you with that, then," said the Doctor. "I'll look it over and see that they didn't leave you any nasty surprises."

"Are you sure, Doctor?" Cat asked. "You've been through a lot. Maybe you should take time to rest."

"I'd rather help, Cat, if it's all the same to you."

Jarod nodded slowly. "Alright. Lieutenant Barnes is overseeing repairs to the jump drive. It's on Deck 30. You'll have to approach from the stern. The corridors and area forward of the access room are heavily damaged from the fighting."

The Doctor nodded in appreciation and left the medbay. Caterina rushed after him. She caught up to him in the corridor just shy of the lift. "Doctor!" When he turned to face her, she said, "I'm sorry about Rose. I… I couldn't hold onto her. I'm sorry…"

"You tried," he answered. He turned to face her. "You did everything you could. We both did. At least Pete caught her and took her back to his world. She'll be safe there."

"Maybe there's a way to still get there. I've heard reports of other ways to go between parallel worlds…"

"And all are extremely dangerous." The Doctor's eyes reflected how much he was hurting. Cat felt a pang of guilt, a feeling that she might be responsible for it. Even if he was right, even if she had done all she could to hold on to Rose. "I understand you're worried about me, Caterina. But right now, you're probably better off checking on your sister and your girlfriend. I'll be fine."

Without saying more, the Doctor turned away again and left. Caterina had the thought of asking him when he would rest, that maybe he needed it, but she stopped herself. Helping her ship and friends, that was what he wanted to do, and no amount of rest would change the fact of what happened. Of what he had lost.

Caterina headed back toward the medbay. 

* * *

Leo stepped up to Jarod. "So, when are we getting home?" he asked.

"Scotty assures me we'll have IU radio back in a few hours," Jarod answered. "I told him it was a priority now given the state of the crew."

"Yeah." Leo gestured to the critical care ward. "I thought you'd want to see this."

Jarod followed Leo into the ward. Most of those present had been wounded by the Shadow attack or by Cybermen. The Daleks had been more effective in killing their targets.

One of those who they hadn't actually managed to kill was in a biobed. Bandages covered burns and, particularly the stumps left of the patient's arms. "Commander Kane," Jarod noted in a quiet voice.

"The Marine medics who found him barely managed to keep him stable before getting him here," said Leo. "Apparently he overloaded the weapons on the suit of heavy armor he was wearing and they exploded."

"The fact that he's alive suggests the Dalek he was fighting didn't make it either. None of the others that tried to set off the torpedo locker made it?"

Leo shook his head. "As things look, the Commander's looking at months of surgery and rehab."

"And psychological counseling," Jarod added. He turned away and looked at more of the wounded.

"I think we'll all need some in the long run." Leo put a hand on Jarod's shoulder. "Go get some rest, Jarod. Nick can keep an eye on things while you do."

"Is that a medical order?"

"Do I need to make it one?"

Jarod glanced back at Leo and let out a sigh. "Alright. But I'll need to be up as soon as we have IU radio or drive capability."

"I'm sure Nick will see to it. Now go on."

Leo watched his friend go and looked back to the wounded under his care. They were still the lucky ones, as far as he was concerned.

"Doctor." Nasri appeared at the entrance of the ward. "Doctor, we've run out of room in the mortuary ward."

That made Leo swallow. That had never happened before. "Use our expansion ward."

"We already have that open for surviving patients."

"Then… then find out from Commander Locarno if we can borrow space elsewhere on the ship." Leo slumped against the wall wearily. He knew he should be taking the same advice he gave Jarod.

Nasri knew it too, given the look she gave him. Just as she knew that with Doctor Lumenaram dead, the medbay had one less physician to deal with the wounded. Leo wouldn't be taking a rest any time soon. 

* * *

Locarno stepped into Main Engineering from the forward entrance. It was a welcome respite from the rest of the ship. Details were still removing the bodies of dead crew from where they had been left by the Cybermen and Daleks. He had seen far too many shrouded human figures while making his way back here. He glanced down to his bandaged hands and considered just how lucky he had been to come off with only these injuries.

Scotty had returned to Main Engineering to oversee the repair effort. He had Barnes visible on a holo-screen below the ship's master control display. The Doctor was in the background leaning over a control console, working on the board. " _...for a while. In fact, he's suggested we should just wipe all of the control systems on the jump drive and restore from backups._ "

"Aye, a proper suggestion," Scotty said. "As soon as we repair th' computer trunk lines anyway." The old engineer looked over to where Locarno entered and said, "Keep me informed, lad. Scott out." A tap of a key ended the communication. "Commander, what can I dae for ye?"

"Jarod left me in command while he gets some rest. I'm just catching up on our status."

"Nae very good, Commander, nae very good at all," Scotty said. He let out a sigh. "I've lost several o' my best tae those blasted contraptions that invaded an' the fight damaged much o' th' forward drive section. We need a full drydock an' we need t' be in it soon."

"Any chance we can make an IU jump if we get the drive repaired?"

"That's a pretty big 'if', sir. We dinnae have time t' finish th' first repairs before th' invasions, an' now th' hull has suffered more damage. Half th' bloody drive hull is covered in breaches now from th' blasted things getting sucked back to Earth. Things are so bad some o' th' decks cannae be accessed from all th' breaks in th' hull. I dinnae feel safe sendin' her through a jump point under her own power, Commander, an' that's th' truth of it."

"Can't say I blame you." Locarno looked around Engineering. "Status on IU comms?"

"Ah, good news there. I just heard from Lieutenant Nesay. She an' some others managed tae get Machine Shop A goin' enough t' make th' parts we need. We'll have IU comms by mornin'."

"Then we can call for a yardship or a tow and get this ship back for repairs." Locarno nodded. "Well, I'd better go check on the rest of the ship. Let me know if anything comes up."

"I will, Commander," promised Scotty. 

* * *

Lucy had done what she could helping with repair teams, but given the way things had gone all day she needed a rest. She headed to the Lookout to find that, much to her expectation, Hargert had made more sausage stew.

"I had to," he explained when handing her a bowl. "Our food storage took damage. We have no refrigeration."

"So this is better than letting it go bad." Lucy nodded. She moved her spoon through it.

"You look exhausted, _Fraulein_ ," said Hargert.

"Well, I did hours of repair work, got attacked by a Cyberman in my quarters, had to run across the ship fighting Cybermen, piloted an escape pod down to London, fought my way into the Torchwood Tower to help the others, and Meridina and I ended up fighting dozens of Daleks we could barely hurt." Lucy took in a breath after that list. "Yes, I think I'm exhausted."

Hargert touched her shoulder and noddded. "Then come, sit, eat and drink. Rest, Lucy."

"Not yet," said Lucy. "I need these to go. Because Meridina is exhausted too." 

* * *

When Lucy stepped into the security office, she found Meridina leaning against her desk. Her face had grown pale. Her blue eyes were red with tears. She looked up and smiled at Lucy, but it was a wan smile. "You felt my hunger across the ship, didn't you?"

"I imagined it was like my own." Lucy handed her one of the containers of sausage stew and put the other on the desk. "Looks like your replicator is working."

"Yes. I am fortunate."

Lucy hit the key on it. "Computer, two large cups of _hilan_ , warm." The replicator provided the desired cups full of warm beige-colored liquid, a Gersallian tea. She brought the cups over and set them down. "Are you okay?"

"Many of my officers and subordinates are dead, Lucy," Meridina said. "Lieutenant Richmond provided me a full count of the confirmed casualties before I ordered her to stand down for the rest of the day." Meridina's eyes returned to the screen. "Sixty dead, Lucy."

Lucy swallowed. That was over half of the security staff for the entire ship. "Yenaran?" Meridina shook her head, indicating Yenaran was among the slain. "Reynolds? Janiral? Usala? Kashi? Hata?" At each headshake Lucy felt her heart drop further into her stomach. "Kashi just got married."

"To Petty Officer Sung, yes. She was killed too."

"God," Lucy breathed. For all her hunger, she felt a sudden loss of appetite. It didn't help that the sheer exhaustion of the crew was evident to both of them. Over the last twelve hours, everyone had been put through literal hell. "Do you regret not being here?"

"Our ship would have been destroyed if we hadn't been on Earth, Lucy. Many of the survivors would also be dead." Meridina shook her head. "I do not regret anything. I am simply sad for all of the loss of life caused by these two evils."

"And if Torchwood hadn't been so foolish," Lucy added. "They've got Hartman in the medbay. I wonder if she'll answer for what happened."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps her actions have been some recompense." Meridina tapped a key to turn off her screen. She sipped at the _hilan_ before opening her container of sausage stew and retrieving the utensils that were attached to the container. "For now, we should eat and recover our strength."

Lucy nodded and went for a bite. It tasted as good as always, of course. It was a small pleasure for them, something to get their minds off the death and loss inflicted upon their ship and crew. 

* * *

The door to Caterina's quarters chimed. After a moment of no answer they chimed again. On the third chime, Cat finally seemed to realize it was going off and called out, "Come in."

The door slid open. Angel limped in and Violeta followed. Angel had swapped into civilian clothes, with a sleeveless green blouse and black pants, while Violeta was still in uniform. Violeta immediately went up to where Cat was sitting at her desk staring at her computer. She embraced Cat and kissed her on the cheek. "Lover, I'm so happy you're okay."

Cat turned her head and let Violeta kiss her. "I was afraid you'd die with the ship," Cat said. Her eyes were red from the tears. "I was afraid I'd lose both of you." She faced her sister next. Angel took a seat in Caterina's most comfortable chair with a clear sigh of relief.

"At least we all made it," said Angel. "We lost too many people."

"I heard about Commander Kane," said Cat.

"And Doctor Lumenaram. Tech Officer Matthews. Lieutenant Pacetti." Angel shook her head. "And what are you doing up? Leo wanted you in bed. Hell, he wanted everyone who was down on Earth to stay off-duty."

"Nobody can stay off-duty given how bad things are," Caterina pointed out. "But I'm working on something personal."

Violeta glanced at the viewscreen. "These are mission reports from Spock? _The_ Spock?"

Caterina nodded. "Spock had a couple of encounters involving alternate timelines during his career. I was hoping I might find a way to safely transit between 5th dimensional locations."

"To get back Rose?" Angel asked.

Caterina nodded. "I… I couldn't hold onto her. She slipped from my hand. Maybe if I'd been stronger…"

"That's not how it works, Cat," Angel said, trying to reassure her sister.

Violeta pulled up a seat and snuggled up beside Cat. "I know you blame yourself, but I also know you did everything you could, Cat," Violeta assured her.

"The Doctor's alone now," Cat said. "Because I couldn't hold on. I… I have to make it up for him. I have to find a way. I have to help him."

"How?" asked Violeta.

Caterina had an idea. She told them.

"Are you sure?" Violeta asked. "If you're sure, and you know you can do it… then I'm fine with it."

For a moment Caterina had to think on that. Ultimately she nodded. "Yes," she said. "I'm sure." 

* * *

Lucy was on her way back to her quarters and ready to collapse. She'd helped in some repairs after finishing her meal with Meridina, joining a repair team on Deck 24 to restore local power function and help stabilize the ship's hull breaches. Now she just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep.

Therefore she was quite agitated when the lift stopped on its way to her quarters on Deck 5. The doors slid open and Tom Barnes shuffled in, looking ready to join the dead. "Hey," he said with little energy. "Lift, Deck 4."

"Hey," she answered. She could feel his sheer exhaustion and, beneath that, grief and pain. "I'm sorry," she added.

"For?"

"For everyone you lost."

"Ah. Yeah." Barnes looked at her. "So, where were you during the fuss? Jarod said something about you going down to Earth in an escape pod."

"Yeah, I did. I spent most of my time fighting Cybermen and Daleks."

"Ah."

Lucy felt the resentment flare up inside of him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you've got that mumbo jumbo stuff," he pointed out. "If you'd stayed, maybe some more of our people would be alive."

"If I had stayed, Tom, then I wouldn't have rescued Rob and Meridina from the Cybermen," Lucy pointed out. "Nor would Meridina have had her lightsaber, and me, to hold off the Daleks. She'd be dead, and Robert never would have gotten to the TARDIS, and you and a lot of the crew would have died when Julia triggered the auto-destruct."

Barnes didn't say anything to that. Lucy sighed in realization. The problem wasn't the fact, it was the _feeling_ , and nothing she said could change that. When Barnes finally spoke he asked, "Did you know that when you left? With that mumbo jumbo stuff?"

"I could feel it, yeah."

"Right." He shook his head. "How'd you manage to fix those damn things anyway?" He was looking at her lightsaber. "I heard they got fried by the Shadows' disruption weapon."

"Well… it's hard to describe actually."

"I'm a Goddamned engineer, Lucy, give me some frakking credit."

"Tom, that's exactly why it's hard to describe," Lucy said, trying to be patient despite her immense fatigue. "Because these things… they're not just engineering. I didn't fix them until I put down my tools and used my life energy to sense what was wrong and fix it."

"So you repaired stuff with your mumbo jumbo?" The skepticism was thick in his voice. "Really?"

"Really," Lucy said. "How else could I repair them while waiting for my escape pod to finish making re-entry?"

It was clear he was still skeptical. But he said nothing more but a simple sarcastic "Good night, oh sorceress" when Lucy stepped out of the lift on Deck 5. She barely had the energy to stick her tongue out at him in mild retort.

She walked on, aching everywhere, until she got to her quarters. The door opened and she was let into her room. The ceiling still bore the mark from the Cyberman blaster meant to kill her. In her bedroom, the Cyberman had smacked its metal arm into her dresser while landing after she had shoved it back, smashing the entire thing and leaving an assortment of her clothes spread here and there on the floor. "Tomorrow," she mumbled before collapsing into her bed. She managed to struggle out of her uniform trousers and jacket before she just gave up and rolled onto her pillow, determined to sleep until she woke up. 

* * *

With awareness came pain. Pain in the head. Pain through the body. A feeling like having been dragged over hot coals and injected with napalm.

There was a gasp of surprise at the intensity of said pain, and with it Julia woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave a miserable groan. The pneumonia that had hospitalized her at age 12 hadn't felt this horrible on her. Nor had that double overtime game during her high school basketball days, when she played all but four minutes of the whole thing. She felt like her entire body had been burned through and out. It was a surprise when she managed to sit up.

She glanced around and saw she was in medbay. Her mind tried to piece together what happened before she collapsed. She remembered preparing to give the order to blow the ship up, which clearly hadn't happened since she was still breathing. Then there was that sound, and a lot of light, and Robert came out of it and… Robert!

She turned her head and noticed him in the biobed beside her. He was alive according to the biobed's status display, but there was no movement. It looked like more than simple sleep to her. _What have you done to yourself?_ she wondered.

Movement caught the corner of her eye. She was surprised to see one biobed was taken up by Leo, still in white lab coat and blue uniform, who yawned as he sat up. His bleary brown eyes met her bleary green ones and he stifled another yaw before getting up. A few steps brought him over the bed. He looked over the system readouts. "Your vitals look good," he said. "It's good to know you're okay."

Julia set her elbows onto her knees and leaned her hand into her hands. "Everything hurts," she said.

"Given what the Doctor said about what happened, I'm not surprised. We almost lost you."

Fear crept into her voice. "And Rob?"

Leo shrugged. "We're not sure. His body's alive and recovering. But he's showing no signs of waking up." His eyes moved over their unconscious friend. "The Doctor says he's lucky to still be alive. But there's a chance he might not be entirely sane when he wakes up."

Julia closed her eyes and drew in a breath. For a moment she thought she could feel something in her, a memory of a power beyond anything she could have imagined. And she'd only had it for a few seconds, relative to Robert. What had that bizarre energy from the TARDIS done to him?

For the first time Julia realized she was in a medbay gown. She frowned and went to slide off the biobed. Leo took her by the shoulders to stop her. "Right now you need rest," he insisted.

"The crew needs me," she insisted.

"Jarod and Nick and Scotty have everything well in hand," Leo assured her. "The repair teams have been working all night. The ship is fine."

"Do we have communications back yet? I need to be there for that."

"We should have IU comms back within a few hours or so. At least, that's what I was told. I can find out more for you if you want." Leo tilted his head toward the pillow. "But you have to promise to stay here for a little while. At least a few more hours so we can make sure you're okay."

That drew a deep frown from Julia. She felt her place was on the bridge right now, setting an example for the others. It was clear, however, that Leo would not be denied on this point, so she acquiesced to his term with a nod. He stepped away to make the enquiries in his office.

Feeling tired despite everything, Julia laid her head on the pillow and allowed her thoughts to wander. Now that the crisis was mostly over she had time to consider things. Had anyone received their mayday? Were they considered missing now? Indeed, a certain fear came to her that any ship answering the mayday they had sent out from Halmavar would also get attacked and destroyed by the Shadow ships.

Julia quietly closed her eyes and wished the pain she felt would go away. Without even planning on it, she was soon fast asleep, with just a single thought going through her mind as she settled into a gentle slumber.

 _Did Zack know?_

* * *

There was a surge of radiation in the Halmavar System. It was a very subtle one, artificially distorted and shifted by the same field that kept others from seeing the ship responsible even with their personal sight.

A sleepless Zachary Carrey returned to the bridge a moment later. "Report," he said gruffly.

"We've just come out of warp at Halmavar," said Lt. Magda Navaez, ship's operations officer and science officer (although given _Koenig_ 's combat-orientated role, she didn't do much in the way of "science"). "I'm already running sensor sweeps."

"The _Aurora_ 's last communications said they were going to investigate the second planet. Ap?"

"I'm bringing us in," said the ship XO, Lt. Creighton Apley. His hands moved over the helm controls of the _Koenig_ and directed the small gut-puncher of a starship toward the planet in question.

"Code Yellow," Zack said. "Prepare to raise shields the moment we decloak."

"Aye sir."

"I'm picking up what looks like an impulsor drive trail. It's consistent with the impulsors on the _Aurora_." Magda continued to examine her reading. "There's something up with the planet, it's… that can't be right."

"Show me. On screen."

The screen shifted. Everyone stared at the sight. Zack's mouth hung open for a moment before he could manage, "What in God's name happened here?" 

* * *

Julia had been woken up only after a few more hours of sleep. Leo provided her a fresh uniform and told her Jarod and Locarno were waiting for her on the bridge. So were Angel and Cat, it turned out. She was still moving gingerly as she stepped up and slid into the command chair, secretly relieved to be off her feet. Her body still twitched and ached, all the way to the fingertip that tapped the comm key button. "Bridge to Engineering. Are the comms online?" she asked.

" _Aye, sir, we have subspace an' IU comm back up_."

"What about our jump drive?"

" _Sorry, lass, but th' Doctor insisted on a full backup restoration. An' we're just now finishin' th' repair on th' computer lines t' dae that. A spot of good news for ye, though. We cannae use th' drive, but th' anchor is back online an' safe. If ye get us help, they can jump right tae our location._ "

"Thank you, Mister Scott." Julia nodded to Jarod. "Put me on."

"Patching in to Alliance IU comm network." A moment later he nodded. "We're on the main Stellar Navy bands now."

"This is Commander Julia Andreys of the _Starship Aurora_ to any Alliance ship receiving. We have suffered extensive damage and are currently in orbit of Earth in Universe W8R4. Our jump drive is offline but we have restored the anchor mechanism. Again, we require immediate assistance, our crew has taken heavy casualties and we're still repairing battle damage."

For a few moments there was no response. Then a voice came back over the line. " _We hear you,_ Aurora. _Ships are jumping to your location now_."

And indeed space opened up a moment later. A swirling green vortex, an interuniversal jump point, formed a few hundred kilometers off their port bow. Jarod immediately put the forming vortex on the holo-viewscreen. Right after it expanded to full size a starship flew through it. It had the same azure sheen as the _Aurora_ and was clearly built to resemble her, although she lacked the _Aurora_ 's size and had only two warp nacelles instead of four. The name on her primary hull read _ASV Shenzhou_.

"Hail coming in," said Jarod.

Julia couldn't help herself. She smiled with relief and said, "Put her on, Jarod."

The holo-viewscreen shifted to show another bridge similar to the _Aurora_ 's. The figure central to the image was a woman Julia's age with East Asian complexion and features. Her dark eyes reflected quiet relief. The four gold rank strips of a Captain were on the rank tab on her collar. When she spoke, it was with decent English, but a prominent Chinese accent. "Starship Aurora _, this is Captain Ming Li on the_ Shenzhou _. It's good to see you._ "

"It's good to see you too, Captain," Julia answered. She couldn't keep relief out of her voice. "As you can see, we've had a rough time of it."

Ming nodded. " _So my operations officer is telling me. It looks like someone tried to slice your ship to pieces and then started poking holes in your drive hull for sport. What is your status?_ "

"No jump drive, no warp drive, impulsors are still only partly online, and no armor self-repair," answered Julia. "No weapons either, and our transporters are blown out right now."

" _Knowing Commander Scott, your ship used to be far worse off_." The look on Ming's face turned somber. " _My science officer is reporting that your life sign count is barely over 1,400. What happened?_ "

"A lot of really bad things that I'm compiling into a report for Admiral Maran."

" _I see_. _You must have shortages in your engineering teams then. I'll have Commander Kreelt send some of his people over to assist you._ " For a moment Ming didn't speak, and when she did it was with a question. " _And Captain Dale? Is he among the lost?_ "

"Just about," Julia said, a lump forming in her throat. "He's in a coma."

" _I see. That is regrettable_." Ming lowered her eyes. " _I will join my engineers on your ship. With Commander Scott overseeing our repairs, we should have you ready for a safe jump by the end of the day, I hope_."

"I hope," agreed Julia. "We'll be waiting for you."

Ming nodded. " _Shenzhou_ out." She disappeared from the screen. The _Shenzhou_ was now coming up beside and above the _Aurora_ , as if to shield her from further threats.

"Any news on Robert?" Jarod asked.

Julia shook her head. "He's still in the coma. Leo hasn't seen any signs that he's coming out of it."

"Right. And one last thing…" Jarod tapped a key to transmit something to Julia's omnitool. She activated the tool and looked up what he sent. "Our final casualty count," Jarod explained. "Completely confirmed."

Julia looked over the list with a lump in her throat. The names… she knew a number of them. She'd given them performance reviews with their department officers. She'd seen them at lunch. She'd been to a wedding, checked in on a couple of parties, signed off on their promotions. Welcomed them to the _Aurora_. Her mind put faces to the names. Human, Alakin, Dorei, Gersallian, a Gy'toran.

And now they were gone.

Tears began flowing down her eyes at the weight of that loss. Despite everything, despite all efforts, they had lost so many crew that every survivor would have a friend or colleague or close shipmate among the lost. That they hadn't lost more was due to a miracle. A miracle that might have cost her the most important person in her life.

Julia forced the tears to stop. She could cry later, but not now, not when she had to be strong for the others. "Jarod, has _Shenzhou_ signaled how they're sending replacement crew over?"

"They're coming by shuttle," he answered. "The main shuttlebay is intact enough to receive them."

"Then I'm going down to welcome them. What about the remains for our lost crew? Do you think we can manage a burial service?"

"Just about, I suppose," Jarod sighed. "I think our best bet will be to hold any service in the main shuttlebay while the bodies are released from what's left of the hanger deck. It won't be all of them. Some of the deceased have orders for returning the remains to family. We'll still be releasing over three hundred sets of remains at once though."

"Do we have enough coffins for that?" Locarno asked. "Food replicators are up but I thought the larger ones were still down?"

"I'll ask Scotty to detail a few engineers to repairing one. We should still have the materials we need. And the _Shenzhou_ can help us get enough completed in time for a service tomorrow."

"Then do what you have to. I want to have the service at eleven hundred hours ship time tomorrow." Julia forced herself to stand. "Jarod, you have the bridge. I'm heading down to the main shuttlebay." 

* * *

Julia was in her quarters finalizing her remarks for the service when the bridge called down with news that the _Koenig_ had arrived by jump point. Her dock was ready to receive her, so Julia rushed to the dock entrance as fast as her hurting body could carry her.

Tom Barnes was already present when she arrived. They felt the thunk through the deck as the _Koenig_ was secured in its docking place. A couple of minutes passed until the door opened. Zack was the first out. He rushed up to them and wrapped his arms around them in a tight hug. "Oh God," he said, not bothering to hide the tears of relief. "I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead."

"We almost were," Julia replied, patting him on the back. "If not for Rob, I would have blown the ship up and the two of us wouldn't have made it."

Zack nodded. He let go of them. Concern was now showing on his face. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"We're not sure, man," Barnes said. "Leo can't tell what's wrong with him, and the Doctor said he might never wake up."

"Doctor? Which Doctor?"

"The one that the Darglan Facility talked about," Barnes replied. "The one it told us to find to fight the Daleks."

Zack blinked at that. "What, seriously? That guy exists?"

"He's down in Engineering helping with repairs now," Barnes said. "He's smarter than _Jarod_."

"I don't believe you. Seriously, I can't… I can't believe that."

"You'll find out," Julia said. Moving made her feel pain, and an involuntary wince crossed her face.

Zack noticed it too. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, just… it's a long story. I'm going to hurt for awhile."

By this point other members of the _Koenig_ crew were emerging. Karen Derbely and Ana Poniatowski led a number of engineering-branch officers and crew up. "Where do you need us, Commander?" Derbely asked Julia.

Julia looked to Barnes, who chucked a thumb toward the hall. "Head to Main Engineering, Scotty will give you assignments," he said. "Our priority is making sure the ship can take the acceleration to make a jump."

The two women nodded and led their engineers away. Opani and her small medical staff emerged. "We'll head right to the Medbay," Opani said.

"We lost Doctor Lumenaram, so you'll be welcome," Julia said.

Zack looked at her with concern. "Who did we lose?"

"Robert's in a coma. Angel was hit but is okay." Julia shook her head. "Commander Kane lost both arms and is in critical condition. Leo says he's touch and go."

"Damn." Zack shook his head. "I should've been here. If we'd been here…"

"I don't know how it would have gone, Zack. There were a _lot_ of Daleks. And the Cybermen would have attacked your crew too, so there's no guarantee the _Koenig_ would have been in any shape to fight. Hell, the Shadows alone could have killed us back at Halmavar." Julia noticed Zack's sudden look at that name and asked, "What is it?"

"We were at Halmavar when we made our first jump to get here," Zack answered.

"Zack, you almost got killed," Julia said, horrified at the thought of how the Shadows might have handled _Koenig_. "There were several Shadow ships guarding the planet. They nearly destroyed us."

Zack's look grew distant. Julia got the feeling something had happened. That something was going on. "Zack, what is it?" she asked.

"I've already informed Admiral Maran of what we found," Zack said. "He's told me its classified. I'm sure he'll tell you later."

"Well, we were there for the Shadows…" Julia felt sudden uncertainty. Had something else happened after they made their death-defying escape? "Forget it. You're home for now, and I should take you to see Robert."

"I'd like that," Zack answered. "Jarod said something about a service tomorrow?"

"Yes," Julia said. "We lost… a lot of people, Zack. The rest of us need something like this."

"Yeah, I can see that. We'll be there, you can count on that."

They started walking together. 

* * *

The main shuttlebay was full of uniformed figures, as well as some non-uniformed from the ship's civilian detachment. Work over the course of the night shift had cleared damaged and wrecked shuttles and runabouts away to allow for hundreds of attendees to gather, facing the rear of the shuttle bay. The shuttlebay doors were closed. Large holo-viewscreens displayed the rear of the ship and the hanger deck from which the dead would be buried in space. Sol shined in the far distance.

The _Aurora_ command crew stood together on a raised platform put together by personnel. They were joined by Captain Ming, Captain Laurent, and their officers on one side, while on the other were a few guests. The Doctor was present, seated and quiet, and he was joined by two older-looking figures.

One was Admiral Maran himself. It had been quite a surprise that morning for Julia and the others, awakening to find the _Kentan_ having joined the _Shenzhou_ , the _Koenig_ , and the _Challenger_ beside their wounded ship. The Admiral had come aboard with his senior aides to attend the burial service.

The other guest had come from Earth, a British official who had asked for and received permission to participate in the burial of those who had fallen fighting the same foes that had threatened his own people. Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart cut an impressive, dignified figure. He had opted for full uniform with UNIT affiliation insignia and General rank displayed.

The emotionally-drained Yvonne Hartman was not among them but standing near the door to the shuttlebay, flanked by Lieutenant Richmond and another surviving security officer.

After the standard protocols Julia stood up and assumed the podium. The pain had declined somewhat since the previous day and it didn't take much for her to not wince from where it continued to have an effect on her. She considered a digital reader with the remarks she had in mind for a moment before she spoke.

"We are gathered today to mark the loss of cherished friends and comrades," Julia began. "It is a loss common to every member of this crew. We all feel it differently. We all deal with it differently."

"We can only rest assured that our comrades were not lost in vain. The ship they fought to save is still here. We are still here to remember their sacrifices. To remember who they were, what they were, and what they gave up so that we could live on." Julia thought of Robert at that point. There was no telling what he had given up to save them. She feared he'd given up everything.

"We've faced one of the gravest dangers to ever be encountered and, together, we proved that no matter the foe we face, no matter the odds against us, we will always stand and hold our ground. It has cost us dearly. We have all known the possibility of such a cost. We all knew it when we came out here and put on our uniforms."

She took a moment to consider her notes and gave a quiet nod to Scotty, who nodded back and reached for the package beside his chair. "This ship has asked much of us all over the last few days. We all gave it. And now she asks you to do another thing. She asks you to remember those that we now commit to the stars that shine upon us all." Julia pressed a key upon her omnitool and turned to face the viewscreens with everyone else. It fell to Gunnery Sergeant Harmon to give the call to "Attention!" - he was the senior-most NCO not in the medbay or among the slain. The assembled straightened in obedience to the call. Sir Alistair did the same, after which he saluted, palm-out in British style.

A line of specialized caskets began to emerge from the hanger deck. As they did the somber tune of the _hita_ flowed over the room, played by Chief Tayal Lagamo, and was joined by the wail of the Scottish bagpipes in the arms of Commander Scott in the place of Junior Petty Officer Heather Cameron, the official bagpiper for the ship, who died fighting the Cybermen. Although the two played different tunes - "Amazing Grace" in the case of Scotty - the music flowed together in a melodic way.

Row by row, lines of caskets emerged from the hanger deck. It took a few minutes for all three hundred and sixty-plus caskets to be released into space, where they would be on a course toward the Sun that would take many years for them to reach.

When the process was completed and the two musicians had finished their playing, Julia decided to utter her final lines. " _And we came from starstuff, one and all. And to starstuff we return, to one day become life anew_."

Caterina nodded in recognition. She had chosen similar words, the words of a Darglan funeral oration, for Jornam's funeral poem when they had given the Darglan a similar space burial such a short time ago.

It was with clear gratitude that Scott set the bagpipes down. Julia looked to the assembled and said, "Burial company dismissed."

The crew began to filter out.

As they did so, Sir Alistair stepped up and shook Julia's hand. "I wish we could have met again under better circumstances, Commander."

"Agreed, sir."

After shaking her hand Sir Alistair turned to the Doctor and smiled. "It's been too long, Doctor."

"It's good to see you," the Doctor answered. He accepted Sir Alistair's hand.

"I regret our reunion came about due to this. Sarah Jane mentioned you had a new face."

"How is she…?"

Julia left the two friends to themselves and stepped up to Maran. "Admiral, sir. It's good to see you."

"And a relief to see you," Maran said. "We feared the worst after your mayday was received and we lost contact. I read your preliminary report and it is rather shocking, almost unbelievably so." Maran glanced toward the Doctor, who was still chatting with Sir Alistair. "That's him? This 'Doctor' that the Darglan records spoke of?"

"It is. And he's genuine. His ship is dimensionally transcendental. Although I don't know why it's shaped like a police call box."

"Amazing. Simply amazing. And what your records show Captain Dale did when he accessed this ship's intelligence. It seems more metaphysical than technology if you ask me."

"Maybe it's something of both?" Julia shook her head. "I just hope Robert wakes up soon. And that he's… okay."

"Yes, Doctor Gillam said something about anticipating psychiatric issues?"

"The Doctor thinks Robert could have lost his sanity. But we won't know until he wakes up."

"I hope not." Maran noticed Julia's dark mood, and how carefully she was moving. "What about you, Commander?"

"I'm… getting better. It hurt a lot, what I did. But it saved Robert's life, or so the Doctor tells me."

"I saw the bridge footage." Maran made no comment about just what Julia had done. "Our experts are going to spend months going over all of this material. And we'll certainly need to consider measures against any future conflict with the Daleks."

Julia shuddered at the thought. "They're nightmares, Admiral. Complete, total nightmares."

Maran nodded in understanding. "As for the _Aurora_ , we're preparing a dock for her at L2M1 for extensive repairs."

"Scotty estimates up to three months."

"So I've heard." Maran frowned. "Minister Hawthorne has indicated he would prefer to have the ship decommissioned and dismantled for analysis. To see if we can improve our use of Darglan technology."

Julia frowned at that. "Of course he'd say that. We've become an enemy."

"Do not judge him too harshly, Commander," Maran said. "Sometimes these decisions must be made. Sentiment can cloud. Your ship's repairs will be extensive and expensive. At some point, a ship simply can't be repaired for a reasonable outlay of material and manpower. I happen to think that the _Aurora_ is still within that reason, but there is justification for thinking she may be too damaged to return to service."

Julia shook her head. "But not the _Aurora_. She's still good for service. She's still worth it." She noticed Maran was looking at her intently and added a curious, "Sir?"

"You're awfully protective of this ship given you have another waiting for you," Maran noted.

"I suppose I am," Julia said. "But I named her, Admiral. I pushed for her construction to stay on schedule back in the day. I wasn't an engineer, but I helped Captain Farmer with the administrative side of building her. I care about this ship."

"So I see. And that brings us to another matter, actually."

Julia wasn't sure she liked that. She considered her superior and asked, "Oh?"

Maran's expression was apologetic, but his tone was still firm. "Captain Dale's condition. There's no guarantee he'll come out of it."

"No, but…"

"And to be frank, however things ended up, the fact that he again went into the field instead of overseeing his ship, critically damaged this time, that fact is going to hurt him."

"In what way?"

"There will be questions back in Portland. Admirals wondering why we're leaving one of the most advanced ships in the fleet under the command of a man who doesn't stay at his post." Maran sighed. "Some of the Human Admirals particularly. They are prickly about these things. And they make up a majority, whatever influence I may yield."

Julia let out an exasperated breath. "I warned him this might happen. That his running off because of his life energy stuff could cost him his command."

"I'm not a _swevyra'se_ , so I can't judge," Maran said. "He was likely right to do what he did. But being right doesn't always work in an institution. Whatever happens to Robert, it's best I handle this situation now, before Davies and his people start pushing their own solutions." He gave Julia a somber look. "As of now, I am naming you Captain of the _Aurora_. I've already submitted the orders and my request to the board for your promotion to be instituted immediately. Given the circumstances I don't foresee any difficulty."

Julia let that sink in for a moment. "Will this affect my orders to assume command of the _Enterprise_?"

"We'll have to see," said Maran. "If Robert doesn't wake up, or if he's no longer suitable to command due to his condition upon waking up, the _Aurora_ will need a new captain. And you helped form this crew. You're the obvious choice to succeed him."

A distraught look crossed Julia's face. She drew in a breath at that thought. Command of the _Aurora_ … she'd always thought about it. But in these circumstances? "Those are your orders, sir?

"I know it's not going to be easy for you if it comes to that," Maran said. His tone was soft now. "I know how much you care for him. What Robert meant to you. And I know that the command staff especially will have a hard time dealing with him being replaced under these circumstances. But it's the best I can do for you or for him. Robert made his choice, and it saved your lives. Now we have to deal with the consequence of his choice."

Julia dwelled on it for several seconds. "I understand, sir," she finally said. "Permission to be dismissed?"

"Granted. But I'd like you to assemble a staff conference in one of your full-sized conference rooms for later today. Invite Captains Laurent and Ming to attend with their officers, have your senior officers and Commander Carrey's staff present, and if you would… I'd like the Doctor to be there."

To that Julia nodded. "I'll do it immediately sir. How does 1800 sound?"

"That works for me, Captain." Maran turned and left the shuttlebay.

Julia was about to follow when she came upon Sir Alistair speaking with Yvonne. She looked distraught and pained. He was somber. "...the consequences, Director. It was all under your orders, after all."

"I know," she said. "I was only trying to serve our country, Sir Alistair, certainly you see that."

"I do." Sir Alistair noticed Julia approach and glanced toward her. "And that is why there is one alternative."

Julia nodded to him. "I get the feeling that involves me?"

"It does, Commander." Sir Alistair gestured to Yvonne. "Director Hartman has been removed from her post at Torchwood. And if she returns, she will likely end up imprisoned for her actions while serving as the Director of Torchwood. Some of her actions have been blatantly unacceptable to our government."

"Because they were wrong ethically? Or because she serves as a useful scapegoat now that Torchwood's actions have caused deaths?"

"I would be dishonest to rule out the latter," admitted Sir Alistair. "Many of those in authority benefited from Torchwood's actions, there is no doubt. But Director Hartman chose to give orders that were wrong. And her actions led to this disaster. That must be accounted for."

"I will never be free again," she said. "I'm not sure if I should be upset or not. Most of my people are dead now."

"So what is the alternative?" asked Julia.

"As of now, we have not officially confirmed Director Hartman's survival," said Sir Alistair. "Should she not return to Earth, she will likely be ruled a fatality of the Battle of Canary Wharf. A presumption will be made that she was converted into a Cyberman."

"In other words, if she comes with us to the Alliance, she's free as long as she stays away from Earth?"

"Yes." Sir Alistair lowered his eyes. "I am of two minds on the subject myself, Commander Andreys. Director Hartman has done many bad things in her time. But I'm dreadfully familiar with the pressures and expectations she lived with. UNIT faces its demons from time to time as well. And she means well, and has talents that can benefit others."

"But is she willing to work with aliens?" Julia asked. She turned her head and faced down Yvonne. "The Alliance is built on cooperation between different nations and systems, and that includes different species. The Gersallians, the Dorei, and the Alakin are part of our Alliance, and other species may join us in the future. If you can't live with them, Director Hartman, then I can't justify letting you come along. I'd just be adding a future member of any number of alien-hating groups out there."

"I understand that, Commander Andreys." Yvonne looked to be deep in thought. "I am willing to learn."

Sir Alistair looked from Yvonne to Julia. Julia, in turn, considered the possibilities of the future. A part of her wanted to send this woman to her just reward, a prison cell.

But she'd heard from the others that Yvonne had helped defeat the Cybermen and Daleks. She had held the Cybermen back so the Doctor could re-open the breach. She could still do good in the world. A lot more than she could if she was locked up for life.

"I will have to consult Admiral Maran later," Julia said. "Depending on what he says, we'll bring you with us."

"Thank you for your consideration, Commander Andreys." Yvonne nodded. "I am at your disposal."

"And I am late for a UNIT debriefing," said Sir Alistair. "Thankfully your ships have matter transporters. Finding a secure place for your ships to land would be a bloody nuisance."

"The Doctor can't give you a ride?" asked Julia.

To that, Sir Alistair smiled. "Oh, I'm sure he could. But one thing I learned being around the good Doctor is this; that ship of his has a mind of its own, and you can never trust it to go where you want it to go. And the last thing a man of my years needs is another adventure with the Doctor. I'll leave fighting aliens and defending the Earth to the young, Commander."

"Of course, Brigadier," Julia replied. "As long as you don't mind giving us the benefit of those years?"

"You may always rely on that, Commander Andreys," Sir Alistair answered. He took her hand and shook it warmly. "Always."


	95. Episode 2-18-6 Choices

Lucy and Meridina were taking a late lunch in the Lookout. The mood was subdued for those present. Volunteers were already hard at work adding the large casualty list to the Memorial Wall. The new names would, in fact, more than double the current wall, and they would likely have to completely re-design it soon.

"Julia's words were well-chosen," Meridina observed. "It could not have been easy for her. And I sense she is still in pain."

"Whatever the TARDIS did to her, to them…" Lucy shook her head. "I can't imagine it, you know?"

Meridina nodded. "It is beyond anything I might have expected. I suspect Robert's survival is only from his _swevyra_. Time will tell if his mind is intact."

"I wonder what will happen to the ship now." Lucy dug a fork into the alfredo fettucine on her plate. "It's going to take months of repairs. And if Robert never wakes up and Julia goes on to the _Enterprise_ , we'll need a new captain and first officer."

"Admiral Maran undoubtedly has plans." Meridina took another small bite of her _liyume_ and nibbled on it for a moment before drinking from her cup of _hilan_. "We have another future to consider, Lucy."

"Oh?" Lucy took another bite and started chewing.

"Your's." Meridina set the cup down. "You have progressed far in the way of _swevyra_ , Lucy. Further than I had imagined you would go by this stage in your training. Your ability to wield your _swevyra_ and to connect with the universe and the Flow of Life has become truly impressive."

"Thank you," Lucy said. A small appreciating grin crossed her face.

"I have come to a conclusion. I have nothing more to teach you."

Lucy stopped herself from putting more pasta into her mouth. "What?"

Meridina nodded. "You have learned all my teachings on the arts of _swevyra_ , Lucy. I can help you to refine your technique and your _swevyra_ , but that is not training for a student."

"So what are you getting at? You're planning something."

"I am." Meridina nodded once. "I intend to request that _Mastrash_ Ledosh and my father oversee the Field Trials for you."

"The Field Trials." Lucy put her fork down. "As in the tests you take to become a field knight?"

"Yes."

"But I'm not in the Order," Lucy pointed out. "You're not in the Order anymore either."

"True. But the Order has always been willing to allow those with _swevyra_ to take the Tests. Many leaders of the Dorei Orders have done so as a means of strengthening their ties with the Order of Swenya. And you are the perceived founder of a Human Order by our eyes. Taking the Field Tests to demonstrate your skill would be seen as a gesture of respect by my people. It would reassure them as to your readiness to act as a _swevyra'se_." Meridina smiled softly. "And I suspect many in the Order would be pleased to speak with the woman who reforged Swenya's Blade and then learned how to make a _swenkesh_."

"I did say I'd teach any who follow the Light how to make them," Lucy agreed. "Alright. So we'll go to Gersal once we've got the ship docked and I get leave?"

"Yes," Meridina said. "It will not be easy, Lucy. I am confident you can meet the challenges, for you have surpassed many already. But you will be pressed to your limit, just as I was."

"I'd expect that," said Lucy. "But I'll pass it."

"Yes," Meridina agreed. "You will." 

* * *

After the service was over, Caterina returned to her quarters to compile all of the research she'd done on the question of fifth-dimensional travel and to work more on her report over what happened in Torchwood Tower. She managed a bit more before deciding that was all she could stand to do for the moment. She had somewhere else she wanted to be. She left her quarters for a lift, which carried her down to Deck 18 and Cargo Bay 1. Said cargo bay had survived the Shadow attack and the two invasions mostly intact. Between that and the space available, she imagined this was why the Doctor had parked his TARDIS here after reclaiming it from the bridge.

Cat stepped up to the TARDIS and knocked gently. Without any response, she knocked again. Another minute passed and she was about to knock one more time when the door opened. The Doctor stood in the doorway. "Ah, Caterina."

"Are you okay? I didn't wake you up, did I? I mean, the meeting's soon anyway, but..."

"Naw. I was just napping on the ol' hammock a little," he said. Despite his mood seeming cheery, Cat was certain it was an act. He looked tired. "Come on in." He stepped back and let her enter the TARDIS. "Your sister and girlfriend are alright I hope?"

"They are."

"That's good." The Doctor leaned against one of the pillars in the control room. "So what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I came to do something for you. Or try to." Caterina showed him the digital pad she'd loaded in her quarters. "These are recorded instances of 5th dimensional travel and some theories on how it works. I've gotten most of them from S5T3 and R4A1. Maybe they can be of help for you?"

"Maybe." He accepted the pad. "Thank you, Cat. It's a place to start."

Caterina got the distinct feeling that her information was not as likely to help, but she kept going. "I'd like to help you find Rose," she said. "I mean, at least find a way to say goodbye to her."

"Are you asking what I think you're asking, Cat?"

"Well… maybe?" She backed away from him a little. "I don't mean to assume, if that's what I'm doing, but I really think you want someone to be with you right now."

The Doctor went quiet for a moment. "I've always enjoyed traveling with others," he said. "No other Time Lords to join me. Just Humans." The look on his face spoke of loneliness.

"Maybe there's a way to get back Rose," Cat offered. "I've… I've studied science logs from Mister Spock, a science officer on the _Enterprise_ a hundred years ago. And other scientific journals. I might be able to help you."

"Caterina, are you asking to travel with me?" the Doctor asked.

"Just for a little while, I guess?" Cat shook her head. "I mean, I have things here I'll have to come back to. Violeta and Angel understand. I already told them. But I want to help you find a way to contact Rose. Maybe even get her back."

"It's dangerous out there," the Doctor warned.

"Yes. Just like it is on the ship."

"More than you can know," the Doctor corrected. "There are terrible things in this universe. In all universes. Things your people may not be prepared to see."

Caterina nodded. "Things we may need to know about already."

"I can't guarantee you'll come back when you should," he continued. "This could cause you trouble."

"I'm sure you'll get me back on time," Cat said. "As things are, my ship's going to spend months in repairs. You can get me back before then. I mean, you're a time traveler."

"That I am." The Doctor seemed to mull it over. "I have rules."

"Of course."

"No guns, for starters."

"I'm horrible with guns, absolutely horrible," Cat said. "I can shock things with my omnitool, though. If absolutely necessary."

"When I need you to do something, you do it."

"Just like I do now with Robert and Julia."

The Doctor seemed to consider what he was going to say next. "This is temporary."

"It is. But I want to help you."

"And if I end up showing you amazing sights and marvels you've never seen before in the process?"

Caterina smiled. "Uh… good karma for me helping you? I love seeing new things. I tend to shriek a bit, actually."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Well, you drive a hard bargain, Miss Delgado. I'll tell you what. If your Commander Andreys and other superiors say you can go, I'll take you with me to find a breach between the worlds. But as soon as we know when and where it is, as soon as I confirm I can reach Rose with it…"

"...I go home?"

"Yes. You go home. No 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's."

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Cat insisted.

"Right then. We'll talk about this with the others after the meeting."

"I'll start packing as soon as Admiral Maran's meeting is over," Cat answered, trying to restrain her giddiness at his acceptance.

"Only if they say yes, though," he reminded her.

"Of course," she agreed, still smiling.

The Doctor's return smile actually seemed to have some joy in it. They stepped out together. 

* * *

Conference Room 2 was selected for the meeting due to battle damage sustained in Conference Room 1 from fighting with the Cybermen. The command crews of four ships were joined by Admiral Maran, his chief of staff and his senior aide. All noticed that Julia was wearing a four-strip rank tab now, making her the equal of Captains Ming and Laurent.

As the timer ticked to 1759, Julia contemplated calling to see if the Doctor was on his way, or to find where Cat was off to. There were impatient looks around and she worried that Cat would be late or that the Doctor wasn't coming after all.

The door slid open. Caterina entered with the Doctor behind her. She took a seat beside Angel and Leo while the Doctor grabbed the central chair facing the main holotank. "Sorry if I'm late," he said.

"You are right on time," said Maran amiably. "I hope you don't mind if we get to business?"

"Not at all."

Maran nodded to Jarod, who tapped a key that brought the holotank online. The image displayed in the holotank was the tear that the Daleks had made as it had turned dark. "We have concerns about what the Daleks nearly did with our drive," Maran said. "Specifically, what happened to the spatial tear they formed."

"Yes, well, the Daleks never developed or used it before. They had no idea how wrong it could go if you modify it."

"Whatever that rift became, we could feel something on the other end," Jarod said. "Everyone on the ship felt it. We felt enough to know it was wrong."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." The Doctor frowned at the image. "They have no name we know of. Nothing they call themselves. Everyone who encounters these things and survives tends to call them 'the Darkness'. It's a very descriptive name. 'Darkness'. The complete absence of light. And very appropriate in their case."

"What do you mean?" asked Captain Laurent.

"Because wherever they go, that's what they leave. The Darkness hate us, you see. Nobody's ever really learned why, not even my people. There are theories, that they hate life not like their own, or that they hate sources of heat and light. The last one's a bit silly since they have no issues using weapons that can generate heat."

"Our people have stories of them," Meridina said. "Writings from Swenya."

"She would have recorded them. And she saw their handiwork in person." The Doctor scowled. "The Darkness just don't destroy other forms of life. They destroy worlds. They destroy entire solar systems. They reach into a star and extinguish it, and do that wherever they go until they've extinguished every star they come across. There are universes you could jump to where you will find no starlight at all, because the Darkness spent billions of years obliterating every star in existence." He stood from his chair and walked up to the holotank, as if to inspect the image. A cold, distant look settled onto his face. "They tried to invade our universe a few times. The Time Lords, the Eternals, all of the ancient species joined together to stop them. It's why we stopped tinkering with interuniversal technology."

"So there's a link?" asked Maran.

"You didn't think the Darglan were the first, did you?" The Doctor crossed his arms. "Oh, there have been lots of species and civilizations that found the secret. We did, the Ancients, the K'krinnap, the Leviathans. The Vorlons toyed with it a bit and found something almost as nasty. You're not even the first Humans to have used this technology, although you're rather more companionable than the last group. And as you've seen, they all stopped, one way or the other." The Doctor pointed his hand to the image. "And that's why. Because eventually, Someone's going to toy with the drives, they open the wrong rift, and the Darkness feel it and come pouring through."

"But they don't do this to normal jump points," Caterina pointed out.

"No. Which is why you lot, if you know what's good for you, will just use them as you are and never, ever consider toying with them."

"Failure to do so is why the Darglan were punished," Meridina observed. "And it caused the prior invasion."

"Do you think that these ancient species will return to do the same to us?" Maran asked the Doctor.

"Oh, they will." He nodded. "I can think of a few of them that have already noticed you. They're watching and waiting for you to make the same mistake."

A look passed between Maran and Zack that the others noticed. "Sir?" Julia asked.

"This brings us to the other item of discussion." Maran nodded to Zack. "Commander Carrey, please share what your ship encountered yesterday."

Zack nodded. "After we picked up the _Aurora_ 's distress call the other day, we made our way to the Halmavar system at maximum warp. We arrived shortly before the _Aurora_ broadcast its survival into the Alliance network. And when we got there, we found this." He tapped a key at his table.

The image changed from the spatial tear to a planet framed by a distant red nebula. The _Aurora_ crew recognized it as Halmavar 2. But as the image enhanced, they realized what was wrong.

The planet had been dead before, but it had at least been intact. Now it was utterly wrecked. The surface of the world had been blasted clean of any identifying mark. It had the surface of a billiard ball. The oceans were boiled away.

In the orbital space near the planet, pieces of debris were scattered. Most were indistinguishable. But some bore the specific appearance of spindly spines from Shadow vessels.

"What the…" Angel pointed at the image. "Are you telling me that something went through and wrecked all of those ships after they blasted the crap out of us?"

"Was there any other debris?" Locarno asked. "Maybe whoever did this took losses too?"

"We've recovered some debris," Zack said. "I've had it turned over to Admiral Maran for analysis. But we already know it's all consistent with each other."

"So someone was powerful enough to destroy those Shadows like that?" Julia noticed the Doctor was examining the image quietly. "You wouldn't know, would you?"

"Oh, there are quite a few things that could," the Doctor observed. "Although if I had to guess, this is the work of the Endless or the Sword."

"The who?" asked Captain Laurent.

"You mentioned them before," Jarod said.

The Doctor nodded. "They're very old beings. Very powerful. Immortal. They and their followers are the survivors of an earlier interuniversal civilization that was destroyed by the Darkness. They're already watching you, I'm sure. Don't give them any reason to go beyond that."

"You sound like you're afraid of them," Angel said.

"More like they're tremendously aggravating," the Doctor answered. "Especially the Endless. The last time she came looking for me, I ended up going a million years into the future just to get rid of the headache."

"Are there any more of these old beings and species?" asked Lieutenant Phillippe Duwala, the science officer of the _Challenger_.

"Oh, there's plenty of them. But those two are the ones you should look out for." The Doctor returned to his seat and propped his feet up on the small desk for it. "So, anything else?"

"More information on the Daleks would be nice, in case we face any of them again."

"Ah, well, that's a lengthy topic. But I can give you some pointers, i suppose…" 

* * *

By the time the meeting was over, Caterina had quietly asked the others to stay even as the visitors to the ship left. The officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ gathered around Cat near the table they'd just used. The Doctor remained in his seat as well, watching with some interest. "Alright, Cat, you wanted to talk?" Julia asked.

"Yes. I need to ask something." Caterina checked on Angel's reaction. Angel nodded in understanding. "I… I'd like to go with the Doctor for a while."

The others exchanged bewildered looks. "What do you mean by that, Cat?"

"I'd like to help him find a way to reach Rose," Caterina explained. "Maybe even get her back. I don't know if it will work, but I've got to try. I... "

"Cat, you've had a couple leave times this year already," Julia pointed out. "I'm not sure I can justify you being gone for months. Even with the ship in drydock getting repaired, there'll be work for you."

"Oh, I know. And I'll do it. Because… I mean, he's a time traveler," Caterina said. "He can bring me back right away."

"She's got a good point," said Barnes.

It was clear that Julia was still uncertain about it. She glanced in the Doctor's direction. "Can you?" she asked. "If you go with her, could you bring Cat back right away?"

"Oh, I could," he said. "Always a chance of our returning to the wrong timeframe, I mean, but outside of some very special circumstances, yes, I can bring her back to this point in time."

"It would be an opportunity," Locarno pointed out. "All Cat has to do is keep a log of what happens and file a report on what she discovers. It's a chance for an expanded avenue of exploration."

"That's how I'd tell it to Admiral Maran," Jarod offered.

Julia nodded to them and considered the request. "Doctor, when are you leaving?"

"Well, you're all prepared to go home tomorrow, right?" he asked.

"Aye," said Scott. "That's when we'll be ready tae return."

"Then I'll head out in the morning. It gives me the night to look around. I never did get to see your nice new Darglan Emergency Ship, after all."

Caterina directed her full attention to Julia. "Please," she said. Or rather pleaded. "He's done a lot for us. The least we can do is help him find Rose."

"Cat, I know you've got other motives for this," Julia pointed out. "This is the kind of thing you live for."

"It is," Caterina admitted. "And I'll love it, I'm not saying it won't. But it doesn't change the fact that the Doctor deserves our help too. And the things I can see, the things I can learn, who knows what new discoveries can help expand our knowledge of the universe?"

Julia crossed her arms in thought. "I'll give you my answer in the morning," she said. "I'll meet you at the TARDIS at 0730 sharp with the answer. Fair?"

"Completely," Caterina said. 

* * *

A short time later, Julia was standing in the ready office of the _Aurora_. The bridge was under Lieutenant H'shep, a copper-feathered, gray-complexioned Alakin temporarily transferred over from the _Challenger_. Both of the arriving ships had transferred over enough officers and crew to provide spare shifts in vital areas and give the exhausted _Aurora_ crew time to recover. Even then, the ordeal wouldn't be over, not fully over, until they returned to Earth L2M1.

This was her office now. But for the moment Julia couldn't bring herself to sit behind the desk. It was one thing to use it when Robert was off the ship, and even then she'd rarely done so. But now… now it felt like she would be accepting he was gone. All they had left was hope, after all. Hope that he would recover. Hope that he would be whole enough to resume his post.

She thought back to that moment. When she had been convinced she was about to die and Robert had come in, every bit like the "white knight" they often teased him as being, to save them all. But the cost he'd paid. How could he? How could he do that to them?

 _Because he didn't have a choice_ , she reminded herself. _We were going to die_.

The door chime sounded. Julia ignored it. Her mind moved on to the memory of the kiss. The sensation of it. It had been an impulsive moment. She put her fingers to her lips, as if to recall the sensation in doing so, the thoughts that went into the act and the act itself. She couldn't accept she was about to lose him. That was how she had felt.

It reminded her of their prior kisses. Just two. On the _Kelley_ , as he had been about to confront the Daleks in the Facility. And then after they escaped the destroyed the Facility, after rolling down the collapsing mound on his old family property and realizing they were still alive. It had been sweet. It was always sweet. And it brought up feelings inside of her. Feelings of desire, yes, but also a feeling that it was meant to be. The two of them had known each other since they could think. They had grown up together. They'd known joy and pain and laughter and tears together. Didn't it make sense to be together?

But they never did. The fear of what would happen if it didn't work had always gotten in the way.

And now… they might never do so. And it surprised her that those thoughts seemed to hurt the worse.

The door chime sounded again. Julia sighed. "Come in."

When she turned, it was Zack stepped through the door. "Hey," he said. "I guess you're having trouble settling in?"

"I didn't want it to be this way," Julia said.

"Yeah." Zack walked up to her and gave her a hug. Julia accepted it. "I can't believe he might be gone. What he did…"

"...was the kind of thing I was always afraid he'd do," Julia said. "Ever since he found that damn Facility, he's been trying to be the hero. Dammit…" She found herself sobbing. "I was ready to die, you know? I didn't want to. But it was what had to be done, and I put in the codes, and I was ready…"

"Yeah." Zack gently put a hand on the back of her shoulder. "That's what you are, Julie. The responsible one."

"And… and he had to _pull that_. And I'm alive, we're all alive, but he's…" She sniffled. "Dammit. Dammit dammit…"

A sob escaped Zack's throat. All of their fun times together. All of the things Robert had done to make Zack's life more fun, to make things easier when his parents were fighting, when his father was drunk… when his mother was dying. He remembered high school baseball games played together, movies watched, parties… He sobbed again, not bothering to try and stop it, as the weight of threatened loss pressed down on him.

"I want him back," sobbed Julia. "He has to come back."

"Yeah, he does." An irrational anger at Robert for putting them in this position surged within him. It was joined a moment later by a deep, guilty feeling. _This is what you wanted, wasn't it, Zack?_ that voice taunted. _Haven't you wanted Rob out of the way? The computer on Adrana showed you that._ He forced that feeling aside by thinking of Clara. It helped to get his crying under control.

"We have to tell Beth," Julia said. She was breathing hard, trying to regain control. "What are we going to say to her?"

"The truth," Zack suggested. "Robert saved your lives, but he might not come back from this."

"It's going to break her heart."

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "And she'll be in good company."

Julia nodded in agreement. She drew in another breath to firm up her control before wiping her face clear of tears and nasal fluid. A small smile came to her face. "Thank you, Zack," she said. "I needed that."

"So did I, Julie," he admitted. "You know, I also came to give you some news…"

"Oh?"

"Maran's informed me that we're being temporarily re-assigned," said Zack. "Just until the _Aurora_ 's back in action. We're joining an attack ship squadron on the front. The 10th."

"Under Captain Elizabeth Tasker." Julia nodded. "She's a proper British type, so you'll need to be careful."

"I'll need to be more careful about Trace Jerricks on _Wahoo_ , or Clara will have my head," Zack said, chuckling.

"She was that English redhead trying to drag you to her quarters during the war seminar in June, right?"

"Yeah." Zack shook his head. "I've never had the best luck with redheads, but lack of interest wasn't stopping her."

"I remember. Freddie McComb."

"Yeah. Anyway, I just thought you should know now. Maran's sending us to Eta Leckie III tomorrow when you jump home."

Julia reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck out there, Zack. Be careful."

He nodded in acceptance of the charge. "Good luck getting your ship back in shape, Julie," he replied. "If anyone had to succeed him to the command, Rob would have wanted it to be you."

"Yeah." Tears glistened again in Julia's reddened aquamarine eyes. "I know." 

* * *

The command officers of the _Aurora_ and _Koenig_ were waiting in Cargo Bay 1 when 0730 rolled around. The door swished open and Caterina entered with Violeta at her arm and a backpack slung on her back. Cat looked to Julia with anticipation.

Julia nodded slowly. "Good luck."

Everyone nodded. "Make sure you keep logs for all of us?"

"Of course, Jarod," Cat said, walking past to the TARDIS and exchanging goodbyes. Her sister was the last one before she got there. "I'll be right back you know. From your perspective."

"If everything goes right," Angel answered. She gave her sister a tight hug. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will," Cat promised. She stepped up to the TARDIS with Violeta. The two had talked about the trip the previous night and there was nothing left to say. "I'll miss you," she said to Violeta. "But if things go right, you won't miss me."

"I hope not," Violeta said. "I've gotten used to having a cute nerd girlfriend. It makes the pillow talk interesting, if anything."

Laughter came from the assembled. Cat giggled at that, with her cheeks turning red for a moment. When she got the blush under control she knocked on the TARDIS door. "It's time," she called out.

After several seconds the door opened. All were able to look inside and see that, yes, it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. The Doctor stood in the doorway. He extended a hand to Cat. "Welcome aboard, Caterina Delgado. Are you ready?"

"I am. I've got everything."

"Good." He looked out at the assembled. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

"You'd better," Angel said. "Time Lord or not, if you get my sister hurt I'm going to hurt _you_ right back."

Caterina winked at him. "Sorry, Doctor, it's just something she does. She always has to be my overprotective big sister."

"I see that, and she's certainly got the muscles to back it up," he responded. Chuckles came from some of the others while Angel crossed her arms. The Doctor stepped to the side to give Cat room to enter the TARDIS. After she did, he remained standing for the moment and looked out at them. "You know, I've spent most of my lives interacting with your species," he said. "I've seen you at your best and at your worst. I've fought beside you and against you, when I had to. There are times you impress me and times I wonder why I bother." The look on his face was somber, but it was a warm somberness. "Meeting you, though, well, that's been a highlight, I have to say. I mean, most of you were just living ordinary lives like most of your species. And then you found something extraordinary and you built… this. This Alliance of yours... amazing. This is what your species is capable of when you're at your best." He smiled at them. It was a warm, affectionate smile, covering the lingering pain of losing Rose with a great deal of effectiveness. "And I have to say that it was a pleasure to meet you all. And I hope to see you again sometime. So take care of yourselves out there. I'll be watching for you."

Applause sounded behind them as they closed the door. The Doctor walked up to the control console. "Well, now, where shall we start?"

"I have a list of cosmic phenomena associated with possible 5th dimension breach points," Cat volunteered.

"Ah, very good. Let me see that… well now, that's nice. Looks like one of our potential stopping points is on Tychansis."

"And Tychansis is…?"

"It's a planet at the edge of the Y'ki'ti Nebula in what you call the Magellanic Clouds. The Y'ki'ti Nebula has a recurring system of plasma currents that intersect and create these amazing interactions that you can see from the northern hemisphere of Tychansis."

There was no mistaking the ecstatic look in Cat's eyes at the thought of it.

"Well then, off to Tychansis we go." The Doctor yanked a lever on the controls. The TARDIS began to rumble while the engine made its customary _VWORP VWORP VWORP_. Over it all the Doctor proclaimed, " _Allons-y!_ " 

* * *

**Tag**

A few minutes passed in Cargo Bay 1. Minutes in which Angel and Violeta began to exchange worried looks. "You don't suppose…"

"He's a time traveler," Jarod pointed out. "If he rounds off the wrong number it could be an hour before he returns.

"It better not be," Julia said. "We're due to jump to Earth L2M1 in forty…"

Before she could complete the sentence the cargo bay filled with _VWORP VWORP VWORP_ again. The TARDIS materialized in front of them. The door swung open and Cat stepped out.

She was in new clothes, a red jacket with green sleeves and a pink blouse beneath, and long pink trousers. Her shoes were the same, however, and her bag seemed only a little more used, if now joined by a duffel bag.

But physically, there was a clear difference. Caterina had gained an inch in height, minimum, and her black hair was now long enough to reach her shoulders. Her hazel eyes glistened with excitement and happiness. "I'm home!" she announced. She quickly looked back into the TARDIS and said, "Good luck with that supernova! If you can, let Rose know I said hello!" There was no audible reaction to that and Caterina stepped out of the TARDIS and shut the door. The TARDIS began to _VWORP_ again and dematerialized.

Cat looked to Violeta, smiled, and took her girlfriend into a strong hug and an even stronger kiss. Violeta's eyes briefly widened in surprise until she closed them in contentment at the ferocity of the kiss. "I've missed you so much," she said to Violeta. "And I got you some presents too! I got everyone presents!"

"Well, that was… anticlimactic," Locarno said.

"Well, duh, that was the point," Caterina giggled. "But I've been gone for a year and it's just so good to see you all again."

"Did you find what you were looking for, then?" Jarod asked.

"Uh huh. And some more things. I have to recompile my log, though." Caterina sighed. "A technovore entity on Xickxanis took my omnitool and scrambled all of my data while trying to eat it."

"The important thing is that Cat is home, and we can all get to our stations for the jump home," Julia pointed out.

With that prompting, everyone left the Cargo Bay. Angel stayed behind long enough to speak to Cat. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked Caterina.

"Oh, I'm fine," Cat insisted. "Perfectly fine. I'm more grown up, I mean, and the Doctor and I had some crazy adventures..."

"Nothing went wrong though? You didn't get hurt? Nothing bad happened to you?"

There was just a tiny bit of a confused delay before Cat emphatically shook her head. "Stop being a worry-wart, Angel, I'm perfectly fine."

"Alright then," Angel said. She smiled and put an arm on Cat's shoulder. 'My little sister, grown another inch."

"I'm not as much a little sister to you anymore, y'know…"

They laughed together. 

* * *

Everyone was assembled on the bridge when the time came. "The _Shenzhou_ and _Challenger_ are in position," Jarod said. " _Shenzhou_ will initiate jump in ten seconds."

"You know what to do, Nick," said Julia.

"Aye, _Captain_ ," Locarno answered.

Julia let out a little sad sigh. She'd been waiting to hear that for a long time, but now… now all of the wonder was out of it.

But at least they were all alive. That was a good thing. That was the important thing. They'd lost a lot of colleagues and crewmates in this battle, but they hadn't lost each other.

Even Robert might not be lost. Julia had to consider it that way. He was alive. He was breathing. He could still come back.

He _would_ come back.

Or so she believed, with nothing but hope and faith to sustain it.

"Jump point forming," Jarod said.

Though wounded and hurt, the _Starship Aurora_ triumphally entered the jump point taking her home to a well-deserved rest. 

* * *

Observers watched as a green vortex of energy, an interuniversal jump point, appeared in Earth orbit. The _Starship Aurora_ and her escorts, the _Shenzhou_ and _Challenger_ , entered the vortex, after which it closed.

The most obvious observers were the people of Earth itself, and various authorities with access to ground-based telescopes or orbiting satellites. The sight was observed in UNIT HQ by Deputy Director Stewart and a military officer of the group, Colonel Mace. It was also observed in the Torchwood Three facility in Cardiff by the operators there. Even Mister Smith, the personal computer of Sarah Jane Smith, recorded their departure.

But none of these noticed the _other_ observer.

Several hundred million miles "above" Earth's orbital plane, near what one might call the "zenith" point of the star system, a lone spacecraft also observed with the aid of powerful long-range sensors. The vessel in question was a small ship, meant for piloting by one individual with scarcely room for more.

The individual in question quietly saved the recording for future reference. After days of silent watching, it was time to report in. The dark-clad figure turned in the piloting chair toward a comm unit. With the press of a key, a holographic figure appeared above the comm unit. The pilot of the vessel spoke. "Master," she said, her tone full of deliberation. "I am ready to give my report."

The holographic figure gave a nod of her head, gently shifting fiery red locks of hair in the process. " _Proceed_."

"The _Aurora_ was not destroyed and the Enemy did not come through," said the observer. "Their attempt to widen the breach the Daleks created was defeated."

The other figure considered that news. " _Interesting. That was an outside probability at best._ " A look of concern crossed her Master's face on the holo. " _Did the Time Lord detect you?_ "

The observer gave a single shake of her pale head. "No, Master. I stayed well away and observed with comscan only." The observer's face neared the hologram. "Master, there was a disturbance in the Force when the portal closed."

A look of brief surprised came to her Master's face. " _I… Interesting. One of the Forcefuls must have used the Time Vortex. The probability is great that they perished in the effort._ " A wistful, almost sad look came to that holographic visage. " _A hero's deed._ "

"As you say, Master," replied the observer, in a tone implying she didn't quite see it the same way. "What is thy bidding?"

The look vanished from her Master's face as quickly as it had appeared. " _I have dealt with the automated defenses the Shadows left behind when they passed beyond the Rim with the First One. Halmavar has been scoured and we have collected that which we needed. At this juncture we only need to be mindful of further leaks. You are to return home. I have decided to tarry with Yellow at the Tal-Kona'sha Homeworld conferring with such that passes for their leadership, now that the First Ones have gone._ "

"Very well."

" _As usual, be prepared for… domestic problems._ " Her Master's face screwed into an expression of distaste. " _That is all._ "

"Of course, my Master." The observer's eyes gleamed, as if she might look forward to such problems. "All will be right when you return."

The holographic image disappeared. The observer swiveled her chair back to her controls. Her gloved fingers keyed in several sequences on a control console.

And yet again, a vortex of swirling emerald energies was opened in the fabric of space. The small craft turned toward it and accelerated until it surged through the maw of the whorl. 

* * *

In the medbay Leo stepped out of his office. Nasri approached him. "The Fleet Hospital is sending the transfer teams now, Doctor," she said. "Are the orders ready?"

Leo tapped a few keys on his omnitool. "They are now."

"Of course. I will see to it that the transfers are sent." Nasri walked on, using her omnitool to look through them.

Leo's path took him into the non-critical ward and the sole patient left in it. He walked up to the bed and took a cursory look at Robert's vitals. "You're still in there, Rob,' he murmured. "I know it."

"Doctor?"

Leo looked back to where Nasri was standing at the door. "You… missed one," she said, although the look on her face told her that, in truth, he hadn't.

"I'm not transferring him to the Fleet Hospital," Leo said. "Not yet. Not unless…"

He didn't have to complete the sentence. Nasri understood what he meant. She nodded and walked away.

Leo turned his attention back to his comatose friend. He leaned in and said, "Whatever's going on in there, man, you've got people here waiting for you. Just remember that. We're all waiting for you to come back." As he spoke, Leo wondered just what was going through Robert's unconscious mind. Was he dreaming? Had he seen things while in the grip of that power?

With no clear answers to be had, Leo walked away quietly to start his rounds. 

* * *

_We're all waiting for you to come back_.

The voice cut through the darkness despite its quiet whisper. Awareness followed with it. The darkness began to subside.

Warm sunlight moved through lovely white curtains. A soft bed beckoned, ready to pull back into slumber those who laid upon it. Fluffy pillows promised comfort for a weary head.

No. Wakefulness. This was special. Special.

Robert Dale sat up in bed and stretched his arms. Next he stood and stretched again. He turned back and looked across the king-sized bed to the mirror on the other end. His body was lean, athletic muscle, as it should be, with a farmer's tan showing on it. His eyes looked about the room, full of personal items. Sports trophies, academic certifications, photographs, and a closet of nice clothes divided from work clothes.

He blinked at the sunlight pouring golden rays through his windows. That seemed… wrong somehow. But why?

He pulled on a pair of around-the-house sweatpants, gray in color, and walked toward the door to the rest of the house.

" ** _HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_** "

The roar came from a multitude of voices. Robert looked down from the railing to the first floor living room, which was fully occupied. A mountain of birthday-wrapped boxes awaited in a corner. A large birthday cake was visible on the dining room table of this spacious, beautiful home.

 _This isn't the Dale home I grew up in_ , he thought, but a second thought reminded him that, no, it wasn't. This was the house built on the land when that silly mound on the family property was finally demolished by his grandfather. It was _his_ house.

His eyes looked over the assembled. Leo was there, and Zack, and Tom. Angel smiled from the corner. Lucy Lucero was fussing with the TV for some odd reason. Beth and her girlfriend Annabelle were at the table. And Caterina, who was holding hands with… Susannah. His sister.

A funny feeling of wrongness came and went. Tears seemed to form in his eyes at seeing his little sister's smiling face. His eyes moved over the gathered. His parents were seated on the couch, his mother Leigh happily reclined into his father Michael's arms, both grinning that silly grin whenever they were being sappy romantics. The Carreys and the Andreys had found chairs. Leo was with his parents. Tom's parents were with Lucy's mother in one corner. Anita Delgado walked in from the kitchen with some of her famous enchiladas, which she set on the table before smiling up at him. Miguel Delgado followed with a plate full of steaks.

And behind Miguel, Grandma Anna joined the procession with a casserole dish. She looked up at Robert and said "Happy Birthday", repeating it in German as she often had when he was growing up.

At the front door, Grandpa Allen was still in his farmer's overalls and blue checkered shirt, smiling up at Robert. "Happy birthday to you," he sang, prompting the family to do the same.

As they reached the final lines, Julia's voice came up beside him. She was standing beside him on the second floor railing, wearing a comfortable blue sleeveless blouse and white knee-length skirt. Her hair was loose and flowed down to just below her shoulders. Her green eyes, aquamarine in color, glistened in the light of their house.

As that thought of "their house" crossed his mind, Julia stepped up and planted a warm kiss on his lips, to the cheers of the assembled. Their hands clasped, causing their wedding rings to touch. When it was over, she smiled and said, "Happy birthday, Robby," to him in a low, private tone. "You're lucky you got to sleep in this long. Little Robby wanted to wake you up when Anne finished the cake."

His mouth hung open in mute surprise for a second before a four year old child bounded up to wrap his arms around Robert's thigh. Robert looked down into a face that had the jawline and cheekbones of a Dale. But the boy's eyes were brilliant aquamarine, and his hair was rich blond in color.

Robert bent down to pick up their son. The boy threw his arms around Robert's neck the moment he could. "Happy Birthday, Daddy," the boy said cheerfully. "Are you going to make a wish?" The boy made a face. "And why are you crying, Daddy?"

There were, indeed, tears running down Robert's face. Warm, happy tears. He looked back out into the living room and dining room, where his family and the families of his dearest friends were here and well and _happy_. They were all together.

Outside, there was the slight rumble of approaching thunder, signalling the approach of a storm.

Robert ignored it. He kissed Julia, his wife, again, and with his son in his arm he followed Julia down the stairs to join the others.

They were all happy. Why bother worrying about the coming storm?


End file.
